Future of Division III

[MCScots2013]

Is there any significance to the 9/1 date?  Looks like that's a week into the fall semester.  Would UVF credit hours for Fall 2026, if accreditation is withdrawn, transfer?

[WUPHF]

Is there any significance to the 9/1 date?  Looks like that's a week into the fall semester.  Would UVF credit hours for Fall 2026, if accreditation is withdrawn, transfer?

Valley Forge would need to do another site visit prior to the accreditation being withdrawn, probably later in the semester.

[jmcozenlaw]

I'm hearing from very good sources in the city of Reading and in Berks County that at least one out of Albright and Alvernia is closed within the next 12-24 months. I'm not sure which one is in more trouble.

Also, from a very credible source up in Northeast PA/Luzerne County, King's is in some trouble and the general belief is that one, or possibly two, out of the 4-5 schools in NEPA is a goner on the same timeline as above (I'm doubting Wilkes or Misericordia), so that leaves King's, Keystone and the former JUCO (name is escaping me as I type this) that will be playing in the PSAC (still trying to figure that one out).

A President and an Athletic Director at a MAC school told me that they believe we are only in the 2nd or 3rd inning of the school closure cycle..............in what might not be the last cycle looking way down the road, unless parents start pumping them out again, which will probably never happen again.

[WUPHF]

A President and an Athletic Director at a MAC school told me that they believe we are only in the 2nd or 3rd inning of the school closure cycle...in what might not be the last cycle looking way down the road, unless parents start pumping them out again, which will probably never happen again.

This is unquestionably true.  Also expect extra innings...

[MCScots2013]

I'm hearing from very good sources in the city of Reading and in Berks County that at least one out of Albright and Alvernia is closed within the next 12-24 months. I'm not sure which one is in more trouble.

I'm guessing since one is Methodist and the other is Catholic, there's no discussion/possibility of a merger?

[WUPHF]

Here is my pitch to Albright.

Develop a plan to develop an on-campus retirement home.

Book an appointment with Senator Fetterman and ask for USDA and other funding.  Bring a box of Albright Football hoodies.

Build an institution that is 50-70% traditional undergraduates, 30-50% retired baby boomers interested in campus life, life long learning programs, etc.

Develop or expand programs that serve the elderly including nursing, physician assistants, etc.

[ADL70]

When Case and Western Reserve merged in 1967, they continued to field separate football and other athletic teams until 1970.

Technically we 'federated." https://case.edu/its/archives/federation/introduction.htm


Different sports combined at different times. 1970-71 was football, swimming and wrestling. Fencing was the prior school year. The rest were 1971-1972.

https://case.edu/its/archives/Sports/merger.htm

[Ron Boerger]

Valley Forge ist kaput.  Email sent earlier today; website not responding at this moment.

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and Friends,

After much prayer, careful consideration, and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Valley Forge has made the difficult and painful decision to suspend academic operations at the conclusion of the Summer 2026 semester.

This decision follows extensive efforts to address the University's financial challenges, pursue strategic partnerships, and identify sustainable paths forward. These challenges have been well documented over several decades and were reflected in the recent action of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which placed the University on Show Cause status. After careful assessment of the University's financial realities, the Board concluded that it could not continue academic operations responsibly beyond the Summer 2026 semester.
We recognize the weight of this announcement. For 87 years, the University of Valley Forge has been a place where students have encountered God's presence, discovered their callings, and been prepared for lives of service and leadership in the church and in the world.

To our students, we are deeply sorry. We understand that this announcement disrupts your lives, your plans, and your sense of stability, and we are grieving for you and with you. Please know that until the very last moment, we had significant reason to believe there was a sustainable path forward. However, that path did not materialize in time.

We also want to say thank you. Your love for Christ, commitment to learning, and desire to serve others have been a continual source of encouragement and joy. It has been our privilege to be part of your journey, and we remain fully committed to supporting you through this transition. Our immediate focus is on you. We are working diligently with partner institutions, accrediting agencies, and regulatory bodies to help ensure the continuation of your education.

With this in mind, the University will remain operational and will maintain essential personnel to support students, facilitate transitions, preserve academic records, steward institutional assets, and oversee ongoing institutional responsibilities.

Additional information, including transfer assistance, transcript services, potential teach-out arrangements, and answers to frequently asked questions, is available on the University website.

We are profoundly grateful for the faculty and staff who have served this community with extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and faithfulness. Through seasons of both blessing and challenge, you have invested deeply in the lives of our students and advanced the mission of this institution in countless ways. We know the
Lord will continue to multiply His disciples through your life and ministry.

We are likewise grateful for our donors, churches, alumni, and friends whose prayers, generosity, and partnership have sustained this institution and strengthened its Kingdom impact for generations.

This is a painful moment for our community, but it is not one without hope. Throughout its 87-year history, the University of Valley Forge has faithfully prepared men and women to serve Christ around the world. While this chapter is drawing to a close, we trust that the Lord will continue His work through the lives of those who have been part of this mission in ways we cannot yet see.

Please join us in praying for wisdom, peace, and God's continued guidance for the entire University of Valley Forge community.

With gratitude,
The Board of Trustees
University of Valley Forge

[Ron Boerger]

Valley Forge students have teachout opportunities at Messiah, Eastern, and Southeastern, though the details of each differ (Messiah will match UVF net tuition costs, Southeastern offers only a 25% discount, etc.).

[WUPHF]

Valley Forge students have teachout opportunities at Messiah, Eastern, and Southeastern, though the details of each differ (Messiah will match UVF net tuition costs, Southeastern offers only a 25% discount, etc.).

I was looking at their website when you first posted the story and they already had the teach-out opportunities listed with a pretty well written explanation of why they were sharing, that there was no hard feelings for those who wished to weigh options or transfer.

[MCScots2013]

On a more positive note, Sweet Briar seems to be doing well after almost closing a decade ago.  The College raised $14M on a goal of $5.5M for its 125th anniversary.
Cardinal News article

[Ron Boerger]

Sweet Briar is one of the few small colleges that can say revenues have exceeded expenses for each of the last six years.   Expenses have risen from $32.3M in 2020 to $42.1M in 2025, but revenues have grown accordingly (from $36.8M to $43.1M) thanks in no small part to the kind of fundraising during their recent campaign; contributons exceeded $18M annually with the exception of 2021 ($16.3M), representing at least 40% of annual revenues during the period.   Net assets have increased from $120M to $144M during this time.

The question, of course, is how much longer can the school raise such a huge part of its annual budget from its supporters.

[Kuiper]

"Targeted Reductions" Coming to Illinois Tech

An unspecified number of positions will be cut from the Illinois Institute of Technology, its president wrote in an email to the campus community on Tuesday that was obtained by The Chronicle. Citing the converging forces of demographic decline, research cutbacks, and restrictions on international students, the president, Raj Echambadi, explained that "the actions we are taking now, while painful, are needed to build a stronger foundation for the future." Illinois Tech's total enrollment was 8,834 in fall 2024, according to federal data, which was an increase of about 12 percent relative to a decade earlier.

The Faculty Senate, meanwhile, acknowledged that the university is in "extreme financial difficulty and that deep cuts may be necessary" but said it lacked confidence in senior administrators, whom it described as "slow, opaque, apparently uninformed, and nontransparent," to make decisions that would enable the institution to meet its obligations to students and accreditors. The senate's vote of no confidence in the president, provost, and vice president for enrollment management and student affairs passed on Monday and Tuesday by a margin of 85 to 8, with four abstentions.