An “unsustainable economic model” in today’s educational marketplace led trustees of United Methodist Church-affiliated Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee, to vote to close the school May 10 after spring semester, a news release states.
In the statement, President Robin Tricoli said school personnel are “proud of our historic mission of educating students for 170 years in the United Methodist tradition of John Wesley. Many of our alumni have pursued additional education to become pastors in several conferences as well as other denominations, teachers in our schools, pharmacists in the region, and community leaders across the nation.”
Tricoli said Hiwassee College’s legacy “will survive through those who attended the college and who continue to lead and serve.”
Tricoli said marketplace trends including substantially discounted or highly subsidized public education, changes in demographics, the school’s rural location, and declining enrollment combined to force the closure.
She said campus personnel “will work diligently to assist students to transition to other institutions and to serve as references for faculty and staff seeking career opportunities.”