The College of New Rochelle, a former women’s college in New York, has recently announced that it will most likely close by the end of this summer. The college enrolls about 3,000 students. Women make up 84 percent of the undergraduate student body.
The College of New Rochelle was founded by the Ursuline Sisters in 1904 as the College of St. Angela. It was the first Catholic college for women in New York State. The college assumed its current name in 1910. Men were first admitted to graduate programs in 1969. In December 2015, the College of New Rochelle announced that it would transition to full co-education.
Despite increases in enrollment since going co-educational, the college has faced many financial struggles. In late 2016, then-president Judith Huntington abruptly resigned. Following her resignation, the college released a statement that read in part: “Around the beginning of the school year, the trustees were advised of significant unmet financial obligations that had accrued over a period of time. . . . These unmet financial obligations have and will continue to have a serious impact on the college’s operations.”
Shortly after, the college announced that it owed about $20 million in payroll taxes, that the institution had failed to pay for the past two years. Additionally, the college had $11 million in additional debt.
In anticipation of its closing, the college is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, that will “meet the continuing needs of CNR’s students without interruption and may necessitate the retention of a number of faculty and staff.”