ASHLAND, Wis. — After 133 years and several drastic cuts, a private environmental liberal arts college in far northern Wisconsin is closing its doors.
The Northland College board of trustees voted Wednesday to permanently close the school, ending an environmental liberal arts education legacy that dates back to 1892.
“Despite the collaborative efforts of the entire Northland family, we no longer have the resources needed to navigate the economic and demographic storms endangering small, liberal arts institutions today,” said Ted Bristol, Chair of the Northland College Board of Trustees. “With declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the College than we raise in tuition. Even after enacting aggressive measures to cut costs and raise revenues, Northland College has no sustainable path forward.”
Northland has been in a tumultuous position for at least the past 12 months, after first announcing in March that they would shut down after the 2023-24 academic year without raising $12 million. The following month, a financial emergency was declared and $6 million was raised to keep the doors open. In exchange for remaining open, Northland would cut their major offerings down to nine.
Ahead of the news, the board also accepted the resignation of President Chad Dayton and appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Barb Lundberg as interim president.
“I know we all share great sorrow about this outcome. In the administration, we, too, are heartbroken. And we mourn with you the loss of a truly unique place and culture that helped so many find their callings amid the stunning beauty of our forested, lakeside campus,” said Lundberg Wednesday. She tells WTMJ the college is planning a transfer and teach-out fair for impacted students and staff, as well as sessions on application filing and student aid questions.
Enrollment at the school was about 300 students at the start of the academic year, and Lundberg says the school will still continue its spring semester and will hold its final commencement ceremony for around 100 graduates in May.
“Substantial Doubt about the College’s Ability to Continue”
The private school first opened in the remote forested region of Ashland County as a high school with the goal to reach under-served populations of northern Wisconsin, northeast Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Utilizing its location on the shore of Lake Superior, the school would pivot over the years towards focusing on post-secondary environmental studies and liberal arts.
However, cracks in the foundation were starting to show as far back as 2011, when the Higher Learning Commission required Northland to file a financial recovery plan due to growing concern about the college’s financial situation.
In an audit of the college conducted by Wipfli between 2021 and 2022, the group noted Northland had reduced grant revenues, has had reoccurring negative changes in net assets without donor restrictions and is failing its composite score, adding “substaintial doubt” that the college could continue as a “growing concern.”
Northland is the third private Wisconsin institution to close since 2020, and the first since Cardinal Stritch in Glendale shut their doors in 2023. The campus was purchased by The Ramirez Family Foundation that year to be converted into a North Shore location for St. Augustine Preparatory Academy. What the future holds for the Northland campus remains unclear.
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