Value of HBCUs is Apparent when talking with Alumni of Closed Institutions

The New York Times published an interesting article in late June, "‘Your Heritage Is Taken Away’: The Closing of 3 Historically Black Colleges," by Wadzanai Mhute. 

While Mhute initially references the struggles facing Bennett College in North Carolina and Pennsylvania's Cheyney University, the article focuses on the sense of support and feeling of community voiced by alumni of three HBCUs that closed, Concordia College in Selma, AL [1922-2018], Morristown College in Morristown, TN [1881-1994], and Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA [1888-2013].

You can read more about each of the three closed institutions by reviewing post on the College History Garden blog:

Concordia College

• Saturday, February 24, 2018 Concordia College Alabama will Close

Morristown College

• Saturday, October 30, 2010 Morristown College (TN)
• Monday, October 31, 2016 Morristown College (TN) Campus Purchased

Saint Paul's College

• Thursday, August 30, 2012 Saint Paul's College (VA) #1
• Monday, May 13, 2013 Saint Paul's College (VA) #2
• Friday, May 31, 2013 St. Paul's College (VA) #3
• Sunday, December 28, 2014 President of Saint Paul's College Recognized
• Wednesday, February 20, 2019 Museum and Archives Maintains Memory of Saint Paul's College

Interview with Dr. Elizabeth Meade of Cedar Crest College

Interesting interview with Dr. Elizabeth Meade 14th president of Cedar Crest College in Lehigh Valley Business on June 5, 2019 with reporting by Dawn Ouellette Nixon, "Elizabeth Meade, president of Cedar Crest College Leading a generation of women into the future."

President Meade describes Cedar Crest's diversified programs as a strength that provides more stability in revenue.  She also comments that the institution is currently benefiting from the trend toward stronger enrollment at women's colleges. 

Nixon concludes that "...At a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, she is leading Cedar Crest and a generation of women into the future."

Cedar Crest College is located in Allentown, PA and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017.   It was founded in 1867 as Allentown Female College. The name changed to Allentown College for Women in 1893 and to Cedar Crest College in 1912. The institution is affiliated with United Church of Christ and current enrollment is 1,664 students.

Article Focuses on Small Church-Related Colleges

The Chronicle of Higher Education published, "To Stay Competitive, Small Christian Colleges Emphasize Specific Niches," on February 5, 2019.  Reporter Terry Nguyen identifies a number of strategies pursued by small church-related institutions as they face enrollment and financial pressure.  Administrators at Indiana Wesleyan University, Warner University in Florida, Westmont College in California, and Geneva College in Pennsylvania shared ideas for positioning their institutions to attract and retain students.

Small Colleges Share Strategies for Proactive Change

Inside Higher Ed posted an interesting article this morning by Colleen Flaherty summarizing conversations from the recent annual meeting of AAC&U, "Survival of the Proactive: Small-college leaders share how their institutions have attempted to ward off enrollment crises before they happen."  Flaherty focuses on recent changes presented at a panel by representatives of Allegheny College, Chatham University, and Dominican University of California. 

Allegheny College is located in Meadville, PA and enrolls 1,802 students.

Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Chatham University enrolls 2,269 students.

And, Dominican University of California enrolls 1,744 students in San Rafael, CA.

Small Colleges and Boutique Hotels

Several small colleges are mentioned in an interesting post written by Laura Powell, "Luxury Boutique Hotels Become Part of the College Experience," published on the Skift website in early December 2017.  Powell interviewed college administrators and representatives of The Olympia Companies that have developed are operating hotel properties for Oberlin, Swarthmore, and Rollins College.

The Alfond Inn in Winterpark, Florida is owned by Rollins College and is the largest of the featured hotels with 112 rooms.  Powell indicates the property is exceeding expectations with an occupancy rate of 90% and estimated $50 million in annual revenue.  She also notes that any net profits are used for scholarships.

The Hotel at Oberlin with 70 rooms was developed by Smart Hotels of Shaker Heights, OH,  It has been open just over a year and meets U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum requirements by incorporating solar, geothermal, and radiant heating and cooling.  

The Inn at Swarthmore opened in May 2016 and is the smallest of the three with 40 rooms.  

Powell also briefly mentions Colby College is finishing a boutique hotel as part of a broader downtown redevelopment effort in Waterville, Maine.  You can read more details in an article, "Colby College picks Portland firm to build boutique hotel in Waterville," on the Portland Press Herald website with reporting by Amy Calder.

The Williams Inn at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts offers 116 rooms.  The property was initially built in 1974 and was acquired by the college in 2014.

Please leave a comment below if you know of other small colleges that are developing and operating hotels on their campuses or in the communities they serve.

Chatham University's Aqua Lab

KDKA, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh featured Chatham University's aqua lab in a two-minute video segment this week, "Chatham University's Aqua Lab Helping Students Learn A New Kind of Farming."  You can also learn more about various sustainability initiatives associated with the Eden Hall Farm by visiting the Chatham website.

Chatham's Falk School of Sustainability and the Eden Hall Farm were also featured in an earlier post on the Small College Garden blog in April 2016, "Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage for Small Colleges & Universities."

Consortia Offer Variety of Successful Models for Colleges and Universities

Nina Berler authored a guest column for Forbes on February 1st, "College Consortia: A Cooperative Model that offers Students Greater Value."  Berler focuses on activities of the: Five College Consortium, The Claremont Colleges, Atlanta University Center Consortium, and Quaker Consortium.

Another article on consortia was posted by University Business last March, "Better together: Colleges form academic alliances," written by Sherrie Negrea.  In addition to Five Colleges, Negrea offers information on several other consortia, including the: Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts, Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education, and Colleges of the Fenway.

If you are interested in learning more about the possibilities for consortial relationships, consider contacting the Association for Collaborative Leadership (ACL).  ACL is dedicated to developing leadership capabilities and advancing collaboration in higher education.

ACL offers a listserv and links to a wealth of useful resources, tools, or events.

NPR features Single Parent Scholars Program at Wilson College

NPR features interesting reporting by Noah Adams in "When The Students On Campus Have Kids Of Their Own," from mid-November.  The article and audio file feature the Single Parent Scholars Program at Wilson College that enrolls single parents.  Wilson College, founded in 1869, is located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and enrolls over 925 students.  Adams also cites the building of a new dorm for single parents at Eastern Kentucky University. 

Women's Colleges Featured in Vanity Fair

Lisa Birnbach's article in the May issue of Vanity Fair, "How Sweet Briar Came Back from Financial Ruin and Proved Women's Colleges Are Still Relevant," focuses on nine of the 42 women's colleges.  Her article includes brief sketches of the selected institutions and highlights strengths and unique characteristics.  The institutions with their locations are included in the table below.  Birnbach concludes by noting that the institutions are increasingly attractive alternatives for many young women.

Institution Name	City, State	2015-2016 Enrollment
Barnard College	New York, New York	2,536
Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania	1,346
Hollins University	Roanoke, Virginia	750
Mills College	Oakland, California	867
Mount Holyoke College	South Hadley, Massachusetts	2,215
Smith College	Northhampton, Massachusetts	2,500
Stephens College	Columbia, Missouri	667
Sweet Briar College	Sweet Briar, Virginia	250
Wellesley College	Wellesley, Massachusetts	2,344

Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage for Small Colleges & Universities

Chatham University's Falk School of Sustainability and the new Eden Hall campus are featured in the March 2016 issue of NACUBO's Business Officer magazine.  "Water Conservation as Competitive Advantage," focuses on the institution's effort to create a campus characterized by zero carbon emissions and energy production exceeding consumption.








Walter Fowler, Chatham's senior vice president of finance and operations and Michael W. Takacs, principal with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. authored the article.  They list various aspects of the initiative from waste water treatment to the network of rain gardens, retention tanks, and irrigation systems.

Fowler and Takacs conclude that that this type of project can be a cost-effective way for colleges to demonstrate good stewardship  to all stakeholders from students through the broader public.  The Eden Hall web pages include a short video and a number of photographs or other interesting resources.

Moore College of Art and Design

Moore College of Art & Design (MCAD) posted an interesting virtual tour on YouTube via the institution's web site.  MCAD was founded in 1848 as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and operated as part of The Franklin Institute from 1850-1853 before gaining its independence.  It received authorization to offer baccalaureate degrees in 1931 and merged with the Moore Institute of Art, Science, and Industry the following year.  The name changed to Moore College of Art in 1963 and to Moore College of Art and Design in 1989.  Four hundred fifty-four students were enrolled during the fall 2014.

Aerial Tour of Waynesburg University

Waynesburg University posted a wonderful aerial tour that emphasizes the campus and its location with respect to the community of Waynesburg.  Place a url in a comment below if you know of other similar videos that show off a campus and the surrounding area in this way.

Waynesburg University was founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and enrolls just over 2,000 students.  The community of Waynesburg, PA is located 60 miles from Pittsburgh and has a population of 4,184.

Pricing and Discounting Strategies at Four Small Institutions

The September 2015 issue of Business Officer includes and article by Margo Vanover Porter that provides more context for the group's annual NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study.  Porter interviewed key administrators at four institutions to identify how the campuses are working to attract students in an environment with stiff competition from other institutions and a focus of families on cost and value.  Porter concludes the article by highlighting eight strategies identified through conversations with the selected administrators.  The featured institutions include:

• Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA with enrollment of 1,353
• Concordia College in Morehead, MN with enrollment of 2,398
• University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR with enrollment of 587
• and, Saint Michael's College in Colchester, VT with enrollment of 2,618.

Shared Strategic Commitments bring Benefits to Colleges and Towns

Daniel Porterfield, president of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, wrote for Forbes on July 24, 2015 about the benefits that arise when small colleges and towns work together.  He provides specific examples of shared strategic commitments in the arts, health care, neighborhood development, and community engagement spanning several decades that are paying big dividends for all.  Porterfield indicates that not only are Lancaster and the college growing, the community is benefiting from a transition to a younger, more vibrant demographic.

The article also includes examples of other similar initiatives in Geneva, NY with Hobart & William Smith College and in Carlisle, PA with Dickinson College.

Dan Nephin, writer for Lancaster Online, passes along key points of Porterfield's comments.  

Small Colleges Adapting to Meet Pressures they Face

In the wake of Sweet Briar's public struggle, Matt Zalaznick reports that many presidents and boards of small colleges have reassessed their financial health....and it appears that many are making necessary changes.  His article, "Small Schools Sidestep Sweet Briar's Struggles" appears in the May 2015 issue of University Business.

After initially exploring the situation facing Sweet Briar, Zalaznick then turns his attention to strategies followed by Wilson College (PA), Converse College (SC), Sewanee: the University of the South (TN), Whittier College (CA), Mary Baldwin College (VA), and Manchester University (IN).