November 28, 2008

College of Santa Fe Looks to State as Deal With Laureate Collapses

The State of New Mexico might need to take over a struggling private college there after its discussions to be acquired by a for-profit provider fell through.

The College of Santa Fe was in talks with Laureate Education for it to assume the college’s debt and assist in marketing the college, in affirming its brand, and in recruiting more students.

According to an article in the Santa Fe New Mexican, a local newspaper, the college announced on Wednesday that a deal with Laureate was dead.

‘‘It is now apparent that, because of their own financial realities, Laureate Education Group will not be able to assume the debt required to retire CSF’s bonds and fund the college,” wrote Marcia Sullivan, vice president for administration and communication.

Now the college is working with New Mexico’s governor, Bill Richardson, to see if it could become a state institution. In a statement the governor, a Democrat, said the college “is an important part of the educational opportunities available to citizens of New Mexico and a valuable partner in the Santa Fe community. We need to explore every opportunity to see if there is a way for it to continue to serve the citizens of Santa Fe and of New Mexico.” —Jeffrey Selingo

Comments

1. This is the right move for New Mexico. It would provide some academic diversity in the state. Perhaps this will be one of the last great acts Mr. Richardson does before he takes another cabinet post.This would be the right thing to do.

   — James    Nov 30, 08:10 AM    #

2. The College of Santa Fe provides a unique and valuable educational opportunity. The State should do what it can to make sure that the College can continue.

   — Doug    Nov 30, 08:44 PM    #

3. They should consider that the deal with Laureate falling through is a blessing!

   — Angelus    Dec 1, 07:46 AM    #

4. I have never met a nicer and more genuine admissions staff that that with CSF over the last four or five years; it is a shame the College finds itself in this situation. Perhaps NMSU and UNM could redirect their arts and film curricula to the college… both are integral aspects of the state’s economic well-being, and a “state-interest” exists.

   — abc    Dec 1, 08:08 AM    #

5. If the state elects to bring the college into the state system, the first condition should be the firing of the administrators who are responsible for creating these financial difficulties.

   — Michael Webster    Dec 1, 08:52 AM    #

6. The state of NM has 30 state and federally funded higher education institutions. Perhaps the College of Santa Fe is failing because the need is being met elsewhere.

   — Mike    Dec 1, 09:24 AM    #

7. Surely a solution can be found that will assist the College and protect the students already attending. Many of the current students have poured their heart and soul into some of the unique programs offered by the College and would now have little opportunity to transfer to another institution.

   — Parent    Dec 1, 10:05 AM    #

8. The plight that CSF now faces didn’t happen over night. Current administration has been frantically seeking ways to shore up the fiscal errors of past administrations. The downsizing of staff and realignment of curriculum, to better match the student population are commendable efforts, however, given the current economic conditions facing the nation, it is not too surprising to find CSF unable to secure financial support. As a parent of a student at CSF, I am distressed by the fact that we hear about things through the media before we hear from the college administration. That is wrong.

   — Steve Trudeau    Dec 1, 11:05 AM    #

9. You’re right that it took a while for CSF to get into this situation. In fact, in the last 2 years they brought in a record number of freshmen, but it was just not enough. Locally, we have known that CSF has faced financial challenges for the last 30 years or more. A lot of good work was done in the last 3 or 4 years or so to get the college out of the long term mess, but it just was too late. We’re not surprised by this news but we’re glad that we may finally get a four year public university out of all of this. The dream of the Christian Brothers to bring higher education to Santa Fe lives on thanks to Governor Richardson.

   — Bob    Dec 1, 11:21 AM    #

10. NM, like several western states has relatively few private institutions. At the same time, with Northern New Mexico Community College transitioning to a four year institution and with NM Highlands and UNM expanding programs and facilities at Rio Rancho; a careful examination of the potential central New Mexico student body and the best use of newly limited state resources must be made before long term commitments are made. While lacking private higher education opportunities, NM is not lacking in the number and diversity of public institutions. In addition, the three doctoral institutions cannot achieve the level of excellence many NMexicans want for them without a bigger share of state resources. Governor Richardson and Lt. Governor Denish face some difficult decisions as they face the CSF situation.

    — Everett L Frost    Dec 1, 11:49 AM    #

11. As a graduate of CSF, I certainly hope that it becomes part of the NM state system, where it probably should have been long ago. I received a unique and high quality learning experience there with an emphasis on the arts, and the College has had some notable supporters throughout the years (Greer Garson, et al). But because of rising expenses, tuition at small private colleges can become prohibitive, and cannot compete with other alternatives. Especially when the Santa Fe Community College moved in and siphoned off many would-be lower- to middle-income students, and the upper-scale students tended to either leave or attend St. John’s. There isn’t a whole lot of blame to place at any CSF administration’s door – circumstances and opportunities simply changed throughout the years.

    — Lee Allen    Dec 1, 12:11 PM    #

12. It is very saddening that our child had to find out about the dire situation at CSF the day she returned to school from a lovely Holday and right before finals…CSF provides a vital program for very creative, not so traditional learning experience. We searched high and low at many schools across the nation for a place where our child would thrive and be successful. She has found this at CSF and to have the floor dropped out from under her so surprisingly is unexcusable but the administration. If UNM or NM Highlands can annex the school and make it for accessable to lower income families, I believe it would immediately begin growing. My question to the adminiatration is “where has all the money gone?” CSF has hosted numerous film efforts, No Country for Old Men, and the Dennis Quiad movie over the summer…where did that revenue go? I believe they owe the students and the parents answers to how the school became so dire to be in debt 31 million…I am begging Gov Richardson and the State of NM to find it in their hearts to save this school for all these very talented students.

    — CSF Parent    Dec 1, 12:57 PM    #

13. Laureate has driven Walden University, the oldest U.S. online institution, into the ground over the past few years. Students come absolutely last. This is a case where the government IS a better bet than private enterprise.

    — Richard    Dec 1, 03:52 PM    #

14. As a parent with a student nearing graduation, the news of CSF’s financial situation is more than distressing. It is hoped that the college will allow students to complete pre-approved credits at another institution and apply these towards completion of a CSF degree. Otherwise, the financial burden and loss of credits when transferring would be disastrous for students and families.

    — parent    Dec 1, 10:39 PM    #

15. As a student of CSF, I am very upset to see the school in such a dire financial situation. This school is so much more than a learning institution, it is a community of talented artists that are passionate about developing skills to perfect their craft. With that being said, I think that we will pull through this and everything will work itself out in the end. Talks with the state seem to be going well, and becoming a state school seems like a great option for us. There are too many people here who care about the school and all it does for the students and people who work here.

    — Olivia Lombardi    Dec 2, 04:12 PM    #

16. It is a shame that CSF is facing this crisis but frnakly the instution has been living on the fiscal edge for 25 yars or more. The curriculum is highly specialized and eclectic appealing to a small group of students. Combined with that the cost of delivering film, visual art, music and theaqter to name a few is nearly cost prohibative. You can’t maintain the fiscal health of a school with only 600 full time students and high cost programs. One President in my tenure on the board recognized this and attempted to address it and met harsh and vigorous resistance from students and faculty. Unfortunately we lost him to another school. Dr. Kirk is doing all that he can as is his predecessor to redress these structural problems dating back many years. I hope that a wonderful concept does not die because the CSF community fails to face a fundamental reality, programs that cost a great deal to deliver cannot possibly sustain an entire intsitution and must be balanced by enrollment in other lower cost programs. The state will probably take over CSF and over time redress this structural deficiency.

    — CSF board member    Dec 3, 06:20 AM    #

17. The real problem was the total lack of experience of the last two presidents. They had little experience in the arts and the last president actually disliked the arts. To say the college is failing because arts programs are more expensive to deliver simply confirms how out of touch the board and upper administration is with the profile of the college if not Santa Fe itself. Small Liberal Art colleges are a dime a dozen and CSF was never in the position to compete with even the most mediocre of them. What the board failed to do was provide adequate oversight regarding the financial health of the institution and now wants to lay the blame on the faculty and students. It is incredible that a CSF Board member would not include themselves at the top of the list as the primary reason for this failure.

    — CSF Faculty Member    Dec 3, 03:02 PM    #

18. As a long time CSF faculty member who left a short time ago, I am perplexed as to the desire on the part of some, be they faculty, students, staff or board members to play the blame game. This college has struggled for 25 years ever since the community college opened. Once CSF’s student base became national and not regional the enrollment issues became more acute. People are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts. Here are some facts, over the past 25 years, the cost of college education has increased greatly as has tuition and thus the margin for financial gains gets smaller. What successive presidents and boards and faculty and alumni didn’t do enough of was raise money to off set that skrinking margin. Further, the growth in arts students nationwide has been in commercial arts like graphic design, digital photogrpahy, interior design, and so forth. CSF faculty were resistant for many years to enter these fields. Also, of the last five presidents that I worked for, only the last two Kirk and Lombardi made budget cuts, streamlined processes and tried to address the financial issues that had accumulated over many years. Failure like success has many causes, many good people who were responsible and unfortunately a few people who want to rush to simplistic judgments. Let’s focus on the hopeful possibility of a strong arts oriented state institution in Santa Fe that is accessible to all New Mexicans and becomes a magnet for students in the region.

    — Former CSF faculty member    Dec 4, 09:38 AM    #

19. I recently joined the College of Santa Fe as a staff member, knowing full well that it was going through an unstable period. I decided to take the risk, because it has always been my dream to work for an Arts college as I’ve been involved in the Fine Arts on a personal level my entire life. While I now face an uncertain future, I don’t regret coming here for one minute. The staff here is absolutely amazing. I have worked in several colleges- both private and public, and I have never seen the dedication and commitment that I’ve seen here. Our Registrar, Mary Angell, has worked tirelessly and endlessly over the past 7 years that she has been here, and she is the most dedicated hands-on Registrar I’ve ever known. Her rapport with the students is amazing, and her concern for their welfare is genuine. It is not uncommon to see her sitting with a student for an hour or two helping him or her plan their semester. I guarantee you won’t see that often elsewhere! So, please, all you parents out there, please remember that there are hard working, dedicated people here trying to make this situation work for your children. Please do not be hasty to pull your children out of a school mid year… allow them the opportunity next semester to continue taking the quality of classes that they will be hard pressed to find anywhere else. And, if you do decide to take them out, I personally will perform my job duties as Transcript Processor to help ensure a smooth transition out.

    — SK    Dec 4, 10:50 AM    #

20. I taught part-time at CSF in the early 1980s; another time when the school was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy (the solution then was to sell land to developers rather than keep it for expansion). The school looked like an impoverished town’s high school, and I recall the chairman saying that the grass wasn’t cut all summer until days before the students returned. Students told me that they attended so that they could get entry level jobs in New Mexico’s state agencies, based in Santa Fe. Out-of-state students came for the artsy atmosphere of the “City Different,” and not intellectual pursuits. Somehow the school hung on, but this sounds like the bell tolling for CSF.

    — Michael Welsh    Dec 5, 02:07 PM    #

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