The Closing of Northland College: A Legacy Ends, a Future Uncertain
Northland College, an institution nestled on the south shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin, is set to close its doors at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, marking the end of an era for the nation's first environmentally-focused liberal arts college. Founded in 1892, Northland distinguished itself by fully integrating an environmental focus with its liberal arts curriculum. However, after years of financial instability, the Northland College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close the College.
The Financial Storm
Northland's financial difficulties came to a head in March 2024, when the college announced it needed to raise $12 million to continue operating. Despite a fundraising appeal that garnered over $1.5 million from more than one thousand donors and cost-cutting measures, including streamlining academic offerings and reducing staff, the college could not reach its target. Ted Bristol, Chair of the Northland College Board of Trustees, explained that "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." He further noted that "with declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the College than we raise in tuition." The college's deficit was $3.2 million in fiscal 2022. Last year, they had a 30% first to second year retention.
A Pillar of the Community
Northland College was more than just an educational institution; it was a vital part of the Ashland community. Former faculty member Dr. Emily Macgillivray noted that the campus "always felt like a very alive part of the community," serving as a social space where locals would walk their dogs and interact with students. The closure of the college has left a void in the community, with former faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Andre describing the present atmosphere as "really, eerily quiet."
Honore Kaszuba, owner of a local coffeehouse, expressed concerns about the long-term impact of losing the college, stating, "I think that the biggest impact is going to be seen in about 10 years when we don’t have that influx of students that are choosing to stay and open businesses and contribute to the community.”
The Northland Collaborative: A Spark of Hope
Despite the closure, a group of former faculty members has formed the Northland Collaborative to preserve the college's educational mission. Elizabeth Andre, a board member of the Collaborative, explained that "Northland College was such a special place and such a great community that people weren’t willing to just let it go."
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The Collaborative is exploring the possibility of creating a microcollege, a community-based education model where students live and learn together. Emily Macgillivray described the concept as a two-year program with small cohorts of students engaged in discussion-based classes and experiential, place-based learning in the Chequamegon Bay area.
Kelly Westlund, Bayfield County Deputy Administrator, expressed hope for the future, stating that the Collaborative’s efforts are encouraging for the Chequamegon community. The Collaborative is drawing inspiration from other micocolleges, including Thoreau College.
Uncertain Future for Assets
As Northland College prepares to close, the future of its assets remains uncertain. The Northland College’s board has hired an appraiser as it seeks to sell the Ashland campus and other real estate once the college closes this spring. According to Bristol, “Key to this commitment is the successful liquidation of the College’s assets, and toward that end, we have hired an appraiser selected by the Board to value the campus. We have also approved the preparation for sale of other real estate owned by Northland.”
The board has also directed staff to inventory art, furniture, equipment and other items to sell, donate or recycle. The campus has 19 buildings on a 130-acre campus. Elizabeth Andre expressed concern that faculty and staff haven’t received answers about the sale of college assets. She added that faculty and staff haven’t received answers about whether they’ll receive pay for the next year as outlined in their faculty handbook. Employees will lose health insurance at the end of May and receive a refund on their employee contribution.
Northland student Kelby Youngberg is frustrated to see assets sold to meet financial obligations rather than benefitting the community.
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The Economic Impact
The closure of Northland College will have a significant economic impact on the region. According to the economic software and analysis company Implan, the closure of a single college results in the loss of 265 jobs and a $67 million economic impact each year. When Northland announced its closure, the college had about 150 faculty and staff and about 250 students.
Rep. Angela Stroud, D-Ashland, previously taught at Northland and fought to save the school from shuttering. Stroud said the governor’s office has asked the board to convene a task force to develop a plan for what comes next for the campus. “If you look at other case studies of campuses that have closed, that are shuttered, the drain on the community is significant,” Stroud said. “By convening a group of experts and developing a feasibility study, we could potentially come up with all kinds of novel ideas for how these buildings on this campus could be utilized.”
A Broader Trend
Northland is not the only Wisconsin school to close. Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and half a dozen two-year campuses in the Universities of Wisconsin system have also been shuttered or announced plans to close. Northland is the third private Wisconsin institution to close since 2020, and the first since Cardinal Stritch in Glendale shut their doors.
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