My take on the Syracuse University WSJ Article

Over the weekend, Syracuse University started it's year off with a full feature in the Wall Street Journal, under the title "Why Syracuse Can't Attract the Students it Needs to Pay the Bills," underlying a very simple point that anyone paying attention to Syracuse could surmise; The all in cost to attend Syracuse University, the 75th ranked national university, sits at just under $100K annually, and is facing a budget deficit.

In response to this article, newly appointed Chancellor Michael Haynie sent out a 900+ word email titled "Setting the Record Straight," in which he called the "1.5% operating deficit is far from a crisis." The email reads like a school with a decent PR school, and talks about needing to be strong and fast with decisions before listing short term solutions like a "comprehensive AI academic portfolio," and the "Center for the Creator Economy, positioning Syracuse at the forefront of a $500 billion industry," along with mentions of physical transformations due to be completed in 2027.

Look. I get it. The response to this email has been widespread among alumni, students, parents, and the wider conversation about the value of college in 2026. Hell, my new Publisher sent this to me directly asking for my thoughts. Syracuse is now being asked very direct, very difficult questions.

And while some of this is due to wider trends across higher education, Syracuse made decisions every step of the way to accelerate this decline that they must answer for now.