Iowa Wesleyan University is now in the third and final phase of the partnership process. President Steven Titus gave an update Tuesday afternoon and was able to name Saint Leo University out of Saint Leo, Florida as a presumptive partner for the first time. Titus says that when considering potential partners, the New Directions Team was looking for a school that had similar ideas as far as mission, philosophy, and vision. Saint Leo is a liberal arts university that currently has just over 10,600 students enrolled. Iowa Wesleyan announced the Alternative Futures Project in November after almost having to shut its doors amid financial struggles.

Titus is excited about what Saint Leo can bring to the table and says that partnerships like this are going to be more common, “If you look at the landscape of higher education in the country, the model for higher education is going to be changing. I mean you’re seeing institutions close at pretty rapid pace right now. We are on the front end of what I believe will be a continuing trend in years to come for American higher education. We’re going to see more and more institutions consolidate.”

The terms for the partnership are not official yet. Titus hopes to have everything finalized by the end of May or early June. Aside from the Alternative Futures Project the university has been working on other academic partnerships as well. In March, Iowa Wesleyan partnered with Danville Area Community College in Illinois to allow students to study for three years at DACC then transfer their credits to Iowa Wesleyan to finish their bachelor’s degree.