Marymount California University To Close In Palos Verdes

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — Declining student enrollment is prompting Marymount California University to close this summer, officials announced.

MCU cited declining enrollment, rising costs and the pandemic as major challenges for the small, tuition-dependent school. University leaders acknowledged these factors put them in a position of not having the resources needed to support the institution’s operational expenses.

“This is an extremely sad day for Marymount and for the legacy and traditions lost, both for our campus community and the local Palos Verdes area we have called home for more than 50 years,” Brian Marcotte, MCU president, said in a statement. “This decision was not made lightly. But we felt the most compassionate thing to do was to give everyone time to make plans. Our focus now will be to help our students, faculty and staff.”

Classes for MCU students will conclude with the end of the summer term in August. No new students will be admitted for the fall semester.

The university will transition students to other colleges and universities for the fall semester, in cooperation with its regulators, officials said.

The university enrolls 500 full-time students and employs 140 full-time staff. Following the closure, MCU anticipates employing only a very small number of individuals to manage the wind-down of the school, officials said. In the interim, the university hopes to assist its faculty and staff with identifying new opportunities.

The oceanside university is located at 30800 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes.

The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary established Marymount Palos Verdes College in 1968 as a two-year Catholic junior college. In 2013, the name changed from Marymount College, Palos Verdes to Marymount California University to reflect its expansion to a multi-campus institution of higher learning, offering both four-year undergraduate degrees, as well as graduate degree programs.