Marycrest graduation class will be its last

An eastern Iowa college is closing its doors. The nearly 200 students who receive diplomas Saturday at Marycrest University in Davenport will be different from those in the past. That’s because this group, the 63rd graduating class, will be the last. Marycrest is closing forever June 30, and the 22-acre campus in central Davenport is for sale. The closing was forced by decreasing enrollment. That came after the school was placed on probation by the North Central Association for the second time in eight years. Ironically, the probation was for administrative and not academic problems. Marycrest support employees have been leaving in waves since March. The teachers are now out of work. And the students who aren’t graduating attended a college fair to find new schools to attend next fall.