University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Fox Cities campus in Menasha, April 25, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is discontinuing teaching and learning at its Fox Cities campus at the end of the next school year.
“We reach this decision after spending a year analyzing UWO Fox Cities enrollment, the region’s and state’s changing demographics, student participation rates, the regional higher-education landscape, potential for new and unique academic offerings and economic trends in the competitive Fox Valley marketplace,” UWO chancellor Andrew Leavitt said in a statement. “In the end, we made a difficult but responsible decision.”
The university says enrollment at the two-year campus in Menasha has declined by about two-thirds over the past decade. Given high school graduation and regional population trends, UWO projects the enrollment at the Fox Cities campus to be less than 100 students by 2032.
“UW Oshkosh is working to ensure it has a bright future, which requires tough decisions now. Unfortunately, the analysis is that the market and enrollment cannot sustain the Fox Cities Campus moving forward,” Universities of Wisconsin president Jay Rothman said in a statement.
The university has created a website with information for students. Current students and those enrolling this fall who prefer to stay at the Fox Cities campus through the spring 2025 semester can transfer to the Oshkosh campus at the Fox Cities tuition rate through 60 credits, attainment of their associate’s degree or Jan. 1, 2027, whichever comes first. Those who switch campuses now will be charged the full UWO tuition rate.
UWO plans to have Fox Cities faculty members continue at the Oshkosh campus. Transition opportunities will be developed with the 2026 budget.
The closure comes about seven months after UWO leaders emphasized their commitment to the two-year campus in Menasha. UWO has an overall deficit of $7.6 million.
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson recently filed an open records request for details about the plan UW-Oshkosh officials submitted to the Universities of Wisconsin. The buildings on the Fox Cities campus are owned by both Outagamie and Winnebago counties.
Nelson released this statement Thursday:
Like millions of Americans, Chancellor Andy Leavitt and UW System President Jay Rothman are the beneficiaries of a strong education system.
And in our schools, we learn many things: reading, writing, math, and science. But we also learn timeless values: honesty, hard work, and integrity. You could read every book in the world and still miss those lessons. Well almost.
Had Leavitt and Rothman read All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, they would have understood the importance of playing fair, taking responsibility, saying sorry when mistakes were made and putting things back as they were found.
Instead, Leavitt and Rothman let down the students and families of UW Fox and betrayed their trust — and now it will be up to the rest of us to clean up their mess. Shame on you.
Winnebago County Executive Jon Doemel, whose county includes both the Oshkosh and Fox Cities campuses, said in a statement:
I am saddened by the announcement to close the UWO Fox Cities Campus. This was the institution where I attended, was heavily involved in student government and the television and radio program, and where I met my wife. I have a deep connection with that campus.
Regardless of my emotions, closing the campus was inevitable with the declining enrollment and projected demographics. The landscape of higher education is changing quickly.
A strong UW-Oshkosh is crucial to the success of the region and Winnebago County. I will work with UW System President Jay Rothman, Chancellor Andy Leavitt, County Executive Thomas Nelson, our county boards, and local leaders on a smooth transition.
We are still processing what a closure of the campus means for our communities. Today, we do not have answers on the future of the Barlow Planetarium, the Weis Earth Science Museum, the Communication Arts Center, or the University Children’s Center. The taxpayers have invested millions into these assets.
The world is changing, and we must adapt to the reality and need of the future. Local governments are facing similar, tough decisions on services provided. Making these decisions are paramount to sustainability.
I am confident that we will find a way forward together. The right decisions are not always the most popular. The closure of the Fox Cities Campus is the epitome of this reality.
The Fox Cities location will be the third two-year campus in Northeast Wisconsin to undergo significant change. In-person classes at UWO’s Fond du Lac campus and UW-Green Bay’s Marinette campus ended this year.
UW-Platteville’s Richland Center campus was the first UW two-year campus to close, in 2023, while UW-Milwaukee plans to end in-person instruction at its Waukesha campus after the 2025 spring semester.
UW leaders cited declining enrollments in their decisions to close the campuses.
In February, UW launched a website for online courses.
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