Judson College board of trustees vote to close school By WBRC Staff | May 6, 2021 at 3:33 PM CDT - Updated May 6 at 4:55 PM
MARION, Ala. (WBRC) - The Judson College board of trustees voted May 6 to close the 183-year-old institution. Board members called it “heartbreaking.”
The vote follows months of fundraising to try and keep the college open. In December 2020, WBRC reported Judson had raised more than $500,000.
The Alabama Baptist reported 18 members of the 24-member board voted in favor of suspending academic operations and to move through an orderly closing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Only about 80 students are registered for the fall, down from 145 in December.
From the Tribune staff reports
MARION The Board of Trustees of Judson College, the fifth oldest women’s college in the United States, has voted to suspend operations, the school announced on Thursday.
In a “heartbreaking” decision today, the Judson College Board of Trustees voted to close the 183-year-old institution, a press release from the school stated.
The news is a somewhat unexpected end to the five-month emotional roller coaster for the Judson community following the hopeful report from the Board on April 2. But after several multi-million-dollar fundraising efforts since December 2020 and the exploration of potential mergers and other options, new developments during the first few days of May forced school officials to prepare the board for the reality of Judson’s financial situation.
Judson College
Judson College just held what may be its last graduation ceremony. The school s trustees voted to close the small Baptist-affiliated school for women which predates the Civil War. Campus leaders cite a lack of money and declining enrollment in the decision to close Judson, which was founded in 1838 and is the nation’s fifth-oldest college for women.
A $1.5 million fundraising drive back in December was supposed to breathe new life into the school’s finances, but the effort fell short. Enrollment also declined from one hundred and forty five students to about eighty, with only a dozen new students committed for the fall.
The board voted in April to approve a budget for the 2021-22 academic year, betting on new donor leads that could result in significant gifts to the college. Those gifts never materialized, according to a college press release.
Two days before Thursday s board meeting, one of Judson’s creditors called a note on a loan that was due and was not renewed.
“New donors did not materialize, student retention is much lower than expected and mounting debt pressures have increased,” W. Mark Tew, president of Judson, told
The Alabama Baptist. “The combined effect of these three items left us no choice.”
Judson College board of trustees vote to close school By WBRC Staff | May 6, 2021 at 3:33 PM CDT - Updated May 6 at 10:26 PM
MARION, Ala. (WBRC) - The Judson College board of trustees voted May 6 to close the 183-year-old institution. Board members called it “heartbreaking.”
The vote follows months of fundraising to try and keep the college open. In December 2020, WBRC reported Judson had raised more than $500,000.
The Alabama Baptist reported 18 members of the 24-member board voted in favor of suspending academic operations and to move through an orderly closing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Only about 80 students are registered for the fall, down from 145 in December.