#10: The Department of Education has released details on the FAFSA rollout, noting that the previously announced December 31 deadline represented a “soft launch period,” during which officials will monitor for technical issues, field concerns from families and make last-minute tweaks. The department will also periodically pause the process to allow students already working on FAFSAs to continue doing so; however, new forms cannot be started. The department clarified that “full processing” of forms will not begin until late January. (link)
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#9: Methodist will cut four academic programs which will result in the loss of 30 positions and a $1.75M reduction in expenses. (link) |
#8: SCIAC Commissioner Jennifer Dubow lays out the priorities for the DIIICA as president, with the group looking to assist membership with real challenges like officiating and athletic training. On the bigger picture: You're looking at the ever-changing landscape of Division III and what's coming out of NIL, how is that really going to impact us? Is that going to impact our revenue stream? Do we have to start looking at a DIII network? What are our media value rights? How can we make sure, if something really changes drastically at a Division I level, that we can still provide our student athletes with the experience that we want to? And I haven't figured out those answers yet at all. But it's certainly something that we're continuing to talk about in our room. […] I think we have to do a better job of showing our worth, and I think there is an appetite to see our product, whether it is more consistent streaming deals. It doesn't have to look exactly like these DI contracts, but I think it's taken us a little bit to understand our worth.” Further: “I think if we're going to be sustainable, we have to find additional revenue streams for Division III. I think it's a little naive to think that in 10 years Division I is going to look exactly the same, and thus our budget is going to look exactly the same as we take a very small percentage from their Turner contract. Again, I'm not smart enough yet to figure out what it's going to look like in 10 years, but I just think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't think it was going to look different and so we need to be a little bit more proactive in the space than reactive.” (link)
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#7: HCAC Commissioner Jay Jones joins The Add/Drop Podcast to discuss challenges leading the HCAC, conference expansion and his journey as a leader. When Jones took the HCAC position four years ago, he recalled his previous experience leading a DII conference, noting: “I didn't think I had done the job in my way, I lost my personality a little bit. I didn't do it in a service based way and so when I took this job, it was a chance to say, ‘Hey, culturally, stay true to yourself. Understand that you can be a leader,’ and part of that was just professional maturity and age. But the other part was, ‘Hey, it's a second time to do it.’” Of all of the challenges during his tenure, Jones pinpointed the loss of former Assoc. Commissioner/SWA Stacey LaDew when she became commissioner of the SAA as the most significant, given the small staff and personal relationship the two had developed in the years working together. More. (link)
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#6: Wheaton (MA) announces former Miami (FL - DI)/Albany (DI) HC Mary-Frances Monroe as its next Women’s Soccer HC. (link) |
#5: Augustana Men’s Basketball HC Tom Jessee will depart Rock Island, “taking an immediate voluntary personal leave of absence,” with AC Jordan Delp to serve as Acting HC for the remainder of the season. (link) |
#4: McDaniel will hire a new Football HC. (link) |
#3: Bloomberg News’ Nic Querolo, Danielle Moran and Marie Patino dive into the challenging economics facing small colleges and identified five metrics to “identify increasing pressures on higher-ed institutions through 2021,” with around 170 meeting at least three criteria. Those metrics: three-year average acceptance rate over 80%; three-year average yield rate below 20%; three consecutive years of falling full-time enrollment, losing at least 10%; three straight years of growing institutional aid to students, up at least 10%; and three consecutive years of operating losses. The research of 973 schools found five with all five metrics as of 2021 that are still open. Wittenberg President Michael Frandsen, whose institution meets all five: “You have an industry with falling demand and overcapacity. We would be foolish to expect anything other than consolidation and shakeout. […] Every time I get together with presidents, more and more of us are talking about struggles. It’s real, and people who are in denial about it are going to have a real problem.” Willamette officials pushed back against the data, pointing to the challenging pandemic period and enrollment and financial growth, with VP for Enrollment William Mullen noting: “When most of our competitors were cutting programs and budgets, Willamette’s strong financial position allowed us to invest in important new initiatives.” Lots more. (link)
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#2: Hanover AD Lynn Hall will retire at the end of the academic year. Hall: "It has been an honor to serve my alma mater for the past 37 years. I will certainly miss my colleagues and the student athletes, but I won't be far away in retirement and will have opportunities to cheer for the Panthers. There are exciting things ahead for Hanover College and I know the athletics department will continue to thrive under new leadership." Hanover is in the process of hiring a new VP for Athletics. (link)
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#1: St. Lawrence has a structural deficit of $11.5M. (link) |
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