(PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
END OF AN ERA … Siena Heights University, seen here, will close permanently following its 2025-2026 school year, according to a recent announcement from the school.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Siena Heights University, an Adrian, Michigan Catholic school founded in 1919 as St. Joseph’s College, is closing its doors after the 2025-2026 school year.
According to a release from the school, the decision to close came after an assessment of the institution’s financial, operational, and long-term sustainability situation, leading to a determination that “continuing operations beyond the coming academic year is no longer feasible.”
“For 105 years, Siena Heights University has been a beacon of light in a world sometimes cast in darkness,” President Dr. Douglas B. Palmer said in the release.
“The spirit of Siena Heights will continue long after the institution itself closes its doors because it lives in every graduate, faculty member, and staff person who has been on campus – whether in-person or online.”
The release states that the school will be focusing on helping students successfully transfer to other institutions and to provide transition assistance to faculty and staff, while operating as normally as possible during its final year, “including academics, athletics, support services, and extracurriculars.”
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
Ashland University, a Christian college in Ashland, Ohio, has announced it will be accepting students transferring from Siena.
According to a July 9 release from Ashland University, students in good academic standing will be admitted with full credit transfer, financial aid assistance, and support during the transfer process.
“We empathize with the challenging situation Siena Heights students find themselves in, and would happily welcome them to Ashland,” President Jon Parrish Peede said in the release.
“As an institution in a similar geographic setting, with many comparable academic programs and an emphasis on Christian values, we feel the transition from Siena Heights to Ashland would be a smooth one.”
The release also states that the university “would welcome becoming an official teach-out partner with Sienna Heights after the conclusion of their final year of instruction in May 2026.”