Welcome to the podcast. We call it TWICV. It is our effort to provide a fast-paced, entertaining, and alternative voice to the propaganda and hype flowing out of colleges in America today. This week in College Viability is a proud affilate of The EdUP Experience podcast network.
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June 15, 2026Episode 22230 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for June 15, 2026
This week: + University of Denver to close departments, merge schools as part of academic restructuring. (This is a good story. I will tell you why.)+ A Regional College Laid Off All Its Librarians in 2024. Now It Has to Hire Them Back.+ A couple of colleges in today’s show are whining about their Forbes grades. One sent two trustees out to respond. + Mass. passed a law to stop abrupt college closures. It’s not working. I will tell you what will workShow notes and links:Kitchen Table College Chats podcastBeyond the College Brochure podcastUniversity of Denver to close departments, merge schools as part of academic restructuring(Syracuse) U chancellor: School won't meet enrollment target for next fiscal yearA Regional College Laid Off All Its Librarians in 2024. Now It Has to Hire Them Back.Iowa colleges say Forbes report misses full storyDr. Joe Pizzorno Outlines What’s Next for Bastyr University and ClinicsFaculty group lashes out at University of Denver’s major restructuringColumbia College’s finances raise red flags for higher education expertsVoices: We’re the trustees of Westminster University. Here’s the real story of the school’s financial health.Mass. passed a law to stop abrupt college closures. So why are two schools shutting down?
June 8, 2026Episode 22129 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for June 8, 2026
In this episode of This Week in College Viability, He highlights a growing wave of layoffs, academic cuts, hiring freezes, and financial distress across higher education, arguing that these developments confirm the industry is in long-term decline. Gary cites recent budget reductions and workforce cuts at institutions including Kent State, Colorado State, Portland State, the University of Oregon, and the University of Maryland.He also chats about some colleges that publicly challenge poor financial ratings from the new Forbes college financial grades. Stocker focuses heavily on Westminster University and La Salle University, arguing that their public reassurances conflict with enrollment declines, shrinking revenues, and reduced endowment values shown in federal and audited financial data. Throughout the podcast, he stresses that graduation rates and accreditation alone are not reliable indicators of institutional stability, especially when colleges face persistent enrollment losses and financial strain.Stocker introduces his related podcasts, Kitchen Table College Chat and Beyond the College Brochure, both aimed at challenging traditional college marketing narratives and encouraging greater transparency. In the final segment, he discusses a Forbes article by Ryan Craig about “healthcare donut degrees,” criticizing colleges that offer healthcare-related majors without guaranteed clinical placements required for graduation and licensure. Using his own medical laboratory science background as an example, Stocker argues that too many institutions create revenue-generating degree programs without providing the full educational pathway students need to complete them successfully. He closes by urging families to seek independent financial and academic data rather than relying solely on college marketing materials or sponsored college-ranking websites.Show Notes:+ College Viability Inspection Report+ 2026 College Majors Completion App+ Kitchen Table College Chat podcast+ Beyond the College Brochure podcastStory links:‘It’s Just Been Agony’: Facing a Big Deficit, the New School Begins LayoffsKent State, Colorado State and other universities turn to budget cutsWestminster University (UT) disputes Forbes' assessment after receiving failing financial gradePa. college’s (Albright) touted $10M surplus was less than half that: auditLa Salle University’s accreditation reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Despite Headwinds, College Enrollment Increases Nationwide Once Again Universities Are Selling Healthcare Donut Degrees
June 7, 2026Episode 22026 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) Special with Greg Chick from NILnomics.com
In this special episode of This Week in College Viability, Gary Stocker interviews NILnomics founder Greg Chick about the rapidly changing financial landscape of college athletics. Greg explains how difficult it is to obtain transparent financial data from college athletic departments, despite many schools being public institutions. He argues that one of the biggest misconceptions about college sports finances is that paying athletes is causing financial instability, when in reality enormous portions of athletic budgets already go toward coaches, administrators, and support staff. The conversation also explores the widening financial gap between major Power Four athletic programs and smaller colleges, the growing “pay-to-play” culture in youth and college sports, and the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports programs. Greg predicts that some sports cuts may occur but does not believe widespread elimination of Olympic sports is likely because athletics are deeply embedded in American culture and college enrollment strategies. The discussion also covers NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), congressional efforts to reshape NCAA rules, collective bargaining for athletes, and how financially challenged colleges increasingly use athletics as an enrollment tool. Overall, the episode presents college athletics as a massive business ecosystem where financial transparency, institutional priorities, and athlete compensation are becoming impossible to ignore.
June 1, 2026Episode 21821 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for June 1, 2026
"We are #3. We are #3. Feedspot has 'This Week in College Viability' as the #3 podcast for college students and families.College Viability, LLC continues to develop more and better content and apps for students, families, and other college stakeholders.This week we hit on college sports cutbacks and focus our attention on the need for private, independent sources to monitor and report on the financial health and viability of colleges.Product links:College Viability Inspection ReportPDS Private College Financial CompassStory links:+ Loyola University Maryland eliminates 66 jobs amid $20 million deficit+ Santa Monica College’s College Board erupts over layoffs as financial crisis deepens+ Forbes: 'Going to college' is worth it.+ Students surprised to see Simpson sports teams slashed+ 18 years ago, Coloradans started having fewer babies. Now it’s a higher education problem+ New financial grades raise concerns about colleges' long-term stability
May 25, 2026Episode 21718 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for Memorial Day 2026
While I published a podcast episode today, the day is in honor of those who gave their last full measure of devotion in service to you, me and this country.As the higher education industry struggles through enormous challenges, let us never forget those whose struggles end their life on this earth.Show notes and links.Baldwin Wallace Announces Another Round of Program and Budget CutsSimpson College cuts sports programs to address budget deficitBoulder’s Naropa University (CO) announces significant faculty layoffs amid budget crisisCleveland State projects tuition revenue shortfall as Kent State adopts smaller budgetUniversity of Oregon faces $65M budget gap as out of state enrollment drops Budget Deficits Threaten More Flagship UniversitiesCollege Viability Inspection Report for Bethany College (WV)Financial Report Card: The Weakest And Strongest Private Colleges In AmericaThe Crisis in College Accreditation and Why It MattersGet access to the College Viability Inspection ReportGet access to the 2026 College Majors Completion App
May 18, 2026Episode 21625 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for May 18, 2026
Welcome to podcast number 200!If you follow the podcasting world, you are aware that almost all podcast efforts never get to a 10 episode. I know why. It ain’t easy to put together 20-30 minutes of interesting and entertaining content every week. Luckily, I stumbled on Google Alerts when I started the show – and of course thanks to those many, many colleges who post content worthy of use on the show.I am at the point now, where I reject more content for the show than I use. I have developed my own internal judgement for what content is worthy for my listeners. So with that, this week we have: + Colorado cuts state aid to private college students. Very strange.+ “pretty despicable’ is a student description of Hampshire College.+ Some New Hampshire spin on enrollment+ South Carolina doesn’t have any calculators that work. They need an emergency $25M.+ Wrap: Moving the podcast toward more student and family content. I will tell you why.Show notes and links:Newly released: The College Viability Inspection Report. Available here.Portland State to cut two legacy programs, lay off 52 staffers in budget balancing effortDeclining enrollment is driving a $12 million budget deficit at the University of VermontOCU to stay open for now, employees still waiting to be paid (Oakland City University)Colorado lawmakers pass bill to cut state financial aid for students at private universities‘An urgent operational reality’: Southern Oregon University faces looming cash shortfall‘Pretty despicable’: Hampshire College closure leaves students and parents scrambling to figure out next stepsBucking national projections, some N.H. colleges are reporting strong fall 2026 enrollment figuresSC higher ed agency needs $25M more to pay for scholarships already awarded
May 11, 2026Episode 21516 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for May 11, 2026
This is the 199th podcast episode of This Week in College Viability.Here are the top stories and commentary for this week.+ Are higher education podcasters moving the needle.+ Playing taps at Dallas Baptist University+ Accreditors form leadership roundtable to figure things out+ Cutting majors, majors, and more majors. Which ones survive?+ The Hampshire ‘train wreck’ that didn’t have to happen+ Stocker quote: “Hope is a subset of delusion.”Show notes and links:Dallas Baptist University plays Taps at 7:00 p.m. for each home game.UTA (Arlington) to cut, merge some academic programs to 'maintain fiscal responsibility'Bowie State University (MD) to Eliminate 79 Positions Amid $18 Million Budget ShortfallRyan Hofer's Substack Debt by Natural Causes Cost v. Income reportStatement from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Council for Higher Education Accreditation announced they are forming an "Accreditor Leadership Roundtable." ‘A train wreck’: Hampshire faculty, staff left with no jobs, no severance as college prepares for closure2026 College Majors Completion app for Academic Leaders ($199)
May 4, 2026Episode 21426 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for May 4, 2026
This week’s show starts somewhere you wouldn’t expect a college viability conversation to begin… a softball field.A routine game. A swarm of honeybees. And a moment that turned into one of those unforgettable college experiences that gets shared, liked, and remembered.Here’s the clip from Lindenwood University softball—and at first glance, it’s everything families think college is supposed to be.(https://x.com/lindenwoodsb/status/2050360836225482921?s=58&t=RRp3EfLfsCOV4T1DFy_2zw)Fun. Memorable. A little unpredictable.But as we move from that moment into the rest of this week’s stories, the tone shifts.Because while everyone can see the honeybees on the field, almost no one sees the financial pressures behind the scenes.This week, we’re digging into:Saint Augustine’s University declaring bankruptcy—but insisting it won’t close Hampshire College looking to sell land to cover a $25 million debt A looming 32% drop in high school graduates in Illinois—while lawmakers still push for more funding A “shot-in-the-dark” strategy unfolding at Naropa University And a blunt critique from inside Hampshire: Cowardice and the Closing of Hampshire CollegeShow Notes and links:UNT approves buyouts for professors, faculty as it tackles budget shortfallsSaint Augustine’s Declares Bankruptcy but Won’t CloseHampshire College to sell campus, land to pay $25 million debtIllinois’ number of high school grads to plunge 32%. Lawmakers still want more college money.Missouri S&T applications drop due to AI, international shiftsConfusing financial aid offers can leave families deeper in debt. Student groups say a new fix doesn’t go far enoughDeloitte just dropped its 2026 Higher Education Trends reportBoulder’s Naropa University to reduce tuition to attract enrollment growth Cowardice and the Closing of Hampshire CollegeWanna Bee Best Friends (X video)
April 27, 2026Episode 21331 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for April 27, 2026
This week’s news and commentary include:+ We have a 2nd college closure announcement in Mass.+ More cuts for majors and programs. The list gets longer each week. There are few better signs of an industry in contraction than this.+ Students at a closed college (Martin University) sue the leadership.+ Sports programs at the big-brand name colleges continue to be sliced away.+ And much more.This is the podcast that talks about the financial health and viability of public and private colleges with data, details and perspectives offered nowhere else.Show notes:Get the College Viability Transparency tool.Get the 2026 College Majors Completion App for students and families.Anna Maria College (MASS) announces abrupt closure, citing financial and enrollment woesAccepted and enrolled students say they were blindsided by Anna Maria College closing in Paxton, MassachusettsIowa regents approve 10 program cuts at 2 universitiesState universities (Iowa) gain initial approval to eliminate low-enrollment programsMichigan State, University of Michigan face over 60% cut under state funding billStudents, Staff, Alumni Sue Martin (University) Over ClosureTemple has lost average of $200 million annually as enrollment slides, and retention rates are a major issue, internal report saysArkansas to drop men's and women's tennis for financial reasonsStudents ‘devastated' as Hampshire College becomes latest small school to closeFlag Football Teams Are a New Pitch for Small Colleges to Lure StudentsDrexel’s new president must tackle a deficit and declining enrollment. He sees it as a ‘moment of reinvention.’The college crisis that Ohio leaders and governor candidates are too scared of to solve
April 13, 2026Episode 21222 min
This Week In College Viability (TWICV) for April 13, 2026
The final podcast show originating from St. Louis, MO. Life is taking us to Colorado. The podcasts will continue from there on April 27th.This week:+ Half off at Hopkins: Carey Business School offers steep discounts to Maryland grads+ Maine puts the screws to private colleges with a free and permanent college scholarship program.+ Small private colleges are dying in a winner-take-all university marketplace. In football, I would get a piling on penalty . . . but I am going to talk about it anyway.+ TDR continues to increase – to the benefit of students. Not so much to colleges in need of more revenue. Show notes:2026 College Majors Completion app for Academic Leaders2026 College Majors Completion app for students and families.Earlham ends some majors to cut costsBGSU to suspend 6 degree programs, 'reconfigure' 20 more in 2027 ( Partial list of programs below.) *Half off at Hopkins: Carey Business School offers steep discounts to Maryland grads(Maine) Governor Mills Signs Supplemental Budget at EMCC, Making Free College Scholarship PermanentMatt Hisrich post on college net price decreasesThe small private colleges dying in a winner-take-all university marketplaceDan Silverburg post on tuition discount rates.*BGSU says six programs will be suspended entirely without alternative options:Bachelor of Arts in GeographyBachelor of Musical Arts and one in Musical CompositionBachelor of Science in PhysicsThe following programs will be reconfigured and offered through alternative or related academic pathways, according to the university:Bachelor of Arts in Communication – TheatreBachelor of Arts in EconomicsBachelor of Arts in Film StudiesBachelor of Science in Gerontology with a specialization in long term care administrationBachelor of Science in Nutrition SciencesBachelor of Science in Public HealthBachelor of Science in StatisticsThere are four additional programs BGSU is seeking permission from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to consolidate into alternative offerings:Bachelor of Arts in American Culture StudiesBachelor of Arts in Ethnic StudiesBachelor of Arts in Popular CultureBachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
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