Business School Faces Revenue Shortfall As
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Monday, September 17, 2018 I Vol. 115 Iss. 8 AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 WWW.GWHATCHET.COM Disability Support Services registration continues to surge SARAH ROACH dents and their families are perts said the sudden rise ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR becoming more familiar mirrors a nationwide shift with the services that are toward students feeling About 1,500 graduate available to them as stu- more comfortable telling and undergraduate stu- dents continue their stud- others about their disabili- dents are currently regis- ies at the collegiate level, ties, especially for those tered with Disability Sup- we are seeing an increase with mental health condi- port Services – a roughly in requests for assistance,” tions like anxiety or de- 36 percent jump from the McMenamin said. pression. year before. Not every student with Patrick Randolph, the The number of students a disability needs to regis- director of the center for registered with the dis- ter with DSS if they don’t student accessibility at Tu- abilities offi ce has surged require accommodations lane University, said the over the past several years, “to maintain active, ongo- jump could represent a which experts attributed ing participation in their shift in students’ percep- to more students feeling academic program,” she tions of their disabilities. comfortable seeking ac- said. Students often highlight commodations. Among “DSS is committed to their disability as “a badge GRAEME SLOAN | CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR undergraduates, 6 percent ensuring full and equiva- Business school faculty said Anuj Mehrotra, the school’s dean, said earlier this month that he is of courage” when apply- of the student population lent participation for per- considering bringing in more postdoctoral fellows to help make up for the loss of expected revenue. ing to school – using it as a registered with the offi ce sons with disabilities in way to show they can excel in 2017 – the highest in at the GW community by at a competitive university, least nine years, according providing essential accom- he said. to federal data. modations for housing and About 9 percent of stu- Business school faces revenue For seven years, GW for academic participa- dents registered with a dis- reported that fewer than 3 tion,” McMenamin said in ability at Tulane last aca- percent of its students reg- an email. demic year – down from 11 shortfall as enrollment declines istered with DSS. Before Before last academic percent the previous year, that, the University hadn’t year, fewer than 3 percent according to federal data. MEREDITH ROATEN changing any existing pro- lion-dollar loss of expected registered more than 3 per- of undergraduates regis- “They’re being better NEWS EDITOR grams. He said the school is revenue. The faculty said cent of students with dis- tered with DSS – behind supported in high school always considering how to Mehrotra also announced abilities since 2009, when it the percentages logged and earlier so they’re The business school prioritize students and be the assistant dean position at reported registering 5 per- by at least seven of GW’s able to matriculate to col- missed its projected gradu- prepared for “shifts in the the gathering. cent of the undergraduate peer institutions, like lege more successfully,” ate enrollment this year by global marketplace.” A business school pro- population. Georgetown and Tufts Randolph said. “More nearly 30 percent, resulting “The business school will fessor – who attended the The National Center for universities. The Univer- and more students are in a multimillion-dollar rev- continually examine all its meeting and spoke on con- Education Statistics does sity was among six of its starting to embrace their enue shortage, faculty said. programs while it strives to dition of anonymity for fear not provide specifi c data 12 peer institutions that diversity in general and In a meeting with busi- align its off erings with the of retribution from business for schools that register registered fewer than 3 because of that, it’s not ness school faculty Sept. 7, needs of its students and school offi cials – said rough- fewer than 3 percent of un- percent of undergraduates as stigmatizing as it once the school’s new dean said the demands of the market- ly 50 faculty members at- dergraduates. with a registered disabil- was.” enrollment dropped by place,” he said. tended the meeting on Sept. Susan McMenamin, the ity in 2016. Rory Stein, the assistant about 17 percent between Shevrin declined to con- 7. They said that if enroll- director of DSS, said the Wake Forest University dean of students with dis- 2017 and 2018, though of- fi rm that graduate enroll- ment continues to decline, percentage of undergradu- has the highest percentage abilities at Boston College, fi cials had anticipated a ment dropped by about 17 the master’s programs could ate and graduate students of students with a regis- said that offi cials could be roughly 19 percent increase, percent. He declined to say become too small to be con- who registered with the tered disability, registering more conscious of ensur- according to fi ve faculty who why enrollment declined or sidered for ranking, which center has risen by about 10 percent of undergradu- ing that students with dis- attended the meeting. About how offi cials reacted to the could cost them potential 50 percent over the past ates in 2017. abilities have the resources 500 students enrolled in the enrollment drop. students. fi ve years and increased by The University fell they need because they are business school’s graduate He declined to say what “It’s a downward spiral – more than 100 percent for under investigation for more likely to withdraw programs this year, accord- the business school’s defi cit you don’t get ranked, so you students registered with a possible discrimination from a school than other ing to a PowerPoint slide is after the enrollment down- don’t attract students,” they chronic or mental health against students with dis- students. from the dean’s presenta- turn and how the decrease said. condition over the same abilities last academic By promoting mental tion, which was obtained by will aff ect the school and Pradeep Rau, a professor period. year – the same year that health services and off er- The Hatchet. GW as a whole. of marketing who attended DSS off ers accommoda- the percentage of students ing more academic accom- Thirteen of the 17 gradu- Shevrin also declined to the meeting, said offi cials tions like note taking assis- with disabilities jumped. modations, students with a ate programs missed their say how the newly created did not provide a clear path- tance, special technology The Offi ce for Civil Rights registered disability could projected enrollments for assistant dean of graduate way to make up for the loss labs in Gelman Library and found that the University feel more inclined to stay the fi scal year 2018 budget, recruitment and admissions at the meeting, but he said test-proctoring services. lacked proper formatting at a school because their according to the slide. The position – which was posted the dean indicated that he Students registered with and captions for students needs are met, he said. business school’s overall online Sept. 6 – would help was negotiating with admin- DSS must submit a form on GW webpages. “These withdrawals enrollment in master’s pro- increase enrollment in the istrators to fi nd a solution. documenting their disabil- Offi cials resolved to could be prevented with grams has been steadily de- school’s graduate programs. “Oftentimes admin is ity and notify professors develop a plan that would some education and out- clining since 2012, decreas- He declined to say when or quite helpful in trying to about their disability in a improve online accessibil- reach about these services ing by nearly 16 percent over why offi cials created the po- cook up some kind of ar- letter on the DSS website. ity on University websites and what we can off er fi ve years, according to insti- sition. rangement,” he said. “Because of our com- after the probe closed in them to ameliorate the ac- tutional data. The business school has Rau added that if post- mitment to serving our March. commodations of their Of the highest defi cits, faced a series of budget con- doctoral fellows are brought students and since stu- Higher education ex- condition,” he said. the Global Master of Busi- cerns in recent years, after into the program, they ness Administration pro- former business school Dean should not be used primarily Undergraduates registeredis d wwithh gram was expected to ac- Doug Guthrie was fi red in to teach doctoral students – Wake Forest 10% commodate 80 students in 2014 for overspending $13 though doing so would save Tufts 9% disabilitydisability supportsupport servicesservices at 2018 but instead enrolled 50, million. Linda Livingstone, money. He said postdoctoral according to the slide. With a who took Guthrie’s place, set fellows should conduct re- Tulane 9% peerat pee institutionsr institutio nsin fall 2017 tuition of roughly $105,000, up a repayment plan that in- search to build their resumes Syracuse 9% the global program’s short- cluded administrative bud- and grow their reputations. Georgetown 8% age alone cost the business get cuts that will continue James Bailey, a professor GW 6% school more than $3 million. through 2020. of leadership, said the down- Miami 5% The international Master Livingstone left the turn this year is likely a re- of Science in Finance, head- school in spring 2017 to be- sult of increased competition Fewer than 3%* quartered in Beijing, China, come the president of Baylor from other graduate school also enrolled 22 students University.