More than half the students at Nashville’s Aquinas College will have to transfer to other schools to finish their degrees. The college unexpectedly announced drastic cuts this morning, including laying off 60 of its 76 employees.
Starting this fall, the small Catholic school will only offer degrees in education. That means no more business, nursing or liberal arts programs, and the college says about 140 students will have to transfer elsewhere to complete their education.
It will also eliminate on-campus housing, despite having opened a new multi-million-dollar residence hall last fall. It was the first new building on campus in 40 years,
according to the Tennessean.
In a letter, the president of Aquinas wrote that the college could come up with no other solution to persistent difficulties with finances and enrollment.
“We have sought to reach the most financially responsible decision possible, both for the short and long term,” wrote Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith. “This decision is a difficult one because of its impact on the lives of our students, faculty and staff.”
She acknowledges that the changes will come as a surprise to many and says they will help students transfer to other similar colleges..
Aquinas’s restructuring will not affect the Overbrook School or St. Cecilia Academy, located on the same campus.
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