Clarks Summit University will close its doors in the fall, officials announced Monday.
A small Baptist college in eastern Pennsylvania has already furloughed all its staff for the summer and is under scrutiny by accrediting agencies over its financial mismanagement.
“The Board and staff have worked hard to overcome recent challenges and have exhausted all viable solutions to close the significant financial gap,” the release said. “Despite all efforts, the financial gap remains. These financial circumstances have led the Board of Trustees of Clarks Summit University to make the difficult and painful decision to begin the process of closing.”
Like many institutions in the Keystone State, Clarks Summit has struggled to maintain enrollment in recent years. Enrollment has fallen by half over the past decade, from more than 1,100 students in the fall of 2012 to 552 students in the fall of 2022, according to federal data.
The university has established exchange plans with Cairn University outside Philadelphia and Liberty University in Virginia, and announced that current Clarks Summit students can transfer and complete their degrees.