Low University Enrollment

 

JAYLEEN LAM Staff Writer

 

Inside the conference room of the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, a painful decision was made. According to the New York Times, the rural college, some two-and-a-half hours away from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee campus, is facing a $4.5 million debt and plunging high school graduation rates in the area around the school. To make up for that loss, the Stevens Point campus is cutting their liberal arts programs and eliminating faculty and degrees to make room for more career-focused majors, such as those in business and education.

“The higher-ed climate has changed profoundly and it’s not going back to normal,” Greg Summers, senior administrative officer of Stevens Point said.

In Southern California, the opposite situation is occurring.

“It seems like colleges around in our communities seem like they’re flourishing,” teacher Julie Eyre said. “It’s harder to get into the programs that are impacted… there’s a lot of students that are going to community colleges.”

Even colleges such as San Diego State University Imperial Valley turned away more than half of their applicants this year.