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Ricardo Azziz has held quite a few govt positions in greater schooling and led the merger that resulted in Georgia Regents College, now Augusta College. He’s principal at Strategic Partnerships in Increased Training Consulting Group.
He writes the common Merger Watch opinion collection on company restructuring in greater schooling.
Cabrini College is a Roman Catholic establishment in Radnor, Pennsylvania, that can shut subsequent yr after its spring time period, with Villanova College buying its campus. An instance of too little, too late, Cabrini leaders had sought to companion or merge with one other establishment when it was already closely indebted. It had additionally misplaced round half of its pupil physique in fall 2021 in comparison with a decade prior.
A lot hand-wringing has ensued in regards to the plight of faith-based greater schooling, though the truth is far much less grim. In actual fact, faith-based greater schooling appears to be doing higher than the sector generally.
The variety of institutional closures in greater schooling has elevated over the previous decade. Between fall 2010 and fall 2020, enrollment in degree-granting, Title IV-eligible faculties fell by over 2 million college students, representing a 9.7% lower. Enrollment declined 8.4% at public establishments and 49.4% at for-profit establishments. In the meantime, it elevated by 270,000 college students, or 13.6%, amongst non-public nonprofit establishments.
Religiously affiliated establishments have seen comparatively small enrollment losses
Enrollment by establishment kind from 2010-2020
Compared, religiously affiliated faculties skilled a modest lower in whole enrollment, of 1.4%. Throughout this decade the variety of religiously affiliated establishments declined solely barely, falling 3.3% in comparison with 14.4% for the complete greater schooling sector.
Variety of religiously affiliated establishments have declined at a decrease fee
Change in variety of establishments from 2010-2020
However earlier than the faith-based sector celebrates their resilience in these attempting occasions, we must always acknowledge that the stress and ache are erratically distributed amongst these colleges and denominations.
Let’s contemplate denominations with not less than 20,000 college students enrolled in affiliated colleges in 2010. Of these, establishments affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Southern Baptist, Church buildings of Christ, Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and Church of the Nazarene denominations, in addition to religiously affiliated establishments that outlined themselves as “undenominational” or “interdenominational,” gained college students in the course of the decade.
The positive aspects have been highest for establishments affiliated with the Latter-day Saints, in addition to undenominational and interdenominational faculties.
We must always be aware that the expansion in enrollment just isn’t solely noticed in establishments affiliated with the Christian religion. Faculties and universities affiliated with the Jewish religion additionally gained enrollment throughout this decade, growing 25% from a complete of 12,755 college students in 2010 to fifteen,976 in 2020.
Alternatively, different denominations skilled enrollment losses. By whole variety of college students enrolled of their affiliated establishments, the Roman Catholic, United Methodist, and Baptist denominations noticed the biggest declines. Understanding the explanations for the variations in enrollment developments will probably be useful in growing methods to deal with the continued recruitment challenges, for this sector and past.
Enrollment modifications fluctuate broadly amongst denominations
Enrollment by religiously affiliated faculty kind
Why have enrollment developments performed out so in a different way for religiously affiliated establishments over the previous decade?
A 2023 survey by the Public Faith Analysis Institute suggests Individuals have gotten more and more extra prone to be religiously unaffiliated. Whereas we could need to ascribe the enrollment challenges of those faculties to this decline in spiritual participation, that might be an oversimplification. Their enrollment losses have been comparatively small.
Nevertheless, the survey findings could clarify the numerous development in enrollment skilled by undenominational or interdenominational spiritual faculties. However whereas we could need to ascribe the development to disaffiliate with organized faith as the results of its growing polarization alongside racial and political traces, political polarization may very well be driving enrollment to conservative Christian faculties.
Enrollment additionally grew from 2010 to 2020 by a powerful 60% at establishments affiliated with the Latter-day Saints. The numerous improve could be ascribed, not less than partly, to the faith expressly valuing greater schooling. Nevertheless, different religions additionally worth schooling.
A extra possible reason for their success is the truth that enrollment for this denomination is primarily pushed by two very massive (over 30,000 college students) establishments, a sector that, as an entire, has been rising. Moreover, these faculties, Brigham Younger College and Brigham Younger College-Idaho, are carefully aligned, presumably lowering inter-institutional cannibalism.
Compared, within the fall of 2020, there have been 223 Roman Catholic, 87 United Methodist and 60 Baptist affiliated faculties and universities, lots of which have very small pupil our bodies.
We could need to chalk up the lower in enrollment at Roman Catholic-affiliated faculties to the turmoil ensuing from the allegations of sexual abuse. Nevertheless, extra possible causes are the value of tuition and the declining variety of Catholic elementary and secondary colleges, essential feeders to affiliated faculties and universities.
One other essential issue is probably going the smaller measurement of many of those establishments. Most bigger Catholic universities, together with Georgetown College, the College of Notre Dame and Boston School, have skilled growing enrollments in tandem with nationwide developments.
Enrollment losses at establishments affiliated with the United Methodist and Baptist establishments could be partly attributed to the declining church membership for each denominations, and the schisms occurring inside every.
Nevertheless, once more these are oversimplifications, since for a lot of faith-based establishments the lower in denomination-affiliated enrollees is really being offset by a rise within the variety of nonaffiliated college students. Possible extra essential, once more, is the smaller measurement of many religiously affiliated colleges.
In conclusion, we must always acknowledge that not all faith-based or religiously affiliated establishments are below the identical enrollment, and therefore monetary, pressures.
The actual drivers for the enrollment challenges of particular person establishments of upper schooling, together with these which can be faith-based, ought to be rigorously examined and understood, and the methods and techniques to deal with these challenges individualized.
Lastly, institutional leaders ought to look effectively forward of their strategic and state of affairs planning, absolutely understanding that many tactical choices — corresponding to discovering a strategic or merger companion — will turn into more and more tough because the establishment’s monetary and enrollment deficits turn into extra extreme.
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