Northland College Officials Extend Closure Decision Deadline

Northland College officials have decided to postpone their decision on closing the school again following a new proposal.

The news comes two weeks after Northland College had postponed their first deadline after failing to raise the $12 million they needed to remain operational. After nearly a month of fundraising from their original announcement on March 11th, they had raised about $1.5 million.

Northland College has faced financial trouble for years, with school officials pointing to declining enrollment as the main factor. With a lack of revenue, the school has been forced to dip into its endowment to remain operational. Between 2020 and 2022, the school’s endowment was depleted from about $25 million to about $6.2 million.

This week, the school’s Faculty Council approved a new proposal that would make changes to the academic programs that the school offers, eliminating some of them to address the school’s budget shortfall. That proposal was submitted to the Board of Trustees earlier this week, and Northland College officials have decided to postpone their decision deadline again to review the new proposal.

While the Board of Trustees considers the proposal, fundraising efforts will continue. School officials will also continue to review the operations of the college to find other places to maximize their funding. One alumni proposal included the condition of opening the campus up to the public for things like rentable lab space and housing for elderly residents.

The Board will meet to review the proposal multiple times before Tuesday, when they expect to vote and share their final decision on the future of the college.