Despite the economy’s recent improvement, John Carroll University still predicts there will need to be budget cuts over the next two years.
When deciding where to make these cuts, it is important to stay away from academic programs.
JCU is primarily a tuition-driven institution, and enrollment was low this past year. One of the keys to turning the University’s budget around is to increase the number of incoming students.
In a story in the Oct. 29 issue of The Carroll News, The Rev. Robert Niehoff mentioned one idea to help solve the enrollment issue is to decrease the size of the University and try to expand JCU’s academic programs to attract more working-adults to take professional classes.
Another idea presented was to expand recruiting efforts in different areas of the country. A more effective way would be to focus on areas like Boston, whose high school students have shown interest in JCU, instead of recruiting from the more local areas.
No matter where the cuts are made, JCU must be careful when considering cuts to academic programs. JCU’s strong academic reputation is a powerful recruitment tool, and it would be counterproductive to decrease funding in that area.
