As graduates walked across the stage to receive their degrees at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio, over Mother’s Day weekend, the ceremony was more poignant than usual. Lourdes is one of at least three Catholic colleges closing this year, part of a wider trend expected to claim hundreds of institutions over the next decade.
The closures are the result of declining enrollment, much of it caused by the “demographic cliff” of prospective college-age students, mounting financial challenges from decreased tuition revenue, and loss of federal grants and funding. Also closing this year are Ana Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts, and Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. All three institutions were founded by orders of religious women and prioritized serving poor and marginalized populations—unfortunately not a ticket to financial success.
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