F&M / Mike Faith

[WashedUpLaxDad]

Does anyone know the backstory on why mike faith left F&M? Heard a few different rumors both positive and negative.

[Dr. Tact]

Does anyone know the backstory on why mike faith left F&M? Heard a few different rumors both positive and negative.

Nothing I would post here...the rumor I heard was not positive.

[lax410]

Haven’t heard but weird timing. Wonder if they have someone else in mind.

[LaxDadMax]

Haven’t heard but weird timing. Wonder if they have someone else in mind.

From everything i've heard, even both sides of the story, this wasn't planned and the university was forced to act when some information came forth.

[lax410]

What happened?

[LaxDadMax]

What happened?

I don't want to repeat rumors if they aren't completely true and ruin someone's reputation. I will just say reports of serious violations of any university's policy.

[WLaxdad]

I've read articles over the last few years about F&M having financial difficulties and recently heard of faculty layoffs. They've had reduced enrollment, these are interesting times for higher-ed. Something else parents have to think about before choosing a school.

F&M also uses the business model of really high sticker price but then deep discounts which as a parent always makes it hard to compare until you go through the application process. Not my problem yet but I find it annoying for planning.

[lax410]

I've read articles over the last few years about F&M having financial difficulties and recently heard of faculty layoffs. They've had reduced enrollment, these are interesting times for higher-ed. Something else parents have to think about before choosing a school.

F&M also uses the business model of really high sticker price but then deep discounts which as a parent always makes it hard to compare until you go through the application process. Not my problem yet but I find it annoying for planning.

Not sure this is accurate. Before 2023/2024, F&M was a financial aid only school, like most of the NESCACs are. It’s only been very recently that they been offering merit discounts on tuition. Otherwise it was only financial aid. You can easily see cost of attendance of any financial aid only school by running the net price calculator.

[WLaxdad]

I've read articles over the last few years about F&M having financial difficulties and recently heard of faculty layoffs. They've had reduced enrollment, these are interesting times for higher-ed. Something else parents have to think about before choosing a school.

F&M also uses the business model of really high sticker price but then deep discounts which as a parent always makes it hard to compare until you go through the application process. Not my problem yet but I find it annoying for planning.

Not sure this is accurate. Before 2023/2024, F&M was a financial aid only school, like most of the NESCACs are. It’s only been very recently that they been offering merit discounts on tuition. Otherwise it was only financial aid. You can easily see cost of attendance of any financial aid only school by running the net price calculator.

They offer merit aid of up to $35,000/year. I can't imagine anyone paying 70k/year (tuition fee only) for F&M so I would assume most are getting discounts of some kind.
Not meant to be a dig at F&M the location is great I would consider it for my kid but not anywhere near list price.

https://www.fandm.edu/scholarships/

This may be a recent thing since enrollment is down.

[lax410]

I've read articles over the last few years about F&M having financial difficulties and recently heard of faculty layoffs. They've had reduced enrollment, these are interesting times for higher-ed. Something else parents have to think about before choosing a school.

F&M also uses the business model of really high sticker price but then deep discounts which as a parent always makes it hard to compare until you go through the application process. Not my problem yet but I find it annoying for planning.

Not sure this is accurate. Before 2023/2024, F&M was a financial aid only school, like most of the NESCACs are. It’s only been very recently that they been offering merit discounts on tuition. Otherwise it was only financial aid. You can easily see cost of attendance of any financial aid only school by running the net price calculator.

They offer merit aid of up to $35,000/year. I can't imagine anyone paying 70k/year (tuition fee only) for F&M so I would assume most are getting discounts of some kind.
Not meant to be a dig at F&M the location is great I would consider it for my kid but not anywhere near list price.

https://www.fandm.edu/scholarships/

This may be a recent thing since enrollment is down.

Again merit started for the class of 2023-2024. So it is a very recent thing and therefore it’s hardly a school with the “business model” of jacking up tuition to give merit to everyone (there are those schools to be sure where most/all kids get merit - not the case here). You can look at the Common Data set to see how many kids got merit for the one year they gave it out. Given the recent change, I’m sure plenty of kids paid full freight.

Whether it’s worth it… I don’t think my opinion, or yours, is super relevant to a lacrosse board unless you’re commenting on the lacrosse experience which your posts are not. Otherwise, we are talking about the school in general. So maybe good for them for saving and/or having the income to give their kids choices ? I could comment on many D1 and D2 schools as not being worth it as well. But everyone makes their own calls based on their income, savings, goals, values etc. aside from what lacrosse brings.

I also don’t know about declining enrollment at this school either. Small schools in general seem to be less favored recently as the lure of big football reigns supreme. I don’t know that I’ve seen that F&M is in a different position than its similarly situated peers.

[washedup]

I find it odd that F&M hasn’t even put out a press release saying he left — I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been checking in here.

[As an aside - not a fan of F&M’s new yellow and blue “&” logo on their main .edu site— and since when is yellow one of their accent colors?]

[lax410]

I find it odd that F&M hasn’t even put out a press release saying he left — I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been checking in here.

When someone is let go, they don’t usually do a press release. Job is posted.

[YCOLaxFanSU]

He is now the head coach of the Women's Lacrosse team 10 minutes away at Millersville U.