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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — More than three months after emphasizing its commitment to the Fox Cities campus, UW-Oshkosh is looking at ways to increase sustainability at the branch location in Menasha.
Leaders like Chancellor Andrew Leavitt and Provost Ed Martini spoke to the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus Board of Trustees on Thursday.
“Higher education is shifting so quickly, student demand is shifting quickly, so we have to respond to that,” said Chancellor Leavitt after the meeting.
They outlined ideas they have to grow the branch campus. One included adding completion programs for Bachelor’s degrees in fields of need — like nursing.
“If we rely strictly on just a two-year degree, then, I don’t think the future’s bright. But if we can bring in the completion programs that they finish their junior, senior year in select programs here and we find that right combination, then I think we can really still continue to serve this community very well,” said Leavitt.
Another idea is to offer more training opportunities for those who want to learn additional skills for the job they already hold.
“Maybe that’s a class, maybe it’s a certificate, but maybe it’s non-credit training. And so one of the things we’ve encouraged all of our deans and our chairs and our academic leaders to look at, and our business college has done a good job of this, is looking for what some of those opportunities might be,” said Martini during the meeting.
The University is looking at offering in-person, hybrid, and exclusively online forms of learning. UW-Oshkosh says 563 students were enrolled at the Fox Cities campus for the 2023-2024 academic year.
While there’s no definitive number available for the 2024-2025 academic year, low enrollment numbers are a lingering issue.
“We have declining birth rates, declining high school graduation rates,” said Martini.
It’s a trying time for two-year campuses across the state. Many branch locations, like UWO’s Fond du Lac campus and UW-Green Bay’s Marinette campus, have decided to end in-person learning within the last year.
University and county leaders hope the Fox Cities campus won’t have to share a similar fate.
“I’m excited at the fact that they’re looking at some options to keep it going, but also open to the fact that it might not work, and that’s hard,” said Winnebago Co. Executive Jon Doemel.
Nothing is finalized. UW-Oshkosh will continue to explore what’s possible. They say they will be reporting to Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman with plans on or around April 1.
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