Rider staff and students find optimism amid uncertainty after Middle States visit
This story was updated on Aug. 17 at 11:32 a.m.
By Cal Sutton and Samantha Clark
With just weeks before the semester begins, students and faculty are both nervous and excited for the upcoming academic year while administrators wrestle with ongoing financial strains.
While Rider continues to struggle with finances, it has maintained its academic accreditation.
The financial hardship the university is facing is not unique to Rider. Higher education institutions across the country began laying off staff members and cutting programs at the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1. The nationwide issue of financial strain in universities is due to budget deficits and changes in federal funding, according to a July 7 article from Inside Higher Ed.
Earlier this month, a monitoring team with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education visited the university to host multiple forums for students and staff. Rider was placed on probation in 2025 for financial problems that fall within the commission’s Standard VI, “Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement.”
Standard VI sets the criteria for Middle States’ financial oversight on universities. Rider was put on probation with the commission last year after accumulating $130 million in debt, according to a Nov. 11 Rider News interview with Rider President John Loyack. Since then, Rider has laid off 30 full-time faculty members, imposed reductions in salaries and benefits, sold property and consolidated debt.
“Our efforts have us on a pace to achieve a breakeven position by FY27 with the goal to grow enrollment and have a positive operating budget in future years,” Thomas Papa, Rider’s vice president for finance, said in a June 11 email to The Rider News.
Students reflect on administration’s honesty
The Middle States meeting included an Aug. 4 student Zoom forum, attended by a wide range of majors and representatives of campus groups.
Wyatt Salberg, a senior biochemistry major, said he is appreciative of the Rider administration’s willingness to be open and honest with the student body, but he is worried about the STEM-related departments following faculty layoffs and the university’s financial situation.
“In my genuine belief, it’s that the STEM department at our school was hit the hardest out of anything on campus,” Salberg said. “We use a lot of instrumentation devices, and if you can’t use that, it’s not good.”
He said the university no longer has access to devices needed to verify the accuracy of experiments and research.
According to Salberg, Rider has also unsubscribed from science-related databases used in research for science majors.
The University Library website states it unsubscribes from academic journals and research databases when there is low student engagement and no ties to Research Impact Statements.
During the forum, senior chemistry major Evan Mickle shared worries about losing access to publications and instruments such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) used in experiments.
“I can’t imagine not knowing these things, going into the world,” Mickle said during the forum. “I am doing an internship right now, and if I didn’t know how to use NMR or SciFinder, I wouldn’t be able to survive.”
Associate Dean of the School of Science, Technology and Mathematics Alexander Grushow said that despite the difficult decision to decommission Rider’s NMR Spectrometer, students have access to the instrument at nearby partnering institutions.
A group of women’s basketball team athletes attended the forum, as did Student Government Association president and senior human resources management major Lizbeth Ortiz.
Ortiz vocalized her high hopes for this upcoming academic year, as well as excitement to see what is next for Rider.
“I think it was a great step into hearing how the student body feels,” said Ortiz. “I was really happy with how it went. I feel like a lot of students are supporting Rider and they understand that this is a [hard time] in Rider’s process, but it’s going to get better.”
She attended both the student Zoom forum and the Aug. 5 exit session in the Yvonne Theater. The exit session gave the Middle States monitoring team an opportunity to share their thoughts and give recommendations for the university’s next steps.
“[The exit session] wasn’t the final accreditation decision,” Ortiz said. “Rider will have the opportunity to respond to the written report that they will be giving in a few weeks.”
Senior musical theater major Olivia Teitelbaum said she has hope for the university and praises its willingness to work through hardship, but she noted the probation with Middle States is “nerve-wracking.”
She and other students at the forum believe that, while there are large strides to be made before Rider is in the clear again, there is a sense of hope and confidence that the university will survive.
“This administration is definitely a lot more engaged with the student body. [They are] definitely a lot more interested in what we have to say,” Teitelbaum said. “I would say that I feel better supported.”
Teitelbaum also believes Rider should invest in improving residence halls. “I think it would be a draw to Rider, because having really nice dorms and facilities is a huge plus when you’re touring campus,” Teitelbaum said. “I think it would have a lot more returns in the future than the initial investment of remodeling the buildings.”
Salberg, Ortiz and Teitelbaum echoed a similar idea that they appreciated that Loyack prioritized transparency.
“I think that’s really the biggest sticking point and why a lot of people are still sticking around because people appreciate honesty. Honesty brings up loyalty,” Salberg said.
In June, the Rider’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to Loyack requesting a full and detailed accounting of Rider’s finances and plans to increase salaries and rehire professors. The union did not respond to attempts to seek comment for this story.
Faculty see a path forward
In the second monitoring visit of the year, the first previously held in April, the Middle States team “acknowledged the significant progress we have achieved together within a relatively short period of time,” Loyack said in an Aug. 5 email to the Rider community.
Rider staff shared a similar sense of optimism after the forums.
Nadia Ansary, professor and psychology department chair, is optimistic that the recent changes will not negatively impact students, she noted in an Aug. 9 email to The Rider News.
“There have been significant steps taken. We have paid down debt, sold property and undertaken other strategic initiatives that have resulted in an improved financial picture,” Ansary said. “Rider has pivoted significantly since the crisis began and I think the [Middle States] team acknowledged that in their feedback.”
Ansary said, despite the reductions, there is a strong focus on student success.
“Change is hard, we are in a period of great flux and transition, and we are unified in a singular goal, which is to deliver the best education and support services possible to the students we serve,” Ansary said.
Buck Linton, adjunct professor for the Department of Performing Arts, said in an Aug. 11 email that the turnaround will not be quick or easy, but he is optimistic.
Linton said, “I feel like we are ahead of the curve.” Typically, it would take three years to accomplish what Rider has done in less than a year, he said.
In an Aug. 11 email to The Rider News, Howard Joffe, a priority adjunct associate professor for the Department of Communication, Journalism and Media, emphasized that financial problems have not eroded Rider’s academic success.
“Most people hear the word ‘probation’ and automatically start to doubt Rider’s viability,” Joffe said. “Parents and students might not distinguish the Standard VI focus on financials, resources and economics from a general sense of academic deficiency or failure. As I understand it, we have never failed our students.”
Director of Westminster Opera Theatre for Westminster Choir College Susan Ashbaker agreed and said in an Aug. 9 email that maintaining Rider’s sense of community will help in the long run.
Additionally, Ashbaker acknowledged the challenges Rider has faced.
“It’s been difficult for us all. We are all working harder for less money and fewer tangential benefits. … Ultimately, I knew I was going to find a way to make it work for me, to help my department and college and especially the students. The students are relying on us,” Ashbaker said. “That being said, we need to continue to support each other, no matter what our job is on campus. Kindness can go a long way when someone is having a bad day, feeling unappreciated, undervalued, and exhausted. We can all be kind. That costs nothing.”
In his Aug. 5 email, Loyack shared that the development of his next strategic plan, Rider Reimagined, which he said is “designed to build on our progress.”
Tatiana Sciancalepore, executive director of marketing and communication at Rider, provided more context in an Aug. 10 email, explaining that this plan will reflect what students need to succeed.
“Rider Reimagined is still taking shape, but at its core, it’s really about making sure the Rider experience reflects what students need today and what will set them up for success after graduation,” Sciancalepore said. “That means looking at the whole student experience — not just academics, but also the traditions, relationships and spaces that make Rider such a special place.”
Sciancalepore said she appreciates the commitment and adaptability to the university’s financial and organizational changes, and the confidence displayed by Rider’s community.
“There’s no question that the past year has been hard on everyone. But at the same time, it’s been incredibly inspiring to see how people across Rider have rallied around the university, supported one another and worked incredibly hard to keep things moving forward,” Sciancalepore said. “I think that says a lot about how much people care about Rider and how committed they are to its future.
The visiting team was composed of three peer evaluators, each serving or having previously served at educational institutions across the accreditor’s region. Along with the peer evaluators was a representative from the Middle States as Rider’s liaison. They include:
- Elizabeth Ciabocchi, vice provost for academic affairs at Adelphi University, Long Island, NY
- Bridget Mancosh, former senior vice president for finance & operations and chief financial officer at Point Park University, Pittsburgh.
- Joseph Levy, associate vice provost of accreditation and quality improvement at Excelsior University, an online program based in Albany, NY
- Terence Peavy, Rider’s liaison and Middle States’ lead vice president for institutional field relations.
