John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill is closing at the end of 2020, university officials have announced.
JFK University, located on Ellinwood Way in Pleasant Hill, was founded in 1965 and has been affiliated with Southern California-based National University since 2009, and will transfer nearly all of its programs to other schools in that university’s system beginning in July.
The school’s acting president Thomas Stewart and board of trustees chairman Michael McGill wrote in a letter Thursday that the closure was a result of the changing landscape of higher education in the U.S.
“More and more students, particularly the adult learners that we serve, seek flexible and affordable online educational opportunities that allow them to learn wherever and whenever they want to fit their busy schedules,” the letter said. “We all are being challenged to adapt to meet those needs.”
JFK’s graduate psychology programs will be integrated as degree offerings at National University, while its College of Law will move to Northcentral University in San Diego and carry on its name as the JFK School of Law at NCU, according to the university.
The only programs being discontinued are the associate in arts program and certificate in Trauma Studies.
More information about the closure and program changes can be found at JFK’s website.