OT - Syracuse making major academic program cuts

[Skiblets]

Even with ACC money , Syracuse has to address the enrollment cliff impacting higher ed

‘Not a cost-cutting exercise’: SU to cut nearly 100 programs

Following the results of the Academic Portfolio Review, Provost Lois Agnew announced in a campus-wide email that 20% of the university’s programs will be closed or paused.

thenewshouse.com

 

[brihman]

This is more of a reflection of changing demographics than Syracuse being bad at basketball 🏀

 

[DRBackup]

Even with ACC money , Syracuse has to address the enrollment cliff impacting higher ed

‘Not a cost-cutting exercise’: SU to cut nearly 100 programs

Following the results of the Academic Portfolio Review, Provost Lois Agnew announced in a campus-wide email that 20% of the university’s programs will be closed or paused.

thenewshouse.com

Not surprising at all. They're not close to the lunacy going on at some of the Ivy schools, but I still see their idiocy in the news quite a bit, and all that comes at an INSANE price point - $92K for tuition, room and board. In Syracuse, which some people want to imagine is in the arctic, but legitimately has nothing anywhere near campus for a school located in a "city". I never understood the draw of SU, and that was before I lived in the area. At that price, with what Syracuse has going for it, I wouldn't even consider putting that school on a list I might go to - sports broadcasting being the lone exception. But even then, $400k for that ? Yikes

 

[DRBackup]

This is more of a reflection of changing demographics than Syracuse being bad at basketball 🏀

Yeah, not much to do with their athletics, but virtually everything about them is on the decline. NY is already a wasteland for economic development. Carrier - gone. New Venture Gear - gone. Syracuse isn't much different than any other midwest town that got decimated by manufacturing jobs leaving. If you asked me to tell you the greatest thing Syracuse has going for it that would help draw students to SU, I'd draw a blank.

They "broke ground" on the new Micron chip factory, but even that took 4 years from the time the deal was announced, and when the place is actually being built, I'll believe it. Even then, the vast majority of the jobs are temporary during the construction phase. It doesn't take that many people to run an automated chip factory once it gets built.

Nevermind the declining value of half the degrees they're giving out at $400K a piece.

 

[AdamaNation]

Even with ACC money , Syracuse has to address the enrollment cliff impacting higher ed

‘Not a cost-cutting exercise’: SU to cut nearly 100 programs

Following the results of the Academic Portfolio Review, Provost Lois Agnew announced in a campus-wide email that 20% of the university’s programs will be closed or paused.

thenewshouse.com

I work partially with campus planning, design, and capital projects. The issue believe it or not has more to do with a drastically reduced birth rate for the last 2 decades as well as economic drag, mobile/new learning access, and a lack of “value” from the consumer’s investment. Ideology is far from the problem, though it is a small one. If the schools culture was a major issue students could easily find other institutions that offered the same curriculum and career path, but more within their beliefs and personal choices. Higher ed is in the dumpster right now across the board.

 

[TheHorde]

It’s likely a function of them and many schools thinking the good times would roll forever with large increases in revenue as far as the eye could see without keeping expenses under control. Eventually at a certain point if you don’t rein in expenses voluntarily you’ll be forced to do it.

 

[Muddler]

Most colleges and universities need to make these kinds of cuts. Higher education is one of the few sectors where institutions continue to sustain programs that are costly and generate little to no return. It’s difficult to justify paying tenured faculty to support areas that have effectively become elective-based because student demand for those majors has declined. In any other industry, organizations would reallocate resources rather than continue investing at that level.

 

[Skiblets]

I work partially with campus planning, design, and capital projects. The issue believe it or not has more to do with a drastically reduced birth rate for the last 2 decades as well as economic drag, mobile/new learning access, and a lack of “value” from the consumer’s investment. Ideology is far from the problem, though it is a small one. If the schools culture was a major issue students could easily find other institutions that offered the same curriculum and career path, but more within their beliefs and personal choices. Higher ed is in the dumpster right now across the board.

Yep It’s the cliff from lower birth rates. I did a bad job referencing hoops. Has nothing to done w their sports.

Bad regional demographics + Bad weather + High price + Mediocre school = trouble

 

[CL82]

I find it shocking that there is an ethics degree on this list. Not so much that they are cutting it, but more so that they ever offered one, particularly given that they are the institution of no-show classes, a decade long drug scandal. I will give Syracuse credit for being cutting edge in that they participated in pay for play long before it was legal.

 

[RashadRay11]

Finger Lake State

 

[ctbro1999]

Not surprising at all. They're not close to the lunacy going on at some of the Ivy schools, but I still see their idiocy in the news quite a bit, and all that comes at an INSANE price point - $92K for tuition, room and board. In Syracuse, which some people want to imagine is in the arctic, but legitimately has nothing anywhere near campus for a school located in a "city". I never understood the draw of SU, and that was before I lived in the area. At that price, with what Syracuse has going for it, I wouldn't even consider putting that school on a list I might go to - sports broadcasting being the lone exception. But even then, $400k for that ? Yikes

That's as much (or more than) NY Ivy League schools. Insane.

 

[pj]

I find it shocking that there is an ethics degree on this list. Not so much that they are cutting it, but more so that they ever offered it.

There was a high need among the student population for it, but not much demand.

 

[UConnJim]

Believe it or not, Syracuse is attractive to students. Enrollment has been stable and acceptance rates have been trending down. If you are a kid in the Northeast than wants to go to a school with a full complement of D1 sports with school spirit, your choices are Syracuse, UConn, BC, Penn St., maybe Rutgers and that is it.

 

[CL82]

Believe it or not, Syracuse is attractive to students. Enrollment has been stable and acceptance rates have been trending down. If you are a kid in the Northeast than wants to go to a school with a full complement of D1 sports with school spirit, your choices are Syracuse, UConn, BC, Penn St., maybe Rutgers and that is it.

Your inclusion of BC on this list immediately makes me question it. (And adding Rutgers, even with a qualification, certainly didn't help.)

 

[UCMB88]

An issue plaguing higher education is administrative bloat. The amount of Assistant this and Associate that is staggering.

 

[Fishy]

Syracuse isn't suffering exactly, but they're right to get ahead of the curve. The offerings were just too broad - those 93 majors only had 250 students.

This is like Netflix canceling shows with poor ratings.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Believe it or not, Syracuse is attractive to students. Enrollment has been stable and acceptance rates have been trending down. If you are a kid in the Northeast than wants to go to a school with a full complement of D1 sports with school spirit, your choices are Syracuse, UConn, BC, Penn St., maybe Rutgers and that is it.

Syracuse has always been the “upper-middle class school of choice for Long Island and Fairfield County kids that couldn’t get into an upper echelon private school.”

Growing up I always thought it was an elite academic institution. I actually applied there for giggles (I went to UConn, relax). And I got into Syracuse first try, got into UConn last minute after being waitlisted. I had an unimpressive GPA.

 

[RashadRay11]

Guys I am peeved everyone is calling it Syracuse when you all have options for fun things such as:

Slushycuse
Central New York School of Wannabe broadcasters
Lake Effect State
Orange Rust Belt U
Sunycuse

Etc.

 

[ctbro1999]

Syracuse has always been the “upper-middle class school of choice for Long Island and Fairfield County kids that couldn’t get into an upper echelon private school.”

Growing up I always thought it was an elite academic institution. I actually applied there for giggles (I went to UConn, relax). And I got into Syracuse first try, got into UConn last minute after being waitlisted. I had an unimpressive GPA.

Syracuse, the private school of choice for those rejected by NYU/Columbia/Cornell. LOL

 

[Man's Field]

Academic programs aren't the cause of university budget bloat. At some point power conferences can jettison academics and run their enterprise without the pretense of amateurism. Sink or swim. Look at the athletics debt at Rutgers since they joined the Big 10.

 

[Peacefrog]

Guys I am peeved everyone is calling it Syracuse when you all have options for fun things such as:

Slushycuse
Central New York School of Wannabe broadcasters
Lake Effect State
Orange Rust Belt U
Sunycuse

Etc.

Central Leatherstocking Regional College

 

[upstater]

Yeah, not much to do with their athletics, but virtually everything about them is on the decline. NY is already a wasteland for economic development. Carrier - gone. New Venture Gear - gone. Syracuse isn't much different than any other midwest town that got decimated by manufacturing jobs leaving. If you asked me to tell you the greatest thing Syracuse has going for it that would help draw students to SU, I'd draw a blank.

They "broke ground" on the new Micron chip factory, but even that took 4 years from the time the deal was announced, and when the place is actually being built, I'll believe it. Even then, the vast majority of the jobs are temporary during the construction phase. It doesn't take that many people to run an automated chip factory once it gets built.

Nevermind the declining value of half the degrees they're giving out at $400K a piece.

Micron will be big.

But of course, the biggest factor here is rarely talked about, and that's how their prior disinvestment caused the AAU to kick them out. Since being ejected, their research dollars have cratered by half, and the concomitant blow to academic programs is now being felt.

This is why schools are always warned that bad things can happen when they decide to move away from their standing as a comprehensive research institution. It's not something you should mess with, but a lot of schools risk it just the same. A school like Indiana U. is protected, or so they think, but they wouldn't be the first B1G school to be ejected.

 

[upstater]

Academic programs aren't the cause of university budget bloat. At some point power conferences can jettison academics and run their enterprise without the pretense of amateurism. Sink or swim. Look at the athletics debt at Rutgers since they joined the Big 10.

They should do that right now. License the school name for $1 and keep all their money.

 

[upstater]

Syracuse isn't suffering exactly, but they're right to get ahead of the curve. The offerings were just too broad - those 93 majors only had 250 students.

This is like Netflix canceling shows with poor ratings.

This argument is frequently made but then people point out that such service departments carry the load for Gen Ed., and it's like this at every institution practically. Low majors, but huge amounts of service in the first 2 years of undergrad education. Take the languages for instance. I don't know what it's like at Syracuse, but at a great many schools, students take language classes (and obviously don't major in them).

This is not to say that an institution shouldn't reconsider the value of every department but when I see things like Languages, Classics and Area Studies go, I wonder about a short-sighted administration. Especially Area Studies which is interdisciplinary in nature.

 

[Inyatkin]

UConn has also made cuts in academics as well as athletics. Why does this thread exist again?

 

[Man's Field]

They should do that right now. License the school name for $1 and keep all their money.

Keep the money or be accountable for debt.

 

[brihman]

Yeah, not much to do with their athletics, but virtually everything about them is on the decline. NY is already a wasteland for economic development. Carrier - gone. New Venture Gear - gone. Syracuse isn't much different than any other midwest town that got decimated by manufacturing jobs leaving. If you asked me to tell you the greatest thing Syracuse has going for it that would help draw students to SU, I'd draw a blank.

They "broke ground" on the new Micron chip factory, but even that took 4 years from the time the deal was announced, and when the place is actually being built, I'll believe it. Even then, the vast majority of the jobs are temporary during the construction phase. It doesn't take that many people to run an automated chip factory once it gets built.

Nevermind the declining value of half the degrees they're giving out at $400K a piece.

They still have Dinosaur BBQ

 

[upstater]

Keep the money or be accountable for debt.

Yes, that's what I was getting at. Run it like a business. The problem is that Alumni and boosters put so much pressure on winning which forces Presidents into peculiar positions.

Say to alumni and boosters, you want to win? Then give your money to this athletic program that runs on a budget.

 

[uconnfan68]

Micron will be big.

But of course, the biggest factor here is rarely talked about, and that's how their prior disinvestment caused the AAU to kick them out. Since being ejected, their research dollars have cratered by half, and the concomitant blow to academic programs is now being felt.

This is why schools are always warned that bad things can happen when they decide to move away from their standing as a comprehensive research institution. It's not something you should mess with, but a lot of schools risk it just the same. A school like Indiana U. is protected, or so they think, but they wouldn't be the first B1G school to be ejected.

What about Nebraska? Didn't they lose AAU within a few years of getting into the B1G?

 

[upstater]

What about Nebraska? Didn't they lose AAU within a few years of getting into the B1G?

Yes, they lost it in the same year. They were admitted in and within several months a committee -- headed by U Michigan and other B1Gs -- recommended their ouster.