The enrollment cliff has arrived, and universities are starting to fall off. That has included four branch campuses in the University of Wisconsin System, with more teetering on the edge as the new year looms.
Meanwhile in Madison, a legislative study committee has held hearings aimed at envisioning and securing the future of the UW System. But the hearings, at least as of press time, have produced more questions than answers. Should UW’s flagship campus be governed separately from the other universities? Should alternative governance or funding models be pursued? And, if not the board of regents, who is ultimately responsible for making these difficult decisions?
With time running out, campuses like UW-Green Bay could desperately use a dose of confidence and an infusion of dollars, neither of which appear to be imminent. The university ranks third lowest in the system for per-student funding among 13 campuses, with just $4,798 per FTE compared to the more than $10,000 received at both Madison and Superior. This disparity comes in spite of the fact that UWGB is actually growing its enrollment — by a staggering 19.8% in the last five years, engaging diverse populations (51% of its students are first-generation college), and serving a full one-third of all continuing education students in the state.
Despite receiving limited state funds, UWGB Chancellor Michael Alexander remains committed to growth and to the university’s open-access mission.
“I know what our growth means to Northeast Wisconsin; we cannot stop growing,” Alexander says. “There’s a lot of people that need us. We’re the most affordable option. We’re set up to help people go to school while they’re working or have complicated family lives.”
And while Alexander says he would of course welcome increased investment from the state, he’s also focused on what he can control and is thinking entrepreneurially about revenue streams. In September, UWGB revealed plans for the 64-acre Phoenix Innovation Park. The university’s growth of its division of continuing education and community engagement is reaching new student populations with continuing education and microcredential opportunities.
“We’re not gonna wait; we’re just going to develop our own revenue streams to move forward,” Alexander says.
It’s an overall difficult time for higher education across the country; meanwhile, Wisconsin ranks 43rd of 50 states in its overall public funding for four-year universities and appears to be operating the UW System using a broken, outdated model. Decisive leadership is needed now to ensure the system’s health for the future of our state and our New North economy.
