This Week In College Viability (TWICV)

Gary Stocker

Welcome to the podcast. We call it TWICV. It is our effort to provide a fast-paced, entertaining, and alternative voice to the propaganda and hype flowing out of colleges in America today. I focus on news stories and commentary on college financial health and much more. This week in College Viability is a proud affilate of The EdUP Experience podcast network.

  1. 1d ago

    Are faculty labor actions about to increase? - - - on This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for Nov 2 2026

    In this week's This Week in College Viability News and Commentary, I examine the announced closure of the University of Providence in Montana, where years of financial dependence on an outside health system ultimately proved unsustainable.  I also look at growing faculty unrest, layoffs, and budget cuts at Commonwealth University, Temple, Oregon, Kent State, and across the California State University system.  We should start to watch for more widespread faculty labor threats and actions.  It is possible that the past year's layoff and cutbacks have reached a point where faculty feel a need to push back stronger than ever. I discuss new enrollment data showing virtually flat national enrollment growth alongside a troubling decline in master's enrollment, as well as changes in accreditation and Illinois Tech's plans to borrow nearly $200 million from its own endowment. I conclude that the University of Providence closure is much more than another small college failure. It illustrates a widespread consumer protection problem in higher education: students and families are often unaware of serious financial risks until colleges announce layoffs, eliminate programs, or close. These warning signs exist at institutions of all sizes, and neither accreditation nor a college's reputation guarantees financial stability. My message remains consistent: families deserve greater financial transparency, stronger consumer protections, and independent information before making one of life's largest investments. Inspect before you invest.

    Are faculty labor actions about to increase? - - - on This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for Nov 2 2026

  2. Oct 26

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) Oct 27, 2026 - Families: Financially healthy colleges no longer means 'nothing will change here.

    In this week's This Week in College Viability, I examine a troubling trend across American higher education: financial pressures are forcing colleges and universities of all sizes and financial conditions to reduce staffing, eliminate academic programs, and reconsider their operating models.  Even financially strong institutions are making significant cuts. Clemson University is offering voluntary separation packages to 452 employees, while Commonwealth University in Pennsylvania faces up to 175 layoffs as it addresses a $17 million deficit.  Syracuse University is reviewing its administrative staffing, the University of Maine is working to reduce its projected deficit, Ithaca College has doubled its projected budget shortfall to $8 million, and Keene State College has placed 14 academic programs on hold. These developments raise important questions about institutional priorities, financial transparency, and the consequences for students, faculty, and staff. I also challenge the lack of meaningful financial disclosure accompanying many of these decisions. When colleges announce employee buyouts, budget reductions, or academic restructuring, they frequently fail to explain the actual costs, anticipated savings, or long-term implications. I examine emerging concerns about accreditation accountability and question Illinois Wesleyan University's promotion of a $40,000 scholarship guarantee through its expanded direct admissions program. Despite the impressive headline, students and families could still face approximately $38,000 in annual attendance costs. T he central message of this episode is that college financial health cannot be measured by reputation, enrollment, or promotional announcements alone.  Students, families, employees, and policymakers deserve independent financial evidence, transparent institutional decisions, and a clearer understanding of the risks facing higher education.

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) Oct 27, 2026 - Families: Financially healthy colleges no longer means 'nothing will change here.

  3. Oct 19

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 19, 2026

    In this week's This Week in College Viability News and Commentary, I begin with some positive reflections on visits to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, and the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs.  I then turn to the financial realities facing higher education, including nearly 1,200 layoffs at USC despite growing administrative expenses, Bennington College's $18 million structural deficit and potential faculty reductions, and Marquette University's encouraging enrollment and graduation trends.  I also challenge George Mason University's promotion of direct admissions, arguing that making it easier to admit students does not necessarily help families determine whether a college is affordable, financially healthy, or capable of delivering strong outcomes. I examine changes in accreditation, Albion College's tuition reset, and the growing financial pressures facing college families. I conclude by challenging the meaning of the widely promoted "social mobility" college rankings. While these rankings recognize graduation outcomes for Pell Grant recipients, I point out that they do not actually measure whether graduates improve their economic circumstances. I explain how the College Viability Pell Equity Gap provides families with a transparent comparison of graduation rates for Pell recipients and other students. My message throughout the show is that rankings, admissions offers, tuition discounts, and college marketing should never substitute for independent financial and academic due diligence. Colleges know a great deal about students and families through the admissions and FAFSA processes. It's time for families to know just as much about the colleges asking for their investment. Show notes and links: USC cut 1,198 jobs while its administration grew — the deficit story nobody in the C-suite wants told Bennington College tells faculty a third of them could be laid off Marquette: fifth straight year of growth, 8,238 undergrads

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 19, 2026

  4. Oct 12

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 12, 2026

    In this week's This Week in College Viability News and Commentary, I examine the growing disconnect between what colleges announce publicly and what their financial data actually reveal. I look at the closures and financial fallout at Wells, Limestone, and Hampshire colleges, accreditation concerns at American International College, and faculty and staff reductions at Stockton, Bowie State, and the University of Utah.  I also challenge the enrollment headlines coming from Delaware State, Cleveland State, and Alverno College, where impressive percentages can obscure declining student populations, increasing tuition discounts, and questions about actual student revenue. My message is that enrollment growth does not necessarily mean financial improvement, and families deserve to understand the numbers behind the headlines. I close with a broader argument that the financial challenges facing higher education are no longer simply institutional management problems. They are increasingly consumer protection problems.  Colleges face declining demand, rising costs, federal policy uncertainty, and growing pressure to consolidate, yet students and families often receive little meaningful warning about institutional financial distress.  I highlight Massachusetts' new financial disclosure requirements as a model other states should consider, particularly its requirement for public warnings before families make enrollment commitments. I argue that colleges should be required to demonstrate their ability to meet financial obligations well before students commit their time and money.  The bottom line is simple: families wouldn't buy a house without an inspection, and they shouldn't make a major college investment without independently evaluating the institution's financial health and long-term viability.

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 12, 2026

  5. Oct 6

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 5, 2026

    In this episode of This Week in College Viability News and Commentary, Gary Stocker examines several signs of growing financial pressure across higher education. He discusses additional faculty cuts at Bowie State despite substantial unrestricted gifts, the University of Utah’s proposed “modernization” effort that could eliminate hundreds of staff positions, and Alverno College’s attempt to rebound after years of enrollment declines, operating losses, and shrinking student revenue.  He also questions the rapid expansion of direct admissions programs, arguing that they may be another sign of colleges becoming increasingly desperate to attract students in a declining and highly competitive market. Stocker also warns that financially stressed colleges increasingly treating endowments like “piggy banks” could become another important warning sign for students, families, and the public. Stocker concludes with an extended discussion of the troubled Antioch-Otterbein affiliation and argues that one unsuccessful merger should not be used as evidence that college consolidation cannot work. Instead, he believes the problems demonstrate the importance of clearly defined governance, financial responsibility, realistic assumptions, transparency, and sufficient scale.  Rather than relying on traditional two-college “mom-and-pop” mergers, Stocker argues that the future may require much larger combinations—potentially 10 or more institutions operating under a holding-company model. With too many colleges competing for too few students, he predicts that closures, mergers, and consolidation are inevitable and that institutions willing to move early may have the best opportunity to help design the next higher education business model. Show notes: Bowie State University to Lay Off 20 Faculty MembersUniversity of Utah announces “modernization effort,” may lay off hundreds of staff after input from national consulting agenciesAlverno shores up rebound after major recruitment restructuringState program offers higher education slot to every NC senior Endowments Are Financial Pillars, Not Piggy BanksInside the rift: Why the Antioch-Otterbein coalition is unraveling

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for October 5, 2026

  6. Sep 28

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for Sep 28, 2026

    In this week’s podcast, I challenge the value of college rankings and the way institutions use small movements in those rankings as marketing victories. I argue that families should pay far more attention to measurable indicators such as financial health, graduation rates, enrollment trends, student revenue, and endowment strength.  I also look at financial pressures across higher education, including planned layoffs at Commonwealth University in Pennsylvania, possible campus consolidation in Minnesota, enrollment challenges at Baylor, and enrollment claims at Bradley, Missouri State, and UMKC. My recurring question is simple: enrollment growth sounds good, but how much tuition revenue is actually being generated to produce that growth? I also examine direct admissions in North Carolina, question whether college accreditors can truly be considered independent when their revenue comes from the institutions they accredit and remind families that campus tours are ultimately sales events. My message throughout the show is that families need to look beyond rankings, marketing, beautiful campuses, and enrollment announcements and conduct their own due diligence. I’m not trying to predict which colleges will close; I want families to have independent data that helps them decide how much financial and institutional risk they are willing to accept before committing to a college. Show notes:College Viability Inspection ReportsMy College Decision Lens Free sign up Commonwealth University plans to lay off up to 175 staff and faculty at Lock Haven, Mansfield and Bloomsburg campusesMinnesota State may close campuses, merge schools in effort to 'right-size'Baylor’s undergraduate enrollment level falls to lowest level since 2014

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for Sep 28, 2026

  7. Sep 21

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) Sep 21, 2026

    In this week’s podcast, I focus on what I see as the larger problem facing higher education: we spend too much time trying to fix individual colleges—the trees—without paying enough attention to what the forest is telling us.  There may simply be too many colleges chasing too few students and too little net tuition revenue. Not every college can grow enrollment, launch the same new programs, or discount its way to financial stability. I argue that we need to start asking harder questions about how much higher education capacity the market actually needs and which institutions have sustainable models, which need different operating structures, which should consolidate, and which may no longer be viable as independent organizations.  I also look at new student survey data showing how strongly financial aid and career outcomes influence college decisions, and I challenge enrollment announcements that celebrate growth without providing the broader context of graduation rates, financial health, and actual student outcomes. I also examine what I see as several examples of the gap between higher education marketing and financial reality, including Southeastern Louisiana University’s enrollment growth alongside low four-year graduation rates, increased financial aid and discounting at the University of New Hampshire, and the financial implications of the growing movement toward three-year bachelor’s degrees. I question whether accreditors are doing enough to warn students and families about financially troubled or poor-performing institutions and discuss concerns about enrollment growth at colleges with weak outcomes. My conclusion is that higher education cannot indefinitely fight market forces. Until the number and capacity of colleges become better aligned with the number of students willing and able to pay for college, financial pressure will continue. That makes independent due diligence increasingly important, particularly for students and families who need to understand a college’s financial health, graduation outcomes, academic strength, and long-term viability before making their decision. Show notes and links:MyCollegeViabilty.comMyCollegeDecisionLens2026 College Majors Completion appNew Ellucian Survey Finds 56% of College Students Are Employed Full-Time, 89% Would Change Schools for More Scholarship Aid Southeastern Louisiana University increases enrollment in fall semesterNH’s Changing College Landscape UNH increases financial aid, awarding record $40 million to incoming class The Accreditation Fight Over Who Controls Higher Education Are Low-Quality Colleges Making A Comeback?

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) Sep 21, 2026

  8. Sep 15

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for September 14, 2026

    In this episode, I focus on a growing disconnect in higher education: colleges are working harder to increase enrollment, but enrollment alone does not equal student success or financial strength.  I examine how colleges remove admissions barriers, promote short-term enrollment increases, and heavily discount tuition to fill seats—often without discussing graduation rates, long-term enrollment trends, or the actual revenue those students generate. Using examples including the University of Arkansas Little Rock and Quincy University,  Families need to look beyond the positive headlines and examine the financial and student-outcome data colleges are less likely to promote.  I also explain why families should investigate how many students actually complete the majors colleges advertise and why a scholarship should often be viewed as a price discount, not a prize. My central message is that access without success is not success and enrollment is a statistic; revenue is the reality. Families should look at FTE enrollment, traditional undergraduate trends, net tuition revenue, tuition discounting, graduation rates, and major completions to determine whether a college can realistically deliver the experience it is promising for the next four years

    This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for September 14, 2026
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About

Welcome to the podcast. We call it TWICV. It is our effort to provide a fast-paced, entertaining, and alternative voice to the propaganda and hype flowing out of colleges in America today. I focus on news stories and commentary on college financial health and much more. This week in College Viability is a proud affilate of The EdUP Experience podcast network.

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