What Independent Colleges Ought Not to Attempt

Recently your servant devoted this page to some suggestions concerning what independent liberal arts colleges might do nowadays, in the hope of survival. Now I offer recommendations as to what such colleges ought to abstain from.

First, the independent college ought to stop building more “plant.” We are confronted by the insane phenomenon of erection of costly big buildings at the very time when enrollments are diminishing. I know that various benefactors who will not contribute generously to general funds nevertheless are willing to give money for bricks and mortar, perhaps because they rejoice in the glory of seeing “Erasmus T. Chetnik Jr. Hall of Applied Business Management” over a doorway.

RK

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Russell Kirk

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Recently your servant devoted this page to some suggestions concerning what independent liberal arts colleges might do nowadays, in the hope of survival. Now I offer recommendations as to what such colleges ought to abstain from.

First, the independent college ought to stop building more “plant.” We are confronted by the insane phenomenon of erection of costly big buildings at the very time when enrollments are diminishing. I know that various benefactors who will not contribute generously to general funds nevertheless are willing to give money for bricks and mortar, perhaps because they rejoice in the glory of seeing “Erasmus T. Chetnik Jr. Hall of Applied Business Management” over a doorway.