Student Affairs and the Bad Economy

December is a time for me to sit back, pick up the phone and call many SA friends I've neglected since school started. Unfortunately the conversations this year are unnervingly more depressing than before, and the main topic on everyone's mind...The economy.

"This is the worst budget crisis I've seen in my 20 years of working in student affairs." - Phone conversation with SA Director in WA.

In case you haven't heard the U.S. economy is hurting and every day a news article is written about the impact it's having on higher ed.

"Arizona State University, anticipating at least $25 million in budget cuts this fiscal year — on top of the $30 million already cut — is ending its contracts with as many as 200 adjunct instructors." - The NY Times

"Take the UW. The university's endowment fell by 14 percent in the year ending September, to $1.9 billion. The UW spends about $95 million of that each year on professorships, scholarships and other programs — money which may now need to be trimmed back." - The Seattle Times

"Harvard has sent a letter to its deans saying that the university’s $36.9 billion endowment fund lost 22 percent of its value in the last four months and could decline as much as 30 percent by the end of the fiscal year on June 30." - The NY Times

The irony of bad economic times is college enrollment generally increases.

"There is also student demand, which has been skyrocketing. Last week, the UW announced 1,100 more sophomores, juniors and seniors stayed in school this year than had been anticipated, probably because of the worsening economy. Emmert says applications for the 5,500 freshman slots could shatter records this year by reaching 25,000." - The Seattle Times

Most articles I've read talk about the impact on faculty and administration, but what about the SA Departments. How are you handling the downturn?

SA budgets are generally either:

1. Operational - based on the institution and/or state budget
2. Activity Fees - based on a per student / per credit enrollment fee

How is each budget fairing right now? Are operational budgets being hit the hardest because of massive state budget cuts? Are activity fees going up due to the increased enrollment? Or are activity fees hurting as well because they now have to service a larger number of students?

The economy is hurting almost everyone, but educational institutions have to deal with it in their own unique way.

"We can adapt to changing spending environments, but we are not like a business," Jenny said. "We can't just cease degree programs that students have already enrolled in." - The Seattle Times

How are you managing now?