Small Colleges, Big Challenges
A 2019 WBUR series that gives an in-depth look at the pressures facing small private colleges in Massachusetts and how they are adapting to change.
Under Financial Stress, Pine Manor College To Join Boston College
A memorandum of understanding between the two schools paves the way to create the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College. Once established, the institute will coordinate Boston...
When College Finances Falter, Mass. Lawmakers Want More Leverage
The bill would permit the state’s appointed Board of Higher Education to designate colleges as “at risk of imminent closure” based on regular financial screenings. And affected institutions would have...
When Campus Is A Computer Screen: How One Small School Found Financial Success Online
Simmons University was one of the first small colleges to devote real resources to online education. Its strategic decisions around that move have paid off, but officials say going online...
A College Specializes In Medicine And Health — And Finds Itself Revived
Over the course of the past decade, Regis has escaped an enrollment trap by becoming a university with a diversified base of students, with the majority focused on nursing or...
Serving First-Generation Students May Be Key To One Small College's Survival
At small colleges in New England, eyes are on enrollment. And at a time when the region's population is expected to grow both older and more diverse, Pine Manor College...
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Leader Of Merged BU-Wheelock Education School On What Lessons The Merger Brings
David Chard, former president of Wheelock College, told us about the highs and lows of the school's merger with Boston University and what other schools might take from it.
What's Gained — And Lost — When Small Colleges Merge
One way for colleges in financial trouble to stay open is to combine resources and merge with another school. But these partnerships are complicated and often come with strings attached.
Why More Small Nonprofit Colleges Are Facing An Uncertain Future
Nearly one in five colleges in Massachusetts are facing new challenges due to demographic shifts and increased competition.