MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — The grounds of the former Cardinal Stritch University campus will soon have new life after plans for a new prep school are revealed.
“It is disappointing, but I think kind of the catch-22 is that I'm glad that they're repurposing the grounds at the school to further education for other students. So, I'm at least happy about that,” said Nea Mitchell.
Nea Mitchell spent almost two years working on their nursing degree at Cardinal Stritch.
“I came to Stritch as a transfer student, looking for a new place, looking for a new home and I had finally found that,” said Mitchell.
When the announcement came last spring that the university was shutting its doors after more than 85 years, Nea says it hit them harder than they thought.
“When I drove past on a family outing and saw that the sign had changed, that told me what I needed to know. I knew that we weren't going to have a campus for very long,” said Mitchell.
Taking over the former Stritch grounds is St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, a K-12 Christian school that plans to invest $100 million to transform the campus by fall 2026.
One of the biggest changes will be seen in Stritch’s residence halls. The proposed plans show the demolition of all the dorms, making way for a brand-new layout.
This was an area Nea knew quite well.
They worked as an RA during their time at Stritch and lived in Clare Hall, which TMJ4 saw being torn down on Tuesday.
“To know that a place that once was considered home is no longer around anymore, it's a bit jarring,” said Mitchell.
While the place they loved will change, Nea says they are happy with where they ended up.
They plan to graduate from Carroll University next spring and still stay in touch with many of their former classmates.
“Although campus isn't around anymore, we still have each other in some ways. Some Stritch students even go to Carroll like myself. So, we're not gone. We're just somewhere else,” said Mitchell.
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