03-04-2025
Anna Maria College in Paxton put on notice by acceditation panel
PAXTON — After an oversight commission questioned finances at Anna Maria College, the school has heightened its focus on cost-cutting and increasing its enrollment.
Anna Maria, which has seen a drop in students in some areas in recent years, is readying for new leadership, with Sean Ryan, an administrator at Bellarmine University in Kentucky, due to replace Mary Lou Retelle in July.
The school recently underwent a review of its finances by the New England Commission of Higher Education, an accreditation source. On March 6, the commission determined that Anna Maria is in danger of not meeting its Standard on Institutional Resources.
In a joint statement by the commission and Anna Maria, the commission questioned whether changes made by the school "will be sufficient for the institution to return to financial stability and compliance with its debt service covenant."
The meeting ended with an agreement that the commission would monitor the school's standing through spring 2026.
"We will continue to work in partnership with NECHE concerning the Institutional Resources standard," Retelle, the outgoing Anna Maria president, said in a statement. "The strong work that has been conducted to address variables accentuated by the pandemic is ongoing. We continue to provide our students with a high-quality, service-focused education that advances the mission that has guided this institution for 79 years."
Anna Maria in 2022 announced it was discontinuing three of its music majors. At the time, the college said efforts to boost the number of students had fallen short.
In July 2024, Retelle, who became the head of Anna Maria in 2015, said that the current school year would be her last. She is retiring, she said.
On March 6, the same day as the meeting of the New England Commission of Higher Education, the school announced that Ryan would be the new president. He is a senior vice president at Bellarmine, a school of about 3,000 students in Louisville. Earlier in his career, he was chief enrollment officer at Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire.
The New England Commission of Higher Education accredits more than 200 schools that award degrees. Anna Maria's accreditation dates to 1955, not long after Sisters of Saint Anne, a Marlborough-based order, took over the 290-acre Paxton estate known as Mooracres.
More: Graphics explain: How has college enrollment changed in the past decade?
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Anna Maria College put on notice by acceditation panel
