When to Quit

Such a beautiful, beautiful option...gone.

Yesterday, news came that Sweet Briar College will be closing on August 25.  Inside Higher Ed covered the story very well this morning. 

Usually, this blog waits for a bit before commenting on things that happen.  Thus the blog's title.

I can't on this one.

You see, SBC was more than just another Liberal Arts College; it was a women's LAC.

It wasn't just another women's LAC, either; it was a women's LAC with a proud heritage and focus on the sciences.

Women in science?  For over a century?  How does THAT college close--now??  I thought we LOVED all that STEM stuff...especially for girls.

It was quite a surprise, too.  SBC still has almost $100 million in endowment funds.  This is Sweet Briar's way to end its run like John Elway, as opposed to Brett Favre.  Most financially failing colleges tend to hang on to the bitter end, damaging the credibility of the college (and ensuing degrees), leaving faculty/staff to wonder when to leave, making potential students wary of matriculating.  It's painful to watch a long, slow death.  This decision seems pretty responsible, practical, and brave.

I get that.  But Sweet Briar has a special, successful place in American education history.  It was also the one school that my youngest daughter could attend as a near-perfect match.

So the meaningless battle in my head rages on for the perfect college for a 14-year-old girl that wants to be a veterinarian but naturally learns things from different angles and perspectives.  She would have thrived there...and large, sterile universities haven't served the Henley family well.  For that matter, that whole Obama "bang for the buck" approach isn't working down here.  Someday I'll be brave enough to add the links that go with that last sentence--maybe if I'd attended a male version of Sweet Briar, I'd have the guts to do that today.

Education should be about options.  This week, a whole slew of options were lost with one responsible, painful decision.

Sniff...