A small hope emerges to save this institution.

ABC News reports.

Virginia Court Hears Appeal of Sweet Briar College Closing

Opponents of the planned closure of Sweet Briar College made a desperate plea Thursday to the Supreme Court of Virginia to temporarily block its shuttering in hopes of saving the 114-year-old women’s institution.

But an attorney for the school argued for an orderly closure rather than a “crash and burn” effort to rescue the school.

The court did not immediately rule, but it’s not expected to take the usual weeks or months before issuing a finding.

Sweet Briar leaders announced in early March the school must close by the end of August because of what they called insurmountable financial challenges including debt and declining enrollment. About 530 women attended Sweet Briar last academic year.

The stunning announcement provoked a passionate effort by alumnae, students, faculty and local officials to keep open the historic 3,250-acre campus in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.