Dive Temporary:
- Notre Dame School, in Ohio, will shut on the finish of the spring 2024 semester, the administration introduced Thursday.
- Officers from the Roman Catholic faculty had met with directors at Cleveland State College in current months to discover a merger or acquisition, however they have been in the end unsuccessful.
- Notre Dame mentioned the closure was associated to declining enrollment and a shrinking pool of traditional-aged college students, in addition to rising prices and vital debt.
Dive Perception:
From 2014 to 2022, complete fall enrollment at Notre Dame declined almost 37%, from 2,281 college students to 1,444, based on federal knowledge.
School officers mentioned that they made many efforts to stay open, together with fundraising, refinancing debt, and tapping into federal and state pandemic reduction. However efforts weren’t ample to shut finances gaps and fulfill debt obligations, they mentioned.
“We’re all saddened by the necessity to make this choice, however relaxation assured that as we transfer ahead, we’re doing every thing we are able to to make sure a clean transition for our college students to proceed their schooling,” John Smetanka, interim president of Notre Dame, mentioned in a launch.
A minimum of 4 public and nonprofit faculties in Ohio have closed since 2018, with Notre Dame set to change into one other. A minimum of 20 establishments introduced closures or consolidations in 2023, together with a number of religiously-affiliated faculties.
Two different Roman Catholic establishments — the School of Saint Rose, in New York, and Magdalen School of the Liberal Arts, in New Hampshire — introduced pending closures late final 12 months. Each establishments had additionally struggled with enrollment, and the School of Saint Rose had projected a money deficit of $11.3 million.
Based on an FAQ, Notre Dame School has organized for college students to proceed their research by way of educate outs with 10 different establishments. A majority are with Ohio establishments: Baldwin Wallace College, Case Western Reserve College, Cleveland State College, Hiram School, John Carroll College, Kent State College, Lake Erie School, Ursuline School and Walsh College. It additionally established an settlement with Mercyhurst College, about 95 miles northeast in Pennsylvania.
In a Thursday announcement, Mercyhurst mentioned the teach-out settlement will allow Notre Dame School’s college students to complete credentials with out dropping time or credit.
“It’s the aim of each establishments to fulfill the distinct and numerous wants of Notre Dame college students and to make sure the very best end result for all involved,” Michael Joseph, Mercyhurst’s interim vice chairman for enrollment, mentioned in an announcement.
Notre Dame college students who switch to accomplice establishments can count on to pay the identical internet tuition prices and to graduate on time, based on the FAQ. The school mentioned it’s nonetheless negotiating teach-outs with further establishments.
