Siena Heights University in Adrian to close after next school year

Siena Heights University in Adrian will close at the end of the next school year because of mounting financial difficulties that plague many small liberal arts colleges.

“For 105 Years, Siena Heights University has been a beacon of light in a world sometimes cast in darkness,” President Douglas Palmer said in a June 30 statement. “The spirit of Siena Heights will continue long after the institution itself closes its doors because it lives in every graduate, faculty member, and staff person who has been on campus – whether in-person or online.”

The school said it is working with current students to facilitate transfers to other schools, and will help faculty and staff transition as well.

"The intent is to have as full and vibrant an academic year as possible, including academics, athletics, support services, and extracurriculars," Palmer wrote.

The school was founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919 as St. Joseph College for women. In 1939, it was renamed Siena Heights College in honor of St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century Dominican nun. It became co-ed in 1969 and, in 1998, it became Siena Heights University, according to the school's website.

Siena Heights had about 2,300 students in the 2023-2024 school year, according to data compiled by MI School Data.

But like many small colleges, it is facing rising costs and stiffer competition for new students. Detroit's Marygrove College closed in 2019, though its campus on West McNichols has seen new life including a new Detroit public school.

Because of smaller families, the number of college age students is expected to shrink in coming decades, and the Midwest is expected to face one of the sharpest declines in the nation.

Contact John Wisely: [email protected]. On X: @jwisely