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sealhall74 wrote:One thing we might consider is to start offering up the Associate Degree for a few select program areas. Both SDSU and USD do it. For some jobs, two years of prep is plenty and making kids stick around for 4 years accumulating a lot of debt serves no useful purpose to them.
Why would a student pay WIU rates to get an Associate's degree when they can get the same thing at a community college for much, much less expense? For example, Spoon River College tuition & fees @ $140/hr compared to WIU-Macomb tuition & fees @ $383.62/hr.
sealhall74 wrote:One thing we might consider is to start offering up the Associate Degree for a few select program areas. Both SDSU and USD do it. For some jobs, two years of prep is plenty and making kids stick around for 4 years accumulating a lot of debt serves no useful purpose to them.
Why would a student pay WIU rates to get an Associate's degree when they can get the same thing at a community college for much, much less expense? For example, Spoon River College tuition & fees @ $140/hr compared to WIU-Macomb tuition & fees @ $383.62/hr.
One answer I can give you is this. They desire a 2 year Nursing degree (for example) but they also want to experience the joys and benefits of real college life away from Mom and Dad. I know that they could stay in a WIU Residence Hall while attending Spoon River in Macomb so maybe that would work for them.
Maybe a better answer is that some WIU program courses should not cost what they do now but be more in line with job/industry training norms.
sealhall74 wrote:One thing we might consider is to start offering up the Associate Degree for a few select program areas. Both SDSU and USD do it. For some jobs, two years of prep is plenty and making kids stick around for 4 years accumulating a lot of debt serves no useful purpose to them.
What would work better is if it was a specialized field and agreement with say NTN Bower, Pella or John Deere. It would be a 2 year degree not focusing as much on the core classes, but basically have its own classes for say diesel mechanics or other specialized areas that these companies would like to have an incoming worker make money. Perhaps the company would pay the tuition to send a new employee to train for 2 years. Just spit balling here, problem is that would most likely require a large work area and lots of start up so may be more difficult than just creating the classes on paper.
An additional scary scenario- when will the constant media lumping Western, Eastern and Chicago State in articles about schools which might be forced to close begin to affect student recruitment. There was an article in the Quincy Herald Whig today-from a Springfield journalist- who lumped all three as being in trouble and who might be in serious trouble of staying open. Other state schools never seem to be mentioned in reporting who is having the most serious problems.Is there more going on in Macomb we haven't been told about?
Sooner or later parents and prospective students will begin to worry about which schools are worse off than others- thanks media- and make college plans accordingly. It's very competitive in student recruitment.
There is nothing else going on in Macomb that I am aware of. I would say the lumping has to do with the release of staff/union negotiations which EIU has been involved in too! As I have said before, there are a whole lot of schools that would go into the abyss before WIU, Gov St, NEI, Chicago St. & EIU, and with WIU, NIU and SIUCarb! I am also a NIU alum and the president sent an email to all alumni describing the 30 million dollars of cuts that they have been working on and have never mentioned. Part of me just wants to say, "Welcome to the party pal!"
The last Experience Western was very well attended and went very well! I am also very tired of being lumped but I am also very tired of a state government that does not care about it's people! I know things have got to change....but there has got to be a middle ground! jc
The president of Southern Illinois University says the school's three campuses could see a "wholesale ending of programs" if it suffers a $40 million cut next year under Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal.
SIU President Randy Dunn said Monday night at a meeting of Southern Illinois University budget leaders in Edwardsville that chunks of operations will "start to disappear if this budget proposal isn't moderated." He said details of any proposed budget cuts will be announced over the coming weeks and months.
And there is even more bad news of local interest. In today's "Capitol Fax" column in the Macomb newspaper, Rich Miller says that "Chicago State University is perilously close to shutting down, as are Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University".
Western hosted a "Discover Western" day for high school seniors last week on President's Day. It will be interesting to see what kinds of numbers we are getting for a new freshman class.
We probably won't see any action in Springfield until after the March 15 primary. It's time for Rauner and the four legislative tops (Cullerton, Madigan, Radogno, and Durkin) to find an agreement.
I would think if some of these schools truly did shut down that if WIU could just hold out and see if they adjust the monetary dispersion between universities and perhaps we get a little extra money since the budget is being split between a few less schools. Though this is Illinois politics that money not being spent will most likely go into someones pocket instead of being given to remaining universities to help them out. Here is to hoping WIU has enough money to hold out till end of next year's school year and can ride out the first wave of major issues/ possible closings coming at the end of this spring.
It's being reported that Chicago St is cancelling Spring Break, because they are ending the year early because they don't have enough money to stay open the normal time.
jc