As the Hilltop goes through major changes such as budget cuts and potential curriculum change, personnel changes are also rocking the Anselmian community. However, none may be more impactful than the incoming of a new abbot following Abbot Mark Cooper’s resignation. As he approaches the age of 75, Abbot Mark is required to submit his resignation as abbot, to which position he was elected in 2012. In a roundtable discussion with Crier staff, he shared his perspective on key issues that will impact the future of Saint Anselm College. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on diversit ..read more

Various advocacy groups continue pushing for additional funding as lawmakers try to figure out how much extra money they have to spend next year. The legislature’s Appropriations Committee decided last Thursday not to revisit the current two-year, $51 billion budget. That means no changes in spending for the second fiscal year of the budget. Lawmakers are confident they’ll be able to address various needs in other ways, including unspent American Rescue Plan Act funding and surpluses within the budget. They’re just not sure how much money that is. “Well that’s one of the big unanswered questio ..read more

UC Berkeley, which faces a massive budget gap, is getting a new chancellor with economic chops. The University of California announced Wednesday that it has chosen Richard Lyons, its chief innovation officer and former dean of the Haas School of Business, as the 12th chancellor of UC Berkeley, following a six-month search.  Lyons, 63, an economist who has been a professor of economics and finance at the Haas School since 1993, will take over the top job from Chancellor Carol Christ on July 1, UC President Michael Drake said at UCLA, where regents met in committees. https://www.sfchronicl ..read more

American University’s budget for fiscal year 2025 will total $860 million, compared to $894 million this year, Board of Trustees Chair Gina Adams announced in an email Thursday afternoon. This comes after the University announced a $33 million budget deficit due primarily to lower enrollment numbers in August 2023. The University announced an additional $1.3 million deficit in January 2024. Fiscal year 2025 will begin on July 1, the same day that the University’s presidency turns over to Jonathan Alger.  https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2024/04/breakingamerican-university-board-of ..read more

Fewer people are earning degrees for the second year in a row, but certificates are having a moment, according to a new report.  The latest “Undergraduate Degree Earners” report, released Thursday, showed that almost 100,000 fewer people earned bachelor’s and associate degrees or certificates during the 2022–23 academic year, a 2.8 percent decrease. The number of certificate earners, meanwhile, is higher than it’s been in a decade, the report found. Students who earned these kinds of credentials increased by about 4 percent. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/academics/2024/04 ..read more

As part of its plan to fix its budget issues, St. Norbert College is offering 12 new academic programs. The new class offerings will help raise revenue as the college deals with a $9.2 million combined budget deficit for the '24 and '25 financial years. “These new initiatives not only expand the horizons of our students, reflecting our commitment to providing students with cutting-edge and relevant academic programs, but also align seamlessly with our mission to address the evolving needs of the local community. By providing diverse and innovative learning opportunities, we empower our student ..read more

If City College were to lose its accreditation, the school would no longer be eligible for federal funding and students’ course credits would no longer be recognized by employers or four-year colleges. In other words, it would cease to be a school as we understand it. Unfortunately, City College is once again tempting fate due to poor decision making by its seven-member elected Board of Trustees. Despite the college’s bleak budget outlook, trustees unanimously passed a resolution to restore faculty positions cut in 2022 and recently voted to pay down the school’s retiree health liability more ..read more

Cleveland State University is preparing to offer faculty and staff voluntary buyout packages to help close a projected $40 million budget gap. At a faculty senate meeting Wednesday, President Laura Bloomberg repeated that the university must “manage to our reality” – one that now, according to new projections, could see the university enrolling about 13,000 students by 2029.  That’s a far cry from the total enrollment of 20,000 former President Harlan Sands pledged to hit by 2025 as part of the ambitious “CSU 2.0” plan. Last fall, the university enrolled about 14,175 total students, down ..read more

Republicans are likely to approve a proposed state budget for Kansas with provisions aimed at forcing the state's Democratic governor to restrict diversity initiatives on college campuses and help Texas in its fight with the Biden administration over border security. GOP negotiators for the state House and Senate have agreed to include those items in a single bill containing the bulk of the $25 billion in spending for Kansas' 2025 budget year, which begins July 1. Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature expect both chambers to vote this week on the final version of the bill. https ..read more

Nearly five years later and 15 months into Steinmayer’s “Better Lesley” plan, low-enrollment programs have been cut, a $100 million campus renovation plan to consolidate and sell unused buildings is underway, and the university is on a plan to reach financial equilibrium by the 2026 fiscal year. But in the process, the university has laid off nearly 20 percent of core faculty members, cut most of its social science programs, and seen enrollment drop by an additional 45 percent since 2019 — all while remaining more than $100 million in debt. Now, faculty and students have revolted, saying in in ..read more