D3 NEWS: Clarks Summit University announces closure
Clarks Summit University, out of the United East Conference, is shutting down in the immediate future
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CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa.—Another Division III institution has closed its doors as the summer unfolds. Today, Clarks Summit University, out of the United East Conference, informed the public of its difficult decision to shut down in a press release posted to the university website. The school, which was founded in 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression, had 552 students (376 of whom were undergrads) as of its most recent filing with the U.S. Department of Education at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. A teach-out plan with Liberty University and Cairn University has been arranged.
“Since 1932, CSU has prepared Christ-centered, career-ready graduates,” began Monday’s press release. “Committed to biblical truth, the university was founded during the Great Depression and has weathered many challenges as God provided in remarkable ways. The Board of Trustees and employees have worked to overcome the most recent challenges and have exhausted every viable solution to bridge a significant financial gap. Despite all efforts, the financial gap remains.
“Due to these financial circumstances, Clarks Summit University’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult and painful decision to begin the process of closure. Clarks Summit University, including Baptist Bible Seminary, is unable to offer classes starting in the fall of 2024.”
» Press release from Clarks Summit University (7/1/24)
Athletics-wise, CSU had 12 varsity sports, all of whom competed in the UEC, with 149 students competing for the institution. While the women’s basketball program struggled to a 3-21 overall record last season, CSU had a notable stretch that began in 2019 and lasted through 2023, with three consecutive winning seasons (excluding the 2020-21 Covid year in which the Lady Defenders went 2-0). In 2019-20, head coach Rick Harrison took a team that had gone 0-24 in 2018-19 to an 18-8 record with a 13-5 mark in the CSAC.
In 2021-22, CSU reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, winning their first-ever CSAC Tournament. The Lady Defenders finished with a 23-5 record in what was a historic season for CSU Athletics as a whole. They also reached the CSAC title game in 2022-23 and went 18-10.
It is certainly sad to see yet another Division III institution forced to shut down due to finances, just a week after Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, announced its closure. Five D-III schools—ENC, Birmingham-Southern, Cabrini, Wells, and CSU—are now closed (or set to be closed in the immediate future). Additionally, Fontbonne is closing in 2025-26, and it remains to be seen whether or not Fontbonne’s athletic programs will compete in 2024-25.