As small Mass. colleges struggle with finances, students grapple with cost-cuts

Lesley University students are experiencing financial and academic difficulties due to the institution's struggles with enrollment and cash flow. Olivia Chieppo, a senior, faced issues with program cuts, including the elimination of the photography program she had transferred to pursue. The university also made staffing changes, such as assigning a part-time computer science adjunct to teach a required statistics course. Chieppo was eventually reassigned to another class, but still received a notice stating she owed over $3,000 to graduate. Lesley University declined to comment, but a spokesperson stated that 'every single student experience matters greatly.' The challenges at Lesley are part of a larger trend affecting small liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts, with several institutions having closed or merged in recent years. An analysis by the Huron Consulting Group predicts that over a quarter of private, nonprofit four-year colleges may be at risk of closing within the next decade.