Students and staff are relieved Northland College will remain open

A few months ago people felt scared, upset, and anxious after hearing the announcement of Northland College closing. Now that shock for many students and staff are relieved to hear the institution will remain open.

Northland college’s president Chad Dayton says he and the Board of Trustees came up with a plan keeping the school open.

“An institution can only survive persevere through a situation like this, likely at best once in its lifetime. After 134 years, an emergency financial appeal that lasted about 24 days,” Dayton said. “Then a very accelerated process of exigency allowed the institution to secure funding to offset a projected budget deficit for next year. The austerity and clarity of the budget and long-range projections have been put together. As long as we continue on the path ahead as prescribed. We’re in a position to become financially viable by fiscal year 27.”

The glimmer of hope reassured many undergraduates at northland college that the school would remain open. Ridge Guyette, graduates next year, and isn’t transferring.

“I’m super relieved. I’m a junior this year, so going to have to find a new school after your junior year just for one year would be, it’s not fun. I was really kind of just kept putting it off too, because there was so much up in the air with whether or not the school was going to stay open or not. So being able to stay here and finish my degree here is big for me.”

Guyette and many other students and staff are relieved, Northland College is staying open. But other undergraduates couldn’t wait to hear the decision. Shelby Justman, is transferring to another school.

“I definitely started realizing how much uncertainty there was surrounding it. I just decided it was probably best for me to transfer. So I’m going to transfer to River Falls next year, start my new journey there.”

For more information about Northland College you can read more here. Also for the story about the announcement of Northland College staying open you can read more here.