Dominican University of California set to absorb students from closing Holy Names
SAN RAFAEL -- High school seniors deciding where to attend college in the fall typically spend the month of April reviewing offers of admission but this year some may have fewer options as more small private schools close because of financial shortfalls.
Some students from Holy Names University in Oakland will transfer to Dominican University of California later this year after the school closes in May.
"I thought they were kidding but it was just kind of, like, well, what's next? What do I do now? And a little bit of panic, I guess," said Caitlyn Garrison, a junior at Dominican who transferred from Holy Names ahead of the closure to continue playing soccer. "It's been like an interesting transition, you know, like it was sudden."
HNU's Board of Trustees announced it would end its athletic programs last November and then less than a month later decided to close the entire university because of financial challenges. In a letter to the community, the school's leadership explained that the university was struggling because of rising operational costs, declining enrollment, and an increased need for tuition discounts and institutional financial aid.
"In the past year, we explored many partnership and funding opportunities, but we did not secure an agreement that will allow the University to continue," the letter said last December. "We are, therefore, forced to take the painful action of closing the University after the completion of the Spring 2023 semester."
Garrison has started training with the soccer team at Dominican and changed majors at her new school. HNU came to an agreement with Dominican to help students complete existing degree requirements. She planned to stay at HNU for three years and tough it out no matter how difficult the transition was for her from a junior college. Now she wonders if she should have stayed at that junior college longer because she was forced to transfer twice to a new school.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in March that HNU was one of three small private colleges closing this year with similar trends leading to that announcement. Dropping enrollment despite a high acceptance rate and revenue highly dependent on tuition and fees were all cited by the publication.
Nicola Pitchford is the president of Dominican and said the issue of declining enrollment has plagued many small private schools for years, well before the COVID-19 pandemic only aggravated the problem. But she believes that institutions like hers remain important to ensuring more people of various backgrounds receive a four-year degree. She also argues that the value of a traditional college education still holds value in society even as more people look to other pathways after high school.
"There's also a place for smaller institutions that are less well known that tend to do a really personal job of looking out that no student falls between the cracks," Pitchford told KPIX. "A degree can give you the skills not just to get a job but then to invent your next job and to make the argument for your next job."
Final transfer numbers for the year are not available yet as Dominican offers rolling admission but as of early April, 180 undergraduate and graduate students from HNU are transferring while others continue to tour their campus. Pitchford agrees with Garrison about students looking into the health of a school they may attend, including both their enrollment history and current financial status. Garrison says that the appeal of having a sense of community with small class sizes and getting to know your professors is still relevant.
"I think it's really important for them to research the university," Garrison told KPIX about her advice to other students. She hopes others do not have to go through what she did during their college career.
"It's emotional, like, too." she said. "I just can't take the going back and forth."