Cabrini University recently announced its permanent closure after the 2023-’24 academic year and its forthcoming absorption by Villanova University. Arcadia University is looking to help those students who may no longer have a school after the spring of 2024.
The University’s Faculty Senate passed a resolution on special procedures for students transferring from Cabrini University on the morning of June 29:
In order to allow for the timely enrollment of displaced students from Cabrini University into Arcadia University, and to facilitate their successful completion of their academic programs, the University may suspend policies and processes typically followed in reference to undergraduate and graduate transfer students. This suspension covers rules governing the admittance of displaced students and their academic progress up to and including graduation. This does not represent a change to the Arcadia University transfer student policy.
“Broadly speaking, it’s unfortunate when you see a university close. The most important thing to remember is that we have to remain student-centered,” Rakin “Rock” Hall, Arcadia’s Vice President of Enrollment, said. “We’re going to take a fee-free approach and absorb as many credits as possible in the hopes of making the transition as seamless as possible.”
Cabrini’s interim president Helen Drinan called it “difficult news” in a video statement, saying the 66-year-old institution would graduate “it’s final class” in 2024.
“Faced with significant financial challenges, exacerbated by declining enrollment and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Drinan said, officials “determined that there is no credible path forward that will allow Cabrini University to continue operating beyond June 2024.”
Arcadia is one of multiple schools looking to throw current and incoming Cabrini students a lifeline, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Wednesday.
Hall believes that Arcadia’s current portfolio will help separate the University from other schools in the area.
“We have a history of being a global university in a niche market, and we continue to review our major offerings and the market. Our leadership and forward-thinking is helping us to stay ahead of the pack,” he said. “We’re looking to diversify our ‘top of the funnel.'”
Arcadia’s enrollment numbers have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, and various strategies are being employed to help those numbers return.
“We shrunk our footprint to really focus on Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York,” Hall said. “This market is very saturated, and we’re now in a place where we’ve stabilized enrollment. We’re looking to market our continuing education department, which involves working with the families. I’m also really interested in getting back into the international conversation as those numbers have really bounced back.”
“We’re looking to be intentional. There’s nothing worse than being a well-kept secret. We want to be the first at the gate and be the best,” Hall said.
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