Faculty cite political climate driving student migration to SEC schools from northeast

University faculty members have pointed to the political climate as one factor behind the allure of Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools, according to a report published Wednesday by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Joffery Gaymon, Auburn University’s vice president for enrollment management, told the Chronicle that "SEC universities would, perhaps, like to think of themselves as apolitical." Gaymon added that the institutions are a "contrast to a 'noisy' world as part of its appeal." 

The Auburn faculty member said that during the protests over the war in Gaza that rocked campuses across the country, "We didn’t really have those same challenges."

"When the world seems to be very noisy, there may be issues on campus, but it just shows up very differently for us. Some of those things really do matter to prospective students and families," he added.

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The declining enrollment of Northeastern schools has recently made headlines by several outlets, including The Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal. According to The Sunday Times, many students are choosing SEC schools including the University of South Carolina and the University of Tennessee, over Ivy League schools.

Fox News Digital reported last year on Emerson College being forced to lay off staff and make spending cuts due to a projected enrollment decline. The budget woes came after colleges across the country were overwhelmed with student protests amid the Gaza conflict. Major schools like the University of Michigan and Columbia University dealt with hostile environments during the protests.

Dominique J. Baker, an associate professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware, "believes the appeal of the SEC flagships aligns with the country’s right turn," the Chronicle reported.

"You see this sort of backlash and regression around civil liberties, civil rights, etc.," Baker said. Baker reportedly cited Texas A&M University's recent announcement of a policy limiting faculty discussion of gender and race. 

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Per the Chronicle’s reporting, "Some students and families may not think or care about such things, but ‘people’s imaginations about Southern public flagship institutions align with all those trends.’"

Robert Kelchen, a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, told the Chronicle that "post-Covid, many students were looking for something different from college. With the closed-off vistas of online school and social distancing, many high-school students sought ‘the stereotypical college experience.’" 

The Chronicle reported that "the undergraduates he teaches want a wide range of academic opportunities, but also the broader social experiences that a large public university can provide."

Although Kelchen is "skeptical that politics plays a large role in college decisions," he cited recent research that showed students are willing to pay more than an additional $2,000 in tuition to attend a college where fewer students disagree with them politically.

The study was conducted by Riley Acton, an assistant professor of economics at Miami University in Ohio.

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The Chronicle piece also cited the South’s growing economy, warm weather, Greek life, and sports entertainment as an allure for SEC schools. "They’ve seen what’s happening to higher education in much of the Northeast and Midwest with cuts, and that’s not something that’s happening as much in the SEC," Kelchen says. "We’re seeing growth. We’re seeing new buildings, bright and shiny things."

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking discussed the growth of SEC schools. Docking, who has more than two decades of experience in higher education and is credited for growing Adrian College's enrollment, echoed Kelchen’s assessment — pointing to sports, entertainment and broader migration to the South as corporations and housing developments expand there.

"I think it’s hard to watch an Alabama football game at eight o’clock on a Saturday night and not think, ‘Wow, that’s the place to be,’" Docking said. "There’s a lot of marketing going on right now. I don’t think there’s any single reason, but the population is clearly migrating to the South — both within and beyond higher education."