Future of Belmont's NDNU uncertain

Jean Stoner, the board’s chair, confirmed in a statement that changes “that will greatly affect the future of the university” are in the works, but added no final decisions have been made.

“The board will continue to meet with the members of the corporation and seek to finalize decisions that will greatly affect the future of the university,” she wrote. “The well-being of the entire NDNU community, including students, faculty and staff, remains an important priority for the board. There are no final decisions at this time.”

Stoner also noted in the statement that the university “has been experiencing challenges that many smaller institutions of higher education have faced in recent years” and said officials have “made numerous efforts over the past several years to counteract these difficulties.”

The Belmont university has been dealing with enrollment and financial challenges since at least 2018 when former president Judith Greig approved a series of course reductions and layoffs, much to the consternation of faculty members, who that year called for Greig’s resignation.

According to the aforementioned board of trustees report, NDNU held four listening sessions attended by 60 people in its community who provided a long list of criticisms of the university and also suggestions for how to proceed.

Several respondents were displeased with the board and administration for failing to advance the institution, including fundraising, for insufficiently investing in full-time faculty and academic support, and for failing to innovate, including the development of online programs, according to the report.

Respondents cited “serious internal and external communications failures” and accused leaders of “keeping stakeholders in the dark” about issues facing the university, according to the report. Some also felt marketing, branding and communications efforts were lacking.

Respondents also provided suggestions for restructuring and future use of the university’s land.

“Many” felt the university should repurpose the property and not allow developers to take over while others felt the university should sell the land, according to the report.

“[They] made suggestions to sell the land immediately, sell some property for office space, sell or even donate to the high school, or that the university leverage some property as revenue through collaborations with civic organizations and use some property as rental space,” the report states.

The report went on to say the board already sold the campus parcel that was “least controversial” — the Trudeau Center parcel — and that it may consider “monetizing additional property.”

A timeline has not been announced for when decisions about the university and its property will be made.

“The university will be as transparent as it can during this process and decisions will be announced as soon as possible,” Stoner said.

Established in 1851 by two sisters who came from Namur, Belgium, NDNU is the third oldest educational institution in California and the first university in the state to grant the baccalaureate degree to women. The private Catholic university opened in San Jose and came to Belmont in 1923. The campus is also home to Ralston Hall, a historic landmark built in 1868 that was originally the mansion of Bank of California founder William Chapman Ralston, who sold it to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in the 1920s. 

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