MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce is launching a task force to decide the future of the soon-to-be-defunct Iowa Wesleyan University.
The Chamber announced the task force in a Friday Facebook post. According to the post, the goal of the task force is to "hear from the community on ideas, questions, and concerns on the future use of the campus" before its permanent closure.
“The website was created as a portal for the community to express their wishes and concerns," Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance Executive Vice President Rachel Lindeen said in the post. "It is important for the community to have a voice in the process. The information will be gathered and shared with all involved.”
The university's board of trustees voted to close the school's doors permanently on May 31 after 181 years of educating students.
The school said its decision follows "an intensive analysis" of its financial operations and "considerable exploration of all feasible strategic alternatives."
Once the school closes at the end of May, the buildings of the campus will become the responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture.
The university's total enrollment was 878 students.