Dr. Richard Vedder
Dr. Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at Ohio University, was quoted in a story in the Texas Monitor headlined “Small private colleges are shrinking and struggling.”
Some university finance experts say those cutbacks are indicators of problems endangering small colleges around the country.
“You can argue that there has been an over-investment in college,” said Richard Vedder, an emeritus professor of economics at Ohio University. He noted that Texas, with its robust economy and generally younger population, is generally considered to be cushioned against national downturns.
“But Texas also has a huge number of small private colleges, some of them religiously affiliated, and those are the kinds that are struggling nationally,” he said. “Total enrollment in the U.S. is lower than it was six years ago, which is unprecedented except in war time.”
Comments