Enrollment dip leads to Catholic college closure

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Notre Dame College, a small Catholic liberal arts school in operation for 51 years, is closing at the end of the academic year because of declining enrollment and a limited endowment, college officials said Thursday.

Trustees met Wednesday night with the college president, the Rev. Anthony De Conciliis, and voted to close the school on May 31.

"We thoroughly explored many alternatives, including the elimination of certain programs and the expansion of others," De Conciliis said. "We kept coming to the same conclusion -- that we would have no choice but to suspend operations."

Students learned of the closing Thursday from media reports.

In 1993, the college had about 1,350 students but has only 1,100 students now, said spokesman Patrick Duffy.