Westminster College To Close Mesa, Arizona Campus

Westminster College announces it will close its Mesa, AZ campus, effective at the close of the spring 2014 semester, responding to less than expected enrollment and market demand at that location.

In a unique collaboration, Westminster entered into a partnership with the City of Mesa in 2012, following a call by the City to attract liberal arts colleges to the under-served, rapidly growing area. After market assessment, Westminster joined with three other liberal arts institutions to offer educational services in Mesa to undergraduate students.

“Three years ago, Westminster saw both the need in Mesa and the opportunity for a great partnership with the City,” President Dr. George B. Forsythe said. “Since that time a number of wonderful colleges and universities have entered Mesa and the Valley of the Sun, and Westminster – as a small, private, non-profit institution – could only be so competitive and still fiscally responsible in this ever-developing, active market.”

Westminster is working with the Higher Learning Commission to develop a plan to assist its current Mesa campus students so they may continue their education.

Westminster welcomed students to its Mesa campus for the first time in the fall of 2013. Numbers for the entering class were lower than initially expected, and the College continued to re-assess the market, adjust its offering, and adapt to the Mesa market.

Projections for next fall’s enrollment do not anticipate significant gains for Westminster, prompting the decision to close the Mesa campus by the College’s Board of Trustees, following a recommendation from Forsythe. The Board has been active in oversight of the College’s Mesa expansion throughout the venture’s development.

According to a statement released today by Westminster Board of Trustees Chairman Wallace Head, Westminster opened its Mesa campus as a strategy to implement a key aspect of the College’s Strategic Plan 2020.

“(The Board of Trustees) remains committed to continuing to develop and implement new educational and other ventures that are consistent with the College’s Strategic Plan 2020,” Head said in the statement.

The Mesa campus was the first-ever campus expansion for the Fulton, MO-based college, established in 1851. Regarded by U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly, Forbes, and more as a top liberal arts institution in the United States, Westminster expected the Mesa campus to expand its brand into the growing Southwest, provide an educational service to the area, and create additional revenue to help support its overall operation.

This spring, the College began a major research initiative in order to identify potential areas for growth and will present its findings to the Board later this year.

“Mesa reflects our commitment to stay proactive in an ever-changing world, and we’ve learned through the experience,” said Dr. Forsythe. “We will continue to pursue new ways to innovate and serve our community – both local and global – with the exceptional educational experience for which Westminster has been known for the past 163 years.”