Mount Pleasant, IA – May 6, 2021 —Libertyville Savings Bank, with offices in Libertyville, Fairfield, Eldon, Keosauqua, Keota, and Douds, recently made a significant donation to Iowa Wesleyan University to support students majoring in Agribusiness.
Earnings from the endowment and additional annual donations will ensure the availability of $2,500 annually for graduates Cardinal CSD (Eldon), Fairfield CSD, Keota CSD, Pekin CSD (Packwood), and Van Buren County CSD (Keosauqua).
“We are very excited to have this new, local opportunity for our area graduating high school seniors to pursue careers in agriculture. The Libertyville Savings Bank has been an agricultural bank since it was established in 1901. We’re celebrating 120 years this year and will continue to focus on and support our farming community,” said Libertyville Savings Bank CEO, Jill D. Burnett.
The Agribusiness program, established at IW in Fall 2020, will provide students with an agriculture background and sound business principles so they can return home after graduation and work in agriculture-related businesses that support the local farms or run their family farm business. The curriculum combines business and new agriculture courses, such as Precision Farming Systems and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture. Students will also be required to complete a six-credit internship as a means of gaining real-world experience.
“Iowa Wesleyan’s participation in online education and its location in one of the nation’s prominently ag-focused states make this a great fit for Southeast Iowa and our students,” said IW President Chris Plunkett. “The future of agriculture is bright, and it makes sense for Wesleyan to be a part of leadership development in the Ag sector. We look forward to our first full year of the program starting in August.”
Agribusiness is one component of IW’s recently announced alliance with Southeastern Community College and will establish articulation agreements with other community college programs. Information on the Iowa Wesleyan Agribusiness program is available at https://www.iw.edu/agribusiness/.
Libertyville Savings Bank was established in 1901 in Libertyville, Iowa. For more than 120 years, the Bank has continued to grow and now has office locations in six communities in Southeast Iowa. Libertyville Savings Bank is 100% family-owned and operated, with the third generation of the Stump family currently involved in the daily operations. LSB prides itself on being a great place to work and has been voted a Top Workplace for seven years running by The Des Moines Register! The Stump family’s rural heritage is evident in the Bank, which is consistently a top agricultural lender in Southeast Iowa.