After more than 150 years, Lincoln College in central Illinois is closing its doors after significant challenges from Covid-19 and complications stemming from a recent cyberattack.
The college is a predominantly Black institution, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education, and according to the Lincoln Heritage Museum, was the only college named for Abraham Lincoln while he was still living. It opened in 1865.
“Lincoln College has survived many difficult and challenging times — the economic crisis of 1887, a major campus fire in 1912, the Spanish flu of 1918, the Great Depression, World War II, the 2008 global financial crisis, and more, but this is different,” part of a statement posted to Lincoln College’s website read.