CHICAGO — Oak Point University announced internally Wednesday its closing at end of the semester in three weeks — leaving employees without a job and students confused and upset.
Students and faculty were sent an email from President Dr. Theresa Scanlan Wednesday afternoon which began by saying, “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the news that will significantly impact our learning community.”
The school is a private university with two locations in Oak Brook and Wicker Park. They focus on nursing and health sciences and will close on April 19.
WGN News spoke with several students who were upset and confused.
“I’m completely devastated, I got on the phone with Chamberlain (University) right away — ‘this is not how I’m going to go down,’” student Crystal Martinez said. “To not know and have so many questions that aren’t answered — what is it moving forward?”
A school employee, who WGN News is keeping anonymous, said staff members are not being retained and their last day is April 19 as well. They said no severance pay will be paid out, according to a company meeting they attended after the decision.
“I’m going to be honest, I feel violated,” the employee said. “I feel like no one is thinking of us, we of course think about the students, but you are not thinking about your employees.”
Students said panic ensued after the email was released.
“Some people have alerts since to their phone and people started freaking out in the clinical, and I’m like ‘what did the email say? Read it out loud,’ student Janell Ezell said. “Then the professor looked at hers, she saw it then it was like, ‘she’s out of a job and she didn’t know about it.’”
Lewis University is stepping in to help the students complete their degrees and their tuition rates will not be raised, according to a spokesperson.
They have agreed to be a teach-out institution for Oak Point.
“This Teach-Out Agreement allows affected students to seamlessly continue their studies at Lewis University through graduation,” President of Lewis University Dr. David Livingston, said. “It is a painful decision for all involved to have to close an institution. Our goal is to help mitigate this by supporting the students and their career aspirations to the best of our ability.”
Oak Point’s Oak Brook location is down the street from Lewis University’s Oak Brook campus.
Lewis University has also agreed to ensure the safekeeping and accessibility of Oak Point student academic records and historical documentation. All transcript records will be housed at Lewis University.
With Oak Point’s summer semester beginning in May, Lewis University is “making arrangements so that no student will have to travel an excessive distance that they are currently doing.”
The spokesperson told WGN News the university is looking at renting out a space in Wicker Park or providing access to their Uptown campus.
Oak Point was founded in 1914 as the West Suburban Hospital School for Nurses. It was named Oak Point University in 2021 after 11 years as Resurrection University.
According to the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits the school, Oak Point was “required to complete some monitoring” last year for low NCLEX scores, which is the test to become a RN, and not publishing pass rates.
That commission told WGN News Oak Point contacted them “this week” in regards of a closure plan.
As of publication, Oak Point University has not responded to a request for comment.
A copy of the letter is below.
“Dear Students,
It is with a heavy heart that I must share news that will significantly impact our learning community. After much deliberation, and with a deep sense of responsibility towards the educational and personal growth of each member of our learning community, the Oak Point Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to close after the Spring semester. This means the University will close Friday, April 19th.
This decision was not made lightly. It comes in response to a series of factors that have affected our University. Despite the tireless efforts of our faculty, staff and the unwavering support of our alumni and friends, the challenges we face are beyond what we can surmount in our current form.
It’s important to emphasize that this is not the end of our journey, but a transition. Our commitment to education and to each of you remains unwavering. We haver engaged with an amazing partner in Lewis University to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible for you. Lewis has agreed to accept ALL Oak Point students to allow for degree completion.
In the weeks to come, we will be organizing meetings, both virtual and in person, to answer your questions, provide advice and offer support. We have been working closely with Lewis University who has agreed to help aid in these transition plans.
Lewis University staff members (including members of the Transfer Admissions team) will be speaking with students at our Oak Brook location on Tuesday, April 2nd from 10am to 4pm to answer specific questions you may have regarding this transition. Please look out for further communications and meeting invitations in the coming days.
We are committed to your success and to providing you with all the information you need as we move forward together. In the interim, if there are pressing questions regarding this closure, please email: info@Oakpoint.edu and we will do our best to respond to your inquires.
In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you. Your resilience, passion and commitment to learning have always been the heart of Oak Point University. As we face this transition together, let us do so with the courage and hope that have always defined us.
With warmest regards and hope for the future,
Sincerely,
Dr. Scanlan”