Days after Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana announced it was temporarily shutting down, hundreds of students are left to find a new school.
The 127-year-old Catholic institution is suspending all academic programming in Rensselaer after graduation in early May, a victim of the deteriorating finances that have hit a number of small colleges nationwide. No new students will be admitted and all of next year’s seniors, juniors and sophomores will have to transfer to another school for the fall term.
Just over 900 students are enrolled at Saint Joseph’s, a bucolic campus about 90 minutes from Chicago. The cooperative bachelor’s degree program with Saint Elizabeth’s School of Nursing will continue, according to school officials, but courses would be offered only in Lafayette, Ind., about 40 miles southeast of Rensselaer.
Since the announcement, leaders of the Indiana school reached out to colleges and universities throughout the Midwest to see which would be most readily able to welcome Saint Joseph’s students in the fall. It is part of what is called a "teach-out" arrangement, or formal agreement for one school to enroll students from a different school and enable them to finish their degrees.
Saint Joseph’s officials did not respond to requests for comment but on Monday, some Catholic schools in Indiana and Illinois announced they would offer special assistance to Saint Joseph’s students who wanted to apply to their institutions.
"For every family and student, I think the biggest question is going to be ‘Am I going to lose time to graduation and am I going to end up having to pay a lot more?’" said Ray Kennelly, senior vice president for enrollment management, marketing and planning at Lewis University in Romeoville. "I think what we’re trying to say is we’re going to try to do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen."
Kennelly said southwest suburban Lewis University would waive the application fee for Saint Joseph students looking to transfer. Lewis also would offer those students detailed reviews of academic credit, financial aid and scholarship options before they apply.
Kennelly also said Lewis administration already has compared its academic programs to those offered in Rensselaer, and felt confident Saint Joseph’s students would find compatible options.
Marian University in Indianapolis is prepared to accept Saint Joseph’s students in good academic standing "with virtually no questions asked," spokesman Mark Apple said.
Saint Joseph’s students would be given preferential status among transfer applicants.
"We have a great relationship with St. Joseph’s in that we’re both Catholic institutions located in the same state," Apple said.
University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne is providing two sources of transfer funding specifically for Saint Joseph’s students. One will provide up to $9,500 a year for tuition and the other offers up to $1,000 a year for on-campus housing.
Where there could be some challenges are with student-athletes, who not only have to find a school with similar academic programs but also one that offers the same sport they play. Athletic programs at Saint Joseph’s will conclude at the end of their seasons.
The temporary shutdown marks a bitter chapter for Saint Joseph’s, which was established in 1889 and for years hosted the Chicago Bears training camp, but has faced years of struggling finances.
The Higher Learning Commission placed Saint Joseph’s on probation in November, giving the college until early 2018 to demonstrate improvement.
On Jan. 25, Saint Joseph’s President Robert Pastoor wrote in a community letter that the financial situation had become "dire." He estimated the school needed about $20 million in cash before June 1 to stay afloat, and eventually as much as $100 million over time.
Then the board of trustees met Friday and announced the Rensselaer campus would have to temporarily close — a move that also means about 200 employees will be out of a job. The board’s chairman, Benedict Sponseller, cited "the harsh economic realities of operating a small independent college."
drhodes@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn
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