WSJ article is well-informed, but doesn’t paint full picture of SU
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If you’re part of the Syracuse University community, you’ve likely read, or at least heard about, the infamous Wall Street Journal article. Last month, the WSJ published an article with the headline “Why Syracuse Can’t Attract the Students It Needs to Pay the Bills,” a pretty bold claim and enough to make current students and alumni wince.
The WSJ wasn’t wrong to ask why SU can’t attract the students it needs to pay the bills, as this issue is affecting almost all midsize private schools in the U.S. The answer, though, speaks to the future of higher education as a whole.
What the story doesn’t do is capture what keeps me, and over 15,000 undergraduates, choosing SU every year.
The article opens with a quote from SU’s former director of international student services, claiming the problem is that the school thinks of itself like an Ivy, but it isn’t. This is a fair claim to make — SU’s total cost of attendance adds up to $95,676 per year for an undergraduate student living on campus, with tuition at $69,180.
The WSJ also discusses the fact that SU missed its enrollment target for the fall 2026 class, which it ties to a 1.5% operating budget deficit. This was originally confirmed in June by Chancellor Mike Haynie.
One of the biggest factors the WSJ points to is issues regarding international enrollment, highlighting that it’s a stream of revenue SU depends on. But this issue is far from self-inflicted. President Donald Trump’s administration’s continued pressure on student visas is significantly harming international enrollment numbers nationwide.
This context doesn’t erase the very real deficit at hand, but it does change how we should consider it. It isn’t simply a situation of the university mismanaging or carelessly spending. It’s an issue of SU struggling, along with other institutions, as a result of changes within higher education.
Haynie’s response to the article was strong and rooted in SU pride. He responded to the 1.5% deficit, calling it “far from a crisis.”
A close-knit campus life and school spirit, top-tier programs and downtown Syracuse are all part of a tradition that has made SU special for the past 156 years.Peyton Tapp, Columnist
The WSJ says a rough few years for men’s football and basketball are “depriving the university of national exposure,” equating athletics to marketing for the school. That lens completely misses what those programs mean to the SU community day to day.
The JMA Wireless Dome filling up with students in orange and blue on a Saturday has nothing to do with SU’s ranking and everything to do with the shared sense of identity and pride that students have on campus.
Transferring from a school whose football stadium was a 45-minute drive from campus, living within walking distance of the Dome was a shock. It makes game days feel like an event the entire campus is involved in, and it’s easy to see how much the entire SU community cares about our team.
The article also fails to acknowledge SU’s academic strengths. SU is home to the Newhouse School of Public Communications, which is consistently ranked one of, if not the best, communications schools in the country. The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is also ranked first by U.S. News Graduate Rankings for public affairs programs.
As a Maxwell student, I’ve witnessed firsthand that the faculty here are some of the best in their industries. Almost all of my professors have published research in their respective fields, and some have even been featured in news outlets like The New York Times. Being surrounded by such successful people every day is inspiring.
SU’s study abroad programs are also among the best of any American university. With campuses in places like Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and France, SU students are encouraged to complete at least a semester of their studies while immersing themselves in a new culture.
Downtown Syracuse is another part of the SU experience that often gets overlooked. Armory Square is close enough to campus that students can easily visit for a dinner or night out without needing a car. Restaurants like Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Pastabilities are known as classic celebration dinner spots that are favorites among students.
A story written about a university’s cost is never going to explain why students choose it. A close-knit campus life and school spirit, top-tier programs and downtown Syracuse are all part of a tradition that’s made SU special for the past 156 years. These are the reasons students choose to spend four years here.
The WSJ didn’t leave us with an incorrect image of SU, but one article can’t paint the whole picture.
Peyton Tapp is a junior majoring in philosophy and political science. She can be reached at petapp@syr.edu.
