8 hours Ago By Dennis Bright
LAURINBURG, N.C. (WBTW) -- St.
Andrews University in Laurinburg will close at the end of the current semester amid "persistent financial and enrollment challenges," the school said Friday in a post on its Facebook page.The private Presbyterian university, a branch campus of Webber International University, has about 700 students, according to the most recent numbers available from Niche, an online resource that provides information about schools across the U.S.
The final day of campus operations will be May 5."This decision, as resolved by the Board of Trustees, comes after extensive financial analysis, strategic review and exhaustive recovery efforts," the university's post said. "We are conveying this news with a shared commitment to transparency, support, and integrity.
For many years, St. Andrews has worked diligently to balance affordability, student experience, and academic quality. Despite these efforts and the steadfast dedication of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni, the financial realities of maintaining operations in Laurinburg have become unsustainable.
"Dr. Nelson Marquez, Webber International's president and CEO, said in the post that officials "explored every viable path forward" before deciding to close."The persistent financial and enrollment challenges facing St.
Andrews could no longer be mitigated through internal solutions alone," he said in the post. "This was a deeply painful but necessary decision.”The school also has a campus in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and conducts online classes.
It offers nearly three dozen undergraduate majors and six graduate programs, according to its website. The school's athletic teams also compete in about a dozen men's and women's sports at the NAIA level.The post said officials have already begun transition plans to "ensure continuity for students and support for faculty and staff.
" Those plans include:Establishing agreements with accredited institutions to allow students to complete their degrees.Advising students and providing transfer assistance for all currently enrolled students.Providing faculty and staff members with personalized transition guidance, including employment resources and benefit counseling.
Making sure institutional records, archives, and cultural assets are preserved.St. Andrews' website says the school was formed in 1958 with the merger of Flora Macdonald College and Presbyterian Junior College in Maxton.
.
