Students, Colleges Aim to Adapt to Tough Times

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Students, colleges aim to adapt to tough times



March 11, 2009

By PAIGE WINFIELD [e-mail]

Nadia Sheikh lost more than her job when she was laid off from Crate and Barrel late last year.

The 24-year-old student at Benedictine University also faced resistance from Sallie Mae, the student lending firm where she usually takes out a $10,000 loan each semester. Because of her jobless state, she was told her loan would be capped at $6,000 for the spring term.


So the accounting major from Naperville turned to Benedictine's financial aid office, where she found help through the school's new "displaced earner" program, started this year to help students who have been hit by the economic downturn — either losing their own jobs or depending on money from parents who have been laid off.

"I had been receiving loans but up to this point I hadn't received any grant money," said Sheikh, who is a Neuqua Valley High School graduate.

That changed when Sheikh was given a grant for the first time, which made up the $4,000 she is not receiving in loans. When she sought help at the financial aid office, she was told the school would take care of her shortfall.

Marco Masini, associate vice president for student life, is in charge of coordinating the school's effort to keep struggling students coming back. Whereas the financial aid office used to operate more independently, Masini says he now makes sure the office communicates with other departments like career services and student accounts when students come in for help.

"We look at it from a package, from that perspective," Masini said.

Along with offering more grants and extended payment plans, school officials decided last October to freeze tuition for next year. For next year's freshmen, their tuition will be frozen through spring 2011.

To make up for the extra expenses, Masini said construction projects such as a parking garage have been put on hold this year and alumni fundraising efforts were ramped up.

Like at Benedictine, Wheaton College is offering more grants to students, according to Controller Patrick Brooke. Last fall, they changed a policy where they wouldn't give any grants until students maxed out their eligibility for loans. Now, students with need receive a $2,000 grant before anything else, followed by up to $5,500 in loans and then topped by more grants to fill in the rest.

Tuition at Wheaton will still go up next year, but only by 4 percent — compared to this year's 7.2 percent increase. And while the school typically raises room and board by 3 to 4 percent each year, the plan is to up costs by 2 percent, Brooke said.

Despite the precautions, Brooke said he's still concerned about enrollment next year.

"Most people got their finances for this last year put together, so we're a little bit worried about next year," Brooke said.

Grad schools prosper

North Central College hasn't yet announced tuition for next year, but there should be a "modest increase," according to Ted Slowik, director of PR and media relations.

Even without a tuition increase, paying for the fall semester may pose a problem for senior Katie McIlvain, 22, who found out two weeks ago that her mom will lose her job with an insurance company in August. McIlvain has been relying on help from both of her parents, along with loans, to pay her way through, but said she might have to seek help from other family members in order to finish her fifth year and graduate.

"I may end up having to take out more of a loan," McIlvain said. "Then, maybe even ask my grandma if there's any way she can help out, or any of my other relatives and pay them back."

But even as undergraduate universities fight to retain their student populations, graduate schools may have good times on the way. Masters and Ph.D. programs are looking more attractive for many students who are looking at one of the worst job markets in decades.

The six months after graduation have become even more crucial for graduates now that jobs are few and far between. Knowing she'll face loan payments at the end of that window of time, Sheikh plans to escape by attending law school if she doesn't find an accounting job within a few months.

"My friends and I have thought that if we don't find a job within a few months, we'd go on with grad school," Sheikh said. "But I'm hoping I can get a job."


www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1469826,Students-colleges-struggle-adapt_na031009.article

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Economy changing college plans

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1490559,6_1_NA23_COLLEGE_S1.article

March 23, 2009

By SUSAN FRICK CARLMAN and Paige Winfield [e-mail] [e-mail]
The ailing economy has many area students and their families tempering their post-high school education aspirations -- and officials at some local colleges tweaking their fee structures.

At College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, a lot of parents appear to be adapting the plans for their kids' college experiences to fit new fiscal realities. School officials were taken by surprise when their annual Student-Parent Information Night last November drew a crowd of about 600, nearly three times the usual turnout.

"It was obviously standing room only, even with adding as many chairs as possible," registrar Jane Smith wrote in a staff e-mail after the event.

The robust response suggests renewed interest in the relatively affordable two-year community college concept.

"I would say that families definitely are looking into options here at the College of DuPage that they may not have otherwise," Smith said in a phone conversation this week. "They're just trying to weigh out their options more carefully.

"We're hearing them talk a lot more often about how it might make more sense for their son or their daughter to spend a year, if not two years, here before they go on to a four-year college. It's a matter of recouping some of what they might have spent."

The spending required for a college education is on a lot of minds. Patrick Brooke, controller at Wheaton College, said the school is extending more grants than it has in the past. Last fall, the school changed a policy that had made it impossible for students to receive any grant funds until they had maxed out their eligibility for loans. Now, students with need receive a $2,000 grant before anything else, followed by up to $5,500 in loans -- and then more grants to fill any remaining gaps.

Tuition at Wheaton will still go up next year, but only by 4 percent, far less than this year's 7.2 percent increase.

And while the school typically raises room and board by 3 to 4 percent each year, the plan is to up costs by just 2 percent, Brooke said -- though 2009-10 enrollments could still take a hit.

"Most people got their finances for this last year put together, so we're a little bit worried about next year," Brooke said.

Narrowing options
Other area colleges also are raising their profiles as resources for funding relief.
Benedictine College student Nadia Sheikh, 24, learned about it after she lost more than her job late last year. She also faced resistance from Sallie Mae, the student lending firm where she usually takes out a $10,000 loan each semester to help cover her expenses at Benedictine University in Lisle. Because of her jobless state, she was told her loan would be capped at $6,000 for the spring term.

She couldn't even turn to her parents for help, she said, because they're tightening their budget because her father could lose his job with General Electric at any time.

So the accounting major from Naperville turned to Benedictine's financial aid office, where she found help through the school's new "displaced earner" program, started this year to help students who have been hit by the economic downturn -- either losing their own jobs or depending on money from parents who have been let go.

Along with offering more grants and extended payment plans, Benedictine has frozen tuition for next year.

To offset the decreased revenue, officials say construction projects have been put on hold and alumni fundraising efforts were ramped up.

Broadening horizons
COD also is seeing more enrollees in its online courses, as busy students build on their educational foundations. Smith said "short-term training" areas of study, the sort that lead to a certificate or enhance existing skills, also are welcoming more students than they have in the past.
Grown-ups are turning up in greater numbers these days, too.

"We saw a significant increase in our adult information sessions before the start of the spring semester," Smith said.

Overall, enrollment at COD is up 5 percent over last year, the college reported this week, the same day it also announced that "overwhelming demand" had led to the addition of an extra session of its scholarship workshops in April.

"Many families are feeling the hard effects of a soft economy," President Robert L. Breuder said in a press release.