Faculty cite political climate driving student migration to SEC schools from northeast

University faculty members have pointed to the political state as one factor behind the allure of Southeastern Conference SEC schools according to a record published Wednesday by the Chronicle of Higher Learning Joffery Gaymon Auburn University s vice president for enrollment management notified the Chronicle that SEC universities would perhaps like to think of themselves as apolitical Gaymon added that the institutions are a contrast to a 'noisy' world as part of its appeal The Auburn faculty member explained that during the protests over the war in Gaza that rocked campuses across the country We didn t really have those same challenges When the world seems to be very noisy there may be issues on campus but it just shows up very differently for us Various of those things really do matter to prospective students and families he added STUDENTS EXPLAIN WHY MORE YOUNG AMERICANS ARE DITCHING NORTHEAST SCHOOLS FOR SOUTHERN CAMPUSESThe declining enrollment of Northeastern schools has not long ago made headlines by several outlets including The Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal According to The Sunday Times numerous students are choosing SEC schools including the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee over Ivy League schools Fox News Digital stated last year on Emerson College being forced to lay off staff and make spending cuts due to a projected enrollment decline The budget woes came after colleges across the country were overwhelmed with aspirant protests amid the Gaza conflict Major schools like the University of Michigan and Columbia University dealt with hostile environments during the protests Dominique J Baker an associate professor of teaching and society framework at the University of Delaware believes the appeal of the SEC flagships aligns with the country s right turn the Chronicle released You see this sort of backlash and regression around civil liberties civil rights etc Baker declared Baker reportedly cited Texas A M University's up-to-date announcement of a approach limiting faculty discussion of gender and race UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS ADMIT COLLEGES 'LOST THEIR MISSION' AS TRUMP PUSHES COACHING OVERHAULPer the Chronicle s reporting Particular students and families may not think or care about such things but people s imaginations about Southern inhabitants flagship institutions align with all those trends Robert Kelchen a professor of educational leadership and framework studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville recounted the Chronicle that post-Covid plenty of students were looking for something different from college With the closed-off vistas of online school and social distancing numerous high-school students sought the stereotypical college experience The Chronicle released that the undergraduates he teaches want a wide range of academic opportunities but also the broader social experiences that a large inhabitants university can provide Although Kelchen is skeptical that politics plays a large role in college decisions he cited up-to-date research that proved students are willing to pay more than an additional in tuition to attend a college where fewer students disagree with them politically The research was conducted by Riley Acton an assistant professor of economics at Miami University in Ohio STUDENTS EXPLAIN WHY MORE YOUNG AMERICANS ARE DITCHING NORTHEAST SCHOOLS FOR SOUTHERN CAMPUSESThe Chronicle piece also cited the South s growing market system warm weather Greek life and sports entertainment as an allure for SEC schools They ve seen what s happening to higher mentoring in much of the Northeast and Midwest with cuts and that s not something that s happening as much in the SEC Kelchen says We re seeing development We re seeing new buildings bright and shiny things In an interview with Fox News Digital Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking discussed the advance of SEC schools Docking who has more than two decades of experience in higher tuition and is credited for growing Adrian College's enrollment echoed Kelchen s assessment pointing to sports entertainment and broader migration to the South as corporations and housing developments expand there I think it s hard to watch an Alabama football challenge at eight o clock on a Saturday night and not think Wow that s the place to be Docking revealed There s a lot of marketing going on right now I don t think there s any single reason but the population is clearly migrating to the South both within and beyond higher coaching