Private College Closure Conversations

D3Playbook NOVEMBER 19, 2019 | written by Steve Ulrich your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III Our goal is to keep you - the influencers in DIII athletics - apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers.

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1.  Private College Closure Conversations InsideHigherEd.com reports that a college advising company planned to release a list projecting when specific private colleges could run out of money and close, but pushback from the sector convinced the company to scuttle its plan. The list featured 946 private colleges and how many years each would have. Edmit, the start-up advising company, used grad students and two economists from Brandeis for its source data, methodology and projections. It decided to table the release of its financial modeling tool. >> Situational Awareness: “The publication of such a statement would be grossly irresponsible and would cause great harm to the college, and demand is hereby made that you refrain from such publication,” the lawyer for a private nonprofit college wrote. >> Between The Lines: The model analyzed “what the school’s finances are like if they stay on their current path,” said Stephen Cecchetti, one of the two Brandeis economists who helped oversee the project. Put simply, it’s an estimate of financial resources divided by the college’s “burn rate,” he said. Edmit based the model on four primary variables: investment return on endowment funds, tuition prices, tuition discounting and faculty and staff member salaries. Inside Higher Ed had planned to write about the projections. Its goal was to foster an open discussion about what has become the elephant in the room for higher education: Which financially stressed colleges are likely to shut down, and what can be done to protect students and taxpayers from abrupt closures? >> What They're Saying: “Colleges would be doing this kind of analysis primarily to support their own goals: to inform them about their competition, to put themselves in the context of what else is happening in their region or in the sector,” said Sabrina Manville, one of Edmit's co-founders. “We wanted to create something that was more transparently available to families and also simple enough to understand for a broader audience so that it can actually inform people’s decision making and understanding of what’s happening.” >> Worth Noting: One college president said recent college closures had caught the attention of his peers. “Right now, everyone’s gotten the cold water and realizes they have to do something,” he said. “The question is what to do.” The president said trustees need to provide reality checks for colleges that are facing financial challenges, in part by asking if the institution realistically can fulfill its mission. >> Be Smart: The stakes are high for students. An abrupt college closure can thrust them into chaotic situations. Even students at colleges that close in an orderly fashion can suffer negative effects. Their credits might not transfer fully, or they might have to travel farther from home to get to class. Some never re-enroll after their college closes. >> If You Read One Thing Today

2.  Postseason Football There are 21 other teams participating in Conference-sponsored football bowl games on Saturday. Centennial-MAC Bowl Series Wilkes (8-2) at Susquehanna (9-1) Johns Hopkins (7-3) at Stevenson (8-2) Franklin & Marshall (6-4) at Misericordia (6-4) New England Bowl Series (CCC, ECFC, MASCAC, NEWMAC) Western Connecticut State (8-2) at WPI (9-1) Dean (4-5) at Endicott (8-2) New York State Bowl (Empire 8 vs. Liberty League) Hobart (8-2) at Cortland (8-2) ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl: Westminster PA (7-3) at Morrisville State (6-4) Asa S. Bushnell Bowl: Washington & Jefferson (7-3) at Ithaca (8-2) Scotty Whitelaw Bowl: Brevard (7-2) at Carnegie Mellon (8-2) James Lynah Bowl: Rensselaer (6-4) at Grove City (8-2) Neptune Bowl Randolph-Macon (8-2) at Apprentice

3.  45,161 The annual Cortaca Jug game between Cortland and Ithaca sold 45,161 tickets to Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ - the largest crowd ever to see a Division III football game. The Bombers defeated the Red Dragons, 32-20. >> Pictures courtesy of the Ithaca Journal >> More photos from the Ithacan

SPONSORED MESSAGE Searching for talent for your athletic department? Need assistance with a departmental review or a strategic plan? Time to refresh your conference's policies and procedures? ASC is dedicated to small colleges and is committed to providing solutions for your concerns. Contact Kurt Patberg (kpatberg.asc@gmail.com), Kim Fierke (kim.fierke.asc@gmail.com) or Steve Ulrich (steveulrich.asc@gmail.com) to see how ASC can help your organization.

4. Polls Football - D3Football.com Mount Union (10-0) Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-0) Wheaton, Ill. (10-0) Muhlenberg (10-0) North Central, Ill. (9-1) Salisbury (9-0) UW-Whitewater (9-1) Saint John's (9-1) Delaware Valley (9-1) Wesley (9-1) 11-15: John Carroll, Chapman, Union, St. Thomas, Susquehanna. 16-20: Hardin-Simmons, Redlands, UW-Oshkosh, Bethel, Linfield. 21-25: Bridgewater, Wartburg, Berry, Central, UW-La Crosse. >> Hello: UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse. >> See-Ya: Case Western, Brockport. >> Also Perfect: Union (10-0), Bridgewater (10-0), Chapman (9-0), Middlebury (9-0) Ice Hockey (M) - USCHO Norwich (5-0) Geneseo (5-0-1) UW-Stevens Point (4-2) Hobart (4-1-1) UW-Eau Claire (4-0-1) Oswego (4-1) Augsburg (5-1) Trinity (2-0) Adrian (4-1-1) Utica (3-0-1) 11-15: U. of New England, Salve Regina, Milwaukee School of Engineering (tie), St. Thomas (tie), St. Norbert. Ice Hockey (W) - USCHO Plattsburgh (7-0) Adrian (5-0) Elmira (3-0) UW-River Falls (5-0) Norwich (4-1) Gustavus Adolphus (5-0) UW-Eau Claire (5-1) Middlebury (2-0) Hamline (2-2-1) St. Thomas (3-1-1) >> Welcome: St. Thomas >> Good-Bye: Williams Golf (M) - Golfweek Illinois Wesleyan Emory Huntingdon Claremont-M-S Hampden-Sydney St. Thomas, MN Gustavus Adolphus Carnegie Mellon Wittenberg NYU 11-15: Methodist, Guilford, UW-Eau Claire, Southwestern, Rensselaer. 16-20: Redlands, Babson, Oglethorpe, Aurora, Christopher Newport. 21-25: Williams, Denison, Webster, Washington and Lee, Saint John's >> Hello: RPI, CNU, Denison, Wooster >> Bye-Bye: Concordia TX, Greensboro, Berry, Piedmont

5.  Comings and Goings  Nancy Blattner named president of Fontbonne University. Alison Morrison-Shetlar named president of University of Lynchburg. Damian J. Fernandez, chancellor of Penn State Abington, named president of Eckerd College. Tim Launtz announced his retirement as head football coach at Juniata. Frank Haege resigned as head football coach at Augsburg. Erick Camodeca '06 named head cross country/track and field coach at Goucher. Maggy Waech named head women's soccer coach at Wisconsin Lutheran. Katy Fissel named head women's golf coach at FDU-Florham.

6.  1 Fun Thing   "The Hyper-Organized Christmas Shopper ... Conscientious millennials and bargain-seeking moms are wrapping up their holiday shopping before most people even start," reports the Wall Street Journal's Anne Marie Chaker (subscription). "A shorter-than-usual period between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year is hastening the early push." "Some big retailers are pushing marketing promotions earlier, hoping to coax dollars out of shoppers sooner." "And a penchant among millennials for sharing extreme organizational feats on Instagram ... is spilling into holiday shopping habits too."

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