Pioneer Pacific College notified state agencies Tuesday that it plans to permanently close its Oregon Culinary Institute in downtown Portland and the Pioneer Pacific facilities in Portland, Beaverton and Springfield. The private, for profit colleges blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the decision. The closures, though, are the latest in a string of private college failures that started long before the pandemic. The Oregon College of Art and Craft, Marylhurst and Concordia University Portland all closed in the last three years. The Pacific Northwest College of Art said last month it was laying off and furloughing staff in anticipation of a sharp decline in enrollment. Oregon’s public colleges and universities don’t appear in immediate danger of failing, but community colleges and four-universities are cutting jobs and salaries in anticipation of low enrollment this fall. Pioneer Pacific and the Oregon Culinary Institute did not respond to a phone call or an email seeking comment on the closure plans and information about how the closures will affect students currently enrolled. https://www.oregonlive.com/business...c-college-say-theyre-closing-permanently.html
