"Seeing poor white people makes me happy": Should you take out student loans to attend SUNY Old Westbury?

Do you remember Associate Professor Nicholas Powers, who made the national news a while back for posting an online essay titled "Seeing poor white people makes me happy"?

According to the New York Post, Powers penned an essay in which he wrote that "White people begging us for food feels like justice . . . it feels like a Black Nationalist wet dream."

Professor Powers is a tenured professor at SUNY Old Westbury, a public university in the state of New York. He makes $82,122 a year, plus benefits, which undoubtedly includes excellent health insurance and a pension plan.

And yet he rails against poor white people.  Describing his reaction to seeing a homeless white man in a black neighborhood, Powers wrote, "Should I kick him in the face? Hard?" Also describing his emotions about seeing a white homeless man, he wrote: "Today I own my anger. I want to snatch his food and say, 'Go beg in a white neighborhood!' And eat it. And rub my belly. And laugh."

So what does it cost to attend SUNY Old Westbury, where Professor Powers teaches in the English Department?  For in-state students, it cost about  $24,000 for tuition, fees, room, and board. That's roughly $100,000 for a four-year degree.

America has plunged into a deep economic Depression. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the unemployment rate may hit 32 percent--higher than during the 1930s.  Young people who are in college now need to keep their expenses down and study a subject that will lead to a good job.

So if you are a young New York college student, ask yourself this question. Does it make sense to take out student loans to attend SUNY Old Westbury and take classes from Professor Powers? I don't think so.

On the other hand, if you borrow money to get a degree from SUNY Old Westbury and can't get a job, you shouldn't worry. You can always sign up for a 25-year, income-based repayment plan to service your student loans.

That plan will terminate when you are in your fifties. By that time, Professor Powers will probably be retired and living on his generous New York state pension, a pension you will help pay for with your taxes.

Professor Nicholas Powers: "Seeing poor white people makes me happy."

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What happens to tenured faculty when a college shuts down?: Reflections on the closure of Marlboro College

Small liberal arts colleges are in trouble all over the United States, but the problem is most acute in New England and the Northeast. Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed reported that 10 colleges are closing this year, and four of them are located in Vermont.

Small colleges with religious affiliations are also under strong pressure.  Among the 10 colleges that will close this year, five have religious ties. College of New Rochelle, Marygrove College, St. Joseph School of Nursing, and the College of St. Joseph are all Catholic institutions. Cincinnati Christian University, which will close next month, has Protestant ties.

Marlboro College, a tiny school with only 150 students, is one of the Vermont institutions that is closing this year. Marlboro transferred its $30 million endowment fund and $10 million worth of real estate to Emerson College, a Boston institution with about 4,500 students. In return, Emerson has agreed to accept Marlboro's students and all 27 of its tenured and tenure-track faculty.

As Lee Pelton, Emerson's president made clear, the transaction is not a merger. After next fall, Pelton said, "Marlboro will not exist."

Marlboro president, Kevin F. F. Quigley, said that Marlboro had "reached out" to a number of colleges before it did its deal with Emerson, but the other schools were not willing to employ Marlboro's faculty.

I took a quick look at Marlboro's faculty bios, and I was impressed. Many of the Marlboro professors are young and most have doctorates from prestigious institutions.

I was also impressed that Marlboro executed a plan that will allow the school to close with dignity while preserving the jobs of its tenured and tenure-track faculty. In essence, Marlboro turned over assets worth $40 million to a college that is willing to employ its professors.

In my view, Marlboro's closure is a model for other struggling liberal arts colleges. Most of them have declining enrollments and dwindling revenues. But many--like Marlboro--have significant endowment funds and own valuable real estate. What should a college do with those assets when it shuts down?

I can think of no better way for a dying college to divest itself of its material wealth than to devote it to the welfare of its tenured and tenure-track professors, many of whom have devoted a substantial part of their working lives to an institution that closes while they are in mid-career.

In this economic climate, even highly acclaimed tenured faculty members will have trouble finding comparable tenured positions if their college shuts down. Marlboro and Emerson performed a civic act when they worked out a deal to save 27 jobs and put Marlboro's real estate and endowment funds to good use.

Marlboro College