US College Closings Worry Educators

US College Closings Worry Educators

美国大学关闭引发教育者的担忧

【原文听力】

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　　By Dan Friedell

　　09 December 2023

　　American higher education experts are concerned that small colleges closed at a high rate in 2023. They say college closures can prevent students from finishing their study programs and take away some of the country's unique education offerings.

　　The website HigherEd Dive notes 26 American colleges and universities either closed or announced their plans to close in 2023. About half that number closed or announced their closing in 2022.

　　The colleges that closed this year were privately funded and mostly small. They were facing a loss of money and a drop in student numbers. Some schools closed completely, while others combined with nearby schools. Most offered students a chance to finish their study programs or move on to another school nearby.

　　Although the schools made efforts to assist their students, professors and others who worked at the colleges lost their jobs.

　　A small college in New York

　　Alliance University in New York state is one of the schools that closed this year.

　　The university was started by Christian missionaries in New York City in 1880. It offered mostly religious study programs until the 1960s and 1970s, when it expanded to offer programs in education and business.

　　At one point, the university had close to 3,000 students. But the publication Inside Higher Ed reports that the number had dropped below 2,000 in recent years.

　　The school had a budget shortfall of many millions of dollars that it could not make up. After an accreditor reviewed the school's situation last summer, the university announced its plan to close. An accreditor is a group that permits colleges and universities to operate.

　　Heather Garcia worked at the school for many years. She also took classes and earned two science degrees there. She said the university asked the accreditor for more time to improve its finances. However, the group decided the school's plan was not strong enough.

　　She said the school was going "deeper into debt each year." Garcia also noted that the student population continued to drop after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

　　The school knew it was in trouble. It had started new professional training programs in an effort to attract more students. It had also tried to cut spending. But the decision still came as a surprise.

　　Some students were able to finish their study programs over the summer. But others needed to move to new schools. Garcia said she felt especially bad for new students and for those who had come to play on the school's sports teams.

　　The school's last day was August 31.

　　Concerns for the future

　　The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, or SHEEO, advocates for higher education in the U.S. Last year, the organization produced a report that looked at students affected by college closures. The report covered 467 schools that closed between 2004 and 2020.

　　The major concern of SHEEO is that students whose studies get interrupted by a closure often do not go on to graduate. More than half of students do not continue with their studies. Among those who do, only about 37 percent finish their degree.

　　In some cases, students do not get their school fees returned. In other cases, students have trouble getting their school records to send to other universities.

　　SHEEO's report asked that states require colleges to help with these concerns if they close, and said colleges should avoid sudden closures.

　　In 2021, The Hechinger Report noted that students whose schools combine with others also face similar problems.

　　Observers will be watching what happens with the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. The small school recently announced a plan to close in May 2024. An accreditation group said it was concerned about the college's finances for the 2024-2025 school year.

　　The school has been losing money since 2013. It lost $11 million in 2020. Cuts to study programs and changes in leadership did not put the school on a better path.

　　What comes next?

　　Bryan Alexander is a writer and researcher whose work centers on the future of higher education.

　　He said the small school closures could lead to a "one-size fits all" style of higher education. That style, he said, may not be suitable for students who have learning troubles or special interests in art, music or language.

　　Alexander said a government push for Americans to go to college that started in the 1980s, combined with a large population of college-aged young adults, helped many small colleges stay open. But now, he said, the costs of college are high, there are fewer college-aged people, and some people are questioning the value of college.

　　The first signs that a college is in danger come when there are reductions in study programs and changes "behind the scenes." Alexander was asked if this year's high number of closures is cause for alarm in higher education.

　　"I think, within higher ed, the alarm has already been sounded. Presidents, Deans, Provosts. This is the stuff that keeps them up at nights."

　　Alexander noted that the U.S. is unusual when compared to the rest of the world. The country has a lot of small schools with special study programs. He noted Oberlin College in Ohio and Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but there are many more.

　　In many other countries, universities are generally not smaller than 10,000 students.

　　"You know, all these little small colleges, and they're really special. They're delightful. But they're fragile. They don't have economies of scale."

　　Economy of scale is a reference to the lower cost of a service per person at a large university when compared to a small college. The cost to provide a study program is much higher per student at a small college.

　　Large American universities with financial problems, such as West Virginia University, are usually able to make changes and continue to stay open. That is because they receive government support.

　　"State governments don't want to close the state university," Alexander said. "When we see that happen, that will be a big deal."

　　Garcia, who worked at and attended Alliance, said observers may not see her school closing as a large loss in the same way they would if a famous school closed. But for the people who went to school and worked there, she said: "it is deeply painful."

　　"It really just felt special. It felt like we had just this little special niche there in the bottom corner of New York City...and that what we were doing was making an impact on the whole world because we would send, you know, we have alumni all over the world."

　　I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Gena Bennett.

　　Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English.

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　　由Dan Friedell撰写

　　2023年12月9日

　　美国高等教育专家担忧，2023年小型学院的关闭率高。他们表示，学院的关闭可能阻止学生完成他们的学习计划，并剥夺了该国一些独特的教育供给。

　　HigherEd Dive网站指出，2023年有26所美国大学或宣布关闭或宣布计划关闭。这个数字大约是2022年关闭或宣布关闭的学院数量的一半。

　　今年关闭的学院主要是私人资助的小型学院。他们面临着资金的损失和学生数量的下降。一些学校完全关闭，而其他学校则与附近的学校合并。大多数学校都给学生提供了完成他们的学习计划或转到附近的其他学校的机会。

　　尽管这些学校努力帮助他们的学生，但在这些学院工作的教授和其他员工失去了他们的工作。

　　纽约州的一所小学院

　　纽约州的联盟大学就是今年关闭的学校之一。

　　该大学由1880年在纽约市的基督教传教士创立。直到1960年代和1970年代，它主要提供宗教研究课程，然后扩大到提供教育和商业课程。

　　曾经，该大学的学生接近3000人。但是《高等教育内部》的报道显示，近年来这个数字已经降到2000人以下。

　　学校的预算短缺了数百万美元，无法弥补。去年夏天，一个认证机构对学校的情况进行了审查，之后大学宣布了其关闭的计划。认证机构是允许大学和学院运营的组织。

　　Heather Garcia在学校工作了很多年。她也在那里上了课，获得了两个科学学位。她说，大学请求认证机构给予更多的时间来改善其财务状况。然而，该组织认为学校的计划不够强大。

　　她说，学校每年的债务都在“进一步加深”。Garcia还指出，自2020年COVID-19大流行开始后，学生人数持续下降。

　　学校知道自己处于困境。它已经开始了新的职业培训项目，以吸引更多的学生。它也试图削减开支。但是，这个决定仍然让人感到惊讶。

　　一些学生能够在暑假期间完成他们的学习计划。但是其他人需要转到新的学校。Garcia说，她对新生和那些来参加学校运动队的学生感到特别难过。

　　学校的最后一天是8月31日。

　　对未来的担忧

　　美国州高等教育行政官员协会（SHEEO）是美国高等教育的倡导者。去年，该组织发布了一份报告，研究了受学院关闭影响的学生。该报告涵盖了2004年至2020年间关闭的467所学校。

　　SHEEO的主要担忧是，那些因学校关闭而中断学业的学生通常不会继续毕业。超过一半的学生不会继续他们的学习。在那些继续学习的人中，只有大约37%的人完成了他们的学位。

　　在某些情况下，学生可能无法退还学费。在其他情况下，学生可能在获取学校记录以发送给其他大学时遇到困难。

　　SHEEO的报告要求各州在学院关闭时要求学院帮助解决这些问题，并表示学院应避免突然关闭。

　　2021年，Hechinger报告指出，那些学校与其他学校合并的学生也面临类似的问题。

　　观察家们将关注纽约州奥尔巴尼的圣罗斯学院的情况。这所小学校最近宣布计划在2024年5月关闭。一个认证组织表示，它对学院2024-2025学年的财务状况感到担忧。

　　自2013年以来，学校一直在亏损。它在2020年损失了1100万美元。削减学习计划和领导层的变动并未使学校走上更好的道路。

　　接下来会发生什么呢？

　　Bryan Alexander是一位作家和研究员，他的工作主要关注高等教育的未来。

　　他说，小学校的关闭可能导致高等教育采取“一刀切”的风格。他说，这种风格可能不适合那些有学习困难或对艺术、音乐或语言有特殊兴趣的学生。

　　Alexander说，政府从1980年代开始推动美国人上大学，再加上大量的大学年龄的年轻人，帮助许多小学院保持开放。但是现在，他说，大学的费用很高，大学年龄的人口减少，一些人开始质疑大学的价值。

　　一个学院处于危险之中的第一个迹象是学习计划的减少和“幕后”的变化。当被问到今年高校关闭数量的高涨是否引起了对高等教育的警觉时，Alexander如是说。

　　"我认为，在高等教育领域，警钟已经敲响。校长，院长，教务长。这些问题让他们夜不能寐。"

　　Alexander指出，与世界其他地方相比，美国是一个特例。这个国家有很多小学校提供特殊的学习计划。他提到了俄亥俄州的奥伯林学院和康涅狄格州的韦斯利安大学，但还有更多。

　　在许多其他国家，大学的规模通常不会小于10000名学生。

　　"你知道，所有这些小学院，它们真的很特别。它们令人愉快。但它们很脆弱。它们没有规模经济。"

　　规模经济是指在大学的服务人均成本低于小学院的情况。在小学院，提供一个学习计划的成本对每个学生来说都要高得多。

　　像西弗吉尼亚大学这样的大型美国大学，尽管有财务问题，但通常能够进行调整并继续开放。这是因为他们得到了政府的支持。

　　"州政府不想关闭州立大学，"Alexander说。"当我们看到这种情况发生时，那将是一件大事。"

　　在联盟大学工作并就读过的Garcia说，观察者可能不会像看到一所著名学校关闭那样，把她的学校的关闭视为一次重大损失。但对于那些在那里上学和工作的人来说，她说："这是深深的痛苦。"

　　"它真的感觉很特别。感觉我们在纽约市的角落里有一个特别的小角落...我们正在做的事情对整个世界产生了影响，因为我们有遍布全球的校友。"

　　我是Dan Friedell。我是Gena Bennett。

　　Dan Friedell为Learning English写了这个故事。

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　　本故事中的词汇

　　unique – adj. 独特的，与众不同的

　　fund – v.为...提供资金

　　missionary – n.传教士，宗教工作者

　　accreditor – n. 认证机构，负责审核学校资质并决定其是否有运营资格的机构

　　especially – adv. 尤其，特别是，用于强调某事物值得特别关注

　　advocate – n. 倡导者，支持某一事业或理念的人或组织

　　delightful – adj.令人愉快的，用来形容某事物特别、有趣或令人兴奋

　　fragile – adj. 易受伤害的，易碎的

　　a big deal – n.重要的事情，难以置信的事情

　　niche – n. 小众市场，占据独特地位、与众不同的事物

　　missionary – n.传教士，旅行并传播宗教、使人皈依其宗教的宗教工作者

　　alumni – n. （复数）校友，曾经就读过某学校的人