Siena Heights University, a 106-year-old Catholic institution in Adrian, Michigan, will close its doors at the end of the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year due to financial and operational challenges. The move comes months after the firing of its former CFO Debi Andrews.
Andrews joined Siena Heights in February 2024 and filed a whistleblower lawsuit in April 2025, claiming she was placed on unpaid leave in the summer of 2024 after opposing what she described as unsound accounting practices and internal misuse of funds. The complaint also details how her working relationship with university President Douglas Palmer deteriorated after she advised another administrator to file a sexual harassment claim against him.
The complaint says that had Andrews not opposed the defendants’ fraud and encouraged her coworkers to complain about Palmer’s behavior, she would not have been terminated. It also alleges that Fran Johnson, the university’s former human resources director, falsely accused Andrews of inappropriate conduct with staff taking place on campus. Andrews claims that this caused a retaliatory and unfounded investigation against her.
Founded in 1919 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters as a teacher training college for women pursuing a religious lifestyle, Siena Heights University evolved into a coeducational institution with multiple satellite campuses and online programs. However, since then, the Sisters have expanded their mission beyond Catholic education, managing tens of millions of dollars in assets and community investments.
The Sisters have strategically financed climate resilience projects in Puerto Rico, issued more than $45 million in low-interest loans to cooperatives and credit unions and made six-figure philanthropic grants. The congregation has also played a broader role in corporate governance through shareholder advocacy, leading high-profile campaigns at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Smith & Wesson, with their efforts being backed by global institutional investors like BlackRock.
To help Siena Heights’ current students continue their education despite the college’s closure, Ashland University in Ohio has announced plans to accommodate Siena Heights students, offering guaranteed credit transfers, financial aid assistance and academic support.
A release from Ashland University states the two institutions are currently working towards formalizing a partnership. Siena Heights University currently enrolls around 1,700 undergraduates and 155 graduate students. School spokespeople said it will remain fully operational through the 2025–26 academic year to support students and staff during the transition.
Siena Heights’ closure is also part of a growing trend of college closures across the U.S.; since 2020, at least 80 public or nonprofit colleges have closed, merged, or begun the process, reflecting not only financial strain and demographic shifts but also increasing scrutiny of higher education’s dwindling value proposition.
