The media releases started- “On July 09, 2015, Ashford University announced that its Board of Trustees had made the difficult decision to close Ashford’s Clinton, Iowa campus at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year to focus on the University’s core mission of leveraging technology to create innovative solutions that advance learning.
Despite best efforts to continue maintaining and operating the campus, the inability to meet campus enrollment requirements was a key factor in the Ashford University Board of Trustees’ difficult decision to call for the campus closure.
“Ashford’s Clinton campus has been unable to resolve its significant and ongoing enrollment shortfall, a trend that is especially troubling in today’s highly competitive environment,” said Dr. Gregory Geoffroy, chairman of the Ashford University board of trustees. “This decision was thoughtfully and carefully considered, and we are deeply saddened to close a campus that is so rich in history and committed to providing its students with a quality academic experience.”
To help facilitate the transition, Ashford is implementing a one year teach-out plan for the one percent of its students who attend classes in Clinton. The University’s online students will not be impacted by the closure of the campus. Remaining open for two more semesters will allow the approximately 35 percent of existing campus students who are on track to complete their degrees the opportunity to attend the May 2016 commencement in Clinton. The University will work with all other campus students to help them understand their options and the process for transitioning to another school or to the online modality.
Approximately 60 percent of returning campus students are pursuing a degree program that is also available online at Ashford University, and those students will be permitted to transfer to Ashford’s online modality. For those campus students who do not choose to complete an Ashford degree program online, Ashford will be seeking transfer agreements with nearby colleges and universities that will support their educational goals and degree programs.
The impacted Ashford campus employees will also have access to individualized assistance. The University plans to provide each employee with numerous career service opportunities. Ashford’s Iowa Online Center and its employees will continue to operate from its current location and will not be impacted by the closure next year of the Clinton campus.
Moving forward, the University will focus on its online modality which, it believes, represents the next generation of learning. Ashford intends to concentrate on its core mission of leveraging technology to create innovative solutions that advance learning. Currently, online students account for nearly 99 percent of Ashford’s total student population, and the University intends to continue serving non-traditional students who want the flexibility offered by online education.
“We will always be proud of our campus and its many student, faculty, and staff accomplishments,” said Dr. Richard Pattenaude, president of Ashford University. “Ashford has opened the door to a college education to tens of thousands of previously underserved Americans, and that is what we intend to continue doing.”
He added “All of us at Ashford University are committed to supporting campus students and employees, as well as the entire Clinton community, through this transition. We value our strong relationship with the City of Clinton and will work with the community and its leaders to ease the coming transition.”
