Eaton Hudson's First Collegiate Engagement —
A 125-Year-Old Campus Wind-Down.

The Engagement

St. Joseph's College, a coeducational private Catholic Liberal Arts College founded in 1889 in Rensselaer, Indiana — voted a "Best Midwestern College" by the Princeton Review in 2017 — suspended academic operations at the end of the Spring 2017 semester after facing insurmountable financial challenges, including approximately $27 million in debt. Eaton Hudson, in partnership with Hilco Fixture Finders, was engaged to manage the complete sale of the college's campus assets.

Jim Schaye, CEO of Eaton Hudson, commented: "Our leadership team has visited the school on many occasions and respects the foundation they have laid down in the community. We will work closely with school officials to utilize infrastructure in place and ensure the sale is managed in a careful and efficient manner." The engagement became the foundation for Eaton Hudson's dedicated Collegiate Asset Disposition division.

Assets Liquidated

• Classroom and departmental furniture
• Laboratory equipment
• IT equipment and technology
• Athletic equipment
• Library collection
• Vehicles and maintenance equipment
• Antiques, memorabilia, and trophies
• General campus operational items

The Eaton Hudson Advantage

St. Joseph's College was Eaton Hudson's entry into the collegiate asset disposition market — a sector that, like retail, was facing unprecedented pressure from financial stress, enrollment decline, and changing market dynamics. The emotional complexity of a campus closure requires a disposition partner who treats the engagement with institutional respect. Eaton Hudson's approach — including special alumni engagement opportunities built into the sale structure — set the standard for how collegiate asset dispositions should be conducted.