ASHLAND, Wis. — A northern Wisconsin college is closing its doors after more than a century of higher education, and its president has resigned.
Northland College announced its board of trustees voted unanimously to close at the end of this school year. This comes after the board declared financial exigency last March. The school needed to raise $12 million in a matter of weeks to avoid closure, Northern News Now reported.
The college said in a press release Wednesday it received more than a thousand donations since last spring, and the college reduced costs by cutting staff and beginning the fall semester with fewer students and a focus on nine majors.
“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,” said Ted Bristol, Chair of the Northland College Board of Trustees in a press release. “With declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the College than we raise in tuition. Even after enacting aggressive measures to cut costs and raise revenues, Northland College has no sustainable path forward.”
Northland College was founded in 1892. A spokesperson said they currently have 257 students and approximately 100 will graduate in May.
The board of trustees accepted the resignation of President Chad Dayton, according to the press release, and appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Barb Lundberg as Northland’s interim president.
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