Even though there have been longstanding ideological differences across states, higher education leadership was largely insulated against these differences over the last half-century. Yes, they popped up in meaningful ways on topics such as South African divestment, affirmative action, and antiwar protests, but it was possible for university leaders to move from red states to … Continue reading "Public Higher Education is Splitting in Two"| Robert Kelchen
Quite a bit of my research and public writing in the last few years has been on the topic of college closures and institutions in financial distress. I’m also a bit on the nerdy side, as evidenced …| Robert Kelchen
I am thrilled to share a new open-access article in AERA Open that I wrote on the topic of differential tuition policies at public universities. Differential tuition, in which students pay higher c…| Robert Kelchen
Amid everything going on in the world of higher education right now, it is easy to forget that this is the time of year that students and families are trying to figure out whether they can afford to attend college. This is when I typically get a bunch of questions from journalists across the country … Continue reading "Post-Pandemic Trends in Student Fees at Public Universities"| Robert Kelchen
It is safe to say that there is a lot of concern right now about the financial viability of higher education. And while I think fewer colleges are going to close than pundits predict (and check out my recent NBER working paper on factors associated with college closures), it is still going to be a … Continue reading "Which Colleges Always Lose Money?"| Robert Kelchen
I hope that everyone had a restful break and is excited to come back for what will undoubtedly be an eventful year in the world of higher education. This spring is going to be quite busy for me with three faculty searches, our once-a-decade academic program review, the most travel for presentations that I have … Continue reading "My 2025 Higher Ed Finance Reading List"| Robert Kelchen
For the last two presidential transitions, I have written pieces about what the new president (Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020) may mean for higher education. My expectations back in 2016 were the following: After four years of President Trump in power, the higher education community has a better sense of what is coming … Continue reading "What a Second Trump Administration May Mean for Higher Education"| Robert Kelchen
As most of higher education is concerned about their financial position, a growing number of colleges are trying to encourage academic units to generate additional revenues and cut back on expenses. One popular way of doing this is through responsibility center management (RCM) budget models, which base a portion of a unit’s budget on their … Continue reading "Documenting the Growth of Responsibility Center Management Budget Models in Public Higher Education"| Robert Kelchen
College closures are getting quite a bit of attention right now—and for good reason. When a college closes suddenly, students are much less likely to complete their studies and employees have a difficult time finding comparable jobs. And the uptick in the number of college closures in the last year or two has been obvious … Continue reading "How Many Colleges Really Close Each Year?"| Robert Kelchen
I am a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville who studies higher education finance, accountability policies and practices, and student financial aid. All opinions expressed here are my…| Robert Kelchen
During the last three weeks, I have thought a lot about the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. By the end of the first full week of March, it was clear to me that colleges would c…| Robert Kelchen
I write this piece with the sounds of excavators and dump trucks in the background, as we are getting the 30-year-old pool at our house replaced this month. Pools should last a lot longer than that…| Robert Kelchen
As a department head, I typically only teach one class per year. This spring, I get to teach my PhD class in higher education finance again—the eighth time that I have taught it in my eleven-year f…| Robert Kelchen