Future of Division III

[scottiedoug]

MCScots2023...God won't forbid Maryville's closing but money will! Schools without rich alumni are challenged. If a college does not prioritize graduating people armed to get rich, it makes it hard!

[Ron Boerger]

MCScots2023...God won't forbid Maryville's closing but money will! Schools without rich alumni are challenged. If a college does not prioritize graduating people armed to get rich, it makes it hard!

Maryville is doing fine relative to many schools, showing positive net earnings every year but one since 2011 and has increased its net assets from $86.0M to $178.0M in that timeframe.

MCScots' point, I believe, is that the relationship between the school and its founding demomination is at arm's length rather than being intimate as it is at schools like Liberty, Baylor, BYU, etc.

[MCScots2013]

I'm doing my best to be one of those rich alums, Doug.

[Ralph Turner]

That might be misleading. Many private colleges were at some point associated with a denomination more than just name-only like today. A Maryville closing, God forbid, would be vastly different from Liberty.

The Parable of the Fig Tree. Luke 13:6-9. If the fig tree bears no fruit, cut it down.

If one reads the charters of the numerous Christian schools that have closed and the content of their "About" web pages over the previous few years, it becomes apparent. They stopped bearing fruit.

[Kuiper]

There is probably a sampling bias in correlating school failures with religious affiliation.  The vast majority of small colleges were formed with a religious affiliation, most of those colleges are the backbone of current D3 schools, and most of the school failures are small colleges.  So, it should come as no surprise that it seems like a lot of the colleges going under have a religious affiliation.

There may be a few of those schools that failed because they lost some subsidy from the church, but I don't think that is all that common anymore.  They are failing for the same reason other small colleges are failing.

[MCScots2013]

The Tenth Commandment—don't covet. Exodus something:other (can't quote you the exact verse and Googling it just to prove a point would be in bad taste)

I want Maryville to be the best Maryville possible. Just like Ron wants Trinity to be the best Trinity possible.  Same with awadelewis with Sewanee and Hawks88 with Huntingdon. I couldn't care less what other schools have. Good for them. Centre just got a $200M gift. Great! Just because someone hasn't done that for Maryville doesn't make me hate Centre (more) or become upset that we don't have that person in our Rolodex. And it also doesn't mean we're closing because we don't have half a billion in the bank.

Maryville's Board just signed President Bryan Coker to a 6 year extension through 2032. I'd venture to guess he's mid to late 50s. I hope he sticks around for 20 more years. He's actively engaging the community, enrollment is growing, growing support amongst businesses (alum and non-alum alike), dropping huge news on fundraising the last few years, and not to be understated—just finalized construction plans for the Alexander Institute. From my understanding, this is going to be $80M of both state and private funds; here's hoping we don't have to go the bond route like we did for the Clayton Center.  There are lots of things to celebrate. We can toot our horn, too, ya know...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

That might be misleading. Many private colleges were at some point associated with a denomination more than just name-only like today. A Maryville closing, God forbid, would be vastly different from Liberty.

The Parable of the Fig Tree. Luke 13:6-9. If the fig tree bears no fruit, cut it down.

If one reads the charters of the numerous Christian schools that have closed and the content of their "About" web pages over the previous few years, it becomes apparent. They stopped bearing fruit.

My experience with struggling and ultimately closed religious institutions is over what kind of fruit is being born and who gets to decide the criteria.

[WUPHF]

Not sure if this affects D3 PER SE, but half of all the schools that have merged or closed since 2020 have been CHRISTIAN.

https://www.tgthree.com/half-of-colleges-that-closed-or-merged-since-2020-were-christian/

The vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States were founded by Christians, so is this really a surprise?

Many more that closed between 1636 and 2020 were Christian.

Other Christian colleges would easily survive the AI and zombie apocalypses (e.g. Wheaton).

I would bet good money that the vast majority of those who were involved in the founding of both Case Tech and Western Reserve were Christian.

The folks who apparently had your beloved institution on the right side of history were probably heavily influenced by their Christian faith.

[scottiedoug]

I agree that Maryville is doing well compared to lots of schools and that Bryan Coker has presided over much of the improvement. I also know that especially new faculty cannot afford to live in Maryville in the ways that they could a decade ago (buy a house, for instance)and that many leave because of money. The religious affiliation issue does not seem particularly important in that regard or in any other.  Faculty and staff have been getting raises but not enough to stay or catch up with inflation.  It is easier to attract money for capital projects than for paying people!

[DagarmanSpartan]

Not sure if this affects D3 PER SE, but half of all the schools that have merged or closed since 2020 have been CHRISTIAN.

https://www.tgthree.com/half-of-colleges-that-closed-or-merged-since-2020-were-christian/

The vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States were founded by Christians, so is this really a surprise?

Many more that closed between 1636 and 2020 were Christian.

Other Christian colleges would easily survive the AI and zombie apocalypses (e.g. Wheaton).

I would bet good money that the vast majority of those who were involved in the founding of both Case Tech and Western Reserve were Christian.

The folks who apparently had your beloved institution on the right side of history were probably heavily influenced by their Christian faith.

Regarding Western Reserve College (later Western Reserve University), yes.  It was originally founded, as many American universities were, with a Christian affiliation (Presbyterian), and later served as a feeder for Congregationalist ministers.  It went secular and dropped all religious affiliation in 1882.  This was a part of the move from Hudson, Ohio to Cleveland.

As a part of that secular move, they changed their motto from "Christo et Ecclesiae" (Christ and Church) to "Lux" (Light) in 1885.

Case School of Applied Sciences was secular from its very beginnings in 1880.  It was founded as a scientific/technical/engineering school. 

Of course when Case Institute of Technology merged with Western Reserve University to form Case Western Reserve University in 1967, it merged as a wholly secular and non-religious institution.

If CWRU were to ever fold or merge again, it would go down as a secular school having done so.

The thing is...........a big chunk of recent mergers/foldings have been Christian schools; it'd be interesting to see how many were either D3 or NAIA.

[MCScots2013]

I agree that Maryville is doing well compared to lots of schools and that Bryan Coker has presided over much of the improvement. I also know that especially new faculty cannot afford to live in Maryville in the ways that they could a decade ago (buy a house, for instance)and that many leave because of money. The religious affiliation issue does not seem particularly important in that regard or in any other.  Faculty and staff have been getting raises but not enough to stay or catch up with inflation.  It is easier to attract money for capital projects than for paying people!

Totally agree. Maryville, TN being a "best kept secret" got out and cost of living post COVID is wild. Faculty and staff are being out-bid by new residents.

Here's to hoping capital projects lead to higher student retention, better student recruitment, higher overall enrollment and revenue with cost-of-living adjustments to follow. Not sure if that's coming from my Econ degree or Field of Dreams "If you build it...".

[CNU85]

I was at the CNU @ Maryville game in 2014. I was in the neck of the woods. At the time my daughter was "Pigeon Forge Famous" with her image on a billboard dancing in a Christmas show at the Smoky Mountain Opry (which....apparently wasn't bearing fruit, so it's no longer in existence). And I agree...Maryville is a beautiful town. I loved it!

and I loved the 50 yd FG by the CNU kicker!

[MCScots2013]

It's grown tremendously since I was a kid.  We'd go down to Maryville for a week or two each summer to spend time with my grandparents and back then, (mid 90s to mid 00s) you could breathe.  Now things are so packed in the word traffic has meaning in Blount County.  The good thing for MC is the traffic to the National Park really has two viable options:  go through Sevierville/Pigeon Forge or go right past the east campus entrance where they are building the Alexander Institute.

[Ron Boerger]

It's not just D3 schools adding football in a move to prop up enrollment; San Antonio's NAIA Our Lady of the Lake University, which has seen enrollment plummet to 1550 total (undergrad/grad) students, nearly 50% since 2015, announced plans to field a team *next year* and is aiming for 100 players by then, which seems like a huge stretch for a school with shrinking enrollment (e.g. the plan for this year was 1,800), an undesirable location, little money, and no suitable on-campus facilities other than a soccer pitch. 

More here but you probably have to have a subscription:  https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/college-football-ollu-start-up-program-san-antonio-22511716.php

[Kuiper]

Alvernia (PA) to acquire Marian (WI)

Not sure what this means long-term, other than consolidation of some back room administrative services and maybe some economies of scale opportunities.

Alvernia University in Reading, Pa., and Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wis., announce a mission-aligned combination that will build on the strengths and distinctive traditions of both institutions, expand educational opportunities for students, and strengthen their collective impact on the communities they serve.

Under the proposed combination, sponsorship of Marian University would transfer from the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes to the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, who founded Alvernia. As part of this transition, Alvernia would acquire Marian, bringing together two Catholic universities united by a commitment to faith, service, student success and comprehensive, values-driven regional higher education.

Marian, founded by the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes in 1936, has served Fond du Lac and the surrounding region for 90 years.  As Alvernia and Marian begin the formal process of bringing their universities together, they are committed to honoring Marian's rich heritage and distinctive identity while exploring how shared resources, expertise and mission can strengthen both universities for the future.

In Catholic higher education, sponsoring congregations play a vital role in preserving and advancing the institution's Catholic mission and identity. The two congregations have worked closely to build a shared understanding of Marian's culture, values and long-term mission.

"Alvernia has taken deliberate steps over the past several years to strengthen our financial position, clarify our strategic priorities and prepare for the university's next chapter," said Alvernia President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. "We're incredibly excited about this opportunity to bring together two institutions that are grounded in shared Catholic mission and values, and we are grateful for the trust the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes has placed in us and in the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. Together, we have an opportunity to honor Marian's heritage, strengthen our shared mission and expand the opportunities we can offer students. We believe the future of Catholic higher education will be shaped by institutions willing to work together, steward their resources wisely and remain steadfast in their commitment to the students and communities they serve."

The proposed acquisition remains subject to further discussions and reviews, as well as required institutional, canonical, regulatory and accrediting approvals. During this process, both universities will continue to operate as they do today, with no immediate changes to academic programs, employment, tuition, athletics, campus operations or the student experience.