July 1 - Moving Day 2023

[SW_Mustang]

I went off on this school a couple years ago when I was writing the Independent column here and Central WA beat them 92-0 and it could have been a LOT worse…seems like it hasn’t gotten any better. My school (New Haven) played them last year and I still think it was a waste of time and money-they should have scheduled a D1 since they want to be D1.

Curious how a Russian bath house owner becomes a university “president”…uh, maybe I actually don’t want to know, now that I think of it.

The thread doesn't exist anymore, but during the COVID shutdown I didn't have anything better to do - so I did a full deep dive into this school. Some of the GNAC posters were curious about it - especially since a minor error in a news article and some incorrect marketing by LU coaches led people to believe the program was D2.

There's not a ton of history on the institution. Maybe there was a time long ago where they were legitimate. They no longer are. They (allegedly) preyed on international students to get government money, and when that dried up - they adopted athletics. Go figure.

The odd thing is they got Gary Payton to run the basketball program. He quit, thankfully.

[cwfenn]

I wanted to check in on my favorite school - Lincoln University (CA), and found this article about "countable opponents." It's a bit older, but I thought I'd share.

How football teams use 'countable opponent' status to get headliner games (usatoday.com)

I went off on this school a couple years ago when I was writing the Independent column here and Central WA beat them 92-0 and it could have been a LOT worse…seems like it hasn’t gotten any better. My school (New Haven) played them last year and I still think it was a waste of time and money-they should have scheduled a D1 since they want to be D1.

Curious how a Russian bath house owner becomes a university “president”…uh, maybe I actually don’t want to know, now that I think of it.

[SW_Mustang]

The higher ed industrial complex is built on the assumptions (among others) that:

1. The population is going to keep increasing forever
2. Free government money is always going to be available for students
3. People will always see the risk of debt as worth the reward of a degree

Unfortunately for a lot of these schools numbers 1 and 3 are much more in doubt than they were 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. Pretty much every developed country is in neutral or negative total fertility rate territory and even a lot of developing countries are trending toward that mark. Add in that the DOL/BLS keep telling people that some of the fastest growing jobs in the US don’t require degrees and the horror stories of student debt getting in the way of people starting their lives and it’s a “perfect storm” for the small schools. Fewer potential students to fill them and potential students are more hesitant.

That's a great analysis too. The falling birthrate is definitely a driving force. It's just a perfect storm.

I'm from the generation of "go to college or work at McDonald's" and that was a farce... I'd only recommend it now if the person can find a way to do it affordably and have a chance afterwards. The first part is easy, the second isn't so much.

[SW_Mustang]

This is almost like the "College of Faith" scam school(s) all over again.

It's a mess. What's gross is I've talked to a lot of people who are loving this because it means "more college football."

[ctrabs74]

I wanted to check in on my favorite school - Lincoln University (CA), and found this article about "countable opponents." It's a bit older, but I thought I'd share.

How football teams use 'countable opponent' status to get headliner games (usatoday.com)

This is almost like the "College of Faith" scam school(s) all over again.

[TheBigCat2192]

I know some of them do.

IMO - these small private institutions aren't offering any sort of education that can't be had elsewhere at a cheaper cost. That's going to be a driving factor in the coming years as Gen Z looks to move away from the more expensive education options. They also don't offer any sort of brand recognition, and we can't ignore the secularization of North America either.

It's a "perfect storm" of unfortunate circumstances for these institutions and I knew they'd be the first dominos to fall. Many of these schools are effectively just for athletes at this point, which is only going to get a school so far if they don't also have a general student body.

The higher ed industrial complex is built on the assumptions (among others) that:

1. The population is going to keep increasing forever
2. Free government money is always going to be available for students
3. People will always see the risk of debt as worth the reward of a degree

Unfortunately for a lot of these schools numbers 1 and 3 are much more in doubt than they were 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. Pretty much every developed country is in neutral or negative total fertility rate territory and even a lot of developing countries are trending toward that mark. Add in that the DOL/BLS keep telling people that some of the fastest growing jobs in the US don’t require degrees and the horror stories of student debt getting in the way of people starting their lives and it’s a “perfect storm” for the small schools. Fewer potential students to fill them and potential students are more hesitant.

[SW_Mustang]

I wanted to check in on my favorite school - Lincoln University (CA), and found this article about "countable opponents." It's a bit older, but I thought I'd share.

How football teams use 'countable opponent' status to get headliner games (usatoday.com)

[SW_Mustang]

Bethany Global University in Bloomington, MN is selling their 32-acre campus - not a lot of information is available, but from what I can tell they will be transitioning to online learning.

I can't tell if they have/had sports - usually a sign that they don't.

BGU was one of nine "work colleges" in the United States.

[SW_Mustang]

I've seen a lot of colleges and universities with ties to religious denominations close in the past several years. And I wonder if these denominations offer to help these colleges financially?

I know some of them do.

IMO - these small private institutions aren't offering any sort of education that can't be had elsewhere at a cheaper cost. That's going to be a driving factor in the coming years as Gen Z looks to move away from the more expensive education options. They also don't offer any sort of brand recognition, and we can't ignore the secularization of North America either.

It's a "perfect storm" of unfortunate circumstances for these institutions and I knew they'd be the first dominos to fall. Many of these schools are effectively just for athletes at this point, which is only going to get a school so far if they don't also have a general student body.

[Bballfan]

I've seen a lot of colleges and universities with ties to religious denominations close in the past several years. And I wonder if these denominations offer to help these colleges financially?

Correct. But the trend has been for religious denominations to divest from these universities. The money is just drying up. All over the country the Catholic Church is separating themselves from smaller universities. Notre Dame College closed because the Catholic Church no longer was going to be affiliated with them. Expect Wheeling (who used to be Wheeling Jesuit) to be in that same boat too. College of Saint Rose is another that closed because it was no longer going to be supported. I know Ohio Dominican University is also in a precarious situation.

Just four examples of schools who are closed or very close to it, because of the religious money stopping or being severely curtained.

[cwfenn]

They're so big they might be Pterodactyls? LOL

Well, if it’s a mistake, then it isn’t without precedent:

https://www.gainesville.com/story/ne...r/31641702007/

[crixus]

Another D3 school to close- Eastern Nazarene. Eastern Nazarene announces sudden closure - D3sports

I've seen a lot of colleges and universities with ties to religious denominations close in the past several years. And I wonder if these denominations offer to help these colleges financially?

[crixus]

I know that Oregon is moving to a new conference, but are they getting a new nickname too? They redid that forest fire of a basketball court, but instead of putting ducks on the floor they put on geese.

They're so big they might be Pterodactyls? LOL

[SW_Mustang]

DIII Keystone College who is already on closure watch - cuts 29 positions and several academic programs to ease financial pressure:

Keystone College cuts 29 faculty/staff positions, closes three low-enrollment programs | News | thetimes-tribune.com

[Inkblot]

The PBC and RMAC (the only two men's lacrosse conferences with fewer than 6 members) are joining forces for an auto bid: https://peachbeltconference.org/news...qualifier.aspx