双语新闻：美国高等教育专家担心，2023年小型大学的关闭率很高
American higher education experts are concerned that small colleges closed at a high rate in 2023. They say college closures can prevent students from finishing their study programs and take away some of the country's unique education offerings.
美国高等教育专家担心，2023年小型大学的关闭率很高。他们表示，大学关闭会阻止学生完成学业，并夺走该国一些独特的教育产品。
The website HigherEd Dive notes 26 American colleges and universities either closed or announced their plans to close in 2023. About half that number closed or announced their closing in 2022.
HigherEd Dive网站指出，26所美国高校要么关闭，要么宣布计划在2023年关闭。其中约有一半在2022年关闭或宣布关闭。
The colleges that closed this year were privately funded and mostly small. They were facing a loss of money and a drop in student numbers. Some schools closed completely, while others combined with nearby schools. Most offered students a chance to finish their study programs or move on to another school nearby.
今年关闭的学院大多是私人资助的小型学院。他们面临着亏损和学生人数下降的问题。一些学校完全关闭，而另一些则与附近的学校合并。大多数学校为学生提供了完成学业或转到附近另一所学校的机会。
Although the schools made efforts to assist their students, professors and others who worked at the colleges lost their jobs.
虽然学校努力帮助学生，但在大学工作的教授和其他工作人员都失去了工作。
A small college in New York
纽约的一所小学院
Alliance University in New York state is one of the schools that closed this year.
纽约州的联盟大学是今年关闭的学校之一。
The university was started by Christian missionaries in New York City in 1880. It offered mostly religious study programs until the 1960s and 1970s, when it expanded to offer programs in education and business.
这所大学是1880年由基督教传教士在纽约市创办的。它主要提供宗教研究课程，直到20世纪60年代和70年代，当它扩大到提供教育和商业课程。
At one point, the university had close to 3,000 students. But the publication Inside Higher Ed reports that the number had dropped below 2,000 in recent years.
这所大学一度有近3000名学生。但据《高等教育内幕》报道，近年来，这一数字已降至2000人以下。
The school had a budget shortfall of many millions of dollars that it could not make up. After an accreditor reviewed the school's situation last summer, the university announced its plan to close. An accreditor is a group that permits colleges and universities to operate.
这所学校有数百万美元的预算缺口，无法弥补。去年夏天，在一名认证人员审查了学校的情况后，该校宣布了关闭计划。认证机构是一个允许学院和大学运作的组织。
Heather Garcia worked at the school for many years. She also took classes and earned two science degrees there. She said the university asked the accreditor for more time to improve its finances. However, the group decided the school's plan was not strong enough.
希瑟·加西亚在这所学校工作多年。她还在那里上课，并获得了两个科学学位。她说，该大学要求认证机构给予更多时间来改善其财务状况。然而，该组织认为学校的计划不够有力。
She said the school was going "deeper into debt each year." Garcia also noted that the student population continued to drop after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
她说，学校“一年比一年负债更深”。加西亚还指出，在2020年COVID-19大流行开始后，学生人数继续下降。
The school knew it was in trouble. It had started new professional training programs in an effort to attract more students. It had also tried to cut spending. But the decision still came as a surprise.
学校知道自己有麻烦了。它已经启动了新的专业培训项目，以吸引更多的学生。它也曾试图削减开支。但这一决定仍让人感到意外。
Some students were able to finish their study programs over the summer. But others needed to move to new schools. Garcia said she felt especially bad for new students and for those who had come to play on the school's sports teams.
一些学生能够在暑假期间完成他们的学习项目。但其他人需要转到新学校。加西亚说，她对新生和那些来学校参加运动队的人感到特别难过。
The school's last day was August 31.
学校的最后一天是8月31日。
Concerns for the future
对未来的担忧
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, or SHEEO, advocates for higher education in the U.S. Last year, the organization produced a report that looked at students affected by college closures. The report covered 467 schools that closed between 2004 and 2020.
国家高等教育行政官员协会(SHEEO)是美国高等教育的倡导者。去年，该组织发布了一份报告，调查了受大学关闭影响的学生。该报告涵盖了2004年至2020年间关闭的467所学校。
The major concern of SHEEO is that students whose studies get interrupted by a closure often do not go on to graduate. More than half of students do not continue with their studies. Among those who do, only about 37 percent finish their degree.
SHEEO的主要担忧是，那些因学校关闭而中断学业的学生往往无法继续毕业。超过一半的学生没有继续他们的学业。在那些完成学业的学生中，只有37%的人完成了学业。
In some cases, students do not get their school fees returned. In other cases, students have trouble getting their school records to send to other universities.
在某些情况下，学生的学费得不到返还。在其他情况下，学生很难获得他们的学校记录，以发送到其他大学。
SHEEO's report asked that states require colleges to help with these concerns if they close, and said colleges should avoid sudden closures.
SHEEO的报告要求各州要求大学在关闭时帮助解决这些问题，并表示大学应该避免突然关闭。
In 2021, The Hechinger Report noted that students whose schools combine with others also face similar problems.
2021年，《赫辛格报告》指出，学校与其他学校合并的学生也面临着类似的问题。
Observers will be watching what happens with the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. The small school recently announced a plan to close in May 2024. An accreditation group said it was concerned about the college's finances for the 2024-2025 school year.
观察家们将关注纽约奥尔巴尼圣罗斯学院的情况。这所小型学校最近宣布计划于2024年5月关闭。一个认证组织表示，他们对该学院2024-2025学年的财政状况感到担忧。
The school has been losing money since 2013. It lost $11 million in 2020. Cuts to study programs and changes in leadership did not put the school on a better path.
自2013年以来，这所学校一直在亏损。它在2020年损失了1100万美元。削减学习项目和更换领导层并没有让学校走上更好的道路。
What comes next?
接下来会发生什么?
Bryan Alexander is a writer and researcher whose work centers on the future of higher education.
布莱恩·亚历山大是一名作家和研究人员，他的工作重点是高等教育的未来。
He said the small school closures could lead to a "one-size fits all" style of higher education. That style, he said, may not be suitable for students who have learning troubles or special interests in art, music or language.
他说，小型学校的关闭可能会导致高等教育“一刀切”的模式。他说，这种风格可能不适合那些学习困难或对艺术、音乐或语言有特殊兴趣的学生。
Alexander said a government push for Americans to go to college that started in the 1980s, combined with a large population of college-aged young adults, helped many small colleges stay open. But now, he said, the costs of college are high, there are fewer college-aged people, and some people are questioning the value of college.
亚历山大说，政府从20世纪80年代开始推动美国人上大学，再加上大量适龄大学生，帮助许多小型大学保持开放。但现在，他说，上大学的费用很高，上大学的人越来越少，一些人开始质疑上大学的价值。
The first signs that a college is in danger come when there are reductions in study programs and changes "behind the scenes." Alexander was asked if this year's high number of closures is cause for alarm in higher education.
一所大学面临危险的第一个迹象是，研究项目的减少和“幕后”的变化。亚历山大被问到今年大量的学校关闭是否引起了高等教育的警惕。
"I think, within higher ed, the alarm has already been sounded. Presidents, Deans, Provosts. This is the stuff that keeps them up at nights."
“我认为，在高等教育中，警报已经拉响。校长，院长，教务长。这就是让他们夜不能寐的东西。”
Alexander noted that the U.S. is unusual when compared to the rest of the world. The country has a lot of small schools with special study programs. He noted Oberlin College in Ohio and Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but there are many more.
亚历山大指出，与世界其他国家相比，美国是不同寻常的。这个国家有很多提供特殊学习项目的小型学校。他提到了俄亥俄州的奥伯林学院和康涅狄格州的卫斯理大学，但还有更多。
In many other countries, universities are generally not smaller than 10,000 students.
在许多其他国家，大学通常不少于10,000名学生。
"You know, all these little small colleges, and they're really special. They're delightful. But they're fragile. They don't have economies of scale."
“你知道，所有这些小学院，他们真的很特别。他们是令人愉快的。但它们很脆弱。他们没有规模经济。”
Economy of scale is a reference to the lower cost of a service per person at a large university when compared to a small college. The cost to provide a study program is much higher per student at a small college.
规模经济指的是与小型大学相比，大型大学的人均服务成本较低。在规模较小的大学，每个学生提供学习项目的费用要高得多。
Large American universities with financial problems, such as West Virginia University, are usually able to make changes and continue to stay open. That is because they receive government support.
有财政问题的大型美国大学，如西弗吉尼亚大学，通常能够做出改变并继续开放。这是因为他们得到了政府的支持。
"State governments don't want to close the state university," Alexander said. "When we see that happen, that will be a big deal."
“州政府不想关闭州立大学，”亚历山大说。“当我们看到这种情况发生时，那将是一件大事。”
Garcia, who worked at and attended Alliance, said observers may not see her school closing as a large loss in the same way they would if a famous school closed. But for the people who went to school and worked there, she said: "it is deeply painful."
加西亚曾在Alliance工作并就读于该学校，她说，观察人士可能不会像一所著名学校关闭那样，把她的学校关闭看作是一个巨大的损失。但对于在那里上学和工作的人来说，她说:“这是非常痛苦的。”
"It really just felt special. It felt like we had just this little special niche there in the bottom corner of New York City...and that what we were doing was making an impact on the whole world because we would send, you know, we have alumni all over the world."
“这真的感觉很特别。感觉就像我们在纽约市的角落里有一个小小的特殊的利基…我们所做的是对整个世界产生影响，因为我们会送，你知道，我们的校友遍布世界各地。”
美国高等教育专家担心，2023年小型大学的关闭率很高。他们表示，大学关闭会阻止学生完成学业，并夺走该国一些独特的教育产品。
The website HigherEd Dive notes 26 American colleges and universities either closed or announced their plans to close in 2023. About half that number closed or announced their closing in 2022.
HigherEd Dive网站指出，26所美国高校要么关闭，要么宣布计划在2023年关闭。其中约有一半在2022年关闭或宣布关闭。
The colleges that closed this year were privately funded and mostly small. They were facing a loss of money and a drop in student numbers. Some schools closed completely, while others combined with nearby schools. Most offered students a chance to finish their study programs or move on to another school nearby.
今年关闭的学院大多是私人资助的小型学院。他们面临着亏损和学生人数下降的问题。一些学校完全关闭，而另一些则与附近的学校合并。大多数学校为学生提供了完成学业或转到附近另一所学校的机会。
Although the schools made efforts to assist their students, professors and others who worked at the colleges lost their jobs.
虽然学校努力帮助学生，但在大学工作的教授和其他工作人员都失去了工作。
A small college in New York
纽约的一所小学院
Alliance University in New York state is one of the schools that closed this year.
纽约州的联盟大学是今年关闭的学校之一。
The university was started by Christian missionaries in New York City in 1880. It offered mostly religious study programs until the 1960s and 1970s, when it expanded to offer programs in education and business.
这所大学是1880年由基督教传教士在纽约市创办的。它主要提供宗教研究课程，直到20世纪60年代和70年代，当它扩大到提供教育和商业课程。
At one point, the university had close to 3,000 students. But the publication Inside Higher Ed reports that the number had dropped below 2,000 in recent years.
这所大学一度有近3000名学生。但据《高等教育内幕》报道，近年来，这一数字已降至2000人以下。
The school had a budget shortfall of many millions of dollars that it could not make up. After an accreditor reviewed the school's situation last summer, the university announced its plan to close. An accreditor is a group that permits colleges and universities to operate.
这所学校有数百万美元的预算缺口，无法弥补。去年夏天，在一名认证人员审查了学校的情况后，该校宣布了关闭计划。认证机构是一个允许学院和大学运作的组织。
Heather Garcia worked at the school for many years. She also took classes and earned two science degrees there. She said the university asked the accreditor for more time to improve its finances. However, the group decided the school's plan was not strong enough.
希瑟·加西亚在这所学校工作多年。她还在那里上课，并获得了两个科学学位。她说，该大学要求认证机构给予更多时间来改善其财务状况。然而，该组织认为学校的计划不够有力。
She said the school was going "deeper into debt each year." Garcia also noted that the student population continued to drop after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
她说，学校“一年比一年负债更深”。加西亚还指出，在2020年COVID-19大流行开始后，学生人数继续下降。
The school knew it was in trouble. It had started new professional training programs in an effort to attract more students. It had also tried to cut spending. But the decision still came as a surprise.
学校知道自己有麻烦了。它已经启动了新的专业培训项目，以吸引更多的学生。它也曾试图削减开支。但这一决定仍让人感到意外。
Some students were able to finish their study programs over the summer. But others needed to move to new schools. Garcia said she felt especially bad for new students and for those who had come to play on the school's sports teams.
一些学生能够在暑假期间完成他们的学习项目。但其他人需要转到新学校。加西亚说，她对新生和那些来学校参加运动队的人感到特别难过。
The school's last day was August 31.
学校的最后一天是8月31日。
Concerns for the future
对未来的担忧
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, or SHEEO, advocates for higher education in the U.S. Last year, the organization produced a report that looked at students affected by college closures. The report covered 467 schools that closed between 2004 and 2020.
国家高等教育行政官员协会(SHEEO)是美国高等教育的倡导者。去年，该组织发布了一份报告，调查了受大学关闭影响的学生。该报告涵盖了2004年至2020年间关闭的467所学校。
The major concern of SHEEO is that students whose studies get interrupted by a closure often do not go on to graduate. More than half of students do not continue with their studies. Among those who do, only about 37 percent finish their degree.
SHEEO的主要担忧是，那些因学校关闭而中断学业的学生往往无法继续毕业。超过一半的学生没有继续他们的学业。在那些完成学业的学生中，只有37%的人完成了学业。
In some cases, students do not get their school fees returned. In other cases, students have trouble getting their school records to send to other universities.
在某些情况下，学生的学费得不到返还。在其他情况下，学生很难获得他们的学校记录，以发送到其他大学。
SHEEO's report asked that states require colleges to help with these concerns if they close, and said colleges should avoid sudden closures.
SHEEO的报告要求各州要求大学在关闭时帮助解决这些问题，并表示大学应该避免突然关闭。
In 2021, The Hechinger Report noted that students whose schools combine with others also face similar problems.
2021年，《赫辛格报告》指出，学校与其他学校合并的学生也面临着类似的问题。
Observers will be watching what happens with the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. The small school recently announced a plan to close in May 2024. An accreditation group said it was concerned about the college's finances for the 2024-2025 school year.
观察家们将关注纽约奥尔巴尼圣罗斯学院的情况。这所小型学校最近宣布计划于2024年5月关闭。一个认证组织表示，他们对该学院2024-2025学年的财政状况感到担忧。
The school has been losing money since 2013. It lost $11 million in 2020. Cuts to study programs and changes in leadership did not put the school on a better path.
自2013年以来，这所学校一直在亏损。它在2020年损失了1100万美元。削减学习项目和更换领导层并没有让学校走上更好的道路。
What comes next?
接下来会发生什么?
Bryan Alexander is a writer and researcher whose work centers on the future of higher education.
布莱恩·亚历山大是一名作家和研究人员，他的工作重点是高等教育的未来。
He said the small school closures could lead to a "one-size fits all" style of higher education. That style, he said, may not be suitable for students who have learning troubles or special interests in art, music or language.
他说，小型学校的关闭可能会导致高等教育“一刀切”的模式。他说，这种风格可能不适合那些学习困难或对艺术、音乐或语言有特殊兴趣的学生。
Alexander said a government push for Americans to go to college that started in the 1980s, combined with a large population of college-aged young adults, helped many small colleges stay open. But now, he said, the costs of college are high, there are fewer college-aged people, and some people are questioning the value of college.
亚历山大说，政府从20世纪80年代开始推动美国人上大学，再加上大量适龄大学生，帮助许多小型大学保持开放。但现在，他说，上大学的费用很高，上大学的人越来越少，一些人开始质疑上大学的价值。
The first signs that a college is in danger come when there are reductions in study programs and changes "behind the scenes." Alexander was asked if this year's high number of closures is cause for alarm in higher education.
一所大学面临危险的第一个迹象是，研究项目的减少和“幕后”的变化。亚历山大被问到今年大量的学校关闭是否引起了高等教育的警惕。
"I think, within higher ed, the alarm has already been sounded. Presidents, Deans, Provosts. This is the stuff that keeps them up at nights."
“我认为，在高等教育中，警报已经拉响。校长，院长，教务长。这就是让他们夜不能寐的东西。”
Alexander noted that the U.S. is unusual when compared to the rest of the world. The country has a lot of small schools with special study programs. He noted Oberlin College in Ohio and Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but there are many more.
亚历山大指出，与世界其他国家相比，美国是不同寻常的。这个国家有很多提供特殊学习项目的小型学校。他提到了俄亥俄州的奥伯林学院和康涅狄格州的卫斯理大学，但还有更多。
In many other countries, universities are generally not smaller than 10,000 students.
在许多其他国家，大学通常不少于10,000名学生。
"You know, all these little small colleges, and they're really special. They're delightful. But they're fragile. They don't have economies of scale."
“你知道，所有这些小学院，他们真的很特别。他们是令人愉快的。但它们很脆弱。他们没有规模经济。”
Economy of scale is a reference to the lower cost of a service per person at a large university when compared to a small college. The cost to provide a study program is much higher per student at a small college.
规模经济指的是与小型大学相比，大型大学的人均服务成本较低。在规模较小的大学，每个学生提供学习项目的费用要高得多。
Large American universities with financial problems, such as West Virginia University, are usually able to make changes and continue to stay open. That is because they receive government support.
有财政问题的大型美国大学，如西弗吉尼亚大学，通常能够做出改变并继续开放。这是因为他们得到了政府的支持。
"State governments don't want to close the state university," Alexander said. "When we see that happen, that will be a big deal."
“州政府不想关闭州立大学，”亚历山大说。“当我们看到这种情况发生时，那将是一件大事。”
Garcia, who worked at and attended Alliance, said observers may not see her school closing as a large loss in the same way they would if a famous school closed. But for the people who went to school and worked there, she said: "it is deeply painful."
加西亚曾在Alliance工作并就读于该学校，她说，观察人士可能不会像一所著名学校关闭那样，把她的学校关闭看作是一个巨大的损失。但对于在那里上学和工作的人来说，她说:“这是非常痛苦的。”
"It really just felt special. It felt like we had just this little special niche there in the bottom corner of New York City...and that what we were doing was making an impact on the whole world because we would send, you know, we have alumni all over the world."
“这真的感觉很特别。感觉就像我们在纽约市的角落里有一个小小的特殊的利基…我们所做的是对整个世界产生影响，因为我们会送，你知道，我们的校友遍布世界各地。”
