Final walk at Wesleyan

MOUNT PLEASANT — Iowa Wesleyan University basketball player Brielle Baker of Creston was part of the university’s final commencement ceremony Saturday.

As unique as it may seem to be part of a college’s final graduating class, she’s not even the first member of her family to have that experience. Her father, Chariton Superintendent of Schools Brad Baker, was a basketball player at Westmar College and part of its final graduating class in 1990.

That year, Westmar became affiliated with Teikyo University in Japan and became Teikyo Westmar University. It later became Westmar University under new ownership and closed permanently in 1997.

“My dad said we have something in common. Both of us shut down a college,” Brielle said.

Both Brad and Brielle Baker were Creston graduates — in 1985 and 2019, respectively — and both earned associate degrees and played basketball at Southwestern Community College before transferring to their four-year institution.

Ruble Arena on the Iowa Wesleyan campus was packed with onlookers Saturday for the ceremony honoring the final graduating class of the oldest, continuously operating coed college west of the Mississippi River. It was chartered by Iowa’s Territorial Government, four years before Iowa became a state. Twelve years later it became sponsored by the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Closure announcement

On March 28, Baker was among the students informed in a mandatory meeting that the university would cease 181 years of operation at the end of this academic year in May. The school currently owes $26 million to taxpayers through mortgage and loan guarantees provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which now takes over ownership of the campus.

The university said the decision to close was based on a combination of financial challenges. In early February, Iowa Wesleyan submitted a formal proposal to the governor’s office for $12 million in assistance in the form of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds intended to help Iowa recover from the financial effects of the COVID pandemic. Gov. Kim Reynolds rejected the request, stating the purpose of the fund was not to spend one-time federal dollars on ongoing expenses, citing an examination of the university’s financial health.

“It’s definitely crazy,” said Baker, who graduated Summa Cum Laude (with highest distinction) with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with three concentrations in finance, management and sports management. “I never thought going there two years ago that it was going to close by the time I graduated. It was definitely surprising.”

Her transcripts will now be housed at the University of Iowa, just as with her father’s records from Westmar. She is currently seeking full-time employment. Her internships were with the Iowa Cubs minor league baseball organization and Creston Community Schools business office.

“I’m in the process of looking,” Baker said. “I wanted to enjoy my last month there. After we found out it was closing, my teammates and I tried to do a lot of things together. After graduation Saturday, me and one of my teammates (Breanna Wendland, transfer from Iowa Lakes Community College) rang the victory bell on campus one last time.”

When news of the closing broke, Baker said there was a noticeable change in the mood on campus.

“As soon as we got out of the meeting, there were a lot of students crying and some of them were calling their parents and talking about what to do,” Baker said. “In the first couple of weeks there was a different vibe on campus. The professors had to find new jobs, too. Luckily I had professors who wanted to finish the semester strong.”

Diverse student body

At its closing, Iowa Wesleyan had an enrollment of 878 students and employed 110 people on a full-time basis, including 35 faculty members. Of those 878 students, 568 were from outside Iowa and many were from abroad. Baker said there was an international culture and part of the experience was getting to meet people from all over the world.

Ironically, one of Baker’s favorite professors, Randy Thomas, taught the only class that she didn’t get an A grade in (intermediate accounting). Baker received two high honors in the senior awards program — Outstanding Business Senior and Female Honor Athlete. Thomas said Baker broke a tradition in gaining the business student award as a two-year transfer student.

“She transferred in, but Brielle was so outstanding we overlooked that,” said Thomas, associate professor of accounting and an eight-year faculty member at Iowa Wesleyan. “Punctuality, her energy and performance in the classroom despite being involved in an activity (basketball) were factors. She got along great with everybody and always seemed to wear a smile, even in intermediate accounting!”

Whitson in 1981 class

Baker joins an illustrious set of Iowa Wesleyan graduates, including Peggy Whitson of Beaconsfield, one of America’s top astronauts. Whitson, also a member of the women’s basketball team, graduated in 1981. In 1935 the school graduated James Van Allen, a Mount Pleasant native who went on to become a nationally-acclaimed astro-physicist at the University of Iowa.

In front of University Chapel building, where Baker received the news of the impending closure, stands a statue of James Harlan, the Mount Pleasant man who became the college’s first president in 1853. Two years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served 16 years. Harlan was a close friend and ally of President Abraham Lincoln.

Former University of Iowa star Jess Settles is among the university’s former basketball coaches, and one of the football coaches was the late Mike Leach, who teamed with Hal Mumme to form the “Air Raid” offense that revolutionized college football with its passing emphasis. Leach, who died last December, later coached at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

Baker said the closure came at an unfortunate time with the rising status of many athletic programs on campus. Her women’s basketball team won two straight conference titles under coach Steve Williamson, and she appeared in the NAIA national tournament in both 2022 and 2023. The men’s basketball team was 27-3 last season and also won the league title, earning a national tournament bid.

“Winning our conference two years and making it to nationals back to back, with only seven girls our first year and eight girls my second year, that was mind blowing,” Baker said. “A lot of sports were on the rise and progressing. A lot of our athletes were contacted by other colleges the same day the closure was announced. I’m glad it didn’t happen before my senior year, because I probably wouldn’t have transferred again to play. I would have just concentrated on finishing my academic work.”

Uncertain future

A USDA statement said there are no specific plans set for the campus. There have been discussions with other colleges as a possible hub for programs there, or some other southern Iowa economic development project utilizing the structures.

Meanwhile, Iowa Wesleyan secured four “teachout” agreements with William Penn University, Upper Iowa University, the University of Dubuque and Culver-Stockton College so students can complete their education and earn their degrees on time for a cost comparable to Iowa Wesleyan.

While relieved she doesn’t have to go through that process as a 2023 graduate, Baker said she doesn’t second-guess her decision to attend a college that she can’t return to as an alumnus.

“I had planned to come back and watch my teammates in some games next year,” Baker said. “I guess that isn’t going to happen now. But, I had probably the best two years of my life there. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else, honestly.”