Cabrini College Struggles Result In Partnership With Villanova
Since 1957, Cabrini College has been an accredited residential Catholic institution in Pennsylvania. By this time next year, it will be absorbed in a partnership with Villanova University.
Apparently, the almost 70 year institution has been operating with a budget deficit since 2013. Their efforts to cut staff and eliminate academic programs have been unsuccessful.
Cabrini Closing Down Next Spring
Cabrini has a tentative agreement to sell its Radnor, Delaware County campus to Villanova University. The school plans to be shut down following it’s spring semester in 2024.
According to the Philly Voice, Cabrini’s financial struggles that have been piling for a decade only worsened through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Enrollment has declined over the years, only adding to the problem.
Villanova University, which has its campus about two miles away from Cabrini, also in Radnor, has a tentative agreement to purchase the school’s property.
Cabrini administration and leadership actually initiated the conversation. Both Universities are Catholic institutions.
The hope is that Villanova will preserve Cabrini’s history, mission, ministry, and legacy. The union will be executed “after the school graduates its final class in May 2024 and concludes operations,” said the Cabrini president Helen Drinan and Villanova president the Rev. Peter M. Donohue in a statement.
What Does This Mean For Villanova?
Villanova will absorb Cabrini’s current students while helping Cabrini’s faculty and staff find new jobs.
When the news broke, other colleges in the area openly recruited Cabrini students to transfer to their schools. Gwynedd Mercy University, in Montgomery County, and Rosemont College which is only about 10 minutes away.
Next spring, Nova will obtain ownership of Cabrini’s 112-acre campus, adding to its existing 260 acres. The property will be known as the Villanova Cabrini campus.
