Two Christian colleges in the Carolinas have announced their intentions to close after the current academic year in light of financial concerns. 

St. Andrews University, based in Laurinburg, North Carolina, has announced that it is closing and ceasing operations on May 5. A branch location of the Florida-based Webber International University, St. Andrews is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is separate and distinct from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. 

The Gaffney, South Carolina-based Limestone University, a nondenominational Christian institution, has also made public its decision to close at the conclusion of the spring semester.

In a statement on its Facebook page on Friday, St. Andrews said the decision resulted from "extensive financial analysis, strategic review and exhaustive recovery efforts."

"We explored every viable path forward," said Webber International University President and CEO Nelson Marquez. "But the persistent financial and enrollment challenges facing St. Andrews could no longer be mitigated through internal solutions alone. This was a deeply painful but necessary decision."

St. Andrews first held classes at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in 1961. The new school was a merger between two schools based elsewhere in the state, Flora Macdonald College and Presbyterian Junior College. In 2011, it was renamed St. Andrews University as the institution merged with Webber International University. 

St. Andrews indicated that it was "engaged with a number of universities about transfer credits" and expressed gratitude that it had received "an overwhelming amount of support in recent days." The institution listed more than two dozen other colleges and universities it is looking to establish "teach-out" agreements with that would enable students to transfer their credits to the new school and continue their education.

Schools in talks to enter into a "teach-out" agreement with St. Andrews include several North Carolina-based institutions such as Appalachian State University, Carolina University, Davidson College, East Carolina University, High Point University, Johnson and Wales University Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 

Colleges in discussions about a "teach-out" agreement with St. Andrews extend across multiple states to Alfred University in New York, Tennessee Wesleyan University and Webber International University in Florida. In addition to pursuing "teach-out" agreements, the college will provide "advising and transfer assistance" to all currently enrolled students as well as "personalized transition guidance, including employment resources and benefit counseling" for members of the school's faculty and staff. 

According to data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics, 832 students were enrolled at St. Andrews as of fall 2023. The student body consisted of 806 undergraduate students and 26 graduate students. 

Just four days after St. Andrews announced its closure, Limestone University made public its decision to close at the conclusion of the spring semester.

In a statement posted on the school's website, Limestone's Board of Trustees Chair Randall Richardson explained that "Despite exhaustive efforts to secure the funding necessary to continue our operations, we have come to the difficult conclusion that Limestone University has not been able to secure the necessary funding to sustain its operation."

"We want to thank the almost 200 recent supporters in the last two weeks who committed a collective $2.143 million. We had hoped that would be enough to sustain our institution. But in the final analysis, we could not continue operations on-campus or online without a greater amount of funding," he added. 

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that Limestone had an enrollment of 1,782 students as of fall 2023.

"Words cannot fully express the sorrow we feel in having to share this news," Limestone President Nathan Copeland stated. "Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters fought tirelessly to save this historic institution."

Like St. Andrews, Limestone is taking steps to assist students as they transfer to other colleges and universities in addition to supporting faculty and staff. The school's Facebook page describes the institution as an "accredited, independent, nondenominational Christian, liberal arts coeducational University."

St. Andrews and Limestone are the latest of several Christian colleges to shut their doors in recent years.

Last year, the Roman Catholic Church-affiliated Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio, not to be confused with the prominent University of Notre Dame in neighboring Indiana, announced that it was shutting its doors after more than 100 years in operation.

Birmingham-Southern College, an Alabama-based institution with ties to the United Methodist Church, announced it was taking the same course of action weeks later. 

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/st-andrews-university-closing-at-the-end-of-the-school-year.html