University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Fox Cities campus in Menasha, April 25, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — UW-Oshkosh is facing a nearly $20 million budget deficit, and its Fox Cities campus is a part of it.
The UWO Fox Cities Campus Board of Trustees held a meeting regarding the school’s budget on Monday.
UW-Oshkosh is facing a more than $18 million budget shortfall heading into the new school year.
“First of all I want to say there’s not a Fox Cities plan because we’re a UW-Oshkosh plan,” said Martin Rudd, Assistant Chancellor for Access Campuses at UWO.
Rudd says the Fox Cities campus will follow the same budget plan as UW-Oshkosh.
“It is our determination along with the UW System to tackle that structural deficit immediately,” said Rudd.
Rudd cites enrollment decline as one reason for the shortfall at UW-Oshkosh.
“We no longer have 10, 11, 12,000 students,” said Rudd. “We’re closer to 8,000 students.”
UWO’s Fox Cities campus had 605 students enrolled for Fall 2022. That number currently sits at 607 for this fall.
“Right now, we’re continuing to admit and enroll students,” said Rudd.
Even though the Fox Cities campus has an increase of two students this upcoming school year, Rudd says it’s not enough.
“We have a continuing decline in state support by the legislature for the UW System, we’re ranked 43 out of 50 in the amount of funding that is received among state institutions,” said Rudd.
The university will layoff some workers, impose furloughs for others, and make other budget cuts to cope.
“The volunteer retirement incentive program, VRIOP, which we ran back three years ago which is an incentivized retirement program for those who are eligible,” said Rudd.
But some trustees have other financial concerns on their mind.
“There was something about graduates from the University of Oshkosh getting a diploma plus another bill for $8,000,” asked Tom Borchardt, a board member.
“So that was news today, I don’t know anything about that,” said Rudd. “I’m not on that side of it exactly. From what I read in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it was a clerical error.”
A handful of students who graduated from UWO this winter and received their diploma in spring, got a letter from the university in June. It stated each student owed another almost $8,000.
Borchardt criticized UWO for the error.
“You gotta watch what you do,” said Borchardt. “People and everything you do is looked and scrutinized. Being off by $8,000 is kind of like, here’s a degree and here’s a bill, that probably isn’t a good way to do things for PR.”
“Agreed, agreed,” said Rudd.
The university plans to lay off more than 200 positions at UW-Oshkosh and its Fox Cities campus. Layoff notices are expected to go out this fall.
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