Ten Days in U.S. Higher Education and Sports
"Demographic cliff"; Coaches as recruiters; Cuts, accreditation warnings, and presidential resignations; Sensible realignment; Flag football > lacrosse?; $175k post-season deficit; and Holiday reading
The end-of-semester events, including Friday’s commencement, have concluded and I had time today to react to news around enrollment and athletics from the past 7-10 days. Before we get into that, I want to thank everyone who has subscribed to this little endeavor. I have heard recently from several small college athletic directors and vice presidents of enrollment management. I am grateful for the opportunity to connect and further this dialogue.
I started Glory Days envisioning a space to share random thoughts on sports, history, my Springsteen fandom, etc. If you read through the archive you will see an eclectic mix of stories. But it is clear there is a heightened need to continue the conversation around the challenges facing higher education enrollment, both present and future, and how athletics interacts with that. So, for the time being, that will be my focus. I will continue to add thoughts about the changing landscape of sport sponsorship across four-year institutions. A reminder, you can access the spreadsheet I have kept since March 2020 here.
Many things caught my eye recently, and they are summarized below in this somewhat lengthy post. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I will be back in January.
Enrollment
Education Week published data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education on future projections for high school graduates, and it is not a great picture for enrollment-driven college campuses. After an anticipated nation-wide record graduating class in 2025, eight states are projected to see a decline of more than 20 percent over the next 15 years, with 38 states showing anticipated losses. Only the southeast region escapes, as the Education Week graphic below shows.
This “demographic cliff” is one of the root causes of the negative higher education outlook from Moody’s and S&P.
Podcast Worth Listening To
My good friend Dr. Karen Weaver of the Penn Graduate School of Education was out this week with an insightful installment of her podcast, Trustees and Presidents: A Podcast for University Leaders on College Athletics. Her guests were Philadelphia Inquirer journalists Susan Snyder and Harold Brubaker who last month authored an important look at Philly area small schools. Of note, Brubaker stated, “I know at Neumann (University) they mentioned that adding coaches is like adding recruiters of students… that’s part of the job if you think about it, but it is also part of the strategy to increase enrollment.”
Universities with Challenges
Despite reports to the contrary, Keystone College did not close its doors last week and will appeal the loss of its accreditation. Inside Higher Ed was out with the full list of 16 college closures and mergers in 2024. As the IHE piece notes, experts project even more closures in 2025.
One indicator of an institution’s possible closure is the loss of its accreditation. This past week, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), quite possibly the most cumbersome association name ever, released its annual report. Several schools were placed on notice, including Saint Augustine’s University, an NCAA Division II HBCU in North Carolina, which lost its accreditation. Others to receive negative actions include the following schools, all of which remain accredited: University of Lynchburg (VA) (denied reaffirmation and placed on warning), Erskine College (SC) (denied reaffirmation and placed on probation for good cause), Georgetown College (KY) (denied reaffirmation and placed on probation for good cause), Jacksonville University (FL) (placed on warning). In addition, actions were continued for Kentucky State University (warning), Christian Brothers University (TN) (probation for good cause), Guilford College (NC) (probation for good cause), Virginia Union University (probation for good cause).
Meanwhile, two Division I campuses, the University of New Orleans and Jacksonville University are preparing budget and program cuts. At least two Division III schools had presidents abruptly resign this week: Lake Forest College and Baldwin Wallace University.
Curious Trade of Lacrosse Programs for Flag Football
The recent merger between NCAA Division II Bloomfield College and NCAA Division III Montclair State University continues to play out. Both schools maintain separate athletic identities, but both are trimming their operations. In February 2024, Bloomfield dropped six athletic programs. This past week, Bloomfield transitioned baseball and women’s volleyball to club status, reducing the number of NCAA sponsored sports to four, plus an esports program.
Its relative, Montclair State, announced it would transition men’s and women’s lacrosse programs to club status, but add women’s flag football. While flag football has become a trendy sport to add (17 Division III programs have been added recently), the comment from the school about lacrosse is curious: “with a look to the future and in response to growing trends in college sports.” Sure, flag football reflects a current trend, but this swap effectively cuts 37 men’s (2024 roster) and 25 women’s (2024 roster) lacrosse athletes for a TBD number of female athletes. I can’t imagine they will recruit close to 25 women for their inaugural season of flag football. How is this looking to the future?
Sensible Conference Realignment
Northern Illinois University seems poised to leave the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and try its fortunes, for sports not named football, in a conference that is more geographically appropriate, likely the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Matt Brown is reporting more information will be forthcoming next week. NIU is the only Illinois school in the MAC. The MVC includes Bradley, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, and Southern Illinois, plus proximate schools Valparaiso and Indiana State.
Right now, NIU is 600 miles from fellow MAC member, Buffalo. If the school joins the MVC, its further conference foe will be Belmont in Nashville, 525 miles away. My reaction suggesting this potential move made sense generated comments of agreement on LinkedIn.
Cost of Post-Season Success
The social media post of mine which garnered the most engagement this week occurred on LinkedIn and concerned a note from D2.Ticker about an NCAA Division II institution needing to cover a $175,000 deficit left after its football team’s loss in the NCAA quarterfinals. Harding University (AR) played at Pittsburg State (KS) (322 miles), Grand Valley State (MI) (730 miles) and Ferris State (MI) (790 miles). That is nearly 2,800 miles of road games.
Holiday Reading
Finally, I am excited my holiday reading material arrived today. John Thelin is perhaps the preeminent scholar of higher education history in the country. His works include Games Colleges Play: Scandal and Reform in Intercollegiate Athletics and A History of American Higher Education, both of which sit prominently on my bookshelf, riddled with post-it flags. Thelin and his co-author, Eric Moyen, are out with the simply titled, College Sports: A History, with beautiful cover art depicting Lafayette College and its football stadium, circa 1940s.
Thank you for reading. Please reach out if I can help your workplace. Happy Holidays!