Gloom And Doom

While this block tries to take a positive approach to the declining enrollment problem, you should at least think about the possibility that your department could in the near future be phased out and closed. That has already happened to many schools from coast to coast. While they are in the minority, it is a grim reminder that, paraphrasing the old saying, "there but for the sake of God go I." Let's face it, it could happen to you. If you have been fighting the problem for a while, you should be more than a little concerned. Hard-hearted college administrators have little to lose by closing your department and making themselves look good by investing in some other newer more promising career areas.

I have heard more than a few say that if electronic technology AAS programs are fading away, so be it. There must be a good reason. A season for all things, so to speak. Maybe the need for techs has reached its low point and few if any are needed. At least the kind of techs we have been producing for the past few decades. Maybe the tech is becoming extinct. We should put them on the endangered species list and get some government aid or something. Electronic technology technicians seem to be so much more worthwhile that saving the salamander, the spotted owl, grizzly bear or cave spider.

While that view does have its own logic, I just cannot seem to subscribe to it. What I see is a bunch of academic programs that have not kept up with the times. Faculty burying their heads in the sand refusing to acknowledge the massive technological, social and economic changes going on or especially doing anything about them. Schools keep on doing what they have always done because it is easy and comfortable......not to mention irresponsible. Maybe the price you pay for inattention and inaction is technological obsolescence and eventual oblivion.

Your only hope at this point is to take things into your own hands and put together a plan to save the day, then implement it....FAST. If you have read this blog you already know there are lots of ideas and solutions in here. What you need to do is put together a plan based on what you think will work best in your own case. To take no action is to decide that you will simply ride it down to zero over the next few years. What a nice way to end a career. Wouldn't you rather go down fighting? I urge you to get started on some kind of plan now. No one else is going to do it. Even if you think that taking such an initiative is not your job as a professor, you may not have that job unless you do.

There is a basic rule in the business world that you should follow here. No, it is not that the business should make a profit for its stock holders. That is a priority in business, of course. But not the main priority. The number one priority is.....SURVIVAL. If you don't live to fight another day you have no business. Your goal at this point is to survive the down turn and come out bigger and better than ever. At least give it a try. You will most certainly feel better about yourself if you do lose your job to a closure. And who knows, it could turn things around or give you more time.

Here is a check list of some of the key tactics to implement your strategy.

• Change the name of the department to something more attractive and meaningful.
• Shift focus to some more promising and exciting field.
• Closely examine the local industry and job prospects and identify some new opportunities.
• Call your industry advisiory board together for an emergency session. Get some answers.
• Revise and up date the courses and curriculum.
• Get out and recruit in high schools and elsewhere.
• Advertise and use PR.
• Up date yourself technically by self study or with financial help from your department if available. Learn something new.
• Do something drastic and innovative. What have you got to lose?

As a back up plan, consider your options should your department close. If you are old enough, retirement is the best bet, but that is not a happy way to go. You may not have any other good choices. Maybe you can join another department assuming you have the credentials. How about computer technology or math? If you are young enough, you can always go back to industry. It is tough being away even for a few years because of the rapid and significant changes that occur continuously. Nevertheless, get back into industry if you can.

Another option is teaching at one of the local proprietary schools with AAS degrees. They are doing better than the public community colleges for sure. Schools, like ITT, Corinthian Colleges, DeVry and a few others would no doubt welcome you. I suspect that like most academics you are pretty uppity and arrogant so think that proprietary schools are beneath you. But, what do you really know about them? They are doing better than you are. And they are better than you think. Don't knock them until you have tried them. I have and can tell you will be surprised.

If you have the appropriate academic credentials, consider going to one of the 4-year bachelor of technology degree granting universities. These are still doing well, at least better than community colleges. If you love teaching and academia, this is a great option.

Anyway, the main message is do something, NOW. And let us all know via this blog how it works.