It's starting, schools retaliate

[Xville]

Let’s be real paying 50k whatever it is (and yes I know no one pays that) just isn’t worth it. That’s the problem they need to fix. It’s an ok institution, there’s nothing about it academically that stands out, and the social life around the university is pretty meh. I’m glad to have went there, and developed some lifelong friendships, but twenty years ago I think list was around 25 and I went for ten. That’s probably comparable to about 30k now. The school isn’t worth having 120k in loans, it’s just not.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

No school is worth that level of loans. I had partials in academics and music. I waited tables, then when old enough tended bar. I just had to cover about ~8k in housing costs each year. I attended in the 90s. When I was in the Village, one of my roommates left with a TON of debt, one had a dad who was a SVP at a big company, the last worked harder than I did sending money back home.

What does R&B goes for now? I doubt the average 18-22yo could work enough to pay it and have the time to meet scholarship obligations.

[GoMuskies]

College is supposed to be somewhere you go mostly to learn but to also meet a buncn of new people in the same phase of life. You're supposed to live in shitty dorms/apartments, you're supposed to drink shitty keg beer on the wekends, you're supposed to eat cheap, shitty food, and you're supposed to work out and play rec baskeball in a shitty, hot, sweaty gym. Then you get a job and actually enjoy/appreciate the better things in life. You're not supposed to have nice things in college unless your parents are visiting for the weekend.

But this isn't the model anymore, and it costs an arm and a leg as a result.

[xu82]

Trying to attract applications seemed like an arms race for a while. I read a couple articles about how they are trying to give the kids an amazing experience with all kinds of crazy amenities. All those things cost money, and somebody has to pay for it. If it were me today I’d look long and hard at a bare bones community college (at least for a couple years) for a more affordable experience.

I learned a lot from being poor and dirty in college. I learned I don’t want to be poor and dirty. That was motivating.

[paulxu]

College is supposed to be somewhere you go mostly to learn but to also meet a buncn of new people in the same phase of life. You're supposed to live in shitty dorms/apartments, you're supposed to drink shitty keg beer on the wekends, you're supposed to eat cheap, shitty food, and you're supposed to work out and play rec baskeball in a shitty, hot, sweaty gym. Then you get a job and actually enjoy/appreciate the better things in life. You're not supposed to have nice things in college unless your parents are visiting for the weekend.

Damn. It's almost like you were really there in the 60's !

[GoMuskies]

Damn. It's almost like you were really there in the 60's !

Well, I lived in Brockman, played basketball and went to the gym in O'Connor and took a bunch of classes in Alter Hall. So it was a lot like being there in the '60s, I'm guessing! Our student center/caf was probably a fancy new building at some point in the '60s.

[xudash]

Personally I think it’s more of a Xavier problem than a small private university problem. Yes there are definitely headwinds when it comes to college as a whole, but Xavier has also made imo a lot of really stupid decisions in the last twenty or so years when it comes to the school as a whole. Dayton isn’t having an enrollment problem and neither is Miami oh.

You may want to check your facts before you make factual statements like this. It only makes you look bad. BTW, as also is the case with Dayton, Miami is pursuing budget cuts. This mess could end up affecting their plans for a new basketball arena.

Xavier didn't hit its targeted incoming freshmen class number for the Class of '29. That's not good. The leadership team will have to make specific adjustments for that, in addition to adjustments already being made.

Otherwise, the addition of certain new (more strategic) majors, the new medical school, the elimination of certain academic offerings, and budgetary adjustments will help move Xavier forward. If I have a source of concern about any of this, it is has to do with engaging McKinsey & Company. A waste of money, in my opinion.

The good news is that the quality of the class academically increased, which should have a positive effect on retention moving forward, which itself is a component of the new strategic plan.

I blame Father Mulligan. He didn't have a clue about the importance of fundraising in the 70's. We started late when it comes to the endowment thing. However, we have clearly demonstrated that we can now raise a lot of money.

Now we need to continue pursuing some key reorganizational objectives to clean up some (not a lot) of key past mistakes, fleshing out the new strategic plan, and riding this mess out for an extended period of time.

[drudy23]

College is supposed to be somewhere you go mostly to learn but to also meet a buncn of new people in the same phase of life. You're supposed to live in shitty dorms/apartments, you're supposed to drink shitty keg beer on the wekends, you're supposed to eat cheap, shitty food, and you're supposed to work out and play rec baskeball in a shitty, hot, sweaty gym. Then you get a job and actually enjoy/appreciate the better things in life. You're not supposed to have nice things in college unless your parents are visiting for the weekend.

But this isn't the model anymore, and it costs an arm and a leg as a result.

This is pretty spot on.

The newer dorms and frat/sorority houses some of these kids live in will be better than the first house they buy. Some of the sorority houses at Alabama I bet would literally sell for $10M+.

But it starts far before that. The level of luxury these kids enjoy at such an early stage of life is crazy. It's literally a parental arms race of one-ups-manship for the best party house, the new $200k pool, the best rented prom after-party house, and the nicest hotels and equipment during sports club seasons. These kids think this is the life norm, and honestly know no different. But I hardly blame them - it's the adults that enabled it all, and the schools are literally taking advantage of it, knowing they will just continue to pay because 1) no one has any principles anymore, and 2) they cannot fathom letting down their precious flower.

The funny thing is, as a dude, I just needed a couch, a tv, a fridge, and a bathroom. Most guys are this way - the kids, especially the boys, don't even care.

[Xville]

You may want to check your facts before you make factual statements like this. It only makes you look bad. BTW, as also is the case with Dayton, Miami is pursuing budget cuts. This mess could end up affecting their plans for a new basketball arena.

Xavier didn't hit its targeted incoming freshmen class number for the Class of '29. That's not good. The leadership team will have to make specific adjustments for that, in addition to adjustments already being made.

Otherwise, the addition of certain new (more strategic) majors, the new medical school, the elimination of certain academic offerings, and budgetary adjustments will help move Xavier forward. If I have a source of concern about any of this, it is has to do with engaging McKinsey & Company. A waste of money, in my opinion.

The good news is that the quality of the class academically increased, which should have a positive effect on retention moving forward, which itself is a component of the new strategic plan.

I blame Father Mulligan. He didn't have a clue about the importance of fundraising in the 70's. We started late when it comes to the endowment thing. However, we have clearly demonstrated that we can now raise a lot of money.

Now we need to continue pursuing some key reorganizational objectives to clean up some (not a lot) of key past mistakes, fleshing out the new strategic plan, and riding this mess out for an extended period of time.

There is a difference between deliberately reducing the size of their enrollment (UD) and what is going on at Xavier.

You can put all the lipstick on the pig that you want, and jibber jabber about organizational objectives and whatever other corporate lingo bs, but the fact remains that the problem is the price tag for an average university academically. So, until that’s rectified in a sufficient manner, enrollment and revenue are going to continue to be a problem.

[hoopster68]

You may want to check your facts before you make factual statements like this. It only makes you look bad. BTW, as also is the case with Dayton, Miami is pursuing budget cuts. This mess could end up affecting their plans for a new basketball arena.

Xavier didn't hit its targeted incoming freshmen class number for the Class of '29. That's not good. The leadership team will have to make specific adjustments for that, in addition to adjustments already being made.

Otherwise, the addition of certain new (more strategic) majors, the new medical school, the elimination of certain academic offerings, and budgetary adjustments will help move Xavier forward. If I have a source of concern about any of this, it is has to do with engaging McKinsey & Company. A waste of money, in my opinion.

The good news is that the quality of the class academically increased, which should have a positive effect on retention moving forward, which itself is a component of the new strategic plan.

I blame Father Mulligan. He didn't have a clue about the importance of fundraising in the 70's. We started late when it comes to the endowment thing. However, we have clearly demonstrated that we can now raise a lot of money.

Now we need to continue pursuing some key reorganizational objectives to clean up some (not a lot) of key past mistakes, fleshing out the new strategic plan, and riding this mess out for an extended period of time.

XUDASH: How does the "new strategic plan" address the fact that many Catholic families cannot/will not pay $55K per year for a Xavier education?