MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Platteville Richland students delivered a petition with over 1,300 signatures to the UW Board of Regents Thursday asking to save in-person classes at their campus. But UW System President Jay Rothman said the decision to shut down in-person instruction is still necessary.
“I know my decision directly impacts students at the Richland campus, but the enrollment numbers and the desire to provide a high-quality experience for our students with so few on campus left me, unfortunately, with no choice,” Rothman said.
The campus has seen steep declines in enrollment over the years, with only about 60 students enrolled to date compared to 225 in 2018. To combat the enrollment gap, the students offered a proposal with suggestions on how to obtain more students on campus, namely by hiring a campus recruiter.
“We’re really hoping to keep our campus open and increase enrollment because we didn’t even have a recruiter for Richland,” UW-Platteville Richland sophomore Jackson Kinney said. “There’s a lot of answers to the problems that we face.”
Rothman told students he would consider the petition, but for now, the decision to end in-person classes remains intact.
“It’s not financially viable,” Rothman said. “Nor do those conditions [low enrollment rates] afford college students the educational experience they deserve.”
The decision to end face-to-face instruction at UW-Platteville Richland doesn’t necessarily mean other two-year campuses within the UW System will be closed, according to Rothman. Rothman said UW System officials will monitor enrollment trends and graduation rates on a case-by-case basis.
“We are going to work to ensure that these critical access points throughout the state continue to innovate, to provide education and services that Wisconsinites rely on,” Rothman said.
Yet, Kinney said those resources are exactly why students are working so hard to keep their campus open.
“It offers higher education to people in Richland County who might not have otherwise had the chance to start college,” Kinney said.
Rothman reassured students that despite the campus ending in-person instruction, there will still be online courses and enrichment programs available for degree-seeking students in the area.
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
