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Colleges impacted by COVID-19

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While many private colleges across the country have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, local schools believe they will “weather the storm.”

Thanks to support from alumni and other private donors, Washington & Jefferson College is in a “sound financial position,” according to Erin Jones, associate director of public relations.

“This is not an easy time for anyone,” Jones said. “It’s not an easy time for institutions, and it’s not an easy time for students. We understand how fortunate we are to have such generous supporters.”

She said the college has begun a new strategic plan that considers finances, which she believes will contribute to the school enduring any potential monetary setback.

“We are confident the college will be able to weather this storm and continue on the positive trajectory that we have been,” she said.

W&J is offering pro-rated refunds to students for room and board, based on how long they were on campus, Jones said. They have not yet calculated a total cost amount for those refunds.

“We felt that was the fair thing to do,” Jones said. “We’re looking at each student’s situation individually.”

W&J’s fall numbers haven’t wavered either. As of April 9, they’ve had more incoming freshman make deposits than they’ve had on the same date in the past five years, Jones said.

“Most importantly, it’s a strong class in quality – these are students that we feel will be very successful at W&J,” she said.

She said the college is aware that, for many of their families, financial situations have changes significantly due to the pandemic.

“We’re going to do what we can to support our families and their needs,” Jones said.

Stacey Brodak, vice president for institutional advancement and university relations for Waynesburg University, said that “in most cases,” a refund would be credited to the students’ future accounts.

“We will be in a better position to determine the financial impact after additional guidance from the Department of Education is received,” Brodak said in an emailed statement. “We anticipate such guidance to be issued soon. At that time, we will also be able to apply credits and refunds to all affected students, including seniors.”

As far as fall enrollment, Waynesburg officials do not suspect the pandemic will influence the size of the incoming class, due to dedicated work of admissions counselors and implemented virtual visits, Brodak said.

“Early indications show that we will not see drastic declines in our enrollment this fall,” she said.

For Marietta (Ohio) College, a private liberal arts school, the cost of reimbursing students for room and board this semester has already been impactful. Tom Perry, the vice president for communication and brand management, said the college plans to mail out checks to students the week of May 4.

“We are planning to provide a pro-rated refund for room and board,” Perry said in an email.

The total cost impact is expected to reach about $1 million, he said. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Perry said the school’s officials have been discussing “ways we can save money now that will help minimize the impact.”

The school had announced last year that tuition would increase 2% from this school year to next school year, Perry said, but that wasn’t because of the pandemic.

“We will not be increasing tuition because of the current pandemic or to cover any financial losses,” he said.

Perry said college officials aren’t too concerned about fall enrollment numbers potentially dropping, since the current students are still receiving a “first-rate virtual education” from the faculty and staff.

“Everyone wishes that we were not going through this, but everyone has learned some amazing lessons that will make us stronger in the future,” Perry said. “Therefore, we expect to have strong retention numbers with our current students and we are still faring well in regards to attracting new students.”

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