Future of Division III

[IC798891]

RE: Linfield

I wish it was a mandatory edict in reporting that if you're going to talk about a college eliminating programs/majors or downgrading things to minors, you should have to report on the number of students enrolled in those programs.

It really frustrates me because, as we saw with the Syracuse story, news sites tend to frame it in the most drastic light possible. (Mention that 20% of programs are shutting down, but bury the fact that those programs only house 1.2% of your students)

It's not that we don't have a right to be frustrated by cuts, and people losing their jobs, and students losing their major. But there's also a responsibility to understand the factors that influenced the institution's decision. Even if, after we hear them,  we still don't agree with it

[Gregory Sager]

Kenyon was downgraded from Positive to Stable in January 2024, so this continues the downward cycle

Linfield University Considers Controversial Program Cuts to Close Budget Deficit

I thought Kenyon was elite enough to be more immune to the tough times, but I was wrong.

My thought exactly. I would've automatically filed Kenyon in the "safe from potential harm" category.

This may explain why they added squash.

We'll really know if Kenyon is in trouble if they add yachting and croquet as well.

Interestingly, Webster University is discontinuing their chess program, one of the most noteworthy and accomplished things they have done over the past 20 years.

Unfortunately for Webster, they needed to run that program with full scholarships in order to maintain that level of success.

I'm sorry to  see that. The chess program was a bona-fide distinctive for that school. I can honestly say that the only institution of higher learning in America that I associate with chess is Webster ... which doesn't sound like much, but it is something. Chess still has the aura of an intellectual activity, and that's exactly the perception that a school that really doesn't have any other genuine academic distinctives should embrace.

[WUPHF]

We'll really know if Kenyon is in trouble if they add yachting and croquet as well.

I spit out my drink...

I'm sorry to  see that. The chess program was a bona-fide distinctive for that school. I can honestly say that the only institution of higher learning in America that I associate with chess is Webster ... which doesn't sound like much, but it is something. Chess still has the aura of an intellectual activity, and that's exactly the perception that a school that really doesn't have any other genuine academic distinctives should embrace.

I understand, though the older I get, the more that I struggle with supporting the institutional vanity projects that do not benefit students broadly speaking.

The chess program would have benefited all students through the publicity, but as that died down, a program with a $1,000,000 budget is apparently no longer worth it.

There is another major chess program in town that is fully supported by a wealthy billionaire.  I am good with that.

The claim by Webster is that the were unsuccessful in fundraising for the chess program.  The former founding director said that was a lack of effort.

I may sound like I disagree with you, but if we were in the same room, I imagine we would mostly agree on the matter.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm sorry to  see that. The chess program was a bona-fide distinctive for that school. I can honestly say that the only institution of higher learning in America that I associate with chess is Webster ... which doesn't sound like much, but it is something. Chess still has the aura of an intellectual activity, and that's exactly the perception that a school that really doesn't have any other genuine academic distinctives should embrace.

I understand, though the older I get, the more that I struggle with supporting the institutional vanity projects that do not benefit students broadly speaking.

The chess program would have benefited all students through the publicity, but as that died down, a program with a $1,000,000 budget is apparently no longer worth it.

There is another major chess program in town that is fully supported by a wealthy billionaire.  I am good with that.

The claim by Webster is that the were unsuccessful in fundraising for the chess program.  The former founding director said that was a lack of effort.

I may sound like I disagree with you, but if we were in the same room, I imagine we would mostly agree on the matter.

Yep.

[y_jack_lok]

Kenyon was downgraded from Positive to Stable in January 2024, so this continues the downward cycle

Linfield University Considers Controversial Program Cuts to Close Budget Deficit

I thought Kenyon was elite enough to be more immune to the tough times, but I was wrong.

This may explain why they added squash.

Interestingly, Webster University is discontinuing their chess program, one of the most noteworthy and accomplished things they have done over the past 20 years.

Unfortunately for Webster, they needed to run that program with full scholarships in order to maintain that level of success.

I remember the billboards along I-70 touting the Chess program in its first year or so. That really riled up the Webster student-athletes whose competition was housed within the athletic department. All those resources devoted to chess and a handful of students that could have been used to benefit so many more students at the university, and not just athletes. Let some Ivy League school -- or NESCAC or UAA school -- take it on.

[WUPHF]

I forgot about those billboards.

[WUPHF]

Not to make too much of the Webster story, but the official story is that they could not raise money to support the program--not a single dollar--and that the program cost one million to run the program.

That figure probably includes a pretty substantial estimate of the cost of the building that might otherwise sit empty.

Webster spokesperson Patrick Giblin told local media outlets that the university "was unable to raise a single dollar in endowments to support the program." He noted that it had "invested more than a million dollars per year of its operating budget to support the program during a time when the university was losing millions each year, and its enrollments at the Webster campus declined by half."

[IC798891]

Webster spokesperson Patrick Giblin told local media outlets that the university "was unable to raise a single dollar in endowments to support the program." He noted that it had "invested more than a million dollars per year of its operating budget to support the program during a time when the university was losing millions each year, and its enrollments at the Webster campus declined by half."

I don't know how many alumni count themselves as former members of that club, but that they weren't willing to help support it says...something to me, and it's not a good thing.

To steal from Boyz in the Hood: "Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on..."

But yes, to a larger point, colleges are simply going to have to be making tough decisions about things that only pertain to a small segment of the student body.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I wonder if this is at all connected to the trouble that the one mighty St. Louis Chess Club has had in recent years?  I don't know a ton about it, but I know they're not as strong or as financially well off as they used to be.  It was once a major player in the US chess community.

[Kuiper]

I honestly did not predict that this would convert to a chess thread when I posted about Kenyon's issues

Having said that, at least Webster still has its national championship speech and debate team to fall back on now that chess has been cut

https://news.webster.edu/2026/forensic-debate-team-wins-national-title.php

The Webster University Forensic and Debate Team returned from the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention as national champions. The team continued their multi-year winning streak at the March 18-22 national tournament, earning several individual and team awards including two All American awards and a 10th place team finish.

In all, Webster won 27 awards, including the National Championship in Oral History. This is the team's 34th national championship since it was founded in 1993. Additionally, Madi Teska and Maral Mahdinia were named All Americans, the 10th and 11th Webster students to earn that honor. Among her other awards, Teska also placed third in After Dinner Speaking. Mahdinia also won several awards including a top-five finish in Discussion. Rachel Hopper was Webster's other top-10 finisher, taking sixth place in Discussion.