A Michigan college president says Syracuse University’s mounting financial troubles and nearly $100,000 total cost of attendance are symptoms of a much bigger problem across American higher education, not an isolated case.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us as college presidents and institutions to say, ‘Can we start to turn the dial back and lower costs every year for students?’ And I think we can do that if we work together,” Adrian College President Dr. Jeffrey Docking told Fox News Digital.
Docking, who has led the Michigan school for more than 20 years, called Syracuse “a bellwether for the structural crisis facing higher education nationally,” adding that its situation “is no different than at most private institutions — many regional publics as well.”
Docking’s comments came in response to a Wall Street Journal report detailing Syracuse’s steep enrollment and budget problems. The Central New York school carries nearly $500 million in debt tied to new residence halls and faces a 1.5% budget shortfall as it struggles to enroll enough students to cover operating costs.
Former Syracuse University Center for International Services Director Juan Tavares told the Journal, “The problem with Syracuse is that the school thinks of itself as like an Ivy, but it’s not.”
The Journal also reported that a federal crackdown on student visas in 2025 collided with those existing weaknesses, cutting Syracuse’s international undergraduate and graduate enrollment in half. The university also missed its overall enrollment targets, prompting emergency financial-aid packages to lure incoming freshmen.
Tuition Nearly Doubled in a Decade
Syracuse’s sticker price for tuition alone now stands at $69,180 for the current academic year, up from $40,458 in 2013-14. Once room, board, fees and other expenses are added, the total cost of attendance can reach $98,544.
Fox News Digital reached out to Syracuse University for comment.
The rising cost of college nationwide has coincided with total U.S. student loan balances reaching $1.65 trillion, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York data.
A Call for ‘Re-Engineering’
Docking argued that Syracuse’s troubles reflect converging national pressures rather than any unique failure by the school.
“[Syracuse is] falling victim to the perfect storm that’s out there with international enrollment being down, people questioning the value of higher education, and the fact that many schools are dealing with declining high school graduation rates — especially in northern states,” Docking said.
“There’s nothing wrong with Syracuse University. It’s a fantastic place and will remain fantastic,” he added. “But they are just victims of what needs to be a re-engineering of American higher education in the years ahead.”
Syracuse University Chancellor and President J. Michael Haynie acknowledged the shortfall and said higher education leaders must re-evaluate the value they offer students and families.
Docking co-authored the book “Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America” and previously testified before Congress on innovation and cost reduction in higher education. He is credited with doubling Adrian College’s enrollment since becoming president in 2005.
He also co-founded Rize Education, a course-sharing platform that lets smaller colleges collaborate on online classes without the overhead of hiring additional full-time faculty. Through the partnership, Adrian College has added 27 majors, 13 minors and eight certificates in fields including business, technology, engineering and healthcare — helping the school earn a spot on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Most Innovative Regional Universities in the Midwest” for three consecutive years.
“Higher education institutions traditionally have been very inefficient. They’ve been very insular. They’ve not worked well together to drive down costs,” Docking said. “The re-engineering has to be a massive effort to bring efficiency to existing institutions.”
Add comment