BUFFALO, N.Y. — Thursday was the end of the line for Medaille University, a school with roots in Western New York dating back to 1875.
On August 31, 2023, the university permanently closed.
Citing falling enrollment and financial instability, in mid-May Interim College President Lori V. Quigley, Ph.D. delivered the news that some staff and faculty told 2 On Your Side they saw coming.
Classrooms and offices at the university's campus, located at 18 Agassiz Circle in Buffalo, were seen being cleared out Thursday. Furniture from the admissions building was loaded into a pickup and driven away, while computer monitors, keyboards, and other electronics were loaded up for recycling.
The campus was quiet. The school administrators were too.
President Quigley declined an interview with 2 On Your Side on Thursday despite lingering questions about the university going under.
As previously reported, documents obtained by 2 On Your Side showed that a merger between Medaille and Trocaire College fell threw after Trocaire raised concerns about $5 million in COVID relief credits that Medaille was not legally entitled to. The merger would have been a lifeline for Medaille.
It was such alleged actions that led the faculty council and the student government to vote no confidence in the school's board of trustees.
Two sources later told 2 On Your Side that they had been speaking with the New York State Attorney General's Office.
The abrupt closing left numerous students and staff with a home for the upcoming semester. Fortunately, schools like Hilbert College and 30 others have tried to help those impacted.
"We are really sad about what happened to Medaille, and we were just happy to be there to help students and some employees," Hilbert College President Michael Brophy said.
Hilbert has hired five to 10 faculty members and accepted 40 transfer students according to Brophy.
He added that the college is also matching the out-of-pocket cost that students would have paid at Medaille.
"It was a traumatic time for them," Brophy said.
"With the exception of the veterinary program, we're very very similar at the undergraduate level and we're also an NCAA Division III school so we were a really good match for students to come over."
While the university is permanently closing, a couple of key questions still remain.
First, what will happen to the Medaille campus and athletic facilities? So far no one that 2 On Your Side has spoken to including City of Buffalo leaders appears to know.
Second, will anyone be held accountable for what led to their closure?
2 On Your Side will continue to seek those answers.