The only way for a college to survive these days is to dummy down and emphasize sports. Jewel tried to do it right and maintain high standards, but today’s generation can’t handle rigor. They want to play on their phones and get degrees without experiencing stress or anxiety. Jewell as a college is like the old Latin prof who kept his standards too high and got fired because his classes didn’t fill up and his majors all switched to business.

I suppose you’re right that these changes are “adaptive” in a sense, as the College adapts to a debilitating financial situation. I’d push back on the idea that these changes are “innovat[ive]” or the result of “future-forward” thinking, as I am confident this restructuring would not have occurred if WJC had not declared exigency.

I would advise against drawing inspiration from the current state of William Jewell College.