Name: Bob Massa, Vice President
Date: Wed Aug 27 2003—09:49
Message:
David Kirp's article is well done and balanced for the most part, and describes well how an institution with a firm foundation of excellence can break away from the pack. As Kirp and other observers of higher education understand very well, however, colleges need resources in order to sustain and enhance creative programs, superior faculty and staff, and engaged, accomplished students—in short, to be a great college. Dickinson's practice of discouting its tuition by 50% from 1996-99 had a disastrous effect on the college's finances, though it did help to turn the corner on the demand for Dickinson (applications increased from a low of about 2700 in 96 to 3400 in 99). But as I have said many times before, "pricing" is but one part of the equation—the value of the experience must be communicated and "outcomes" must be revealed.
We want students to enroll at Dickinson because they believe it is the best place for them, not because its the least expensive. This notion of value is what has attracted a record number of applicants this past year. Because of this, our need to discount heavily has declined—which will, of course, allow the college to invest more in our excellent programs.
Kirp states that the college now aids "just 60%" of its students (down from an unsustainable 82% in 1999). Two points here. First, most of the major universities in the top tier aid 35% to 40% of their students, and most top liberal arts colleges are in the 40-45% range, with discount rates (financial aid divided by gross tution revenue) in the high 20s or low 30s. The fact that Dickinson aids 60% (and all but 10% of that is need-based), and that our discount rate is 33% justifies an exclamation point or two after "60%," not the descriptor "just." Secondly, Dickinson continues its strong commitment to access and need based aid as evidenced by the fact that half of our students receive aid. It is naive to think that a college (with the exception of those with multi-billion dollar endowments) can aid many more than half and still operate. Someone, of course, has to pay.
I will not take on Kirp's notion of the Dickinson logo, other than to say that this does NOT replace the seal, but rather is a wordmark. We could have selected a bold typeface for the words "Dickinson College" and created a wordmark that was traditional and horizontal. Instead, we wanted to create a "stamp" with the words—almost in line with a passport type stamp for obvious reasons—that was different from what other colleges use. When you want to "break away from the pack," you need to take some risks and to be a little different. That Dickinson was able to do this and still remain true to its mission is a testimony not only to our faculty and the leadership here in Carlisle, but also to countless alumni who love and support their college. Thank you!
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