Belmont's NDNU officials respond to criticism

Since the possibility of closure was floated late last year, many local leaders and students have criticized NDNU officials for insufficiently communicating with them about the future of the Belmont university.

State legislators, local elected officials and business leaders sent a collective letter last year to the school offering help, and it was roundly ignored, they said.

NDNU officials insist that particular letter was never received by the vast majority of them, and argued there’s only so much they’ve been at liberty to say about the potential restructuring of an institution before a deal is reached.

“If a business is talking to another business about a merger, acquisition or arrangement they all sign nondisclosure agreements until they’re ready to go public and NDNU honored that,” said Interim President Dan Carey. “Some people think something nefarious is going on, but there’s nothing shaky about it. That’s what businesses and organizations do.”

Speaking of the aforementioned letter, Carey added only three members of the Board of Trustees received it.

“While we’re embarrassed, there’s only a kernel of truth [to the claim that NDNU ignored the letter writers]. Our chair of the board and president read that letter for the first time in the newspaper,” he said.  

But as recently as late last month, several of the letter writers reiterated their concerns.

“We write with a sense of urgency, frustration and disappointment on behalf of our constituents: your current and former faculty and staff, your students and alumni, former trustees and San Mateo County community leaders who have all tried in vain to communicate offers of assistance without any acknowledgment,” read a letter co-authored by state Sen. Jerry Hill, Assemblyman Kevin Mullin and Assemblyman Marc Berman dated April 21. “Frustration and disappointment are perhaps mild based on what we have learned.”

NDNU officials have since suggested those concerns have or are at least in the process of being addressed. A response to the letter was sent on April 24 confirming a “very productive conversation” with Mullin’s district director, as requested in the letter, had already occurred.

“President Carey is also planning to meet with community leaders and several elected officials in San Mateo County on an ongoing basis to elicit their support for NDNU and their ideas on pathways for the future of the university,” NDNU said in a statement. “The goal is to continue to move forward. We know that for NDNU to carve out a future after spring 2021 we will need to work closely with those community leaders and officials. That is the direction that these partnerships are focused on.”

Chance to remain open?

In April, Carey suggested recent developments have increased the school’s chances of remaining open beyond 2021, but offered no further details.

“We got a second chance at life and we’re trying to take advantage of that,” he said. “There will be more to say down the road.”

Carey added that the Corporate Board, a group of East Coast-based nuns who get final say in the future of the school, are working with the Board of Trustees in coming up with a plan for the school and are not as removed from the process as many have claimed.

“They’re looking for our Board of Trustees to develop proposals. They won’t be micromanaging the process,” Carey said, adding “if you think for a moment they’d prefer for us to close that would be wrong.”

The next “big meeting” with the Board of Trustees will occur in June, Carey said.

Help with transfers

NDNU officials said they continue to successfully facilitate transfers of current underclassmen and reject claims that they’ve left them to fare for themselves in a difficult time of transition.

“I’m always about the students and they’re our first priority. Everything we do is to take care of the students,” Carey said.  

According to a statement from the university, academic advisors have logged at least 250 one-on-one contacts with students, which represents about 75% of undergraduates who must transfer, and at least 45 of them have accepted offers.

NDNU has partnered with 10 institutions, including Menlo College, that have agreed to take NDNU students in good academic standing. In some cases, the partner institutions have responded to applications within 24 to 48 hours and are also matching current financial aid packages, Carey said.

“Our partner institutions have offered Zoom meetings for our students so they can receive information directly from those campuses to help them decide the best options,” NDNU’s statement adds.

Student frustration

Some NDNU underclassmen are frustrated that while the school is open next year, only juniors are being allowed to return to finish their degrees. The underclassmen want to also continue their education at NDNU as long as possible and more than 2,000 people have signed a petition demanding as much.

“We reserve the right to continue our education at NDNU and not be expelled,” the petition reads. “We will work to keep NDNU open. We reserve the right to help create a vibrant and strong NDNU school and community for the future.”

NDNU officials in response reiterated the school may soon be closing and that underclassmen are better off continuing their education elsewhere.

“It’s a big paradox because I think it says how much they love the university and want the chance to continue, but as much as we want to keep them on it wouldn’t be fair to the students. It’s much easier to find solutions for them early on, said Karen Schornstein, the school’s spokeswoman. “Finding pathways and graduation for the students is being as fair as we can be. It’s in their best interest.”

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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