Breaking News: Concordia New York Shutting Down
Photo Courtesy of Elisha Meyer
By Janis Buelow
Concordia College New York officially announced Thursday morning that the school will be closing its doors effective at the conclusion of the spring 2021 semester.
A public release posted on Thursday said that CCNY will be sold to Iona College in New York after a vote to close the grounds by the board of regents.
The college cited financial shortfalls and changes in higher education in the article as the main sources behind the decision.
“Set within the context of a changing and broadly challenged higher education sector,” the administration said, “the College’s financial shortfalls were further accelerated by the global pandemic.”
John A. Nunes, president of Concordia College, said it was a painful decision to make, but one that helps students in the end.
“Students were and continue to be our priority throughout the prayerful and painstaking decision-making process,” he said. “By acting now, Concordia’s Regents have provided our students with an excellent option for continuing the quality, faith-informed education they began here.
Interim President Russ Sommerfeld of Concordia University, Nebraska asked students in a campus-wide email to continue prayers for all those at CCNY and pushed for continued assurance in the Concordia University System.
“While we are saddened by the news of any educational institution closing, particularly a private, faith-based institution of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod such as CCNY,” Sommerfeld said, “I want to reassure you that although we each have our unique challenges, this is not a reflection of the strength, capacity and stability of the rest of the Concordia University System or Concordia University, Nebraska. “
The switch of campus control between Concordia College New York and Iona College is expected to occur sometime in the summer of 2021.
