Sometimes you just want to start the day with positive news, so I turned to Iowa Capital Dispatch this morning for a report on recent developments at Indianola's Simpson College, including installation of a visionary new president, increased enrollment and expanded scholarship programs.
The headline reads, "Simpson College president hits the ground running with scholarship announcement."
Contrast this with the recent reports from Mount Pleasant, where the Iowa Wesleyan campus is empty for the first time in more than a century after that venerable institution closed its doors at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.
Simpson, like Iowa Wesleyan, has Wesleyan roots, but enjoys the advantages of scale and location --- very near Des Moines. Although as the story makes clear, it has encountered rough spots in recent years, too.
A rail line was installed from Chariton to Indianola during the early 1870s, so Lucas County students tended to favor Simpson back in the day --- It was not only Methodist but easy to travel to and from, too.
The other headline on the cover page, "Iowa public universities report higher enrollment numbers in fall 2023," is a little misleading. Freshman enrollment is indeed up at Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, but down slightly at the University of Iowa.
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