The whole idea of excluding a student simply because of money clashed with the college\u2019s ideals, Leslie Limper, the aid director, acknowledged. \u201cNone of us are very happy,\u201d\u009d she said, adding that Reed did not strike anyone from its list last year and that never before had it needed to weed out so many worthy students. \u201cSometimes I wonder why I\u2019m still doing this.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
That decision was one of several agonizing ones for this small private college, celebrated for its combination of academic rigor and a laid-back approach to education that once attracted Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, to study on its leafy campus minutes from downtown.<\/p>\n
With their endowments ravaged by the financial markets and more students clamoring for assistance, private colleges like Reed are making numerous changes this year in staff, students, tuition and classes that they hope will tide them over without harming their reputations or their educational goals.<\/p>\n
Reed and others have admitted more students to bolster revenue with larger classes.<\/p>\n