DANA COLLEGE DIES

Dana Students, Staff Wonder What's Next

126-Year-Old School Can't Solve Accreditation Problem

POSTED: 7:03 pm CDT June 30, 2010
UPDATED: 7:30 pm CDT July 1, 2010

BLAIR, Neb. -- IBSYS.application.Application.registerComponent('IBSYS.media.relatedClearsiteVid','N21A9C',{ 'jsonEndPoint':'/ec/content-service/json/getContent','skin_swf_url':'/sh/flex3MediaPlayer/skins/ibDefaultSkin.swf','swfUrl':'/sh/flex3MediaPlayer/debug/VideoPlayback.swf','width':'240','height':'220','usage':'story','bg_clr':'#F7F7F7','highlight_color':'#336699','minutes_between_ads':'0.5','wmode':'transparent','video_coid':'24108399' }); Colleges in Nebraska and Iowa have agreed to take in students left in limbo in the wake of Dana College's sudden decision to close its doors. The 126-year-old private college announced the closure late Wednesday, citing the Higher Learning Commission's refusal to back its sale to a group of investors. The commission would not transfer accreditation to the group of investors that announced plans to buy the school in Blair. There's no official explanation for the commission's decision, but it's clear the small, liberal arts college can't survive without accreditation. Students and staff spent much of Thursday packing up boxes. The close-knit campus was reeling from the decision. "I got the e-mail in my BlackBerry," said girls' soccer coach Shad Beam. "And after our camp was over, I was like, 'Guys, I've got some bad news for you. We don't have a school. I don't have a job. You don't have a school.'" Sophomore soccer player Jamie Queen doesn't know her next move. "I've gotten a couple e-mails and calls from coaches, but I don't know what I'm going to do now," she said. Junior Leslie Cronin was picking up her transcripts on Thursday. "They made arrangements, but it's late and classes are probably full," she said. Dana officials were making arrangements Thursday to help its 600 to 650 full- and part-time students transfer elsewhere. More than a dozen schools, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, agreed to accommodate them. Midlands Lutheran College was working to help the situation, according to its president, Ben Sasse. "We met with the entire athletic department this morning and we're making a blanket job offer to all coaches at Dana," Sasse said. Dana advisers were to meet with students next week. Ripple Effect In Blair The closure is expected to have a significant effect on the economy of Blair, with 175 staff members and about 600 students. "I truly don't believe anybody has put thought into how we'll move forward without Dana because we were so hopeful the sale would go through," said Harriet Waite of the Blair Chamber of Commerce. She said the school makes an economic impact of about $27 million every year, and it will soon be gone. The school is also responsible for a lot of volunteer work. The Washington County Food Pantry went from serving 35 families every month to 300 after students held events to restock the shelves. The school even arranged for parking fees to go to the charity. Kathy Brechbill said students also donate detergent, something it usually can't afford to purchase. She said students also help raise money by shopping at the charity's store. "The profits from Joseph's Coat also helps back here at the pantry, but we are losing a lot of students that buy things out on our floor," she said. "We're losing a lot of jobs up there. I'm worried we'll be serving a lot more people than we are right now." Sandra Hazen works at the Main Street Bar and worries about what will happen without the college. "(We may be) lonesome, deserted," she said. "It will be all part of our past now."