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VOA教育报道2023--US College Closings Worry Educators

时间:2023-12-22 02:29来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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US College Closings Worry Educators

American higher education experts are concerned that small colleges closed at a high rate in 2023. They say college closures can prevent students from finishing their study programs and take away some of the country's unique education offerings.

The website HigherEd Dive notes 26 American colleges and universities either closed or announced their plans to close in 2023. About half that number closed or announced their closing in 2022.

The colleges that closed this year were privately1 funded and mostly small. They were facing a loss of money and a drop in student numbers. Some schools closed completely, while others combined with nearby schools. Most offered students a chance to finish their study programs or move on to another school nearby.

Although the schools made efforts to assist their students, professors and others who worked at the colleges lost their jobs.

A small college in New York

Alliance2 University in New York state is one of the schools that closed this year.

The university was started by Christian3 missionaries4 in New York City in 1880. It offered mostly religious study programs until the 1960s and 1970s, when it expanded to offer programs in education and business.

At one point, the university had close to 3,000 students. But the publication Inside Higher Ed reports that the number had dropped below 2,000 in recent years.

The school had a budget shortfall of many millions of dollars that it could not make up. After an accreditor reviewed the school's situation last summer, the university announced its plan to close. An accreditor is a group that permits colleges and universities to operate.

Heather Garcia worked at the school for many years. She also took classes and earned two science degrees there. She said the university asked the accreditor for more time to improve its finances5. However, the group decided6 the school's plan was not strong enough.

She said the school was going "deeper into debt each year." Garcia also noted7 that the student population continued to drop after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The school knew it was in trouble. It had started new professional training programs in an effort to attract more students. It had also tried to cut spending. But the decision still came as a surprise.

Some students were able to finish their study programs over the summer. But others needed to move to new schools. Garcia said she felt especially bad for new students and for those who had come to play on the school's sports teams.

The school's last day was August 31.

Concerns for the future

The State Higher Education Executive8 Officers Association, or SHEEO, advocates for higher education in the U.S. Last year, the organization produced a report that looked at students affected9 by college closures. The report covered 467 schools that closed between 2004 and 2020.

The major concern of SHEEO is that students whose studies get interrupted by a closure often do not go on to graduate. More than half of students do not continue with their studies. Among those who do, only about 37 percent finish their degree.

In some cases, students do not get their school fees returned. In other cases, students have trouble getting their school records to send to other universities.

SHEEO's report asked that states require colleges to help with these concerns if they close, and said colleges should avoid sudden closures.

In 2021, The Hechinger Report noted that students whose schools combine with others also face similar problems.

Observers will be watching what happens with the College of Saint10 Rose in Albany, New York. The small school recently announced a plan to close in May 2024. An accreditation11 group said it was concerned about the college's finances for the 2024-2025 school year.

The school has been losing money since 2013. It lost $11 million in 2020. Cuts to study programs and changes in leadership did not put the school on a better path.

What comes next?

Bryan Alexander is a writer and researcher whose work centers on the future of higher education.

He said the small school closures could lead to a "one-size fits all" style of higher education. That style, he said, may not be suitable for students who have learning troubles or special interests in art, music or language.

Alexander said a government push for Americans to go to college that started in the 1980s, combined with a large population of college-aged young adults, helped many small colleges stay open. But now, he said, the costs of college are high, there are fewer college-aged people, and some people are questioning the value of college.

The first signs that a college is in danger come when there are reductions in study programs and changes "behind the scenes." Alexander was asked if this year's high number of closures is cause for alarm in higher education.

"I think, within higher ed, the alarm has already been sounded. Presidents, Deans, Provosts. This is the stuff that keeps them up at nights."

Alexander noted that the U.S. is unusual when compared to the rest of the world. The country has a lot of small schools with special study programs. He noted Oberlin College in Ohio and Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but there are many more.

In many other countries, universities are generally not smaller than 10,000 students.

"You know, all these little small colleges, and they're really special. They're delightful12. But they're fragile13. They don't have economies of scale."

Economy of scale is a reference14 to the lower cost of a service per person at a large university when compared to a small college. The cost to provide a study program is much higher per student at a small college.

Large American universities with financial problems, such as West Virginia University, are usually able to make changes and continue to stay open. That is because they receive government support.

"State governments don't want to close the state university," Alexander said. "When we see that happen, that will be a big deal."

Garcia, who worked at and attended Alliance, said observers may not see her school closing as a large loss in the same way they would if a famous school closed. But for the people who went to school and worked there, she said: "it is deeply painful."

"It really just felt special. It felt like we had just this little special niche15 there in the bottom corner of New York City...and that what we were doing was making an impact on the whole world because we would send, you know, we have alumni all over the world."

Words in This Story

unique – adj. something different from everything else

fund – v. to provide money for something

missionary16 – n. a religious worker who travels to talk about and convert17 people to their religion

accreditor – n. an organization that checks the credentials18 of a school and determines if they have permission to operate

especially – adv. a word used to indicate that something deserves extra attention

advocate – n. a person or organization that supports a cause

delightful – adj. a word used to describe something that is special, fun or exciting

fragile – adj. something easily hurt or broken

a big deal – n. something that is very important or hard to believe

niche – n. something that has a unique position, unlike others

missionary – n. a religious worker who travels to talk about and convert people to their religion

alumni – n. (plural) people who attended a schoo


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 privately IkpzwT     
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
参考例句:
  • Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
  • The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。
2 alliance MLDyt     
n.同盟,同盟国,结盟,联姻
参考例句:
  • China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
  • The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。
3 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
4 missionaries 478afcff2b692239c9647b106f4631ba     
n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时,从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 finances gtYzVq     
n.(pl.)财源,资产
参考例句:
  • I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
  • The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。
6 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
7 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
8 executive Ymlxs     
adj.执行的,行政的;n.执行者,行政官,经理
参考例句:
  • A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
  • He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。
9 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
10 saint yYcxf     
n.圣徒;基督教徒;vt.成为圣徒,把...视为圣徒
参考例句:
  • He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
  • The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。
11 accreditation da37a04e592cbd344142730ce05a6887     
n.委派,信赖,鉴定合格
参考例句:
  • a letter of accreditation 一份合格证明书
  • This paper gives an overview of the Verification, Validation and Accreditation (VV&A) in High Level Architecture(HLA). 对基于高层体系结构(High Level Architecture,简称HLA)的仿真系统的校核、验证与确认(Verification, Validation and Accreditation,简称VV&A)问题进行了详细的介绍及分析。 来自互联网
12 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
13 fragile gfzzs     
adj.易碎的,脆的,易损坏的,虚弱的,脆弱的
参考例句:
  • The old lady was increasingly fragile after her operation.那位老太太手术后身体越来越虚弱。
  • This glass disc looks very fragile.这个玻璃盘子看起来很容易碎。
14 reference IACzU     
n.提到,说到,暗示,查看,查阅
参考例句:
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
  • I like to have my reference books within my reach.我喜欢把参考书放到伸手可取的地方。
15 niche XGjxH     
n.壁龛;合适的职务(环境、位置等)
参考例句:
  • Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
  • The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。
16 missionary ID8xX     
adj.教会的,传教(士)的;n.传教士
参考例句:
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。
17 convert aZhyJ     
v.(在形式、状态、用途等方面)(使)改变
参考例句:
  • I must convert sorrow into strength.我要化悲痛为力量。
  • At what rate does the dollar convert into pounds?美元以什么汇率兑换成英镑?
18 credentials credentials     
n.证明,资格,证明书,证件
参考例句:
  • He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
  • Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。
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