More than a year after Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., shut down, it has announced plans to team up with Marian University and open a two-year college in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Star reports that the resulting institution will be called Saint Joseph’s College of Marian University – Indianapolis. It is scheduled to open in July 2019 in space adjacent to the Marian campus.
“This is a collaboration between two Catholic institutions with a shared mission and history,” says Daniel Elsener, president of Marian.
Saint Joe's suspended operations in May 2017 because of financial troubles.
Under the partnership, Saint Joseph’s College will provide $1.5 million in scholarships, to be paid over 10 years, for students who attend the nw two-year college. These scholarships will be funded primarily from donations already made to Saint Joseph’s College.
In its first year, the new college will target Central Indiana students who may not be interested in or ready for a four-year program.
Students will have an option of pursuing one of three associate’s degrees, in liberal arts, information technology or business. The
To keep costs low, the new school will rely on many of the university's administrative services. For at least the first year, it will be housed in a church building owned by Marian and adjacent to campus, which will give students access to the library and other on-campus facilities and services.
Marian will start recruiting students this winter for the college's first class. Its initial goal is to enroll between 75 and 125 students.
