For sophomore education student Julia Leidecker, there was never a sad moment on Trinity Christian College’s campus until the Palos Heights school announced it would permanently close in May.
The atmosphere completely changed that day in November, Leidecker said.
“It went from an upbeat, happy environment to everybody’s like, what’s next? What do we do?” she said.
Three months ahead of closure, some Trinity students and parents say they remain uncertain about their next steps. While more and more institutions have agreed to partner with the private college, accepting their credits and offering comparable costs, the transfer process has been far from straightforward.
The current list of partner institutions includes Kuyper College and Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin; Dominican University in River Forest; Judson University in Elgin; Lewis University in Romeoville; North Park University and Saint Xavier University in Chicago; Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais; and Wheaton College in Wheaton.
Leidecker is waiting on acceptance from Saint Xavier, which she heard is backlogged due to high demand among Trinity students.
She also said she was on track to complete a double major at Trinity but is unsure what that will look like at Saint Xavier or any other institution.
“There’s so much backup that we don’t have answers yet,” Leidecker said. “It’s really frustrating, but at the same time, everybody has to deal with it at some point, so it’s kind of just like wait your turn.”
Julia Leidecker stands in front of a mural at Trinity Christian College. The Palos Heights school will permanently close in May 2026. (Julia Leidecker)
Brian Hotzfield, vice president of enrollment at Saint Xavier, said about 150 Trinity students have demonstrated interest in transferring, and said 10 of them made the switch at the start of the school’s spring semester Jan. 12.
“We were really not expecting any to enroll in the spring,” Hotzfield said. “It was a pleasant surprise.”
Hotzfield said he is unsure how many students will enroll in the fall semester, which begins Aug. 24, but said the school is preparing to find homes for as many who are interested. He said he was surprised to hear students waiting for transfer assistance, though adjusting schedules for students from programs that differ from those offered at Saint Xavier may take longer.
“We’re encouraging students to try and work through the process sooner rather than later so that we can get them squared away and make sure that they feel comfortable,” though there are no set deadlines for Trinity students to enroll, he said.
Patricia Serio is waffling between Saint Xavier and Judson University to finish her degree.
Her mother, Marcia Serio, said the sophomore graphic design student loved the independence of living on Trinity’s campus while staying close to her family’s Mount Greenwood home, and many of Trinity’s partner institutions are too far away to consider.
“She’s very much an introvert,” Serio said. “So for her, moving 15 minutes away may as well been another state for how she did with it, but she’s been fantastic since being (at Trinity).”
John Karlic, a 35-year-old student who lives in Burbank, said Saint Xavier was his first choice for transferring his Trinity credits. Unlike many younger students, he said the college’s closing was only the latest interruption to him receiving his bachelor’s degree.
The business major said he first enrolled at the Palos Heights college in 2021, but took a two-year break due to a medical issue. He returned in 2023 and was on track to graduate from Trinity next year.
“I just started going back, and that’s why it was such a shock,” Karlic said. “Of course it’s closing as soon as I decided to come back and finish my degree.”
Karlic said location and class format are important factors as he considers moving schools.
He said while he finishes his degree, he can’t give up his job as a maintenance worker for DuPage County. Karlic also struggles with strictly online classes, further limiting his options.
Trinity Christian College on Nov. 4, 2025, after the liberal arts college announced it would close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. (Olivia Stevens/Daily Southtown)
Karlic said Trinity’s closure makes a part of him wish he had gone back to school sooner, but he is sadder for younger students who aren’t used to academic uncertainty and staff who will be forced to find new jobs.
“I see kids in my class that are younger than me and they’re trying to figure out what to do,” Karlic said. “They haven’t been through the having to jump around and go from school to school. I’ve kind of had some semblance of that, switching schools and switching majors.”
The college will host a transfer fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday at DeVos Gymnasium on campus, billed as an opportunity for students to receive information on teach-out partners, transfer-out partners and traditional transfer institutions.
Alumni hope remains
While current Trinity students plan their next steps, a small group of alumni maintains hope the campus that contains a trove of happy memories can be saved.
Trinity’s closure announcement came as a shock to many, with the liberal arts college’s president and board citing financial struggles caused by declining enrollment and other factors.
“It’s a really dynamic place for me, and it’s hard to be content to leave Trinity’s legacy to merely linger in the halls of history,” said Ryan Wynia, who graduated in 2004.
A sign welcomes freshman students to Trinity Christian College on move in day in 2025. (Olivia Stevens/Daily Southtown)
Wynia said he understands the complexity of issues surrounding the board of trustee’s decision to close but wishes leaders had been more transparent about the college’s financial situation beforehand.
He said the group met in December with two board members but was made to feel like a nuisance when requesting information and proposing ideas to help the school stay open.
“They said, ‘Well, if you can just get us $40 million, we can save the school,’” Wynia said. “We know there’s some issues here, both in the market and in pressures on higher education, but also, a college doesn’t close if there’s not some internal issues, right?”
A spokesperson for Trinity declined to provide updates on what’s next for the college.
Wynia said he understands board members’ fatigue around discussing Trinity’s future with members of the college community but isn’t ready to give up trying to make them listen.
“With each passing day, hope slips away a little bit more, but who knows? Big things can happen,” he said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
