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By Andrew Collinsworth, Bluffton University student
BLUFFTON, Ohio – Some of Ohio’s small colleges have a host of problems coming down their pipeline, leaving many with a somewhat murky future.
According to bestcolleges.com, six colleges in Ohio have closed, and dozens more have faced large budget shortages since 2015. One of those schools is Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
According to the University website, the school was forced to cut $2.5 million dollars from academic programs in 2020. Now, just four years later, it faces similar problems. In the 2023 fiscal year, Wittenberg had an operating deficit of more than $13 million. The response to this budget crisis included cutting 40 faculty members and five majors.
Wittenberg sophomore Thatcher Dietz has had some time to adjust to the news.
“My initial reaction was a lot of concern,” said Dietz. “(Students) felt very out of the loop in terms of what all was taking place, as more information came out, I became less concerned. The University made the essential cuts to keep us in-person.”
Wittenberg sophomore Clark Metz has a relaxed approach as well.
“I don’t think much of my experience will change,” said Metz. “The only impact I think I will feel is losing some professors I’ve had in the past.”
Wittenberg University isn’t the only one that has been forced to make tough decisions. Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, also has had to make large cuts to its programs. They anticipate cutting 64 faculty positions and $13.5 million from its budget, according to a statement released by BW’s VP of Operations Greg Flanik.
‘“We believe this plan not only makes us a more efficient and sustainable organization, but a more effective one, as well,” said Flanik. “This is the type of work every institution of higher learning in this country should be undertaking right now.”’
Baldwin Wallce senior baseball player Nate Zinn says he has already felt the effects of the cuts.
“We couldn’t bring on another Graduate Assistant coach and our Florida trip was changed because it wasn’t cost effective to fly compared to driving to South Carolina,” said Zinn. “Overall it’s probably the same feeling on campus, but it affects us differently in little ways here and there.”
One contributing factor to the budget shortages is a decrease in high school graduates in Ohio, leading to a decline in enrollment across higher learning institutions. Since 2011, the number of high school graduates in the state of Ohio has steadily decreased and are projected to continue to diminish according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
While long-term solutions are still being searched for, Universities are taking all measures possible to avoid closing permanently.
