Eastern Washington University’s English Language Institute is in crisis mode.
The intensive language training program for foreign students in Cheney, Wash., saw enrollment plummet by more than half in recent months, to 41 students for the spring quarter. It cut its part-time teaching staff to two from eight, and eliminated some student-worker positions.
Seemingly overnight, its core market—Saudi Arabian students funded by government scholarships—nosedived.
“We knew this wouldn’t last forever, but I wasn’t expecting as sharp a drop-off,” said Neil Heyen, the institute’s director.