Cardinal Stritch University, a private Catholic university located in Fox Point and Glendale, will shut down at the end of the spring semester, university president Dr. Dan Scholz said in a video message posted Monday on the Cardinal Stritch website.
Scholz said the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi have accepted the recommendation of the university’s board of trustees to end all educational services, activities and programs effective May 22 and begin the wind-down process of all university operations.
“We are all devastated by this development,” Schloz said. “But after examining all options, this decision was necessary. I wish there was a different path we could pursue. However, the fiscal realities, downward enrollment trends, the pandemic, the need for more resources and the mounting operational and facility challenges presented a no-win situation. I am profoundly sad for the students, the faculty, the staff, our alumni, our board of trustees, our benefactors, our business partners and for the community overall, and of course the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.”
The final commencement ceremony for Cardinal Stritch will be held on May 21 at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.
“It most certainly will be bittersweet,” Scholz said.
To help students who are close to graduating, Cardinal Stritch will provide academic services this summer to a limited number of students so they can meet their graduation requirements. For the rest of the university’s students, Cardinal Stritch is finalizing partnerships with local colleges and universities so they can continue their education, Scholz said.
Cardinal Stritch had an enrollment of 1,365 in 2021 and was founded in 1937. Its 40-acre campus at 6801 N. Yates Road lies within Fox Point and Glendale.
