I don't think Akron will be allowed to fail. It's just too important to the economy of that region both in terms of churning out grads and providing employment. That said, radical things like merging with Kent State don't seem as far-fetched today as they did even a few years ago.

Those declining birth rates already are leading to dramatic declines in student enrollments in many communities. In my hometown, class sizes peaked in the 1970s, topping at about 280. This year's graduating class totaled about 120 - or the size of classes in the 1950s or the pre-baby boom classes. That trend doesn't bode well for colleges.

I still think that some deal could possibly made with OSU whereas they cap the size of their freshman classes at 6,000 as well as stopping the stockpiling kids at their branch campuses in exchange for some kind of special funding and flagship status from the state. That would be over 2,000 well qualified kids (25 to 28 ACT range) sent to other Ohio publics. While some might go out of state, I think most would end up at Ohio, Miami, UC etc).

Why is that so shocking. Any very selective school is already telling kids who would be able to succeed there to look elsewhere. Right now OSU is doing that with thousands of kids in the 25 to 27 ACT range. Shrink their freshman classes to 6K,and they'll just starting telling the same thing to some kids in the 27 to 29 range. Nothing fundamental will change. It'll just be a matter of degree.

I dunno, the state isn't going to prop up a school bleeding money forever. I'd consider a forced merger Akron failing. And that reminds me: Kent doesn't get enough credit for raising their profile the last 15 years.

I agree that Kent State has done incredible things - along with the city of Kent. It's a remarkable change from a couple decades ago.

I agree that Akron needs to right the ship or face massive changes (like a merger), but it's not like the state is propping them up any more than they do any other state school. State support is about 40% of their fiscal 2020 budget, which roughly correlates to enrollment (less funds when there are fewer students). https://www.uakron.edu/rab/docs/GeneralFundFY20Budget.pdf

Disagree, it’s the flagship in the capital with a national reputation. They will not be cut to save others.

And a school like Akron has way more political clout in Columbus than we could ever hope for.

I never thought I would see the day where people are advocating for universities to cap enrollment numbers to play nice but here we are.

Miami is turning into that neighbor who owns a Tesla but has three mortgages on the house.

Looks like Dick Vedder's dream scenario is being played out in Alaska with the Governor axing 40% of the University of Alaska's budget. But I'm sure that all those Alaska kids, particularly the poor and working class, will find it real easy to just go to a private university instead.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/07/10/u-alaskas-...

A bit O.T.

My wife and I have a friend who worked for the National Park Service.

They were originally from New Jersey.

He got offered posts in Hawaii or Alasaka.

He took Alaska.They wanted the "adventure".

They spent almost 20 years there.

His wife said the cold wasn't the problem as much as the dark.
She said the winters were depressing,and you never get used to it.

They were in Anchorage.
She said that,at the peak of winter,you got a few hours of daylight and that was it.

She also used to say that,for as cold as it gets in the winter,the bugs in the summer can be just as big an annoyance.

Talk about an economic model that makes no sense. First off, there are a plethora of public and private higher education institutions to pick from in this country, so while the demand is high, the supply is even higher. Secondly, the number of adjunct professors is at an all time high and they make a fraction of the money that their tenured colleagues make. Therefore, most institutions are saving a boatload. Add to that many corporations pour millions of dollars into research programs which actually saves themselves money, which in turn helps Higher Ed.

Now we come to the strange topic of endowments which range from the hundreds of millions of dollars like our beloved Alma mater has, to billions of dollars that the Ivy League enjoys. Incidentally, little ole Dennison which has about 10% of our student body has a larger endowment than we do. Why don't they use this money to ease ridiculous tuition levels? For example, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita charges no tuition for their high schools because long ago they began an endowment fund, the first of it's kind. Yet, most Higher Ed institutions had endowment funds in place when the Wyandotte Tribe outnumbered Catholics, long before the Diocese of Wichita came into being. If the Diocese of Wichita can do it, so can Higher Ed. These endowments are a shell game, where students, parents, most professors and taxpayers come out the losers.