Presentation College is closed, but there’s still work to be done as the door shuts. Namely, the fate of scholarship dollars endowed to the school by major donors.
A college has overhead costs and maintenance like any other organization, but also millions of dollars granted over the years by donors invested in the school’s mission and the success of its students.
It’s something that now must be addressed at Presentation College. Established in Aberdeen in 1951, the private Catholic college announced its closure this January.
A statement from college president sister Mary Thomas reads “After careful evaluation of the sustainability of the College’s academic programs, and a thorough review of alternatives, the Board of Trustees and Presentation Sisters reluctantly decided to close the physical campus and implement Teach-out programs as the most responsible way to steward students’ pathways to completing their degrees… and we will work closely with them to succeed through this transition.”
Teach-out agreements were made with several regional schools, including Northern State University in Aberdeen and Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell.
For the families with millions of dollars invested in scholarship funds though, questions remain about what’s to come. Presentation Sisters director of mission development Brooke Nicholson Grote said there is a plan moving forward.
“So, the endowments are being shifted to another institution right now, and really being able to carry out the donors best wishes as we can, and also being able to help our students accomplish their next steps in their journey of education,” Nicholson Grote said.
That means if a donor endowed a million dollars for the schools nursing program, for example, those dollars will be directed to a similar program at a different institution, though it is unclear which institution will be named the recipient.
Nicholson Grote said while the situation is still developing, planned giving donors should expect communication soon.
“A lot of questions are still coming in, we’re getting a lot of phone calls, so we encourage people to go to our website," Nicholson Grote said. "We’ve got a lot of helpful links there and phone numbers in terms of finding next steps and being able to connect. We’re just grateful for new windows that have opened up for all of those as they transition in their next steps in the journey for education.”
As of Halloween this year, Presentation College has officially ended on-campus educational operations.