On June 30 the College of Saint Rose will permanently close, leaving both undergraduate and graduate students forced to transfer in order to complete their degrees. Various colleges, including SUNY New Paltz, have signed teach-out agreements with the College of Saint Rose to help current students matriculate into their new university as easily as possible. These agreements aim to make the transition process between colleges as easy as possible.
In November of 2023, The College of Saint Rose Board of Trustees gathered to discuss the institution’s finances and decided to cease the school’s operation after the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. The chair of the board, Jeffery D. Stone stated that “the College does not have the financial resources to operate for the full 2024-2025 academic year and therefore cannot remain a standalone institution.”
At the time of his announcement, the school had a projected operating deficit of $11.3 million. Like many private collegiate institutions, declining enrollment, increased operating costs, and difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic all played a role in the school’s financial woes.
“Our goal now is to ease the transition for our students, faculty and staff,” said Stone. However, it will be a difficult transition, with nearly 3,000 currently enrolled students, 132 full-time faculty, 646 total employees, and 800 students in immediate need of transferring, the impact of the school’s closure on the community will be widespread.
SUNY New Paltz is one of nine schools that have signed teach-out agreements with The College of Saint Rose. The agreement that SUNY New Paltz made with Saint Rose will aid in the transition process in various ways.
Equivalency programs at New Paltz have been identified for 20 undergraduate programs and 15 graduate programs at Saint Rose. When eligible students from Saint Rose transfer, they will be accepted directly into those programs. Furthermore, New Paltz will be waiving all application fees for eligible incoming students and will be accepting all credits earned at Saint Rose.
William McClure, SUNY New Paltz Provost, commented on SUNY New Paltz’s efforts to aid Saint Rose, stating, “We recognize that this is an extremely difficult experience for everyone at Saint Rose – students, faculty and staff.” He continued, “At New Paltz, we pride ourselves on our close-knit and supportive community and we will do everything possible to welcome Saint Rose students who choose to transfer to our institution.”
On Feb. 15 the College of Saint Rose held a transfer fair to assist students in finding their next school. The fair included schools that are teach-out partners as well as non-partners who are still hoping to recruit students.
One student, Maryland native Milo Smedley, commented on the school’s closing: “It’s kind of crazy to see how things have changed around campus, so drastically, too,” she said. “Now I feel like I’m in unfamiliar territory.”
Smedley is hoping to continue her education locally and teach-out programs such as the one that New Paltz has agreed to will assist students who share Smedley’s desire to remain local as they continue their education.