BELLEVILLE — Citing “ongoing financial and enrollment challenges,” Lindenwood University will shut down most undergraduate programs on its Belleville campus after the 2019-2020 year, the school announced today.
The 1,100 affected students can transfer to the St. Charles campus, or complete their degrees online in some cases.
“This decision comes after careful consideration by our Board of Trustees to serve the long-term interests of our students, faculty, and staff,” said J. Michael Conoyer, chairman of the trustees, in a statement. “We believe this plan will best position our students and Lindenwood for the future, and we will work with our students and staff to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.”
The Belleville campus will continue to offer its evening graduate and undergraduate classes for about 300 students.
Nearly 80 percent of undergraduates at the Belleville campus are student-athletes with discounted tuition. Most of the teams will compete in the next year, except swimming, diving and men’s ice hockey, which were disbanded.
Athletic scholarships will remain in place for students transferring to St. Charles, even if they don’t participate in sports, according to Lindenwood spokesman Christopher Duggan.
It is unclear how many of the 160 employees on the Belleville campus will lose their jobs. Staff members can apply for open positions at the St. Charles campus, and some will remain in Belleville for the evening operations, Duggan said.
The Belleville campus opened as a night school in 2003 on the site of the former Belleville Township High School. The traditional daytime undergraduate program started in 2009.
The school has experienced annual operating deficits of $2.5 million to $3 million on top of an estimated $16.4 million in needed maintenance costs plus $10 million in improvements to attract more undergraduates, Duggan said.
The news of the closure comes after the leaders of both campuses were fired in the last year. Michael Shonrock was terminated as president of Lindenwood in February. Brett Barger, then-president of the Belleville campus, was placed on administrative leave in November 2018 and is no longer with the university.
About 11 colleges have been closing annually nationwide, with the number expected to soon grow to 20 a year, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Small private colleges are particularly at risk because of their reliance on tuition rather than endowments, according to investors.
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Students walk by an aerial photo showing the campus of Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The University will soon begin building a new dorm for male students. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Leanna Fino, 18, Breeanna Veilleux, 19, and Rilea Huff, 20, watch an episode of SpongeBob in the upstairs lounge of the new women's dorm at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. "I love our new dorm. It's clean and like right across the street," said Fino, who said she gathers daily with her friends to watch the cartoon. The students moved in right before Christmas break. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Freshman Claire Johnson talks with her high school best friend inside a room at the new women's dorm at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. "We have a lot more room and we are not as crunched. We're right across the street from campus so I can sleep in longer," said Johnson, who shares her room with two other students. The students moved in right before Christmas break. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

The recently renovated science labs at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Women soccer team players Kelsie Nesbit (front) and Abbey Pokorny work out in the new weight room at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The new weight room inside the fitness center is more spacious and offers more equipment than before. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Pre-nursing student Cindy Schmidt listens to a lecture in Anatomy and Physiology II as their professor's research tortoise roams the classroom at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Baseball players, from left to right, Blake Feldmann, David Parkinson and Jared Richardson work out in the new weight room at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The new weight room inside the fitness center is more spacious and offers more equipment than before. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Members of the campus activity board meet in the Student Activities room in the lower level of the main building at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

Taylor Gibbs poses for a Facebook photo for photographer Julie Sydon for being the first in line for the Hunt for Your Heart at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The student activity board put the name of every student on a heart and hung it somewhere around campus. The first twenty students who found their heart and turned it in received a Valentine's Day treat. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com
Lindenwood University establishes roots in Belleville

A student walks into the new women's dorm at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014. The students moved in right before Christmas break. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com