Kearney student 'disappointed, shocked, angry, upset' that Joseph's closing
Bridget Orozco Salinas gives Juan Carlos Martinez a haircut Thursday at the Kearney campus of Joseph's College of Cosmetology. The announcement that the school is closing left students shocked and wondering what their next move might be.
The announcement that Joseph's College Cosmetology is closing all locations shocked Tabitha Mustard, a Kearney campus student from Cozad who is close to the 1,800 hours of studies required for a certificate.
"I'm disappointed, shocked, angry and upset," Mustard said. She and her husband have three children.
Joseph's College Cosmetology will shut down July 31 when L. Jane Nims, its owner and longtime president, retires, the college said in a social media post last week.
At that time, Joseph's campuses in Kearney, Grand Island, Norfolk and Lincoln will close, the college said. The Kearney location is at 2213 Central Ave.
"It is with bittersweetness that I inform you that I am retiring," Nims wrote in a message to students. "It is also with sadness that I will be closing all of our campuses as of July 31st, 2026. The decision did not come easy."
The news came as a surprise to Joseph's students, staff and alumni, according to Mary Roberts, who graduated from the Lincoln location in October 2025.
"I saw the Facebook post and started contacting some of my friends who still go there to ask if they knew about it," said Roberts, who now works in York. "They found out the same way."
The Facebook post announcing the closure was later taken down. A two-sentence news release announcing both Nims' retirement and the college closing remains up on Joseph's website.
In her email, Nims asked students at the private, for-profit college not to worry.
"I am working on solutions for each of you regarding your education," she wrote. "I will have more specific information for you next week."
Neither Nims nor Joseph's College Cosmetology returned calls seeking comment.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses the college, said Joseph's has informed the department in writing of its plan to close. State regulations require the holder of a license to notify the department at least 30 days prior to closure.
Joseph's, started by Joseph Cuva and Bruce Nims in 1965, grew to operate in seven Nebraska communities at its peak.
At the same time, enrollment began to drop, forcing Joseph's to close locations in Hastings, North Platte and Beatrice.
According to the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, there were 229 students enrolled in Joseph's cosmetology programs in the fall 2014 semester.
A decade later, in the fall of 2024, that number had shrunk to 92 students, according to data maintained by the Coordinating Commission.
The Lincoln Journal Star contributed to this report.
