Friday, Jan. 23, 12:30 p.m.

On Friday afternoon, University President Rev. Peter M. Donahue, O.S.A, Ph.D., released a statement to the Villanova community regarding the campus shutdown and false threats.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the University will not be able to provide details on the threats, but will continue to update the community as information becomes available.

“I am deeply grateful to our Public Safety team, the FBI, and the first responders from neighboring police departments for their swift and thorough response,” Fr. Peter stated. Their coordinated efforts with campus leadership helped secure our campus and ensure timely communication with our community members throughout the incident.”

Fr. Peter also thanked the students, community members, and Villanova staff who were working on campus and remotely in the statement. He encouraged students to make use of University resources, including the counseling center, the office of Mission and Minsitry and Uwill, the University’s 24/7 telehealth counseling program. For faculty and staff, the University is offering the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a short-term counseling provider.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 1:36 p.m. 

While the FBI and law enforcement agencies continue their investigation, the University said that its latest NOVA Alert serves as the final all clear after a series of updates regarding the threat. As normal operations begin to resume, Dougherty, Donahue and St. Mary’s dining halls are open, along with the Connelly Center, Falvey Memorial Library, the Student Health Center and fitness centers. 

The University will operate normally on Friday, Jan. 23. All buildings will be open, and all classes and planned activities will proceed as scheduled, including the rising sophomore tours scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday at the Villanova University Cabrini Campus. 

Out of an abundance of caution, additional Villanova Public Safety presence will remain on campus.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 11 a.m.

In its 11 a.m. update, the University announced that, given additional information and safety assessment, there is no longer a need to remain indoors. All in-person classes and activities remain canceled. Additionally, all academic buildings will remain closed. 

Dougherty, Donahue, and St. Mary’s dining halls are being reopened for on-campus students. The Connelly Center, Falvey Memorial Library and the Student Health Center will also be open for student use.

There have been no reports of any activity posing a danger to the campus. An increased police presence will remain in place throughout the day out of an abundance of caution. 

In the update it said that the FBI and local law enforcement are “now aware that even more universities have received a similar threat.”

Another update from the University is expected at 2 p.m.

New York University and Wiley University received threats on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 22.

In New York, NYU received emailed bomb threats, forcing a search of two campus residence halls, Silver Center and Palladium, ABC7 reported. Following the search by local authorities, the university gave the all-clear to resume classes and labs as normal.  Out of caution, the University has provided heightened security for the remainder of the day.

The NYU email threats contained offensive language toward LGBTQ+, Blacks and Asian communities. The emails also contained Islamophobic, antisemitic and anti-Jesuit messages, per NYU.

At Wiley, a Marshall, Texas HBCU, campus was closed down due to a “credible threat of violence” via email, per The Marshall News Messenger. Officials are working with the FBI and the Marshall Police Department “to address the situation and ensure the safety of our community.”

It is not known at this time if the threats to the two schools are connected to Villanova’s ongoing situation.

Villanova Dining Services announced that all food location’s on Villanova’s campus are closed until further notice due to the ongoing situation.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 9 a.m. 

Villanova University issued an update advising all students to remain indoors while the campus remains closed due to ongoing investigations by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. There is at least one other university that received a similar threat. Currently, there are no reports of any activity posing a danger to campus, according to the NOVA Alert. 

The next update is expected at 11 a.m.