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Funding Uncertainty

The terms agreed upon. The new program announced. The budget approved. And then … everything changes.

When college or university funding gets cut or seems to evaporate, our first action is reaction. Austerity. Cut costs. Stop new initiatives. Do more with less. But for higher education, changes in funding can be opportunities … if you’re doing integrated planning. If you’re looking to the future, thinking strategically, and crossing boundaries, a change in funding doesn’t mean you stop doing. It means you start doing something else.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Planning for Higher Education Journal

An Analysis of Closed Colleges and Universities

When a college or university closes, experts and pundits will cite any number of reasons why. But what does the data say? Ensure your institution doesn’t meet the same fate by learning the internal and external factors—enrollment, management, demographics, etc.—that recently closed colleges and universities have in common.

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Related Learning Resources

Conference Recordings

Addressing the Financial Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

 Join us to discuss short-term, medium-term, and long-term approaches to retrenchment and find out which solutions can most benefit your institution in this time of financial uncertainty.
Planning for Higher Education Journal

An Analysis of Closed Colleges and Universities

 If administrators can identify warning signs early, it is hoped that they will be able to take informed and beneficial action to save their institution.
Planning for Higher Education Journal

Planners as Sensemakers and Sensegiver

 Within the context of austerity, the future role of planning offices is uncertain.
Planning for Higher Education Journal

Understanding the Effects of State Oversight and Fiscal Policy on University Revenues

 This article outlines the ways in which increased state oversight and restrictive state fiscal policies have affected public four-year college and university revenue structures, highlights how these policies introduce new considerations for institutional financial planners, and outlines some possible institutional responses.
Planning for Higher Education Journal

Five Recession-Driven Strategies for Planning and Managing Campus Facilities

 Facing significant fiscal challenges, colleges and universities are pursuing creative and innovative facilities planning and management strategies.
SEE ALL RELATED RESOURCES

Conferences, Courses, and Workshops of Interest

Workshop

Contingency Planning in Uncertain Times
Working Group

 November 7, 2025 - December 5, 2025
Online | 10:30–11:30 AM Eastern
Community Conversation

Community Conversation: In This Together: An Open Discussion

 November 20, 2025
Online | 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern
SEE ALL RELATED CONFERENCES AND PROGRAMS
RELATED PLANNING TYPES
Resource PlanningStrategic PlanningCampus PlanningAcademic PlanningInstitutional Effectiveness PlanningInformation Technology PlanningDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion PlanningStrategic Enrollment Management PlanningStudent Affairs PlanningSustainability Planning
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Contact:
Sadie Wutka
Director, Content Development
sadie.wutka@scup.org
734.669.3293