進入4月,青海、新疆、山西、江蘇等地的高校將開始陸續復課,國內的高校在政府安排下,正在按地區、按學科等層次錯峰緩慢復課。
而在美國等遭受第二波疫情沖擊的國家,正處于停課停學階段。停課,以及疫情帶來的經濟危機,讓需要自負盈虧的美高??嗖豢把浴?/p>
美國高校經費來源多元,除了政府撥款和學雜費之外,還有數量龐大的捐贈收入、社會服務收入等。但在經濟危機沖擊下,高校捐贈等資助大量減少,而封校的措施也瞬間切斷了住宿費等社會服務收入渠道,更嚴重的是,疫情嚴重將打擊接下來的招生工作,很多美國高校紛紛進入求生存模式。
新型疫情爆發,給全美高校帶來了巨大的經濟損失,個別高校的損失可能超過1億美元,如今,許多高校都在努力填補巨大的預算缺口,甚至有些學校已經瀕臨破產。
上個月,全美許多高校停課封校,學生不得再居住在學校宿舍內,許多高校表示,住宿費、餐費和停車費退款導致學校財政受到沉重打擊。全美高校運動季是大學一大收入來源,而由于賽事被取消,許多高校損失了數百萬美元門票收入。此外,還有高校稱在股市大幅震蕩過程中,學校的大量備用資金已蒸發一空。
不少高校負責人認為,麻煩才剛剛開始:許多人擔心,即使今年秋天校園重新開放,仍會有大批學生無法返校。經濟衰退也是很可怕的,這將導致許多人無力承擔學費。而且,許多高校預測,疫情結束之后,國外學生在決定海外留學時會更加慎重,因此海外留學生的人數會大幅減少。
圣何塞州立大學校長瑪麗·帕帕齊安估計,截至五月底,該校將損失1600萬美元?!拔覀兛紤]了所有可能出現的情況,真的感覺很不安,”她說,“在迫不得已的情況下,我們可能會減少學術課程,也可能會裁員。一旦出現最壞的情況,形勢將異常嚴峻?!?/p>
有數十所高校已經暫停招聘,還有多所高校叫停了建設項目,以便于有足夠的資金發放員工工資。但高校校長們認為,單靠節流支撐不了太久,有多所高校要求聯邦政府出臺第二輪刺激計劃,以避免進一步削減支出。
特朗普上個月簽署的2萬億救濟法案中,包括為高等教育領域撥款140億美元。但美國教育委員會向政府請求的撥款是500億美元,他們稱目前救濟法案中的援助只是“杯水車薪”。
“此次危機給學生、高校的運營和財務狀況造成了巨大破壞。某些高校已經處在生死存亡的關頭,可能面臨倒閉的命運?!泵绹逃瘑T會主席泰德·米切爾在寫給教育部長貝琪·德沃斯的信中寫道。
即使資金實力雄厚的高校,也因此次疫情遭到沉重打擊。布朗大學最早宣布,因“收入劇減”而暫停招聘。耶魯大學也在3月31日宣布停止招聘,并要求各院系更新預算,為出現收入“大幅減少”的局面做好準備。
加州大學伯克利分校和威斯康辛大學麥迪遜分校均預測,即使今年秋季一切能恢復正常,學校的損失還是將分別達到約1億美元。
隨著數百萬美國人失業,預計美國政府會大幅增加財政援助的力度,但有些高校不確定是否符合獲得財政援助的要求。還有許多高校依靠捐贈基金支付獎學金、教職工工資和校園運營費用,但市場暴跌使捐贈基金大幅縮水。
賓夕法尼亞州的巴克內爾大學表示,最近的投資損失使該校捐贈基金減少了1.5億美元。馬薩諸塞州圣十字學院的捐贈基金減少了15%,該校官員擔心,經費募捐也會面臨類似的命運。
“今年學校獲得的資助額將大受打擊,我們得精打細算,仔細梳理目前的每一筆開支?!笔ナ謱W院校長菲利普·伯羅斯牧師說。
高校面臨的最大困難或許是秋季招生。最近的調查發現,大部分高中三年級學生計劃停學一年再上大學。與此同時,很多高校也被迫取消了校園參觀和其它一些吸引學生報名的活動。
依賴國外學生,尤其是中國學生的高校,將因此出現嚴重問題??的腋翊髮W去年秋季招收了近3000名中國學生,該校官員預計,明年國際學生入學率將下降25%,造成的損失高達7000萬美元。
但在財政方面受打擊最嚴重的,可能是規模較小的私立高校和地方公立大學。這些高校的資金儲備較少,預算更為緊張,有些高校還要在收入減少的同時,承擔開通網課的巨大成本。
“收入各方面大幅減少,同時卻還要增加成本,這真是禍不單行?!?美國州立高等教育執行官協會的政策研究與戰略行動副主席戴維·唐伯格說,“我擔心可能有私立學校倒閉,我不確定具體會有多少,但有許多學校本來就已經處在倒閉的邊緣。”
南卡羅萊納州的本尼迪克學院是一所傳統主招非裔學生的大學。該校官員要從5200萬美元預算中拿出200萬美元退還住宿費。這所學校有2000名學生,之前在財務上就已經捉襟見肘,目前更是想方設法削減支出,必要情況下可能會裁員。
“我們必須好好想想學校的未來了。這樣一大筆退款,毫無疑問會讓學校不堪重負。”該校校長羅斯林·克拉克·阿提斯說。
密西西比州的米爾薩普斯學院近幾年的招生情況一直不理想,其年收入為3300萬美元,預計需要退還住宿費100萬美元。面對秋季招生的不確定性,連學校的教職工現在都忙于招生,天天打電話說服學生報名。
有些高校面臨的威脅則已經關系到學校的生死存亡了。中央華盛頓大學是一所公立學校,有12000名學生,該校治理董事會宣布進入“財政緊急狀態”,授權校長采取包括裁員在內的任何措施以維系運營。
對于一些高校,已經再也無力承擔最新的損失了。伊利諾伊州的私立學校麥克默里學院宣布,今年春季學期結束后將永久關閉。該校官員稱,新冠疫情帶來的破壞并不是學校做出這個決定的唯一原因,但學校的財務問題確實因此變得更嚴重。
有的學校推遲了校園維護工作,要求教職工取消未來的出差計劃,還有高校稱裁員不可避免。俄亥俄州的邁阿密大學預計新生人數將減少20%,其準備將客座助理教授的人數減少一半,或者全部取消。
圣何塞州立大學校長帕帕齊安呼吁,希望國會提供更多的救助,幫助學校避免遭到更大的破壞。她說,圣何塞州立大學將盡量避免裁員,但真要到了生死關頭,那裁員也將是沒有辦法的辦法。
“2008年經濟大衰退時,我們有過類似的遭遇,但這一次情況糟糕得多?!?帕帕齊安說,“學校受到的傷害更嚴重,恢復周期更長,許多學生會因此輟學或受到傷害?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W)
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
責編:雨晨
進入4月,青海、新疆、山西、江蘇等地的高校將開始陸續復課,國內的高校在政府安排下,正在按地區、按學科等層次錯峰緩慢復課。
而在美國等遭受第二波疫情沖擊的國家,正處于停課停學階段。停課,以及疫情帶來的經濟危機,讓需要自負盈虧的美高??嗖豢把?。
美國高校經費來源多元,除了政府撥款和學雜費之外,還有數量龐大的捐贈收入、社會服務收入等。但在經濟危機沖擊下,高校捐贈等資助大量減少,而封校的措施也瞬間切斷了住宿費等社會服務收入渠道,更嚴重的是,疫情嚴重將打擊接下來的招生工作,很多美國高校紛紛進入求生存模式。
新型疫情爆發,給全美高校帶來了巨大的經濟損失,個別高校的損失可能超過1億美元,如今,許多高校都在努力填補巨大的預算缺口,甚至有些學校已經瀕臨破產。
上個月,全美許多高校停課封校,學生不得再居住在學校宿舍內,許多高校表示,住宿費、餐費和停車費退款導致學校財政受到沉重打擊。全美高校運動季是大學一大收入來源,而由于賽事被取消,許多高校損失了數百萬美元門票收入。此外,還有高校稱在股市大幅震蕩過程中,學校的大量備用資金已蒸發一空。
不少高校負責人認為,麻煩才剛剛開始:許多人擔心,即使今年秋天校園重新開放,仍會有大批學生無法返校。經濟衰退也是很可怕的,這將導致許多人無力承擔學費。而且,許多高校預測,疫情結束之后,國外學生在決定海外留學時會更加慎重,因此海外留學生的人數會大幅減少。
圣何塞州立大學校長瑪麗·帕帕齊安估計,截至五月底,該校將損失1600萬美元?!拔覀兛紤]了所有可能出現的情況,真的感覺很不安,”她說,“在迫不得已的情況下,我們可能會減少學術課程,也可能會裁員。一旦出現最壞的情況,形勢將異常嚴峻?!?/p>
有數十所高校已經暫停招聘,還有多所高校叫停了建設項目,以便于有足夠的資金發放員工工資。但高校校長們認為,單靠節流支撐不了太久,有多所高校要求聯邦政府出臺第二輪刺激計劃,以避免進一步削減支出。
特朗普上個月簽署的2萬億救濟法案中,包括為高等教育領域撥款140億美元。但美國教育委員會向政府請求的撥款是500億美元,他們稱目前救濟法案中的援助只是“杯水車薪”。
“此次危機給學生、高校的運營和財務狀況造成了巨大破壞。某些高校已經處在生死存亡的關頭,可能面臨倒閉的命運?!泵绹逃瘑T會主席泰德·米切爾在寫給教育部長貝琪·德沃斯的信中寫道。
即使資金實力雄厚的高校,也因此次疫情遭到沉重打擊。布朗大學最早宣布,因“收入劇減”而暫停招聘。耶魯大學也在3月31日宣布停止招聘,并要求各院系更新預算,為出現收入“大幅減少”的局面做好準備。
加州大學伯克利分校和威斯康辛大學麥迪遜分校均預測,即使今年秋季一切能恢復正常,學校的損失還是將分別達到約1億美元。
隨著數百萬美國人失業,預計美國政府會大幅增加財政援助的力度,但有些高校不確定是否符合獲得財政援助的要求。還有許多高校依靠捐贈基金支付獎學金、教職工工資和校園運營費用,但市場暴跌使捐贈基金大幅縮水。
賓夕法尼亞州的巴克內爾大學表示,最近的投資損失使該校捐贈基金減少了1.5億美元。馬薩諸塞州圣十字學院的捐贈基金減少了15%,該校官員擔心,經費募捐也會面臨類似的命運。
“今年學校獲得的資助額將大受打擊,我們得精打細算,仔細梳理目前的每一筆開支?!笔ナ謱W院校長菲利普·伯羅斯牧師說。
高校面臨的最大困難或許是秋季招生。最近的調查發現,大部分高中三年級學生計劃停學一年再上大學。與此同時,很多高校也被迫取消了校園參觀和其它一些吸引學生報名的活動。
依賴國外學生,尤其是中國學生的高校,將因此出現嚴重問題。康涅狄格大學去年秋季招收了近3000名中國學生,該校官員預計,明年國際學生入學率將下降25%,造成的損失高達7000萬美元。
但在財政方面受打擊最嚴重的,可能是規模較小的私立高校和地方公立大學。這些高校的資金儲備較少,預算更為緊張,有些高校還要在收入減少的同時,承擔開通網課的巨大成本。
“收入各方面大幅減少,同時卻還要增加成本,這真是禍不單行。” 美國州立高等教育執行官協會的政策研究與戰略行動副主席戴維·唐伯格說,“我擔心可能有私立學校倒閉,我不確定具體會有多少,但有許多學校本來就已經處在倒閉的邊緣?!?/p>
南卡羅萊納州的本尼迪克學院是一所傳統主招非裔學生的大學。該校官員要從5200萬美元預算中拿出200萬美元退還住宿費。這所學校有2000名學生,之前在財務上就已經捉襟見肘,目前更是想方設法削減支出,必要情況下可能會裁員。
“我們必須好好想想學校的未來了。這樣一大筆退款,毫無疑問會讓學校不堪重負?!痹撔PiL羅斯林·克拉克·阿提斯說。
密西西比州的米爾薩普斯學院近幾年的招生情況一直不理想,其年收入為3300萬美元,預計需要退還住宿費100萬美元。面對秋季招生的不確定性,連學校的教職工現在都忙于招生,天天打電話說服學生報名。
有些高校面臨的威脅則已經關系到學校的生死存亡了。中央華盛頓大學是一所公立學校,有12000名學生,該校治理董事會宣布進入“財政緊急狀態”,授權校長采取包括裁員在內的任何措施以維系運營。
對于一些高校,已經再也無力承擔最新的損失了。伊利諾伊州的私立學校麥克默里學院宣布,今年春季學期結束后將永久關閉。該校官員稱,新冠疫情帶來的破壞并不是學校做出這個決定的唯一原因,但學校的財務問題確實因此變得更嚴重。
有的學校推遲了校園維護工作,要求教職工取消未來的出差計劃,還有高校稱裁員不可避免。俄亥俄州的邁阿密大學預計新生人數將減少20%,其準備將客座助理教授的人數減少一半,或者全部取消。
圣何塞州立大學校長帕帕齊安呼吁,希望國會提供更多的救助,幫助學校避免遭到更大的破壞。她說,圣何塞州立大學將盡量避免裁員,但真要到了生死關頭,那裁員也將是沒有辦法的辦法。
“2008年經濟大衰退時,我們有過類似的遭遇,但這一次情況糟糕得多?!?帕帕齊安說,“學校受到的傷害更嚴重,恢復周期更長,許多學生會因此輟學或受到傷害?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W)
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
責編:雨晨
Colleges across the nation are scrambling to close deep budget holes and some have been pushed to the brink of collapse after the coronavirus outbreak triggered financial losses that could total more than $100 million at some institutions.
Scores of colleges say they’re taking heavy hits as they refund money to students for housing, dining and parking after campuses closed last month. Many schools are losing millions more in ticket sales after athletic seasons were cut short, and some say huge shares of their reserves have been wiped out amid wild swings in the stock market.
Yet college leaders say that’s only the start of their troubles: Even if campuses reopen this fall, many worry large numbers of students won't return. There's widespread fear that an economic downturn will leave many Americans unable to afford tuition, and universities are forecasting steep drop-offs among international students who may think twice about studying abroad so soon after a pandemic.
“If you play out the scenarios that are out there, it really makes you nervous,” said Mary Papazian, president of San Jose State University, which estimates it will lose $16 million by the end of May. “We may be looking at cutting academic programs if it comes to it. We may be looking at laying off people. It’s a dire situation if the worst comes to pass.”
Dozens of colleges have instituted hiring freezes, and many are halting construction projects so they have enough money to pay employees. But university presidents say the savings will only stretch so far, and many are asking the federal government for a second stimulus package to avoid deeper cuts.
The $2 trillion rescue bill signed by President Donald Trump last month provides $14 billion for higher education. The American Council on Education, an association of college presidents, had requested $50 billion and called the package “woefully inadequate.”
“This crisis is causing massive disruption to students, institutional operations and institutional finances. On some campuses, it is creating an existential threat, potentially resulting in closures,” Ted Mitchell, the group's president, wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“Even colleges with deep reserves are expecting a painful financial blow from the pandemic. Brown University was among the first to announce a hiring freeze, citing “dramatic reductions in revenue.” Yale University followed on March 31, asking departments to update budgets in preparation of a “significant loss” in revenue.
The University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, each expect losses of about $100 million, and that's assuming campuses reopen by this fall.
It leaves some colleges wondering if they can meet demand for financial aid, which is expected to surge as millions of Americans lose their jobs. Many schools draw from their endowments to pay for scholarships, faculty jobs and campus operations, but those reserves have taken deep losses as markets tumble.
Bucknell University in Pennsylvania says it has lost $150 million from its endowment after recent investment losses. At the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, the endowment has dropped by 15% and officials fear a similar drop in fundraising.
“Financial aid is going to be a bigger hit this year,” said Rev. Philip Boroughs, president of Holy Cross. “We're going to be looking at all current expenditures and going through them with a fine-tooth comb.”
Perhaps the greatest question for colleges is fall enrollment. Recent surveys have found that large shares of high school seniors plan to take a gap year before starting college. At the same time, colleges have been forced to cancel campus visits and other events designed to court students.
It's a major concern for colleges that have come to rely on international students, especially those from China. At the University of Connecticut, which hosted nearly 3,000 students from China last fall, officials are bracing for international enrollment to drop by 25% to 75%, a loss of up to $70 million next year.
Still, the financial shock is likely to be strongest at smaller private colleges and regional public universities, which hold smaller reserves and run on leaner budgets. Some are adding significant costs to move classes online even as they lose revenue.
“It’s this major double whammy with multiple hits on the revenue side and new hits on the cost side,” said David Tandberg, vice president of policy research and strategic initiatives at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. “I’m afraid we’re going to lose some private institutions. I have no idea how many, but many were operating on the margin already.”,
At Benedict College, a historically black school in Columbia, South Carolina, officials expect to lose $2 million in housing refunds out of a $52 million budget. The school, which was already under financial strain, is looking for ways to cut costs and says it will pursue layoffs if needed.
“We have to think clearly about the future of the institution,” said Roslyn Clark Artis, president of the school of 2,000 students. “The notion of refunding an amount this significant would cripple the institution, there’s no doubt."
Mississippi's Millsaps College, which has fought to maintain enrollment in recent years, expects to refund $1 million in housing fees out of $33 million in yearly revenue. Amid uncertainty around the fall, the school's faculty and staff have been making daily calls to help attract prospective students.
Other colleges face more pressing threats to their survival. At Central Washington University, a public university of 12,000 students, the school’s governing board has declared a “state of financial exigency” authorizing the school's president to take any action to stay afloat, including faculty layoffs.
And for some schools, the latest losses have proved insurmountable. MacMurray College, a private school in Jacksonville, Illinois, announced that it will close permanently after this spring. Disruption caused by COVID-19 wasn't the only factor in the decision, officials said, but it “complicated” the school's financial health.
Other schools are postponing campus maintenance and asking faculty to cancel future travel, but some say layoffs are unavoidable. At Miami University in Ohio, which is bracing for a 20% drop in new students, officials are drafting plans that would cut half or all of the school's visiting assistant professors.
Papazian, the president at San Jose State, has urged Congress to provide additional aid to help avoid damaging cuts. Her college will try to prevent layoffs, she said, but needs to do “whatever it takes” to survive.
"This is what we had in 2008, but many times worse,” Papazian said, referring to the Great Recession. “The hurt is deeper this time, and the recovery period will be longer. And there will be many students who are lost or injured because of it.”