PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA -- Western Michigan University is closing its Punta Gorda location in Florida, according to a press release.

The university’s Florida campus, which offered programs for music therapy and aviation students, will be closed effective Aug. 31, the release said.

The programs began in Punta Gorda in fall 2017 with an expectation to partner with local developers and Florida Southwestern State College to create student housing and grow enrollment. That plan did not materialize, the release said.

Shifting demographics in the region and “substantially less than anticipated" enrollment in the aviation program were reason behind the closure, the release said.

The campus currently enrolls two music therapy students and 38 aviation students.

The aviation flight science program was offered on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College and the Punta Gorda Airport. The College of Aviation’s presence in Florida was locally operated by 13 employees, the university said.

The program needs more than 200 students to sustain itself, something that is “not achievable in the current market,” the release said.

“This decision does not come lightly," Jennifer Bott, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in the release. “Enrollment projections and elements critical to the location’s success have not developed as anticipated."

The decision to close the campus is in the long-term best interest of Western and represents good stewardship of resources, Bott said.

“We take seriously our responsibility to deliver our core mission to serve Michigan, while also keeping an eye on financial stewardship," Bott said. "Given the changed landscape and our refined enrollment projections, I am confident we can best serve our students by fully focusing on the College of Aviation at its Battle Creek location.”

WMU also operates the Aviation Education Center on the college’s W.K. Kellogg Airport campus in Battle Creek. The university announced a $20 million renovation to the Battle Creek campus for enrollment increases in 2016.

Plans have been developed to transition Florida music therapy students back to Kalamazoo at the end of the spring semester, the release said. The university will help other students find options to either continue their education at WMU or at another institute.

“WMU is committed to advising all students and developing transition plans that keep students on track and help them attain their degrees while easing the impact of the closure on them,” the release said.

None of the Florida-based employees are expected to stay with the university after the closure, the release said.