Photo: KATU
The Portland area is losing another small, private university.
After a 115 year tradition in northeast Portland Concordia University is closing.
Interim University President Dr. Thomas Ries says after considering all of the options the Board of Regents made the call. When the school closes at the end of spring semester, the university will return the 24 acre campus to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
It's expected that the property will be sold.
In 2018, Marylhurst University in West Linn also closed.
The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission issued the following statement:
"We are very saddened to learn of the planned closure of Concordia University in Portland at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. Oregon benefits deeply from the degrees and talents of Concordia graduates, including in high-demand fields of teaching, nursing, and more, and we strongly encourage current students to continue with their degree goals.
We appreciate the university’s efforts to provide current students, faculty, and staff timely information and resources on their website here to help them in navigating their next steps.
Because Concordia University is one of the Oregon nonprofit institutions that is legally exempt from the HECC’s oversight and approval processes, the HECC has limited formal authorities related to this closure. That said, we stand ready to support Concordia and its students in every way we can. We are consulting with our contacts at the university to learn more about how the institution is supporting students in transfer and other options, and how we may be of help.
In addition, the HECC Office of Workforce Investments, which supports Oregon workers statewide when layoffs occur, is working to identify next steps to support Concordia faculty and staff.
We are confident that Concordia University will meet its statutory obligations for the appropriate disposition of student records and the refund of any tuition that may be owed to students as a result of the closure (ORS 348.605)."