{{Short description|Christian college in New York City}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox university | name = Alliance University | image = | image_upright = .7 | former_name = Nyack College (1972–2022)<br>Missionary Training Institute (1882–1972) | established = {{start date|1882}} | closed = {{End date|2023|08|31}} | type = Private university | accreditation = | religious_affiliation = Christian and Missionary Alliance | endowment = | budget = | chairman = | president = Rajan S. Mathews | provost = | students = | undergrad = | city = New York City | country = U.S. | coordinates = {{coord|40.7056|-74.0156|type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}} | campus = Urban | colors = Dark Purple and Alliance Red | mascot = Warriors | athletics_affiliations = NCAA Division II – CACC (North) | academic_affiliations = CCCU<br />CIC | website = {{url|www.allianceu.edu}} | logo = Copy of AllianceUniversity-Logo-Color.jpg }}
'''Alliance University''' (formerly '''Nyack College''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Nyack.ogg|ˈ|n|aɪ|.|æ|k}}) was a private Christian university affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://cmalliance.org/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=cmalliance.org |language=en-US}}</ref> and located in New York City. It offered undergraduate and graduate programs; in addition, it included Alliance Theological Seminary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seminary |url=https://allianceu.edu/academics/seminary/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Alliance University |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="MSCHE document">{{cite web |title=Statement of Accreditation |url=http://www.msche.org//Documents/SAS/336/Statement%20of%20Accreditation%20Status.htm |website=msche.org |publisher=Middle States Commission on Higher Education |access-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926010833/http://www.msche.org//Documents/SAS/336/Statement%20of%20Accreditation%20Status.htm |archive-date=2015-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="MSCHE Inst Dir">{{cite web |title=Institution Directory |url=http://www.msche.org/institutions_view.asp?idInstitution=336 |access-date=17 September 2015 |website=msche.org |publisher=Middle States Commission on Higher Education}}</ref><ref name="Fact Book 2014-2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.nyack.edu/site/download/nyack-factbook-2019/?wpdmdl=152589&refresh=5e1aba60353f41578809952|title=Fact Book 2019|website=Nyack.edu|publisher=Nyack College|access-date=12 January 2020}}</ref>
In June 2023, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education announced that it would revoke the university's accreditation in December 2023 due to significant and ongoing financial challenges.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moody |first1=Josh |title=Alliance University Loses Accreditation |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/06/27/alliance-university-loses-accreditation |website=Inside Higher Ed |access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref> On June 30, 2023, university leaders announced that it would cease operations as of August 31, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alliance University Accreditation F.A.Q. |url=https://allianceu.edu/about-au/accreditations/accreditations-faq/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Alliance University |language=en-US}}</ref>
==History== thumb|upright|alt= The founder of Nyack College and the Christian and Missionary Alliance.|A. B. Simpson, founder of Nyack College and the Christian and Missionary Alliance Originally known as the '''Missionary Training Institute''',<ref>{{cite web|title=Nyack History|url=http://www.nyack.edu/2015/History|website=Nyack.edu|publisher=Nyack College|access-date=14 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904225959/http://www.nyack.edu/2015/History|archive-date=2015-09-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> the school was founded in 1882 in New York City by Dr. A. B. Simpson. Simpson resigned from a prestigious New York City pastorate to develop an interdenominational fellowship devoted to serving unreached people. Simpson's view was shared by many of his contemporaries, including mainline church leaders, laborers, and theological scholars.<ref>{{cite web|title=The School That Vision Built|url=http://www.nyack.edu/2012/Vision00|website=Nyack.edu|publisher=Nyack College|access-date=14 September 2015}}{{Dead link|date=March 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
After more than a decade of nomadic address changes for the Institute—including Eighth Avenue and 44th Street in Manhattan—28 acres of land were purchased in Rockland County, New York, and, in 1897, the school relocated to the village of South Nyack becoming widely known as a Bible college and an institute for ministry preparation.
The Missionary Training Institute was later granted a charter by the New York Board of Regents<ref name="College Navigator">{{cite web|title=College Nagivator|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=194161#accred|website= NCES.ED.gov| publisher= National Center for Educational Statistics | access-date= 16 September 2015}}</ref> and the school's curriculum was registered by the State Education Department in 1944. In 1953, the school was authorized to confer the Bachelor of Science degree and, in 1961, the Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1960, the corporation was authorized to conduct a post-baccalaureate program as the forerunner of the Alliance Theological Seminary. Nyack first received accreditation in 1962 from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
The seminary was established in 1960 as the Jaffray School of Missions, a graduate program of the college. The Jaffray School of Missions emphasized the interdisciplinary encounter between theology and the social sciences. In 1974, the Jaffray program was redesigned to include the preparation of students for ministry in North America and abroad.<ref>{{cite web|title=ATS Mission|url=http://www.nyack.edu/content/ATSMission| website= Nyack.edu| publisher= Nyack College |access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> The name of the seminary was subsequently changed to the Alliance School of Theology and Missions. In September 1979, the Alliance School of Theology and Missions became Alliance Theological Seminary, which is recognized by the Christian and Missionary Alliance as the denomination's official seminary in the United States. thumb|alt= students of the former Missionary Training Institute|The students of 1894–95 (when Nyack College was called the Missionary Training Institute)
The school changed its name to Nyack College in 1972 and began offering professional degree programs like education and business in the early 1970s.
In 1997, the college returned to Manhattan with a branch campus. Steady growth in enrollment prompted a search in 2008 for a new permanent home for the New York City campus, an initiative that became known as The Miracle in Manhattan.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Miracle in Manhattan |url=http://www.cmalliance.org/alife/a-miracle-in-manhattan/ |website=CMAlliance.org |publisher=Christian and Missionary Alliance |access-date=14 September 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820183139/https://www.cmalliance.org/alife/a-miracle-in-manhattan/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2012, Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary signed a 20-year lease<ref>{{cite web|title=Nyack College to Relocate Manhattan Campus to 2 Washington Street|url=http://commercialobserver.com/2013/04/nyack-college-to-relocate-manhattan-campus-to-2-washington-street/|work= Commercial Observer|date=5 April 2013| access-date= 14 September 2015}}</ref> with a two-year option to purchase the {{convert|166,385|sqft|abbr=on}} on eight floors of the structure at 2 Washington Street in Battery Park.<ref>{{cite web|title= Rockland's Nyack College changes its NYC location|url= http://realestate.lohudblogs.com/2013/04/25/rocklands-nyack-college-makes-nyc-location-change/|website= realestate.lohudblogs.com; Journal News Lower Hudson|access-date= 14 September 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150925224017/http://realestate.lohudblogs.com/2013/04/25/rocklands-nyack-college-makes-nyc-location-change/|archive-date= 25 September 2015|url-status= dead}}</ref> Classes began in the new facility in fall 2013.
On November 7, 2018, the college announced plans to close its Nyack campus and consolidate its New York operations in its Manhattan-based campus by fall 2019.<ref name="Nyack_closure">{{cite web|url=https://www.nyack.edu/news/update-on-jersey-city-residence-hall/|title=Update on Jersey City Residence Hall|date=October 21, 2019|website=Nyackinnyc.org}}</ref> The Nyack campus was scheduled to close at the end of the 2018–2019 academic year; however, the closure was delayed to September 2020.<ref name="move update">{{cite web|url=https://www.nyack.edu/news/update-on-jersey-city-residence-hall/|title=Update on Jersey City Residence Hall|website=Nyackinnyc.org|access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> After the sale of the Nyack campus, the college was renamed Alliance University in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyack.edu/news/nyack-college-is-now-alliance-university/|title=Nyack College Is Now Alliance University|date=September 1, 2022|website=nyack.edu}}</ref>
The Nyack property was sold to and is operated by Yeshiva Viztnitz Dkhal Torath Chaim.<ref name="Lieberman">{{Cite news |last=Lieberman |first=Steve |date=2024-06-26 |title=Orangetown settles lawsuit against yeshiva owners of former Nyack College |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2024/06/26/orangetown-ends-lawsuit-against-yeshiva-owners-of-former-nyack-college-ny/74215964007/ |access-date=2024-11-11 |language=en-US}}</ref>
In June 2023, Middle States Commission on Higher Education announced that it would revoke the University's main accreditation in December 2023 due to the university's significant and ongoing financial challenges. On June 30, 2023, the university announced that it would cease operations as of August 31, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belz |first=Emily |date=2023-07-01 |title=After 140 Years, Alliance University Will Close |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/july/alliance-university-closing-nyack-new-york-higher-ed.html |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=News & Reporting |language=en}}</ref> At the time of the closure, the denomination said it was exploring ways to continue the seminary program.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hickey |first=Bradley |date=2023-06-30 |title=A Heartbreaking Farewell: Alliance University Faces Accreditation Withdrawal and Campus Closure |url=https://allianceu.edu/news/a-heartbreaking-farewell-alliance-university-faces-accreditation-withdrawal-and-campus-closure/ |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Alliance University |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Academics== In spring 2013, Alliance University graduated its first nursing degree students.<ref name="Accredited Colleges List">{{cite web|title=Accredited Colleges List|url=http://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/rptAccreditedPrograms_New.asp?sort=institution#N| website= ccnecommunity.org| publisher= Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education|access-date=17 September 2015}}</ref>
Through a collaboration with Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, Alliance University provided a Bachelor of Science program in organizational management to incarcerated individuals at Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York and at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York.<ref name= "Hudson Link Timeline">{{cite web| url= http://www.hudsonlink.org/what-we-do/history-timeline/| title= Hudson Link History At A Glance: A Timeline| publisher= Hudson Link for Higher Education| website= hudsonlink.org| access-date= April 19, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=March 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> In 2015, the school graduated 24 inmates.<ref name="Nyack blog Hudson Link">{{cite press release |title=Nyack College Degrees to 24 Fishkill Correctional Facility Grads| first= Deborah |last= Walker| date= January 22, 2015| url=http://www.nyack.edu/blog/NyackNews/2040|website= Nyack.edu| publisher= Nyack College |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref> With the closure of Alliance, Bard College, through their Bard Prison Initiative, began accepting incarcerated Alliance students as transfer students.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Relations |first=Bard Public |title=Bard Prison Initiative Accepts Transfer Students and Expands as Two Colleges Close |url=https://www.bard.edu/news/details/?id=19540&prefurl=bard-prison-initiative-accepts-transfer-students-expands-as-two-colleges-close-2023-09-07 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=www.bard.edu |language=en}}</ref>
===Accreditation=== Alliance University was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nyack College|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=194161#accred |website= NCES.ED.gov| publisher= National Center for Educational Statistics |access-date=17 September 2015}}</ref> In March 2023, the accreditor placed the university on "show cause" status due to significant and ongoing financial struggles.<ref name="accreditation_show_cause">{{cite web |last=Lederman |first=Doug |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Alliance University Threatened With Loss of Accreditation |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2023/03/14/alliance-university-threatened-loss-accreditation |accessdate=March 14, 2023 |publisher=Inside Higher Ed}}</ref> Three months later, the accreditor announced its decision to revoke the university's accreditation in December 2023.<ref name="accreditation revocation">{{cite web |url=https://www.highereddive.com/news/alliance-university-loses-accreditation-msche/654062/ |title=MSCHE yanks Alliance University's accreditation |first=Natalie |last=Schwartz |publisher=Higher Ed Dive |date=June 27, 2023 |accessdate=June 28, 2023}}</ref>
==Reputation and rankings== * In 2016, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Nyack College as one of the 10 most diverse colleges in the northern region of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-north/campus-ethnic-diversity|title=Campus Ethnic Diversity|website=rankingsandreviews.com|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=December 13, 2016|archive-date=May 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525003659/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-north/campus-ethnic-diversity|url-status=dead}}</ref> * In 2015, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' named Nyack College a "Great College to Work For"<ref>{{cite web|title=Great Colleges to Work For 2015|url=http://chronicle.com/article/Great-Colleges-to-Work-For-in/231133/#id=big-table|website=chronicle.com|publisher=Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=18 September 2015}}{{Dead link|date=March 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> for the fifth consecutive year. The college received high marks in the areas of work/life balance, respect and appreciation, compensation and benefits, and diversity. * In 2016, the inaugural ''Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings'' named Nyack College among the top 20 schools in the nation assessed for campus environment. According to the October 28, 2016, article, the campus environment category evaluates "the racial and ethnic diversity of students and faculty, the number of international students enrolled and the inclusion of students from lower-income and first-generation college families." In addition, Nyack was recognized for being among "the top multicultural schools in the Northeast" region of the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-colleges-in-the-northeast-for-diversity-1477668439|title=Top Colleges in the Northeast for Diversity |date=2016-10-28|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|access-date=2016-12-12}}</ref>
== Notable alumni == *Kurtis Blow, rapper *Cynthia Davis, politician *Seth Galloway, soccer player *Maryanne J. George, Christian musician *Donald J. Harlin, United States Air Force general *Karl Hood, Grenadian politician *Rashida Jolley, harpist *James Knaggs, American Salvation Army officer *Mark Putnam, college president *Father John Misty, musician
== See also ==
* List of defunct colleges and universities in New York
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Christian and Missionary Alliance Colleges and Universities}} {{CCCU}} {{Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference navbox}}
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Category:Nyack College Category:Universities and colleges established in 1882 Category:Universities and colleges affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance Category:Evangelicalism in New York (state) Category:1882 establishments in New York (state) Category:2023 disestablishments in New York City Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2023 Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state) Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in New York City Category:Defunct seminaries and theological colleges in New York (state)