I've worked in Higher Ed for 20 years and spent some time at EWU. A few thoughts from the trenches.
Generation Z is the smallest generation since the WWII generation. Contrast that with the fact that the Millenials were one of the largest in history, and that alone accounts for a dramatic drop in enrollment. Factor in Generation Z being fearful of student loan debt, the re-emergence of the trades and fewer wanting a college education, and your pool of students is even smaller. Colleges all across the USA are reeling due to this generational shift. Just last week, Concordia College in Portland announced it's closure after spring term. They have 5800 students. Granted, they were private, but it's a good example of how changing enrollments is impacting colleges.
Having said that, EWU is missing the target on something because WWU and CWU have not experienced the same per capita drop in enrollment. I think EWU is on the right track developing their niche (1st generation students and Chicano/Chicana students), but those programs will take time to develop into recruiting advantages. In the meantime, EWU seems like they aren't hitting their traditional markets as well as in the past.
As I have posted in the past, state funding of EWU is way down from what it has been historically. The lawsuit forcing the state to fund K-12 education pulled a lot of dollars away from Higher Ed since the state constitution doesn't guarantee it's funding. At one point, EWU was only receiving 54% of the historical level of state funding and they were told that it's never coming back. In essence, state schools are having to run more businesslike and find new revenue while watching costs. This isn't a bad thing, but as faculty get stretched, athletics becomes an easy target for their angst.
I love my Eagles but the business model for Higher Ed has radically changed. Athletics will need to change with it and EWU will need to refine its mission in order to thrive. It's going to be a bumpy ride for awhile.
LDopaPDX said:
The far better route to take here is spend some time figuring out why enrollment and budgets are dwindling in the face of one of the best economic periods in American history. There would appear to be a lesson in failed leadership to address here, but it sure isn’t athletic department leadership that is the problem.
Take a look at the number of degree programs Eastern offers. How many of them are graduating enough students to justify their existence? Why is Eastern spending money on programs that can’t maintain themselves by drawing in students? The truth is Eastern has some bloating that could be addressed, but you’d be hard pressed to tell me how one of the least funded athletic departments in the conference is the piece that’s bloated.
Yet, again, it all comes down to selling the university, and university administrators have become increasingly bad at it since Arevalo left.
