Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Mount Ida College President Barry Brown
BOSTON, May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 24, United States District Court Judge Richard Stearns ruled in favor of Mount Ida College President Barry Brown, the College's Board of Trustees and certain administrators, dismissing the effort by several former Mount Ida College students to bring a class action complaint arising from the College's closure in 2018.
Judge Stearns dismissed the complaint in its entirety, noting that the plaintiffs failed to establish or demonstrate how Mount Ida officials violated any laws. This ruling affirms that President Brown, the Board of Trustees and the College's administrators acted in the best interests of Mount Ida's students and employees throughout the closure process.
"President Brown is gratified with Judge Stearns' decision, which follows Attorney General Maura Healey's decision not to bring any legal action against anyone based upon the closing the College," said Mount Ida President Barry Brown's legal counsel, Howard M. Cooper of Todd & Weld LLP. "These decisions confirm that the closure of Mount Ida was done in an ethical and legally appropriate manner even though it was an extremely difficult event for the entire Mount Ida community. Sometimes the best and good faith efforts of people are just not enough."
"For six years, President Brown worked tirelessly to build a college dedicated to serving a unique community of teachers and students," continued Cooper. "Through his leadership, the College achieved a dramatic rise in national rankings, while retaining its dedication to a diverse, first generation student body. That his efforts to save Mount Ida in the end did not succeed has been heartbreaking for President Brown."
According to Education Dive, more than 150 colleges have closed, merged, or consolidated throughout the United States since 2016.
"Losing these colleges is devastating to the unique benefits that they provide to those students who thrive at institutions which afford close supportive communities of higher education where students from all backgrounds can succeed," said President Brown. "New England has more small colleges than anywhere else in the nation. They serve as distinct alternatives to large, less personalized universities, particularly for those who are the first in their families to attend college. Lawmakers and regulators must strive to preserve these unique and valuable colleges rather than castigating those who work to have them survive."
Media Contact:
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SOURCE The Castle Group, Inc.
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