Original Termination Letter for Faculty

-------- Original message -------- From: Office of the President <OfficeofthePresident@dowling.edu> Date:05/31/2016 4:57 PM (GMT-05:00) To: Cc: Subject: Dowling College Announcement to Employees with Attachment

Board of Trustees

May 31, 2016

Dear Dowling College Employees: It is with deep sadness and regret that we must inform you that effective Friday, June 3, 2016, Dowling College will cease all operations and permanently close. Your employment at the College shall terminate at the end of business Wednesday June 1, 2016. Starting Thursday, June 2, 2016, you should not report to work. In addition, all benefits, including health insurance, will cease on June 2, 2016. We greatly appreciate the contribution you have made to the College and the students we have served, especially during the past several difficult months.

The entire College shall be affected by this closure, including all of the Dowling College Campuses and facilities including:

1) Dowling College Oakdale Campus: 150 Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale N.Y. 11769

2) Dowling College Brookhaven Campus: 1300 Wm. Floyd Pkwy, Shirley NY 11967

3) Dowling College Manhattan (extension site): 26 Broadway, NY, NY 10004

4) CITE EdD Program, Franklin Square, 760 Washington, St., Franklin Square, NY 11010

5) All off site locations providing instruction through the Dowling Institute located at a) Broadridge, 51Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717 b) Federal Express, 3630 Hacks Cross Road, Memphis, TN 38138

6) All other locations listed on the annexed document.

We have worked very hard for a better outcome that would have allowed many of you to continue working. Specifically, the College has been aggressively pursuing an affiliation agreement with another academic institution which the College believed would provide financial and other support necessary to continue operations. The Board of Trustees and Administration have, with the assistance of numerous professionals, attempted to negotiate financial terms with our creditors and proposed affiliation partner to provide the College with the means to continue operations. We were actively involved in discussions with the State Education Department and Office of the Attorney General, who engaged in efforts to support our pursuit of this agreement. Unfortunately, negotiations to secure the finances necessary to secure our future finally failed as of today, Tuesday, May 31, 2016, and we were unable secure sufficient financial backing from an academic affiliate to achieve that goal.

This notice is provided to you with less than the 90 day notice which would otherwise be required by the New York WARN act (or 60 day notice called for by the federal WARN Act) because, while the College's finances have been faltering, the Board of Trustees and Administration have been actively seeking business and capital to keep the College running, and believed that to provide this notice any earlier would have compromised that effort, based upon our ongoing discussions with our transaction advisor and the proposed affiliation partner.

The Board and Administration have made every effort to attempt to bring the proposed affiliation agreement to a successful conclusion. Until the negotiations for this affiliation agreement and the financing needed to make it a possibility failed, the Board and Administration believed that this agreement would have provided the College with a financial and academic pathway forward for its students and staff. Summer I and Summer II sessions were cancelled. Please see the Dowling College website for additional information. The date for final paycheck distribution is expected to be Thursday, June 2, 2016.

We would like to thank you again for your service. Your hard work and dedication helped build our College into a quality institution that has provided valuable education for our students. We all hoped for a different outcome, but we can take pride in knowing that over the years we helped thousands of people find a path to better lives and brighter futures.

We know this is a very sad day, but we have confidence that your talents, spirit and incredible work ethic will continue to be tremendous assets as you begin the next chapter in your professional careers and I wish you the best of luck. If you have any further questions please look for information on the College's website, or contact the Office of the President, 631-244-3200.

Sincerely, Dowling College Board of Trustees