Public Forum On Westminster Choir College Sale In Princeton

PRINCETON, NJ — The Westminster Foundation will sponsor a public forum concerning the proposed sale of Westminster Choir College to Chinese-based Kaiwen Education this week. The forum will be held on Wednesday, June 27, at Nassau Presbyterian Church. The forum is set to begin at 7 p.m. The church is located at 61 Nassau Street.

Last week, Rider University announced that the two sides had signed a purchase and sale agreement for the transfer of the college. The price of the sale remains $40 million, but Kaiwen will invest an additional $16 million in the college over a five-year period beginning on the closing date for working capital and capital expenditures, the university said on Thursday. The $40 million price tag is also subject to transaction adjustments.

Rider will continue to operate Westminster Choir College, the Conservatory and Continuing Education during the upcoming academic year. During that time, the university and Kaiwen will work together to recruit students for the 2019-2020 academic year, according to Rider.

“Reactions to this announcement have been varied, as some consider the process nearly complete,” the Westminster Foundation said on its website. “Others point to remaining hurdles involving accreditation and approvals by the State of New Jersey, and still others find the announced terms unacceptable and vow to continue the litigation to block this transaction.”

The forum offers interested parties the chance to ask questions, give opinions and exchange ideas about the college’s future. The foundation was formed to preserve the legacy of the college and ensure its continued operation in Princeton, according to the foundation’s website.

There is a federal case challenging the sale, and the Princeton Theological Seminary is challenging the sale in a lawsuit filed at the state level. The union representing the college’s faculty and staff is also challenging the possibility of layoffs.

As part of the agreement, Kaiwen has committed to operating Westminster at the current Princeton campus for no less than 10 years. It said it will substantially maintain the current academic offerings for no less than five years.

An attorney representing the alumni who are challenging the sale likened that portion of the deal to an oncologist saying the survival rate is only guaranteed to be five years, according to Planet Princeton. He said they will continue to fight the sale, and that Rider should allow the college to revert to an independent school rather than sell it off.

Patch file photo