CAZENOVIA — When Cazenovia College closes its doors this summer, Le Moyne College will step in to help preserve the institution’s nearly 200-year legacy.
On April 19, the two colleges announced in a press release that they have executed several agreements whereby Le Moyne, a private Jesuit college in DeWitt, will maintain Cazenovia College’s student, alumni, and human resource records and dedicate space on its campus to commemorating the institution and its impact.
The records, which Le Moyne has agreed to provide continued student and alumni access to, will be transferred upon the completion of the academic year at the end of June, the colleges said.
Cazenovia College announced last December that it will permanently close following the spring 2023 semester due to financial difficulties.
As a legacy institution for Cazenovia College, Le Moyne will also dedicate space in its Noreen Reale Falcone Library to displaying the history of Cazenovia College, including artifacts and memorabilia such as yearbooks dating to 1881. Additionally, the school has agreed to create a Cazenovia-named garden near the library, have a named space in the W. Carroll Coyne Center for the Performing Arts to honor Cazenovia College’s commitment to the visual arts, and maintain engagement and programming with Cazenovia alumni.
The press release explains that through the years, the two colleges have entered into agreements to establish academic relationships and have engaged in other collaborative initiatives in the past.
“Le Moyne and Cazenovia College have a long history of working together,” said Cazenovia College President David Bergh in the press release. “While we approach the college’s closing with sadness, we are pleased to have Le Moyne be the institution to maintain the records and legacy of Cazenovia College.”
Le Moyne is currently in the process of establishing a master’s degree program in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) to be taught by faculty coming from Cazenovia College.
Cazenovia introduced its own CMHC master’s program in 2019 as the college’s first graduate degree program.
“To provide for a seamless experience for Cazenovia students at the graduate level, Le Moyne has submitted to the New York State Education Department’s Office of Higher Education a program proposal to offer a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling,” said Joe Della Posta, director of communications at Le Moyne. “If approved, students currently enrolled in the Cazenovia program will be able to matriculate at Le Moyne beginning this fall, with new cohorts recruited each year moving forward.”
Le Moyne is also one of the “teach out” partner institutions that have agreed to allow current Cazenovia College students to seamlessly transfer to their schools with credits and comparable financial aid.
According to Tim Greene, Cazenovia College’s executive director of communications and marketing, about 50 Cazenovia students have applied to Le Moyne, but the total that will be attending is unknown as the enrollment cycle is still in process.
Greene also reported that as of April 19, six Cazenovia College faculty members from a few different departments/programs will have positions at Le Moyne.
“Le Moyne is pleased to support and recognize the many contributions that Cazenovia College has made to the higher education landscape during its nearly 200-year history,” said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura in the April 19 press release. “We look forward to welcoming Cazenovia students to our campus this fall and engaging Cazenovia alumni in the coming years.”
Cazenovia Public Library & Museum
Within the Village of Cazenovia, another institution has also agreed to help preserve the legacy of Cazenovia College.
The Cazenovia Public Library & Museum (CPL) will also receive items from the college archives, including memorabilia, files, pictures, and student ephemera. The library is planning to showcase those items in a May/June lobby display, in its Cabinet of Curiosity, and eventually in a permanent museum exhibit.
CPL Interim Director Elisha Davies said Cazenovia College Archivist Kasey Sikorsky, who is a former CPL intern, reached out to her about the archives back in December after the college announced the closure. This semester, Davies and CPL Museum Educator Julia Shotzberger have been spending time at the college each week going through the collection and identifying which items should be transferred to CPL’s collection.
“Thanks to our 2021 archive renovation, we’re able to accommodate everything that we’ve identified as a ‘yes,’” said Davies. “We’re honored to be the caretakers of this collection. [Former archivist Dr. John Robert Greene], Kasey Sikorsky, and Cazenovia College students have done Cazenovia a great service gathering, organizing, and caring for the institution’s 199-plus history. Whether you want to learn more about the buildings, the teachers and faculty, events, or students, this collection captures it all and more. This acquisition brings opportunity — the opportunity to engage our history and to engage our community in honoring the college and its inextricable role in developing Cazenovia.”
