Cardinal Stritch University closing; alumni wonder what's next
GLENDALE, Wis. - Cardinal Stritch University is closing for good after the semester ends in May. Shocked alumni are now wondering what is next?
The school has been around for nearly 100 years. Alumni say to truly understand the impact, you have to look at whom the school has served.
"Didn’t see it coming at all," said Camilla Sparks, a Cardinal Stritch alum.
Sparks was to serve on an MBA panel on Wednesday that is now canceled.
"I woke up, that wasn’t a dream. This is actually happening," Sparks said, "Not my Cardinal Stritch – not the Cardinal Stritch."
Cardinal Stritch University
But more worrying to Sparks is the void.
"It’s very disheartening for our community members. Most African American professionals receive their degrees from Stritch because of the flexibility that they have within the programs," Sparks said.
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Sparks said Stritch gives moms and dads a way to work, tend to their families, and get their bachelor's or master's degrees. She said schools like Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee do not have as much flexibility.
Cardinal Stritch University
"Honestly, I don’t think it can be filled," Sparks said.
Stritch's president said declining enrollment was one factor that led to the closure.
"No one that I worked with at the university was even chatting about this," said Wes Shaver, Stritch alum. "Was on a corporate partnerships committee that was focused on building and growing relationships with businesses in southeast Wisconsin, to engage their employees and teams about continuing their education and professional development…As far as I was concerned, it was full-steam ahead. And we were moving forward with everything, business as usual."
Cardinal Stritch University
That is why Shaver said the decision to close is so unusual.
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Cardinal Stritch University officials denied interview requests by FOX6 News.
Cardinal Stritch University
The president said the school will help students close to graduation, as much as financially possible, to meet their degree requirements. It is finalizing partnerships with local schools for current students, but it is unclear what that will look like.