Another Wisconsin branch campus to move online in the fall

The University of Wisconsin at Green Bay will end in-person instruction at its Marinette branch campus starting in the fall, WTAQ reported.

In a letter to faculty and staff, Chancellor Michael Alexander attributed the decision to enrollment declines, which fell on the Marinette campus from 305 students in the 2018–19 academic year to 213 this past fall.

“Despite initial enrollment gains, we recognize that persisting on the current path will inevitably lead to closure,” Alexander wrote. “Instead of waiting for a closure, we have chosen to proactively rethink our approach to maintain a meaningful presence in Marinette.”

That means streaming the 14 classes that were taught exclusively in person on the Marinette campus.

Alexander’s letter noted that the institution was not leaving Marinette and would in fact increase investment in three ways: turn the campus theater into the region’s “flagship” theater, make the campus an “access point” for students and community members seeking educational resources, and open up use of campus facilities to outside parties.

It is the third Universities of Wisconsin campus this academic year to declare an end to in-person instruction; in October, system president Jay Rothman announced UW Milwaukee at Washington County and UW Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, would move classes online, and UW Platteville Richland would close.

Source: Another Wisconsin branch campus to move online in the fall