UW Oshkosh’s access campus in Fond du Lac will discontinue in-person education by June 30, 2024, Chancellor Andrew Leavitt announced Tuesday. This leaves students unsure of where to go next with such short notice.

“Demographic trends, declining enrollments and the rising costs of providing an education continue to challenge us,” Leavitt said. “What is immediately clear is that our focus on supporting UWO Fond du Lac students, their journeys and their success will only intensify. Our commitment is to honor students’ plans and investments as they stand today. Their educational home may change; their tuition will not.”

Fond du Lac’s enrollment was projected to be 243 students this fall, but fell short to 238. Its peak enrollment was in 1975, and the campus is currently at 30% of its Fall 2010 enrollment. 

UWO Marketing and Communications Executive Director Peggy Breister said they are not doing further interviews at this time and referred the Advance-Titan to Leavitt’s statement.

In an email from Leavitt in Fall 2022 after the closing of UW-Platteville’s Richland Center access campus, he said UWO remained committed to keeping its Fox Cities and FDL campuses open. 

“I want you to know that UW Oshkosh remains committed to the access missions and the continued operation of UWO Fox Cities and UWO Fond du Lac,” Leavitt said. “We do this in collaboration with valued partners and public stewards in Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. There are no plans or directions to alter course at UWO’s access campuses.”

A year later, with the university in a budget deficit, Leavitt said he received a letter from Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman this week who directed him to discontinue teaching at the FDL campus.  

Leavitt, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Edwin Martini and Chief of Staff Alex Hummel went to the Fond du Lac campus Tuesday morning to tell faculty, staff and students the news.

“According to what the chancellor and provost said, they didn’t find out about this until late yesterday afternoon from President Rothman’s office,” said associate English professor Alayne Peterson, who teaches at the Fond du Lac campus. “Rothman’s office held off on announcing this to let our chancellor do this. We had a two-hours notice. They did what they could.”

Peterson said she usually isn’t on campus Tuesdays and Thursdays due to teaching online classes those days. Same goes for many other staff members. She made it to the meeting in time after a colleague notified her of the email.

“When the provost came to our fall kickoff at the end of August, I asked him point blank if there was a decision that was going to be made (on the future of the Fond du Lac campus), to please tell us face-to-face,” Peterson said. “There’s no good time for bad news. I appreciate them coming down to tell us face-to-face.”

Fond du Lac Student Government Association Public Relations Director Hannah Gruening attended the meeting and felt the announcement was too abrupt.

She said the meeting started with Leavitt, Martini and Hummel expressing their sadness in the passing of Assistant Chancellor for Access Campuses Martin Rudd, who unexpectedly died over the weekend, and then jumped straight into closing the doors at the Fond du Lac campus.

“Our dean passed away unexpectedly this weekend, and then you throw this at us?” Gruening said. “You should’ve waited until next week at least. They just told us what’s going to happen. They had no plan. It’s black and white right now.”

She said the atmosphere in the meeting room was somber.

“A lot of people were hurt,” Gruening said. “I’d say 90% of the room was crying. One hundred percent of the room was upset. They were angry, then they were sad and just disappointed.”

Gruening said she wasn’t born in Fond du Lac, but has lived there most of her life. 

“I can’t just pick up my life and move,” Gruening said. “I’m a non-traditional student. I’ve lived here; I have my place. Being able to have this access campus has been able to make my education successful. I’m not sure what my plan is. I think it’s taking it day by day. ”

Gruening said the campus had a preview day for incoming students set to attend in Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 about 30 minutes after the announcement was made.

“What do we tell them?” Gruening said. “The timing is all very poor.”

She said she did appreciate the fact that they came to talk on the matter face-to-face and that the administration said they will honor Fond du Lac’s tuition for the first 60 credits students earn, the equivalent to what they would earn at Fond du Lac, if they choose to transfer to UWO. 

Gruening said. “The doors are going to be closed and this beautiful facility is not going to be used to its fullest potential. The county will probably take it over.”

UWO Associate Dean of Social Science Sara Steffes Hansen teaches journalism 141 on the Fond du Lac campus this semester.

“The access campus mission is important and I am sad that closure is happening,” Steffes Hansen said. “(I) talked with my students about it shortly after the announcement. They too expressed sadness, and had thoughtful concern for their instructors.”

She said she has enjoyed teaching at the access campus this semester, which was her first time teaching there.

“I attended the Fond du Lac campus for one year as an undergrad and appreciated its many opportunities,” Steffes Hansen said. “We will get through all the changes this week has brought at UWO, but it’s been a tough go and will be for awhile.”

Some students on the Fond du Lac campus said they are concerned that if they transfer to UWO, cuts will continue to be made and they may have to transfer elsewhere.

“Why should I have to have a backup plan in case my school gets shut down?” UWO-Fond du Lac first-year student Olivia Kent said. “That shouldn’t be something I have to be worried about on top of being a full-time student. I feel like all of this was just thrown onto us and we’re all expected to stay afloat with no support.”

Kylie Klawitter, another first-year student at Fond du Lac, said she chose to go there because she wanted to save money, keep her job and be close to family. She doesn’t have a backup plan for what to do next.

“I’ve heard a handful of people say that they’re considering just not going to school next year,” Klawitter said. “I’ve heard a bunch of people talking about how they won’t be able to commute to the Oshkosh campus and don’t know what they’re going to do.”

UWO-Fox Cities will continue with in-person education under direct advice of Rothman. 

“We will work with Outagamie and Winnebago County leaders to renegotiate our memorandum of understanding and engage in renewed discussion about that campus’s regional educational needs and use,” Leavitt said.

UW-Milwaukee at Washington County in West Bend is also ending its classes under direction by Rothman. These are the second and third campuses to lose local access to a UW education.

Ethan Schuh, social media and digital marketing specialist in the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Public Affairs & Communications, declined to comment and referred the Advance-Titan to their news release. 

“I realize that these developments raise immediate questions for students and faculty and staff at each location,” Leavitt said in the statement. “Having just received President Rothman’s directive, we need time to consult with our many stakeholders, including shared governance leaders.” 

Leavitt said the administration was very deliberate in their efforts to join the three campuses – UWO, Fond du Lac and Fox Cities – five years ago in an effort to reduce costs and benefit students. 

“We were not perfect, but there was an unmistakable oneness in our work,” Leavitt said. “I ask us to remember that spirit and resolve as we support learners and colleagues through this next transition at UWO. You can expect consistent updates from me as we move forward.”