With Another Small, Private College Set To Close, What Lessons Should Schools Like Newbury College Take From This?

Newbury College will be closing after this academic year.

The school, which is in Brookline, has almost 650 students. It's the second Boston-area college to announce its closure this year, after Mount Ida College in Newton closed in the spring.

For some students, Newbury's closure was a double whammy as they had been recruited from Mount Ida College. That includes 19-year-old Samantha Marshall, an interior design student.

When Newbury approached her as Mount Ida closed, she says she asked admissions officials specifically about its finances and was assured that the school was on sound financial footing.

Other have praised the school's handling of the closure.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office said in a statement that "the Attorney General’s Office expresses its appreciation to Newbury College’s board and senior leadership for making this difficult choice in an orderly way that helps maximize opportunities for students.”

In light of the closure, how transparent should colleges be about their financial situation? At what point should they stop recruiting students? What resources on the financial standing of colleges are available to potential students?

Barbara Marshall, whose daughter Samantha is looking for another school to transfer to after Newbury College announced that its closing this spring.

Matthew Derr, president of Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, which tweets @sterlingcollege.

Tolani Britton, assistant professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education. She tweets @tolanibritton.