Lourdes University has announced it will shut down due to declining student enrollment, rising operational costs and what its leadership described as an “unsustainable funding model.”
The decision was announced this week by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio together with the university’s board of trustees.
In a message to faculty and staff, the university said it will continue operating through the end of the 2025–2026 academic year before officially closing.
The announcement also confirmed that William Bisset will step down as university president. The Sisters of St. Francis have appointed Sister Nancy Linenkugel, OSF, to lead the institution during the transition period.
Bisset previously served as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Marymount University.
In their statement, the sisters said they have supported Lourdes University for decades but can no longer continue funding it at the level needed to keep it running.
“For decades, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania have supported and sustained Lourdes University with extraordinary generosity, faith, and commitment,” the message said. “However, the sisters can no longer continue to subsidize the university at the level required to sustain its operations.”
The sisters and the board said they will communicate directly with faculty, staff and students about how the closure will affect them.
Lourdes University was founded in 1958 as a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio. The institution describes itself as a liberal arts university inspired by Catholic and Franciscan traditions.
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