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ABERDEEN — Presentation College , a faith-based university in Aberdeen, South Dakota, announced Tuesday, Jan. 17, that it will be closing its doors following the 2022-23 academic year.
The college was founded by Presentation Sisters in 1951 “to fulfill its mission of rural health care and service through nursing education.” The college said in a news release that before the pandemic it had examined data and market impacts and engaged constituent groups to learn the financial health of the college and its potential for growing enrollment.
“Its rural location, difficult for many out-of-state students to access, was already a known factor, along with a significant dependency on tuition revenue and gifts,” the college said in a news release. “The impact of COVID exacerbated the college’s challenges.”
“After careful evaluation of the sustainability of the College’s academic programs, and a thorough review of alternatives, the Board of Trustees and Presentation Sisters reluctantly decided to close the physical campus and implement Teach-Out programs as the most responsible way to steward students’ pathways to completing their degrees,” Sister Mary Thomas, president of the Presentation Sisters Corporate Board, said in a statement. “We understand and share the heartbreak by our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Aberdeen community, and we will work closely with them to succeed through this transition.”
Presentation will cease all education operations in Aberdeen after the spring and summer 2023 sessions.
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Three teach-out agreements with other higher education institutions are in place, including partnerships with St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, along with the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.
The school says a job fair will be organized this spring to help staff find new employment.
