After more than 100 years in Quincy, Eastern Nazarene College plans to close

QUINCY ‒ Citing "significant financial headwinds," Eastern Nazarene College's board of trustees announced its unanimous vote to close the 124-year-old college in Quincy.

Details of how the Christian liberal arts college will wind down operations remain unclear.

“We know many in our community will have questions about immediate next steps and long-term plans for ENC’s programs and assets,” said ENC President Rev. Colleen R. Derr. “While the outcome of this process is known, the process to get there remains fluid."

The board said in a statement that ENC would transition to an undefined “educational enterprise” to carry on the small liberal arts college mission of Christian-based teaching.

Board Chair David W. Bowser said the interests of current students, faculty and staff are the institution’s top priority.

The college will continue services for undergraduate and graduate students scheduled to graduate by year’s end, the announcement says. Other students can transfer to Gordon College in Wenham; Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio; and Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Affected faculty and staff will receive job-placement services, the news release said.

What will become of the leafy, 20-acre campus nestled in Quincy’s Wollaston neighborhood remains uncertain.

Last September, Mayor Thomas Koch and Quincy's city council established an overlay district to reserve the campus for senior housing in the event that ENC should close.

The measure was prompted by ENC’s agreement with the state to shelter migrant families on campus temporarily, a move city officials interpreted as a sign of financial distress.

The overlay district limits future development of the area to low-density housing for persons 55 and older.

In September, ENC Vice President of Academic Affairs Bill McCoy attributed the college’s financial difficulties to the so-called “enrollment cliff," a decline in the number of graduating high school seniors seeking college opportunities.

To combat this trend, McCoy said ENC tried appealing to nontraditional students through fully online academic programs. The college also partnered with MassHire to offer certifications in bookkeeping and accounting for people trying to rejoin the workforce.

In May 2022, Eastern Nazarene opened 30 residence halls to Quincy College nursing students who need affordable housing. It has also increased the scope of its summer camp and conference programs, according to the college website.

In 2020, a MetroWest Daily News report said 18 private colleges in Massachusetts had closed or merged within the previous five years. A new set of regulations was adopted governing how state higher education officials screen colleges and universities for financial risks and potential closures.

The 2024-25 costs to attend ENC are listed on the school's website as $41,274 for tuition, housing, food and student fees.

Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy will close