The Liberal Arts College Death Spiral

Early reflections on the downfall of Roanoke College

The day when shared governance collapsed. Faculty were told two hours before that our workload would be increased without any change in pay—that our job contracts, and the faculty handbook, would be violated. We were asked to “play nice” at an afternoon convening with members of the Board of Trustees. We did not—we roared back in anger. August 24, 2023.

When the history of Roanoke College in the 21^st century is told, it will most likely be described in one of two ways: either as a heroic narrative of outsider technocrats swooping in to rescue a small, private, liberal arts college on the brink of financial collapse, or as a tragedy of Shock Doctrine profiteers swooping in to manage a controlled demolition.

Either way, the opening chapter of this history will look back in time at the larger forces that propelled Roanoke College to the cliff’s edge. (I am a historian and a former professor at the college, but I am not a historian of higher education, so what follows is just my novice sta…