After more than 100 years, Morrison University shut down Friday leaving its students at the crossroads of higher education.
Anthem Education, Morrison's current owner, is embroiled in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and has listed a number of its schools for sale including Morrison.
Students at the college found out about the closure through Facebook or friends as no formal notification was dispatched.
Jonathan Barnes, a business management major, is just eight credits away from graduation. "I am furious," Barnes said. "The director said he would notify us if anything happened, I just found out two days ago," rgj reports.
Started as the Nevada Business Institute in 1902, Morrison University's 2013-14 enrollment was 411 students, 374 of which were undergraduates. The institution is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. The ACICS officially recognizes professional, technical and occupational programs.
However, the University of Nevada, Reno only welcomes transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions. Regionally accreditation are associated with non-profit institutions with academically-oriented curriculum.
As a result, the school's estimated 400 students could face difficulty transferring credits locally. They have very few options including completing their education through a Minnesota-based online University or starting all over again at some other University.
"I don't know what I am going to do next," Barnes said.
Providing some relief to Morrison students, Joy Grate-Thomas - UNR transfer articulation specialist - said that the College of Business has accepted some classes for transfer.
While Truckee Meadows Community College posted the following statement on Facebook:
"Students of Morrison University: we invite you to consider TMCC to finish your associate degree. Please contact our Admissions and Records department at 673-7042 for information on how to get started today."
Carrington College has announced that its Reno campus will be pleased to admit qualified transfer students from the nearby Morrison University.
"We understand how much Morrison students have INVESTED in their education and we want to honor their hard work and dedication by making their transition to Carrington College as seamless as possible, so they can graduate and go on to pursue their careers," said Terrance Harris, executive director of Carrington College Reno, ktvn reports.
