Lourdes University in northwest Ohio announced it will close at the end of this academic year.
The small Catholic college, which has resided in Sylvania for nearly 70 years, said declining enrollment and rising costs have left the school with no other choice.
“The Board took a hard and honest look at every aspect of the University – its finances, enrollment trends, academic programs and long-term viability,” the announcement read. “Ultimately, the Sylvania Franciscan Sisters who sponsor Lourdes University concluded that continuing operations beyond this academic year is financially unsustainable.”
The institution’s closure is the latest in a long string of college closures: Nearly 80 higher education institutions have shut their doors across the country since 2020 – and almost half are faith-based colleges, according to reporting from the Hechinger Report and NPR.
In Ohio alone, two other Catholic institutions have closed their doors in recent years. Chatfield College in southwest Ohio closed in 2023. Notre Dame College in South Euclid followed the next year.
A challenging time for Catholic institutions
Donna Carroll, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), said small Catholic colleges are facing all the same challenges as large universities: fewer college students due to a ‘demographic cliff’ and rapidly changing federal higher ed policies.
But Catholic institutions have their own particular set of challenges. Carroll said religious institutions’ calling to serve low-income students means financial sacrifices.
“Our mission pushes us to the edge of needy students, vulnerable students. Students with less financial wherewithal. So the margins of many of our small Catholic colleges are very tight,” she said. “We're very proud of it. It's a distinctive element of who we are but, in disruptive climates, small faith-based institutions have less maneuvering.”
Midwest colleges, more broadly, have struggled in recent years.
“We're seeing [enrollment] decline, but that decline is particularly in the Midwest and the Northeast,” Carroll said. “So you've got small regional colleges in declining markets who are doing wonderful work. But the pressures of enrollment and politics and finances can be overwhelming.”
Adapting to survive
Still, Carroll said it’s not all doom and gloom. She believes Catholic colleges have at least one edge over other higher education institutions.
“This is a morally treacherous time for our country. And so people are looking for institutions that are value-based. So although there are challenges, for many institutions, there are also opportunities,” Carroll said.
Small colleges in Ohio have begun exploring solutions: Ursuline College in northeast Ohio merged with Gannon University to stay afloat.
“We are rethinking our blueprint. And so you're a few institutions that are closing, but you're seeing more institutions that are partnering with other institutions and reconfiguring themselves to plan for the future.”
Impact on community
Lourdes’ closure is an emotional and financial hit to northwest Ohio.
The university has arranged teach-out agreements and transfer partnerships for its remaining students with other colleges, like Wittenberg University in Springfield and Walsh University in North Canton. Still, alumni, students and parents have taken to social media to express their disappointment at the closure.
In a post on Facebook, Lisa Sanders said her daughter originally committed to Siena Heights before the Catholic university in Michigan announced it would close this year. Her daughter went to Lourdes instead.
“She has bonded with her teammates and classmates which is going to make this one even harder than the scramble she had when Siena Heights announced closing. I am truly gutted for all the kids,” Lisa Sanders wrote on Facebook.
Despite the increasing closures, Carroll said they never feel status quo. She said it will be an adjustment for the wider community of Sylvania – not just those affiliated with the university.
“These are institutions that are deeply embedded in the history and the story of a city or a region,” she said. “Many of them are economic drivers.”
