Notre Dame College closure leaves students questioning what's next for their educational aspirations
Current and prospective students at a small Catholic college in the Midwest are lamenting their school’s impending closure as they plan their next moves and put their faith in God in light of the unexpected development.
Notre Dame College, not to be confused with the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, announced last week that it was closing its doors at the end of the 2023-24 school year. While the South Euclid, Ohio-based school has secured partnerships with nine other colleges and universities in Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania that enable students to continue their education with as little disruption as possible, many students are coming forward to share how the closure is negatively impacting them.
In an interview with Ideastream Public Media, Notre Dame sophomore DeEvin Curry explained that he was “able to connect very well with faculty” there: “And they were very helpful, and I feel like they put a lot of passion and heart behind their work. We got a lot of one-on-one time.”
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Curry plans to finish his cybersecurity degree at Mercyhurst University in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania, one of the nine schools allowing Notre Dame students with at least 60 completed credits to “receive guaranteed admission to pursue their degrees uninterrupted at a partner institution, with comparable net tuition and transfer of all credits.”
The others are Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland State University, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kent State University, Lake Erie College, Ursuline College and Walsh University.
Freshman Katrina Willis, who participates on the school’s acrobatic and tumbling team, expressed disappointment about “seeing our coach … just feel so defeated,” noting that “she came here to start this program.” Willis, a Florida native who told Ideastream Public Media that she “came all the way here for the athletics and the school,” added that “it was just really hard when we had to hear it [news of closure] from her.”
Willis hopes to take advantage of the other option available to Notre Dame students, specifically “the opportunity to transfer to a partner institution and receive the same benefits of the Teach-Out Program.” She is looking at transferring to John Carroll University.
Another student-athlete at Notre Dame, junior Tanner Smith, plays on the college rugby team. He expressed hope to Ideastream Media that the entire team would get picked up by another school and indicated that he planned on looking to finish his education at another school with a Division I rugby team. Reacting to the impending closure of the college, Smith remarked, “It’s definitely really rough because of all the relationships that I’ve gained over the past three years and the connections that I made with the boys [on the team].”
Freshman Komari Frye came to Notre Dame to play football but red-shirted during his freshman year with the expectation that he would have the opportunity to play in a future season. Because the school is closing next year, he never got a chance to play football there. “It’s disappointing for sure,” he told Spectrum News. Stressing that he “did not expect this at all,” Frye insisted that “I know God got a plan” as the Georgia native mulled whether to stay in the area.
While existing Notre Dame students are disappointed that the school they have come to know and love won't be holding classes next year, the college’s closure also dealt a blow to the plans of rising freshman Braydon Sturm. Sturm, who played football in high school, received multiple offers to continue his athletic career at several different colleges. He ultimately decided on Notre Dame, which his mother described as a “perfect fit.”
However, just days after Sturm committed to Notre Dame, the school’s head football coach called to inform him that “the school will be shutting down after this semester.” Sturm told News 5 Cleveland, “I was just really shocked honestly, because I never really saw this possibility happening.”
“Their coaches had a big impact on me committing there because they told me a lot of things that I liked through the program, through the schooling and it just seemed like a great opportunity,” he told Cleveland 19. “I was really shocked and upset just going through the whole recruiting process and finally feeling that I found a place I could call home for four years and have that just taken.”
Although devastated that he will not be playing at Notre Dame, Sturm remains optimistic that he will end up playing football at another college this fall. “I know there’s other opportunity out there, so I just have to stay strong,” he said.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
