After downsizing its academic programming to ministry-related degrees only last year, Lincoln Christian University will have its seminary acquired by a sister Christian college and shut down its campus operations in Lincoln after the 2023-24 academic year ends in May.
LCU president Silas McCormick said "a whole host of things" contributed to the difficulties the 79-year-old private university faced before its leadership decided to close the campus altogether and turn over its seminary program to Missouri-based Ozark Christian College.
"Schools (with enrollment) under 2,000 we know are at a greater risk. We've never been at 2,000 and in fact, we've only briefly been half that size," McCormick said. "Rural schools are also at a greater risk. Momentum: Prospective students are probably more likely to be concerned about a school that doesn't appear to have a positive, forward trajectory. So, I can't really attribute any one particular cause — I think there are a lot of causes."
In a statement released earlier this week, LCU leadership cited a "steep" decline in enrollment as a major factor. The most recently available data from the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System showed an enrollment of 258 students in fall 2022.
McCormick said LCU leaders hoped their decision to downsize degree programming to only ministry-related degrees would help the university find more stable financial footing; according to the announcement released this week, LCU's debt in 2019 was "an overwhelming $9 million."
The downsizing "got us further down the road. It allowed a lot of the debt to be addressed," McCormick said. "Our hope was that we would be able to survive and ultimately thrive — independent and niche. But as it turned out, the best we were able to do was really get healthy enough to be acquired by someone else."
LCU's current debt load is about $3.1 million; McCormick said the hope is to have that reduced to $2.6 million at the end of the year.
Come June 2024, Lincoln Christian will turn over its seminary and $3.8 million scholarship endowment over to Ozark Christian Christian College, which will partially retain the closing institution's name: Lincoln Seminary at Ozark Christian College. Prior to the acquisition of Lincoln's seminary, the institution had only just begun offering one graduate degree — an M.A. in Christian Ministry.
LCU's campus operations in Lincoln will close and while Ozark Christian College leaders indicated "a few exceptions" may be made, most of LCU's staff will not be transferring to OCC.
"The expectation is that most or nearly all of us will lose our jobs at the end of May," McCormick said.
Students who are currently enrolled at LCU will proceed through classes as normal throughout the remainder of the year, according to the announcement.Students in some seminary programs who are not yet finished will be offered a chance to finish via OCC and "are guaranteed zero loss — no increase in tuition, no increase in degree requirements." OCC said the degree programs all have online-only options.
Those in other degree programs can expect leadership to "help each student find a “home” for your continued education that reflects sound stewardship of the work you’ve already done," the announcement said.
LCU and OCC leadership said the closure of LCU and OCC's acquisition of Lincoln Seminary is pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission, the Association of Theological Schools, and the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
'It's just difficult'
This is the second higher education institution to close in the city of Lincoln within nearly two years: Lincoln College, a 157-year-old school and the only predominantly Black institution in downstate Illinois, announced its immediate closure at the end of May 2022.
When LCU closes its doors in May 2024, Heartland Community College will be the only remaining higher ed institution in Lincoln.
"We're constantly working with others to grow the economy, and it's just difficult. This is definitely something that we lose in that toolbox of things that are available for people when they come to the community," Lincoln mayor Tracy Welch told WGLT. "It makes it a little bit more challenging."
Welch said he's heartened by new businesses coming to the roughly 13,000-person city, including a new urgent care and a car wash, but the city is still working on other draws to boost its revenue.
"We're really trying to beef up tourism and try to capitalize on what places like Atlanta and Pontiac are doing," he said. "That's kind of our focus: Economic development, tourism and trying to keep growth going."
Welch said decisions on what to do with the remaining parts of Lincoln College's campus are still forthcoming. Although he had publicly suggested something was in the works several weeks ago, Welch told WGLT the movement has been slow-going.
"If what has been proposed for that location pans out, it will be good for the community," he said. "From what I'm told, they're just still working through some of the details."
