Anna Maria College in Paxton put on notice by accreditation 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 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. This determination followed a review of whether Anna Maria has "sufficient human, financial, information, physical, and technological resources and capacity to support its missions," according to the commission's guidelines.
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.
"Like many other institutions, Anna Maria College has faced financial challenges tied to the pandemic," Retelle said Thursday. "Addressing those issues has been at the forefront of leadership decision-making. The strategies we put in place have already generated stronger enrollments last year and for this coming fall. We will continue to work with NECHE to address their concerns."
Enrollment at Anna Maria has dropped in recent years. This year it is at 1,173, down from 1,458 in 2019, according to school figures.
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.