I teach at SPU. What your enrollment trajectory doesn't show is that each of those years leading up to around 2021 were smaller drops, whereas the declines from 2021 to 2022, and now going into fall 2023, are VERY steep. This confirms how badly the Board's (and interim President's) leadership over the LGBTQ issues has gone in Seattle, what with the constant negative PR, many lawsuits, everyone's morale being rock bottom: most progressive students don't want to come here, nor do many conservative students either. We're viewed as too conservative (given the policy), or too liberal given the majorities of faculty and students wanting change. The cuts will hurt, like cutting off limbs: it's not merely "Faculty lines will be lost", but 40% of those lines will be gone due to people leaving and them not being refilled, or altogether chopped. I fear we will not be able to recover, and thus I am applying for jobs, looking to other industries... and I think most faculty are doing that, having largely lost hope. What is insidious about this is (i) the leadership continue in their dishonest talking points saying this is due to national enrollment trends, being unwilling to acknowledge that keeping the policy and its many lawsuits has seriously undermined the institution; and (ii) the Free Methodist Church (which continues to have multiple FMC Board members -- including the Bishop who is still being sued, along with the interim President, for fraud over his conduct throughout these controversies!) stands to acquire the property, worth hundreds of millions of $$, if the institution eventually has to close. Talk about a serious conflict of interest. In the absence of proper communication and leadership from the top, we have begun to worry that they do not care, and might actually want, to sink the institution.
Yup. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from people at other Christian (er, CCCU) schools who've said, "We're watching very closely what's happening at SPU"... well they're about to see that, at least for a school that's situated in a hyper-liberal city like Seattle, you have to change or you suffer, and perhaps die. (Or at least, you suffer/die if you don't also have serious backing from conservative donors & denomination & families sending their students, which we have not had nearly enough of in recent years.)
I teach at SPU. What your enrollment trajectory doesn't show is that each of those years leading up to around 2021 were smaller drops, whereas the declines from 2021 to 2022, and now going into fall 2023, are VERY steep. This confirms how badly the Board's (and interim President's) leadership over the LGBTQ issues has gone in Seattle, what with the constant negative PR, many lawsuits, everyone's morale being rock bottom: most progressive students don't want to come here, nor do many conservative students either. We're viewed as too conservative (given the policy), or too liberal given the majorities of faculty and students wanting change. The cuts will hurt, like cutting off limbs: it's not merely "Faculty lines will be lost", but 40% of those lines will be gone due to people leaving and them not being refilled, or altogether chopped. I fear we will not be able to recover, and thus I am applying for jobs, looking to other industries... and I think most faculty are doing that, having largely lost hope. What is insidious about this is (i) the leadership continue in their dishonest talking points saying this is due to national enrollment trends, being unwilling to acknowledge that keeping the policy and its many lawsuits has seriously undermined the institution; and (ii) the Free Methodist Church (which continues to have multiple FMC Board members -- including the Bishop who is still being sued, along with the interim President, for fraud over his conduct throughout these controversies!) stands to acquire the property, worth hundreds of millions of $$, if the institution eventually has to close. Talk about a serious conflict of interest. In the absence of proper communication and leadership from the top, we have begun to worry that they do not care, and might actually want, to sink the institution.
Yes. The “schools are struggling all over” claim is a huge dodge to hide bad institutional decisions.
Yup. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from people at other Christian (er, CCCU) schools who've said, "We're watching very closely what's happening at SPU"... well they're about to see that, at least for a school that's situated in a hyper-liberal city like Seattle, you have to change or you suffer, and perhaps die. (Or at least, you suffer/die if you don't also have serious backing from conservative donors & denomination & families sending their students, which we have not had nearly enough of in recent years.)
Thank you for sharing this information. Much of it I was unaware of. The title of your post is accurate. Thanks again and God bless.