Media Alert
SPELMAN COLLEGE TAKES PROACTIVE STEPS TO MITIGATE TOUGH ECONOMY
ATLANTA (Feb. 10, 2009) To preserve the long-term health of the institution, Spelman College is reducing its operating budget to mitigate the loss of endowment income and offset the impact of lost enrollment due to rising unemployment and tight credit markets affecting students and their families.
Like other colleges and universities across the nation, Spelman has experienced a drop in enrollment this year – approximately 3 percent. In addition, the College faces a decrease in endowment earnings due to a tumultuous market, while other costs are rising. In response, the College is cutting its operating budget this spring by eliminating temporary workers and implementing a one-week campus closing after graduation in May.
In addition, the institution will reduce its 2009-2010 operating budget by $4.8 million. “The demand for a Spelman education remains high, judging by this year’s applications, but our uncertainty lies in the fact that many of our students need financial aid and we are not sure how many of our new or returning students will actually be able to afford to enroll. The demand for financial aid exceeds our supply of scholarship funds,” said Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., Spelman College president. “What we do know for sure is that our endowment earnings will be lower next year, and we have to plan accordingly. Our primary goal is to maintain our academic strength, and minimize the impact of budget reductions on our employees to the extent possible. We have had some painful decisions to make, but we feel confident that the steps we have taken will help Spelman emerge stronger when the economy recovers.”
Actions taken include elimination of 12 vacant positions and 23 existing positions, and restructuring some positions. Auxiliary programs such as Continuing Education and the Children’s Dance program will be eliminated, and the Edelman Child Care Center will transition from a college-subsidized program to a self-sustaining one.
In addition, the Spelman department of education is being phased out as Spelman, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University seek to create an Atlanta University Center teacher certification program. “Spelman College has a long tradition of preparing educational leaders, and we will continue to provide a path to teacher certification for all interested students. Joining together in collaboration with our AUC neighbors is an idea whose time has come,” said Dr. Tatum. Under this new arrangement, Marshalita Peterson, Ph.D., associate professor of education and former department chair at Spelman, will work with her colleagues at CAU to coordinate the teacher certification effort on behalf of Spelman students.
Board chair and alumna Yvonne Jackson concluded, “The impact of the economy on higher education has been serious, but with the steps that Spelman has taken to protect the institution against the impact of the recession, I am confident that the College will weather this economic storm.”
To get answers to frequently asked questions, go to: http://www.spelman.edu/administration/office/budgetfaqs.shtml
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts a 79 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more
information, visit: www.spelman.edu.
