Today as I silently played with my Blackberry on a Palamountain toilet I overheard two staff members talking about this afternoon’s  meeting where faculty will vote on the future of Skidmore’s University Without Walls program. According to these gentlemen the program is doomed, I’ll spare you the transcript but they made is pretty obvious that the faculty has made up their minds.

UWW is Skidmore’s distance learning program including among its graduates Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s fame. It was suggested, in March of last year, that the college terminate the program, which faces six figure financial loss, increased competition and dropping enrollment rates. If my unknowing bathroom informants are correct in predicting the demise of the program the college will allow for a “reasonable period of transition” to let the programs roughly 100 enrolled students finish their degrees.

The termination of the program has brought about some criticism from the students who accuse the college of failing to properly market the program. The college’s decision also ruffles feathers among those looking to abolish the tie between higher education and the luxury of the upper class—a UWW student pays $13,293, compared with $49,266 for traditional students. Today’s meeting does not automatically shutter the program, the Board of Trustees will have final say on the issue in their May meeting.