Is anywhere safe?

[Anonymous]

https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2025/04/middlebury-slashes-budget-by-over-10-million-imposes-partial-hiring-freeze

Two points: 1) If a school of Middlebury's esteem is having serious financial issues, what does that say about the future of schools of lesser repute? 2) Is Middlebury only having these issues because of its small size? If so, does that mean that even marginally larger schools will be better positioned at this time in higher ed? Should we be taking this into consideration when picking colleges?

[Anonymous]

Every single school is doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every single school is doing this.

Doing what?

[Anonymous]

Hillsdale, Grove City

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every single school is doing this.

Doing what?

Hiring freezes and slashing budgets. Some like Northwestern are cuts of much more than 10%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.middleburycampus.com/article/2025/04/middlebury-slashes-budget-by-over-10-million-imposes-partial-hiring-freeze

Two points: 1) If a school of Middlebury's esteem is having serious financial issues, what does that say about the future of schools of lesser repute? 2) Is Middlebury only having these issues because of its small size? If so, does that mean that even marginally larger schools will be better positioned at this time in higher ed? Should we be taking this into consideration when picking colleges?

Middlebury is unique for a number of reasons, already articulated in prior threads and the current Middlebury Tufts thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hillsdale, Grove City

Grove City does not belong in a discussion of schools of any esteem. Never even heard of Hillsdale, guessing it's similar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every single school is doing this.

Doing what?

Hiring freezes and slashing budgets. Some like Northwestern are cuts of much more than 10%.

Nice try. The vast, vast majority of colleges and universities aren't slashing anything. Some were fiscally responsible, and some were not. Actions have consequences as does inaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hillsdale, Grove City

Grove City does not belong in a discussion of schools of any esteem. Never even heard of Hillsdale, guessing it's similar

+1

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine there's a university in the country that's not instituting hiring freezes and budget cuts to degrees relative to their endowment--whether they're being public about that is another question. The hits to research funding from the current administration affect small colleges and big universities alike, and graduate school acceptances (where universities have come to rely on tuition money) are down.

With a kid entering as a first-year student next year, I just have to trust that schools with existing strength and standing will come through this time. But I think we'll be seeing lots more of the "do more with less" mantra being bandied about within universities (I guess you can tell by now I work for one) that translates into fewer support staff positions to allow departments to do the work of teaching and fewer tenure track positions and more adjunct positions or courses taught by grad students (who can be wonderful! but also they are often stretched thinner than thin).

[Anonymous]

UMichigan is in financial turmoil, USC is not far behind, the University of California system is in a state with an alarming deficit, so Middlebury isn't alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMichigan is in financial turmoil, USC is not far behind, the University of California system is in a state with an alarming deficit, so Middlebury isn't alone.

[Anonymous]

Everyone is getting their research grants cut. This isn’t just Middlebury. Academia is dying.

[Anonymous]

No college is safe while Trump is in office save for a few schools like Liberty and Hillsdale.

[Anonymous]

You'll notice that no schools of any esteem in Virginia are having as serious problems as Middlebury College.