Alliance University, Formerly Nyack College, to Close in August After Losing Accreditation

Alliance University, formerly Nyack College, will close at the end of August after losing its accreditation, according to a June report by Patch. The institution was founded by The Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1882 and moved to Rockland County in 1897. It renamed itself Alliance University in 2022.

On June 26, the university received notice from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that its accreditation would be revoked by December 31. The Board of Trustees then decided to end on-campus and online educational programs by August 31.

The Patch report also states that Yeshiva Viztnitz Dkhal Torath Chaim, Inc. purchased the 107-acre college campus in South Nyack, along with other properties, for $45.5 million. Yeshiva Viztnitz officials initially planned to operate a school for up to 250 boys, with possible future expansion. The report notes that South Nyack residents had voted in 2021 to dissolve the village and transfer local governance to Orangetown.

A Christianity Today report describes the closure differently, calling it a sudden shutdown after 140 years of operation. As the rapid shutdown began the previous summer, the university sought a permanent custodian for its extensive records, including transcripts, financial documents and licensure materials. Patch and Christianity Today do not describe the timing of the closure in the same way, and the reports do not give the same account of how quickly it unfolded.

Alliance turned to Houghton University, a Christian college about five hours away in New York State, to take on the records responsibility. According to Christianity Today, Houghton agreed, recognizing the importance of preserving the academic records of another long-standing Christian institution, a task that connects to the passing on of the record of past students and their studies (Hebrews 13:7). The King’s College, another New York Christian college described as in financial distress, also asked Houghton to serve as custodian for its records.

David Turk, who was provost of Alliance at the time of closure, described the situation as like loading the life rafts because the Titanic is going down. Houghton’s provost, David Davies, said the scale of the task exceeded initial expectations and required effort to manage tens of thousands of documents.

The collaboration goes beyond administration, the report says. Some Alliance administrators are Houghton graduates, and some Houghton professors studied at Alliance or Nyack.