The Tragic State of St. Cloud State

 

The Tragic State of St. Cloud State

By Deep Throat

“You can’t have a healthy university without a healthy city and you can’t have a healthy city without a healthy university.” Earl H. Potter, III

Introduction

Although higher education operates differently than the business world, there are similarities. Any reputable business owner knows that to be successful, a business must have products and services that consumers want and are competitively priced. Furthermore, a business owner knows that high quality, reliable, and timely customer service that supports their products contributes to the success of the company. High quality and reliable customer service must focus on developing and maintaining positive relationships that will not only create repeat customers but bring in new customers through word of mouth and other forms of favorable reviews beyond paid company marketing. Any company worth their salt will have their finger on the pulse of their customers’ ever-changing needs and concerns. Consumers who purchase high priced items such as cars will do so when there is a perceived return on investment in terms of need, value, safety, utility, and reliability. Offering products that are location appropriate contributes to the success of brick-and-mortar companies. For example, no prospective entrepreneurs, investors, and businesspeople in their right frame of mind would open a retail store in Hawaii that exclusively sells snowmobiles. The best catchy slogans that marketing firms can think of like Hawaii’s only Snowmobile Store - Get ‘em While Their Hot are woefully ineffective in establishing new and repeat customers in a place with zero demand for snowmobiles. All these basic operating principles for the business world also apply to institutions of higher education. Sadly, St. Cloud State has an identify crisis and seems to have lost its way. Perhaps the central question that has been asked for several years is this: What goods, services, or products of value is St. Cloud State offering the public?

People flock to businesses that are successful and have quality value added products. In the case of St. Cloud State, having massive enrollment drops, a large exodus of employees, and massive program closures is akin to going to a movie theatre that is on fire where you are greeted by customers who are almost running over you to get away. Undoubtedly, current SCSU students who are in programs slated for closure often transfer to competitor universities like Minnesota State – Mankato which has around 13,000 students—almost twice the size of SCSU. Historically, SCSU had the largest number of enrollments in the Minnesota State system and statewide, was the 2nd largest behind the University of Minnesota. Prior to 2010, SCSU enjoyed robust enrollments, however something insidious to the health and vitality of this once great institution has drastically changed well before the time of COVID. The public no longer seems to perceive SCSU as having a valuable product anymore. Why?

A Shell of Its Former Glory: Hard Times at Cloud State University

Like companies that sell high end items like cars, colleges and universities must have products that are perceived by customers (specifically parents and students) that fill a need and have value. Given the high cost of postsecondary education and the fact that most college students will go massively into debt for a degree, there must be an economic return on investment for students to repay student loans that contribute to a good quality of life. However, St. Cloud State has a negative public perception, in part, due to an enrollment decline that has spanned almost a decade of time. According to an article from KNSI News reported in April 2023, SCSU is planning on eliminating at least 15 programs through at the end of May. KSTP News headlined a report, SCSU to no longer admit new students to 70 programs, dozens of positions cut which has suggested things have gone from bad to worse. According to Minnesota State data, peak enrollments at SCSU were at 15,096 FYE (Full Year Equivalent) in FY2010 to a projected decrease of only 7,001 students in FY25 (October 2024) showing a university enrollment decline in crisis. A continual enrollment drop that approaches the 50% range from FY 2010 is a Titanic-like event. During the next 4 years, 108 faculty lines at SCSU will be eliminated through early retirements, retrenchments, and other layoffs according to internal sources. SCSU’s rebranding campaign and various slogans like Unleash Amazing and redefining SCSU by It’s Time slogan although catchy, have consistently failed to increase enrollments.

Recent Developments

Last November, SCSU President Robyn Wacker is set to leave office at the end of the current academic year adding to the revolving door of presidents. Like a rudderless ship adrift, SCSU and MinnState Chancellor Scott Olson will be tasked with the difficult task of interviewing presidential candidates who will dislike the current financial health of SCSU and working a highly toxic, dysfunctional, and adversarial environment.

The bad news continues to get even worse. A drop in FYE (Full Year Equivalent) enrollments translates into a drop in taxpayer funding by legislative allocation. A FY23 total budget less than $14,000,000 (see Cash Balance – Surplus) is a dire emergency akin to a 65-year-old retiree having $10,000 left in total assets. Reporting headcount from high school students contributes to higher enrollment numbers than FYE so it should be no surprise that SCSU continually reports headcount to the media.

According to inside information released this month, there are now 90 programs that will be closed or moved. Notice that “50% of the listed programs have zero students enrolled” is both jaw dropping and frightening:

Is SCSU and Higher Education in General Out of Touch with the Public?

There has been no record in the last 16 years of any SCSU president having town hall meetings with St. Cloud citizens. To further exacerbate this problem, Minnesota State trustees who are from various Congressional and At-Large districts continually fail to have publicized town hall meetings with their constituents. This alarming fact suggests that SCSU (like many other universities) are increasingly out of touch with the public. Although well thought out diversity programs can be value added to colleges and universities, a vast majority of students and parents do not select a school for this reason. While academic programs are being shuddered, the SCSU Women’s Center appears to be well funded by offering many sexualized programs and activities that many parents would find objectionable. Drag queen performances has become a recent addition to higher education institutions in St. Cloud and other places.

Looking at SCSU’s Academic Programs to be Axed

There is no other university in Minnesota that is encountering such massive hemorrhaging at St. Cloud State. The tables tell a clear story of a university in crisis. Closing academic programs like nursing and radiologic technology will hurt health care providers who are already encouraging a shortage of skilled employees.

The Problem with Marketing Academic Programs with Intent to Reinstate

There may be a little good news with suspending academic programs with the intent to reinstate, however it is overshadowed by the fact that the following programs may never be reinstated. Many parents and students will not wait around to see if these programs will be reinstated so they will enroll in one of SCSU’s competitors or simply go elsewhere. New students and their parents will be apprehensive about investing thousands of dollars into an existing degree program only to be shuttered once they are halfway through their degree program although a “teach-out” allowing students to complete their degrees have existed in the past.

What do Employers, Politicians, Other Countries, and Parents Think?

Traditionally, employers look for college graduates that have strong critical thinking, communication, leadership, and teamwork skills who are self-starters. Other skills would include good reading and speech comprehension, math, and diplomacy. Are employers now demanding these graduates have extracurricular activities focusing on extremely highly sexualized events offered at colleges and universities? It is noteworthy that the Minnesota legislative higher education committees have not taken this matter seriously. With the DFL’s trifecta firmly in place and under Gov. Tim Walz’s leadership, DFL operatives will rather simply fund Minnesota State if it means getting re-elected. Local legislators including Sen. Aric Putnam and Rep. Dan Wolgamott have either been "asleep at the switch" or quietly allowing Minnesota State and SCSU leaders to plot their own course of repeated failure without any intervention or accountability. Both individuals will simply support more funding for higher education without demanding any meaningful oversight hearings that could recommend cuts, consolidations, or outright closures.

The Future of SCSU

It is predictable that the DFL controlled legislature and Governor Walz will continue to financially prop up colleges and universities despite drastically low enrollments even though parents and students are going elsewhere along with their wallets. The financial loss is two-fold: Student-generated tuition and fiscal allocation to Minnesota State/SCSU that is tied to FYE student enrollments. The continuous enrollment drop will continue to have significant financial impact on SCSU. As fewer students enroll at SCSU, the less state dollars per student are allocated. Insiders have argued that SCSU looks like a ghost town. At some point in time, it will look even more utterly ridiculous if the enrollment drops to 1,000 students and the state continues to invest millions of taxpayer dollars. Is there a stop loss point in time? Clearly not. Minnesota State – Mankato is doing a lot of things well by the looks of very healthy enrollments while SCSU is not. Should SCSU be closed or consolidated is a noteworthy discussion. Just don’t expect the DFL including local area leaders like Sen. Putnam, Rep. Wolgamott, or Gov. Walz to craft a meaningful plan anytime soon. A wise man once said, "If politicians don’t admit there’s a problem, they don’t have to find solutions."