Class of 2015 at Virginia women's college hopes it won't be last

By Gary Robertson LYNCHBURG, Va. (Reuters) - Virginia's Sweet Briar College held what could turn out to be its final commencement on Saturday, as supporters battle to keep the 114-year-old institution from joining the ranks of all-women's schools that have shut down in recent years. Graduating seniors and their guests wept and hugged one another during Saturday's ceremony, saddened and dismayed by the prospect of the college's closure. In a decision that caught many by surprise, its board of directors announced in March that Sweet Briar would shut its doors because of insurmountable financial woes. Bringing a ray of hope to Saturday's ceremony, the Virginia Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal of a circuit judge's rejection of an effort by alumnae and others to block the closing. The student body had dwindled to 532 matriculated undergraduates this year, from 647 in 2008, reflecting the declining popularity of all-women's higher education in the United States. Interim President James Jones Jr. decided to pull out of the graduation ceremony, saying that some faculty members and alumnae had threatened to disrupt the event if he attended. Teresa Tomlinson, the mayor of Columbus, Georgia, and a 1987 graduate, took a thinly veiled jab at Jones and other administrators during her commencement address. "The truth is: had you been at the table, had you been called to action, we would not be here today at the proposed end of an era which is in desperate need of continuance," Tomlinson said, echoing criticism that administrators did not do enough to save the school. Sweet Briar is one of the last of a dying breed. In 1960, there were 230 women's colleges in the United States and Canada, but only 47 remained as of last year, according to the Women's College Coalition, an advocacy group. "We're fighting as much as we can to keep it open," said Sixtine Abrial, a graduating senior from Paris, France. She said she chose Sweet Briar because of its beautiful campus spread over more than 3,200 acres, a devoted faculty and the welcoming nature of students she met there. A group of alumnae has pledged $12.4 million toward a $20 million goal to keep the college alive, a non-profit group called Saving Sweet Briar said on its website. Jones said in March the college's endowment stood at $83 million, while Sweet Briar needs $250 million to remain open. Various lawsuits have been filed to keep the college open. Faculty members also are suing for $42 million in compensatory damages for tenured faculty, with $2 million for non-tenured faculty. (Editing By Frank McGurty and Alan Crosby)