Students at Notre Dame College in South Euclid are trying to figure out what’s next after news broke last week that the college will be closing its doors.
The closure is due to "long-standing" issues that the college tried to address, according to a Feb. 29 press release. Those issues include shrinking enrollment, a declining number of college-aged students due to shifting demographics and a significant amount of debt accrued over the years.
DeEvin Curry, a sophomore studying cybersecurity, said he enjoyed his time at the school and added that it's sad to see it close.
"I was able to connect very well with faculty and stuff," he said, "And they were very helpful, and I feel like they put a lot of passion and heart behind their work. We got a lot of one-on-one time."
Curry is confident he would land on his feet, he said. He's looking to finish his degree at Mercyhurst College, which he said has a good cybersecurity program.
Notre Dame has secured agreements with nine other colleges and universities to allow students to enroll elsewhere at comparable tuition rates through a "teach-out" program.
The colleges and universities participating in that program include Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland State University, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kent State University, Lake Erie College, Ursuline College, Walsh University and Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Many students attending Notre Dame were student-athletes like freshman Katrina Willis, who came to the college from Florida and is a member of the acrobatics and tumbling team.
"I came all the way here for the athletics and the school," she said. "Then just seeing our coach ... just feel so defeated, she came here to start this program... it was just really hard when we had to hear it [news of closure] from her."
The college is "working closely with all Teach-Out Institutions to set up meetings for interested NDC athletes with coaches so that they can discuss athletic opportunities," according to its website.
Willis said she’s considering transferring to John Carroll University, one of the institutions participating in the teach-out plan to enroll students affected by the closure.
The school should have notified students sooner about the state of its finances, Willis said. Speculation the college might close began to ramp up in January.
Tanner Smith, a junior at Notre Dame College from Western Pennsylvania studying biology and ecology, is a member of Notre Dame’s rugby team, which won the Division I National Collegiate Rugby Championship in 2023. He hopes the entire team will be picked up by another school. If not, he’s not sure where he’ll go; hopefully somewhere else with a Division I team.
"It's definitely really rough because of all the relationships that I've gained over the past three years and the connections that I made with the boys [on the team]," Smith said.
College officials said they tried everything they could to try to prevent the school from closing, including fundraising campaigns, "strategically using" pandemic relief money and pursuing two partners for a possible merger, according to the release announcing the closure. One of those possible partnerships was with Cleveland State University.
Willis wondered what will happen to the college's buildings and facilities after it closes at the end of the spring semester, noting it has good athletic facilities and historic structures.
A spokesperson for Notre Dame College declined to respond to a question about what will happen to the college's buildings.
"At this time we are trying to assist our students, faculty and staff during this difficult time," she said.
