Northland College closure decision delayed again as big donor gifts spark hope for future
Northland College, warning of closure a month ago, now said it is "hopeful about the future" after some last-minute donations materialized.
The private liberal arts college based in Ashland still has not decided whether it will close at the end of this school year. For the second time this month, Northland delayed a decision, leaving some of its 439 students in limbo on where to enroll next fall.
The college's Board of Trustees on Tuesday evening reported "several transformative donor gifts" in the past 24 hours "changes the scope of the situation."
Northland announced last month it needed $12 million by early April to buy the college another school year. Earlier this month, the board delayed the decision for the first time, saying it raised $1.5 million and needed more time to explore all of its options.
The board on Tuesday said the school was still short of its funding needs but the gifts "considerably impact what is possible." A spokesperson for Northland did not immediately respond to an email asking how much had been raised.
The board plans to meet with a faculty committee to continue the conversation about how to salvage the institution that has been a part of the Ashland community since 1892. A decision will be shared by the end of next week, the board said.
"This will continue to require a strategic academic re-prioritization and the need for serious decisions, but we are hopeful about the future," the board's statement said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Northland College closure decision delayed again after big donor gifts
