Keystone College on the brink
What we know as of 6 pm ET December 4
Part of the reason I didn’t completely delete my X account is because news still breaks there, however unreliable it might be. That is what happened today when Frank Rossi of In the D3FB Huddle tweeted that Keystone College will close on Friday, December 6. As in, 48 hours from the time of tweet.
That report has not been confirmed by any other source that I have seen as of 6 pm ET on December 4. But we do know the institution’s accreditation, essential for continued operations of any higher education campus, is in serious danger, with Inside Higher Ed’s Josh Moody reporting last week that Middle States will strip Keystone’s accreditation at the end of this month.
The school announced it would appeal the decision, ostensibly clearing the way for the campus to remain open for the spring semester and retain accreditation status in the interim. The unconfirmed tweet from today contradicts that report.
Should Keystone announce that it will cease operations, it will become the 10th Division III institution to close in a two-year period dating back to December 7, 2022.
Here is the list of the previous nine:
Cazenovia College (NY), 16 sports, 708 total undergraduates, 29% athletes, (announced December 7, 2022)
Finlandia University (MI), 13 sports, 385 total undergraduates, 63% athletes, (March 2, 2023)
Medaille University (NY), 17 sports, 1,139 total undergraduates, 18% athletes, (May 15, 2023)
Cabrini University (PA), 18 sports, 1,235 total undergraduates, 25% athletes, (June 23, 2023)
Fontbonne University (MO), 22 sports, 612 total undergraduates, 63% athletes, (March 11, 2024)
Birmingham-Southern College (AL), 22 sports, 962 total undergraduates, 47% athletes, (March 26, 2024)
Wells College (NY), 16 sports, 346 total undergraduates, 44% athletes, (April 29, 2024)
Eastern Nazarene College (MA), 17 sports, 381 total undergraduates, 50% athletes, (June 25, 2024)
Clarks Summit University (PA), 12 sports, 269 total undergraduates, 48% athletes, (July 1, 2024)
Should Keystone College join the above group, here is how it would be listed:
Keystone College (PA), 17 sports, 811 total undergraduates, 40% athletes, (TBD)
Regardless of whether the campus is open come Monday, the future does not look promising. Staying open for the spring semester is absolutely the best outcome for students, allowing seniors to graduate on time, and giving Keystone the opportunity to develop teach-out agreements with area institutions. It also allows the continuing Keystone students a chance to negotiate the best financial aid packages possible for the upcoming year. Closing in two days would make all of the above a challenge, unless Keystone has been working behind the scenes to do this all along.
On the athlete side, I suspect athletes with remaining eligibility, and who might fit a need, will be targeted directly by other campuses in the surrounding geographic area. I know when Alderson Broaddus, a Division II in West Virginia, announced closed in 2023, coaches at my former employer were reaching out to athletes immediately.
In the meantime, the Keystone Giants’ men’s basketball team, 3-4 on the year, squares off against United East rival the Saint Elizabeth University (NJ) Eagles at 7:30 pm tonight. Watch it here and support these athletes caught in an emotional state of limbo, wondering whether this is their last basketball game.