Beech Tree News Network

Southcentral Kentuckians who had ties to St. Catharine College are reacting with shock and sadness after the small Catholic school in Springfield announced this week that it will soon close permanently.

"I was devastated because we were told by our president we were not closing. We had registered for fall classes. I'm gonna miss it a lot," said sophomore Lynsie Clark, a 2014 graduate of Butler County High School who played softball for St. Catharine. "Everyone loves it there. It's definitely a home away from home. We were heartbroken when they told us the news. We didn't want it to close at all."

St. Catharine College Board of Trustees Chairman John Turner announced at a campus-wide faculty and staff meeting Wednesday that the college would close at the end of July.

"After exploring all possible options, the Board of Trustees has determined the challenges facing St. Catharine College are insurmountable," Turner said in a news release.

Turner said a decline in overall enrollment, caused recently by the U.S. Department of Education's withholding of student aid on several key academic programs, has proven to be too difficult to manage with the debt obligation the college has assumed in recent years. The debt was because of the building of new facilities including residence halls, a health-sciences building and most recently a state-of-the-art library.

Enrollment was at 600 students before the problems with the DOE. Current enrollment projections were diminished to fewer than 475 students enrolled for the fall 2016 semester. College officials attribute the drop to the negative impact of the DOE's ongoing refusal to allow financial aid in key academic programs. The college sued the DOE in February.

"The board of trustees told us they had an insurmountable debt and low enrollment. They were going to have to close its doors. I felt like my stomach had gone into my shoes," said Tim Wolz, a Western Kentucky University graduate and St. Catharine men's soccer coach for seven years. "I was crushed. We knew we had some problems with the Department of Education. We had heard the court case went well and we had optimism."

Area resident Stephanie Medley Ruanto shared pictures and fond memories of St. Catharine on her Facebook page.

"I loved my two years there, the friends I made (including my husband), the fun we conjured up in this little college stuck in the middle of nowhere. (No offense Springfield)," she wrote in her Facebook post. "It was a special place with lots of nooks and crannies to discover and perfect walks on the farm to pick up apples, throw rocks in the creek or bring haunted candles back from the old motherhouse.

"Little hellions mingled with the nuns and managed to have a darn good time in a place college kids today would turn their noses up at. The instructors knew all of us and it seemed at times like an extension of high school, a good transition when I look back on it. So sad to hear it's closing. Whenever I play a round of 'what time in your life would you go back to,' St. Catharines is always on my list."

Clark said the small atmosphere appealed to her as well.

"The dorm (rooms) were so much bigger than any other dorms I visited. My coach (Holly Smith) is an awesome person. She treated us so well. She was like a mother to us," she said. "I just liked it there. I really enjoyed how everyone knew everyone. The teachers would stay and meet with you if you needed one on one time. They would help you. It was the perfect school for me."

St. Catharine President Cindy Gnadinger told students in March or April that they would be open in the fall and they would not be closing, Clark said.

"It was the number one question. There's always been rumors about it so everybody thought, 'Oh, we'll be fine,' " she said. "St. Catharine sued the Department of Education in February so everyone was nervous about that."

Wolz was more concerned about his players.

"I thought to myself, 'Oh my gosh. What am I gonna do now?' Then I thought, 'I have 40 soccer players. What are they gonna do?' " he said. "You recruit players to come to your college. They and their families put their trust in you. I felt guilt."

He also worries about the community of Springfield, where the school is a major employer.

"It not only affects the people in the school. It's a shame it had to happen. It had a lot of potential to be a really great school," he said. "I'm just sad for everybody. I stayed there so long because of the people that worked there. I was appreciative of the Dominican sisters. There couldn't have been better people to oversee the school."

Wolz spent much of Thursday trying to find other schools for his players.

"I'll be OK. I'll bounce back," he said. "Now they have to find a new school. They have to find a coach that they like. They have to find scholarship money. It's so late."

Wolz has gotten lots of support.

"The amount of college coaches who have written me today has been unbelievable," he said. "It's been heartwarming that you've done something so many years that people reach out to you and say, 'I'm sorry.' "

Clark and Wolz aren't sure what the future holds for them.

"I've been a college soccer coach for over 20 years," Wolz said. "I've also wanted to be an athletic director."

Clark plans to transfer to another school to play softball.

"My coach said she would help me in any way she can to find me another school to play," Clark said. "I have a few schools in mind, but I don't have any decisions yet."

By Alyssa Harvey

Bowling Green Daily News

Date: 06-03-2016

Kentucky Press News Service