Kelly Meyerhofer and Drake Bentley:

Cardinal Stritch University, which has been serving students since 1937, is closing its doors at the end of the spring semester, the college president announced Monday.

“We’re all devastated by this development, but after examining all options this decision was necessary,” President Dan Scholz said in a video announcement. “I wish there was a different path we could pursue. However, the fiscal realities, downward enrollment trends, the pandemic, the need for more resources and the mounting operational and facility challenges presented a no-win situation.”

The university Board of Trustees recommended the closure to the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi after determining the Fox Point school “could no longer provide high-quality educational experiences our students deserve,” he said. The Sisters accepted the recommendation and set the closing in motion, Scholz said.

The announcement came as a shock to the close-knit campus, and to its broader community.