'There is no year past next year': Cabrini University closing, campus to be sold to Villanova
RADNOR TOWNSHIP, Pa. - College students and families are scrambling to come up with new plans after Cabrini University announced it will close at the end of the upcoming school year and its campus will be acquired by nearby Villanova University.
Just a sad day for so many people, from students to alumni and staff. On top of that, all the student athletes who now have to figure out what happens next.
"Cabrini University will graduate its final class in May 2024," Cabrini University President Helen Drinan said.
When word came down that, after 66 years, Cabrini would close and Villanova would buy the land from the struggling school, Jaden Dickerson was crushed. "Your world goes into a question mark and you wonder what’s next. And, that uncertainty is one of the hardest things, because you’re always thinking what’s gonna happen?"
Dickerson just finished his sophomore year, playing both baseball and basketball for his beloved school. But, now knowing that next season will be his last as a Cavalier has left him feeling uncertain of what to do.
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"That’s really what hurts to know that there is no turning back and there is no year past next year," Dickerson added.
The hardest part was getting the news so late in the year, when so many schools have already given out scholarships and many students have already committed.
"I did talk to his basketball coach. He was kind of blindsided, so you know, I think the blindsiding is that, that’s the part that is so tough because you didn’t get a heads up," Jaden’s mother, Kendra Dickerson, said.
The university’s president posted a message on the school’s website, saying:
"We know these changes are very hard, but we commit ourselves to the best possible outcome for all members of our community. In the coming months, I ask that each of us move forward with confidence and courage to support another."
And, everyone will need support because a lot of students, like Jaden, have lived with the same people since freshman year and can’t imagine not graduating with their friends.
"Going into their third year for roommates and one of them lives close to us, so they’re really good friends. So, not knowing what he’s gonna do and where he’s going to end up, it’s tough," Kendra commented.
"The past two years, where I learned a lot about myself and I really grew, you know, it hurts to not be able to finish it out," Jaden added.
Villanova’s president says any Cabrini students interested in transferring to Villanova will not have to pay any fees to do so and Villanova will help with job openings for Cabrini staff and faculty.