Sep 10, 2026 · 9 min
Small colleges face a widening economic squeeze
Are small town colleges going extinct?
The episode shows how enrollment declines and rising costs can destabilize colleges and the communities that depend on them.
- 1Massachusetts colleges face declining enrollment, rising costs, and growing competition from alternatives to four-year degrees.
- 2The closure of Anna Maria College disrupted faculty and students while threatening an institution woven into its local economy.
- 3The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book captures higher education as a regional economic warning, not merely a campus problem.
Don't miss
Travis Maruska explains how Anna Maria College’s sudden closure disrupted faculty, students, and the surrounding community.
The brief
The hosts turn the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book into an awards show, using regional reports to surface economic pressures that rarely make headlines.
Boston wins for its report on worsening conditions in Massachusetts higher education, where declining enrollment, rising costs, and alternatives to four-year degrees are reshaping demand.
The closure of Anna Maria College makes the warning personal: former professor Travis Maruska describes financial strain, competition for students, and disruption for faculty, students, and the surrounding community.
Maruska plans to leave higher education for mental health counseling, while the hosts note that Anna Maria was one of multiple Massachusetts colleges closing.
Featuring
MassachusettsListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.