{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Small College America","title":"Inside the Crisis Facing Small Colleges with Jon Marcus","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1822,"description":"Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President of Augustana College, and I’m joined by my co-host Dean Hoke, Co-Founder of Edu Alliance Group. Today, we’re joined by Jon Marcus, a senior higher education reporter at The Hechinger Report, whose recent reporting has helped bring national attention to a sobering reality: hundreds of small private colleges may be at risk of closure or merger in the years ahead.His reporting has appeared widely, including on NPR, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, and he co-hosts the higher education podcast College Uncovered.In addition to his reporting, Jon teaches journalism at Boston College and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.Jon, welcome to Small College America, and by the way, if you are not aware, The Report is an outstanding independent nonprofit news organization based at Columbia University.Question 1:Kent: Jon, let’s start with your April 13 reporting on the projection that 442 private colleges are at risk of closing or merging over the next decade. That’s a striking number. When you reported that, did it surprise you, and what does it really tell us about where higher education is right now?Question 2: Dean: Jon you started that article with Sterling College, which is closing this year. Taken on its own, Sterling—with enrollment falling from about 150 students to around 40 may not be entirely surprising. But it’s now the seventh private college in Vermont to close since 2016.When you zoom out and looking at the bigger picture, how should we be thinking about the broader impact of these closures, not just on students, but on the communities that rely on these institutions?Question 3: Kent: You’ve noted that about 20% of college leaders have had serious merger discussions. From what you’ve seen, are institutions still too hesitant to pursue...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/znlC7CX69qE7r5pUJE2XJslxrx-kQRnGqXvS0RvbqbM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMjAw/ZTk5Nzg4NDA4ODlj/NjI1MzgwOTJjYTY5/MmUzYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}