Written by Cassidy Stephenson
On February 11, 2020, students received an email of a joint statement from the Presidents of Concordia University Wisconsin (Dr. Patrick Ferry) and Concordia Chicago (Dr. Russell Dawn) announcing the closure of Concordia University-Portland. This is the second closure of a university in the Concordia system in the past two years. The remaining Concordia Institutions are in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, California, Texas, and Nebraska. Concordia College-Selma in Alabama had its last graduating class in April of 2018 due to financial problems, according to AJC reporter Ernie Suggs. Concordia University-Portland will close after graduation on April 25, 2020, according to Interim President Tom Ries, after the Portland’s Board of Regents voted to shut it down. This announcement comes less than a week after a community-wide fundraiser brought in more than $355,000 for the university and was a sudden shock for its faculty and students.
Concordia University-Portland tuition was $31,000, with food and housing added to $44,000. Their website stated that 98% of their students had received some type of scholarship/aid. It was announced in February 2019 that Portland was cutting the undergraduate programs of history, chemistry, English, and global studies and wouldn’t accept new students in those areas. 80 percent of its revenue came from tuition and when enrollment fell, Portland fell too.
Concordia University-Portland has had issues of declining enrollment. 8,000 students enrolled four years ago and roughly 4,000 graduate students and 1,000 undergraduate enrolled as of 2018. The 5,000 students will be forced to continue their studies elsewhere and 1,518 will be without employment upon Concordia University-Portland’s closure in April. The decrease in student population and accumulation of debt has ultimately contributed to the university closing its door after 115 years. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Concordia University-Portland stating that students were unaware of the financial struggles of the university and would not have paid the 2020 tuition if they knew this was going to happen.
According to a current online student at Concordia University-Portland, “There was never any indication that the university was struggling financially. I have yet to hear from my advisor but I have heard that Masters of Education online courses will finish in July as scheduled.”
On February 13, 2020, a group of about 100 students walked out of class and gathered at the Concordia University-Portland President’s residence (which is the third president of Concordia University-Portland has had since 2018), to protest the sudden closure of the university. Signs that students held had statements like “CU in Court,” and “Where Did My Money Go?” The students had a list of demands for the Board of Regents. They want to see the University’s financial records and a support plan for students and all faculty that was laid off.
Concordia University Chicago has released a program called “The Portland Promise,” which guarantees the acceptance of all transfer credits from Concordia University-Portland. Graduate students will receive $1,000 off their first three-credit hour course and undergraduate students will be awarded a scholarship up to $23,000 annually. In addition, Concordia University, Saint Paul welcomes the current and future nursing students from Portland to their campus to continue their studies.
For more information about the closing of Concordia University-Portland, click here.
