Founded in 1838, the all-women’s Judson College has weathered multiple wars, The Great Depression, two fires and several recessions — but 2020 may have been too much.
In mid-December, Judson President W. Mark Tew sent an email to alumnae, explaining that the Alabama school would be unable to proceed with a spring semester unless it raised $500,000 by Dec. 31 and secured commitments totaling $1 million by May 31.
“Without these extraordinary gifts, the College will not have sufficient cash to meet its operational responsibilities and will be unable to begin the spring semester,” Tew wrote, attributing the college’s financial troubles to low enrollment over the past two decades, the current pandemic and scars still felt from the 2008 recession.
Should the school not meet its fundraising goals, he explained that all students would be informed of transfer options to complete their degrees. In the meantime, Tew and the board of trustees are appealing to the school’s alumnae and donors to meet the “admittedly extraordinary request.”
In making the request, Tew offered copies of Judson’s most recent audited financial statements for potential donors to review. He also explained that the board of trustees would be researching the college’s changing markets and exploring potential avenues through the help of Fuller Higher Ed Solutions, a new consulting firm founded this past summer.
According to its website, the consulting firm’s founder, Tim Fuller, has “personally consulted with more than 100 Christian college campuses to help them with enrollment, strategic planning, and making the case for why they are worth choosing.”
Affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention, Judson is a notably small college with a 2018-19 enrollment of only 259 students. Just earlier this month, PrepScholar listed it among the smallest liberal arts schools in the nation. And, with small, private institutions hit hardest by the pandemic, Judson would be far from the first to permanently close in 2020.
