Rollan Mattson didn’t expect to make history when he lined up for Siena Heights University’s commencement on Saturday.
But about three hours in, the 22-year-old nursing major walked across the school’s fieldhouse stage with a rare distinction: He was the final graduate of the 107-year-old private Catholic university, which is closing its doors for good.
Siena Heights, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919, is the latest in a wave of smaller private and faith-based colleges to close in Michigan amid declining enrollment and financial strain.
When he learned of Siena Heights’ pending closure heading into his senior year, Mattson said his first thought was, “Oh hell, am I going to graduate?”
The June 2025 closure announcement led staffers to try to find other jobs in a scramble, Mattson said, telling Bridge Michigan the university’s nursing department was reduced to three faculty members by the end of the semester, down from at least seven.
