Facing tuition deficits, administration initiates cutbacks

Jaclyn Peiser
Editor-in-Chief

Goucher College fell short of its projected net-tuition revenue goals this fiscal year by nearly $2 million, forcing senior staff to make tough budgetary and faculty cuts

Data from 2012-2013: The Princton Review

in addition to searching for new sources of revenue.
This past academic year, the college contracted with a higher education consulting service called Noel-Levitz to help predict the number of incoming students for the 2013-2014 year. The final goal was 479 first year students and 54 transfer students. With an expected incoming class of 533, the college began to plan the budget incorporating the increased revenue from the incoming class. However enrollment was much lower than anticipated, leaving the college over 90 students short of its goal and with about $2.4 million extra in the budget that they could no longer fund.
The shortfalls in the net-tuition revenue goals, or the total gross tuition Goucher receives minus scholarship, grants and financial aid, has been an issue for private liberal arts colleges throughout the country. And, according to Vice President for Enrollment Management Michael O’Leary, even with the increases in tuition, the current economic situation has resulted in less tuition revenue for the college.
“In the fall of 2011, the average Goucher student provided the college just over $23,000 in net tuition revenue,” O’Leary said. “Fall 2013, it’s just over $18,000. So as prices go up, financial aid goes up. We don’t realize more net tuition revenue through a tuition increase.”
O’Leary explained that each year the college’s discount rate increases because more students need financial aid. In addition, people are questioning the value of going to and paying for a liberal arts college.
“People do not have the home equity they once had in their homes to borrow against and help fund an education,” he explained. “There is a vocal course of people throughout the country who are questioning the value of having a liberal arts education. There is increasing concern on my part, and many people like me, about families’ willingness to pay for private higher education versus their ability to pay. People, in the past, who have the ability to pay, pay.”
In order to offset the deficit, the Board of Trustees agreed to hold at a 5.25 percent spend rate from the college’s endowment, which as of September 30 was an estimated $206 million.

Staff responsibilities, jobs shift in wake of changes

Rachel Brustein
Staff Writer

With a new academic year upon us, the Goucher community has both said farewell to and welcomed in several employees. Those leaving include Kia Kuresman, Mary Wahl, Kasey Quinn, Wendy Belzer Litzke, and Norman Zwagil.
Kuresman, who was the director of new student programs, left to work at National Labor College. She will be greatly missed by many students, especially those on Goucher’s orientation committee.
“I was sad that Kia was leaving,” said Lenna Blaser ‘14 Chair of Orientation Committee. “But after hearing about her new job I realized what a great opportunity it was for her and her career.”
No one has been hired to fill the position; instead, her responsibilities have been split up between various members of the Office of Student Engagement (OSE).
Kuresman’s departure was “a big change…but Christine [Kreiger, of OSE] performed better than we could’ve imagined” said Maddie Lasser  ’16, a member of Orientation Committee.
Two members of OSE have been promoted: Emily Perl and Stacy Cooper Patterson. Perl, formerly the associate dean for student engagement, has been promoted to assistant vice president for student life. As part of her new position, Perl works closely with Vice President of the College and Dean of Students Bryan Coker. Together, the two oversee the Division of Student Life, which has seven offices. One of these offices, Multicultural Student Services, is one that Perl is hoping to expand through diversity education, and inclusion.
Perl is still “very committed [to Connections]…and makes sure we [the Peer Facilitators] have what we need for Connections,” said Emily Hewlings ’16, a Connections Peer Facilitator. Perl continues to run the Connections course for first-year students, and is responsible for hiring and training all of the Peer Facilitators.
Stacy Cooper Patterson has been promoted from associate director of OSE for leadership development to director of OSE. In this position, Patterson oversees the planning of late night and weekend events, orientation and new student programs, and works with Lindsay Johnson, associate director of community service. Billy Daly, president of the class of 2016, mentioned that Patterson wants to implement a weekly class presidents’ meeting.
OSE is “a group force, so we come into contact with everyone,” even though there has been a shift in positions and responsibilities among the staff, according to Lasser, who is also a member of Programming Board.
Outside of OSE, Mary Wahl and Kasey Quinn, both former community living coordinators, left to pursue graduate degrees. Timothy Chin is also no longer at Goucher. To replace them, the Office of Community Living has hired two new coordinators, Tony Leva and Brandon Ebenhoeh.  Another new employee, Lindy Bobbitt, is serving as the assistant director of Community Living now that Candance Doane has been promoted to director of Community Living.
Wendy Belzer Litzke, former special assistant to President Sandy Ungar and vice president for government and community relations, left Goucher to become the executive director of the Orphan Society of America, which is located in the Philadelphia area. Litzke worked at Goucher since 2004. Goucher alumnus William O. Lederer ‘12 replaces her as special assistant to the president.
Norman Zwagil, who was the general manager of Bon Appetit at Goucher, left for the same position at Johns Hopkins. Last spring, President Ungar sent an email announcing Zwagil’s departure, which included a kind letter from Zwagil to the Goucher community. As a result, Tom Brown, who had been the operations director of Bon Appetit at Goucher, has been promoted to the new general manager.
Two other employees join the Goucher Family. Andrew Wu is the new assistant dean of students, a position that was vacant last year. The Athletic Department welcomes Ceri Miller as the new head coach of women’s lacrosse.  While there are many changes in administration, these shifts will allow the strong staff and student leadership at Goucher to continue and grow at the college.

Goucher Supports Kidzpositive Project Through Class Key Chains

Shay Kettner
Co-Editor-in-Chief

Hand beaded flags, pins, necklaces, pens, key chains and more fill many of the tables in the waiting room of Groot Shur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Instead of idly wait as their children receive treatment for HIV, the mothers, HIV positive themselves, bead.

Ms. Nosiphiwe beads the letters “SSJ” into her work to represent Goucher’s Service and Social Justice Community Principle. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Janet Shope).

But the women aren’t crafting to pass the time. Their work is sold across the globe. Running at about $3 for each piece, up to 80% of the purchase price goes directly to the mothers. In exchange for their beadwork, the women earn roughly 150 rans (about $19 USD) a week, enough to support themselves and their families.