Small Maryland Colleges Respond to Changing Higher Education Marketplace

The Baltimore Sun published "Maryland's small colleges saw the future, and it was bleak. Now, they're selling liberal arts with a twist" on May 10, 2019 with reporting by Liz Bowie.  Bowie focuses attention on changes at a couple of small private Maryland institutions as they maintain relevance in a changing higher education market. 

Responses differ from recent curricular changes at Goucher College in Baltimore to reduced tuition at St. John's College in Annapolis.

Bowie interviewed Lynn Pasquerella from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Goucher president Jose Bower, Carol Carpenter, St. John's vice president for communications, and several faculty members and students. 

An interesting short video interview with professor Robin Cresiski, director of Goucher's Center for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching and Phong Le, professor of mathematics and computer science, is embedded in the article.

 

Report finds Innovation and Promising Strategies at nine CIC Institutions

The Spring 2016 issue of The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Independent newsletter includes an overview of a new CIC report, "Strategic Change and Innovation in Independent Colleges: Nine Mission-Driven Campuses."  

The Independent's editor comments that the report provides evidence that private colleges face the future with optimism.  Further, it challenges the narrative that independent institutions are stuck with outdated business models and are unable to adapt to market and fiscal challenges.

The report focuses on nine small institutions and is based on interviews with presidents and other campus leaders.  Several themes summarize what the authors found;  "...a bias for action; a drive to connect locally, regionally, and beyond; realistic self-assessment and adaptation; structure for innovation; assertive leadership within shared governance traditions; and alignment of mission and innovation."

The table below provides the locations and enrollments of the institutions.

Institution	Location	Enrollment
Benedictine University	Lisle, Illinois	5,954
Bethany College	Lindsborg, Kansas	717
Dillard University	New Orleans, Louisiana	1,185
Houghton College	Houghton, New York	1,084
New England College	Henniker, New Hampshire	2,399
Stetson University	Deland, Florida	4,330
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso, Indiana	4,507
Washington Adventist University	Takoma Park, Maryland	1,057
William Jessup University	Roklin, California	1,161

James C. Hearn, Jarret B. Warshaw, and Erin B. Ciarimboli authored the report.  A .pdf version is available for download from the CIC website.