The University of Wisconsin will close a branch campus and end in-person instruction at two others due to enrollment declines, officials have announced.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, who leads the system’s 13 public branch campuses, said declining interest in two-year programs drove his decision to shutter UW Platteville Richland and to move all classes online at UW Milwaukee at Washington County and UW Oshkosh, Fond du Lac by June 2024.
“We are seeing freshman enrollment rising at most of our four-year campuses while enrollment at the two-year campuses has been falling at a rapid rate for years,” Mr. Rothman said. “Moreover, online enrollment has been trending up as well. The market is telling us that increasingly students are pursuing a degree at our four-year campuses or online.”
He said students at Washington County and Fond du Lac will have the option of attending one of the remaining campuses that offer in-person instruction if they prefer that to online learning.
UW Platteville Richland previously ended in-person instruction in July, reporting that only 64 students would have been on campus this year.
The announcement comes as the University of Wisconsin System has struggled with enrollment declines and state budget cuts.
Fall headcount at the system’s campuses fell from 182,090 students in 2010 to 160,782 in 2022 before rebounding slightly by 540 students this year.
In August, the system approved a budget that projected 10 campuses would run deficits this year after the GOP-led Wisconsin Legislature cut $32 million in funding to purge diversity programs.
State media outlets reported that UW Oshkosh and UW Platteville had planned to implement staff cuts to compensate.
In his statement on Tuesday, Mr. Rothman said he had concluded the status quo was “not sustainable” given “current market realities.”
“This decision is a response to an evolving student marketplace,” he said.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.