Research Idea Ring: Exploring the Uncertain Future of Liberal Arts Colleges: Framing College Closure As an Ecological Phenomenon
Speaker: Omid Farahani, Academic Advisor
Abstract:
Are American liberal arts colleges doomed? In this presentation, we investigate the plight of liberal arts colleges, specifically analyzing their prospects through the theoretical lens of organizational ecology. Before specifying the essential tenets of organizational ecology, and its subfield of resource-partitioning theory, we explore recent analyses of the environmental pressures confronting liberal arts colleges, underscoring two trends that threaten the viability of many colleges – shifting demographic projections and escalating tuition discounting. After examining these trends as well as previous research on liberal arts colleges and organizational ecology in higher education, we frame the problem of college closure in ecological terms, offering propositions about the future of liberal arts colleges. While we envision further consolidation, we also identify new opportunities for some liberal arts colleges to triumph, differentiating themselves as niche specialists. In closing, we describe potential opportunities, and corresponding challenges, for researching college closure.
Bio:
I recently started a new position as an Undergraduate Academic Advisor for the Computer Science Department at GCCIS. I hold a B.A. in History and Anthropology with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and a M.S. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Rochester (U of R). Prior to starting this position, I worked for a year at U of R as a College and Career Counseling Graduate Assistant. At the Greene Center, I coached undergraduate and graduate students in constructing and revising their resumes, cover letters, and personal statement essays for graduate school, and provided students advice on networking, professionalism, and interview preparation. I also worked at UNH as a Peer Academic Advisor for the Anthropology Department, and academic/career counseled 12 first- and second-year anthropology students. I supported my students through four-year planning, aligning career goals with course selection, and strategically creating room in their schedules for study abroad, work study, independent study, and internship experiences. My research interests include college choice theory, institutional approaches towards strategic enrollment management, and college/university closures, mergers, acquisitions, and turnarounds. I was born and raised in San Jose, California and am an avid college/university traveler. I have visited over 90 institutions of higher education in the United States.
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Open to the Public
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