The Fate of Campuses After US Colleges Shut Down
Also today: The death and economic losses linked to wildfire smoke, and New York executives blast state over regulatory ‘black hole.’
The former College of Saint Rose campus in March 2025. After the Albany school closed in 2024, a county land authority stepped in to manage the nearly 30 acre campus.
Photographer: Albany Times Union/Hearst Newspa/Hearst NewspapersWhen The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, closed in 2024, driven by debt and declining enrollment, the community was left wondering what would become of the nearly 30-acre campus in the heart of the city. The state has since set up a land authority to purchase, maintain and chart the future of the property. Albany residents are eager to weigh in.
Many towns face a similar puzzle as small colleges nationwide struggle to keep their doors open. One consulting firm projects up to 370 private college closures in the next 10 years. While some places have succeeded in finding new uses for defunct campuses, others have been left with vacant eyesores. Read more from contributor Jane Gottlieb today on CityLab: When a College Dies, Who Gets the Campus?