With the second edition of 'Requiem for a College' due out on July 8th, I asked author Jon Nichols and publisher Kate Colbert to join me again to talk about the book.

It has been more than 8 years since St. Joseph College (IN) closed. In the interim, scores of additional collleges have closed their doors. Public college closures are now joining the list of private 4-year college closures on a regular basis.

Here is the Amazon description of the book. Click here to pre-order.

Heralded as “A crucial, compelling, and cautionary read for higher education in the 2020s and beyond,” Requiem for a College offers a riveting and heartbreaking insider’s view of the troubling trend of college closures in the United States.

There are two kinds of institutions that we rarely question when it comes to their long-term viability: Banks and colleges. We assume that our money, our collegiate memories, and our children’s academic futures are safe and sound — that such time-honored institutions will outlast us. But when it comes to colleges and universities, the future is not promised.

On February 3, 2017, Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana, announced it would “suspend operations,” ending its 128-year history as a residential four-year college and leaving a painful void in the lives of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the surrounding community. Requiem for a College, now in its 2nd edition, is their story.

Deeply personal and replete with the powerful voices of the people who were there, this book by English professor Jonathan Nichols transports us back in time to the College’s final days, where we join him on a quest to find out what went wrong, how long the school had been suffering in silence, and who was at fault for destroying so many dreams and crushing so many careers.

“To be a Puma is to be part of a family,” Nichols tells us. In his book, he invites us into that family, to experience the pride, the comfort, and the eventual devastating collapse of what had become a “home away from home” for thousands of people. Requiem for a College is a memoir that reads like a mystery — full of suspense, shock, and appalling behavior. It serves as a cautionary tale, a timely analysis, and a warm embrace of validation and support for educators and learners alike — across the USA and around the world — who have faced (or will face) the demise of a beloved college.

Fiction writer and essayist William Gibson once said, “When you want to know how things really work, study them when they’re coming apart.” And that’s exactly what Jonathan Nichols has done. During the crisis, Nichols coped by investigating; he researched, and he wrote, and he talked to absolutely everyone who was willing to speak “on the record.” What he found and witnessed will frustrate you, shock you, and anger you — it will bring you to tears and will make you question everything you thought you knew about governing Boards and the business of higher education.

Jonathan Nichols, for all his years as an English professor and fiction writer, has proven himself a formidable investigative journalist, researcher, and historian. He “kept the receipts” of the crisis, and they will astound you.

There is, sadly, a larger story that extends beyond the confines of Indiana. Saint Joseph’s College is just one of thousands of academic institutions on the brink. College closures have been happening at such a rapid pace —a closure per week in the first half of 2024 — that it’s almost impossible to live in the United States and not have a connection to a shuttered academic institution. In the past 15 years, more than 300 degree-granting institutions have closed and nearly 1,000 post-secondary education providers in total have disappeared. And whether you think the trend is deeply troubling or just inevitable, the consequences are far-reaching. Requiem for a College should be required reading for everyone who works in, around, and on behalf of higher education.

Here are the stories and links for this week's podcast.

Harrisburg University to Close Philadelphia Campus

Guilford College Considers Formal Step Toward Possible Faculty Layoffs

Facing declining enrollment, Clark University to reduce faculty by as much as 30 percent over next three years

As UConn enrollment spikes, a housing squeeze tightens. What’s being done across state to address it

University of Oregon braces for deeper cuts as deficit balloons to $25.7 million

Hastings College earns reaffirmation of accreditation from Higher Learning Commission

Middle States to approve Keystone College’s request to merge with nonprofit

US Education Department threatens Columbia University’s accreditation over campus antisemitism concerns

Ithaca College to lower discount rate by 2028 as part of plan to decrease deficit

Why Trump’s $3 billion wake-up call to higher ed is exactly what America needs

Budget would expand state oversight following college closures (OH)

American Students Squeezed Out As Colleges Chase Foreign Funds

On the June 2, 2025 'This Week in College Viability' podcast, Gary looks at:

+ Can you really ‘grow’ out of financial challenges?
+ Notre Dame College (closed) is sued by Bank of America. The reason is a big deal.
+ Education news reporters have a really tough job.

Show notes and links:

Peninsula College closing Fort Worden campus

Ivy Tech CC (IN) will be laying off 202 employees. What that means for Indy campus

Multiple Saint Michael’s College (VT) employees laid off

USI president says tuition increase inevitable after state budget cuts

Notre Dame College (OH) sued by Bank of America for $20M debt, accused of improper use of endowment funds by Ohio AG Dave Yost

College enrollment is declining. How is Johnson & Wales preparing for the ‘demographic cliff’?