Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A small college in southwest Ohio is trying address a budget deficit and a dwindling enrollment as it searches for a new president, officials said.
Administrators at Hocking College in Nelsonville briefed employees on the college's budget last week, The Columbus Dispatch reported. (http://bit.ly/1Fq9Hwl ) The school is running a deficit this year, searching for ways to fill a $4.7 million hole in its $23.4 million yearly budget.
The board of trustees ordered administrators to present a revised budget at the board's meeting next week. At last week's briefing on the budget, administrators did not rule out layoffs.
The school's enrollment dropped to less than 3,500 students this semester. That's down from the nearly 6,600 students enrolled in the fall of 2010.
Enrollment peaked in 2009 and 2010 when unemployed people sought retraining and additional education, said spokeswoman Laura Alloway. She also said the statewide shift from quarters to semesters has lowered enrollment because students have to pay larger amounts at once for tuition and fees.
"We have a perfect storm, if you will, that is contributing to our continuing enrollment decline," Alloway said.
College President Ron Erickson resigned earlier this month during an emergency meeting. He said he was forced to resign, but Board of Trustees Chairman Andrew Stone said that's not the case.
The board is expected to select an interim president to serve for six months while conducting a national search for a new permanent president.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
