DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Private colleges and universities are some of the options for students looking to continue their post high school education. Declining enrollment and the rising costs of college have forced some schools to close their doors.
Since the beginning of the year, a couple of schools in the Upper Midwest announced they’d be closing. It was just this week when Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee said this would be its last semester.
And Finlandia University, a private school, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is closing as well. Manitowoc’s Holy Family College closed three years ago.
According to the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, there are 23 accredited colleges across Wisconsin — about a half dozen of those schools are in our region. These recent closures are something local colleges and universities are following.
It’s business as usual at St. Norbert College in De Pere, but Interim President Thomas Kunkel is still paying close attention to news this week that Cardinal Stritch University is closing at the end of the school year.
While Kunkel is sympathetic to the school’s closing, he says it’s not surprising.
“We just know that in the modern world, given the demographics that are going on and the proliferation of other options, that sort of classic, small, private college is becoming somewhat endangered.”
These closures are nothing new according to Eric Fulcomer, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. And, unfortunately, he says Cardinal Stritch won’t be the last.
“We have an enrollment decline in the Midwest. Every year, there are fewer high school graduates, and over time, that’s taking its toll on institutions.”
Enrollment is key to a school’s success.
Right now there are about 1,800 students at St. Norbert College — a good number according to Kunkel.
He credits the college’s location and community with attracting students, but like a city that wants to keep residents, colleges need to offer students more than just reading, writing and arithmetic to ensure their enrollment.
“You just want to make sure that you are being, you’re providing as excellent of an experience as you can both in the classroom and co-circularly — what kind of opportunities are students getting outside of the classroom.”
A school’s endowment plays a role in their success too. Having appropriate funds, should a school need them, speaks volumes to the overall financial health of the institution.
“We’re fundamentally in great shape financially, educationally and ever other regard, but you can’t take anything for granted,” said Kunkel. “In the wake of COVID, we had a couple of classes that were a bit smaller than we would have wanted or expected, so we live with those financial consequences. We think that might be straightening out a little bit, but it’s definitely a new day. You cannot take anything for granted.”
And know that there are institutions and organizations that will help along the way too.
“When something like this happens — thankfully, it’s relatively rare — but when it happens, our institutions come around and support those students and also the faculty and staff,” said Fulcomer.
