Northland College in Ashland will close at the end of the school year

Financially troubled Northland College will close at the end of the school year.

The college Board of Trustees announced the closing Wednesday. The small liberal arts college in Ashland has been facing a possible shut-down since early 2024. Last March, school leaders said they would need to raise millions of dollars to stay open.

On Wednesday, Board Chair Ted Bristol said in a written statement that despite those fundraising efforts and cost cutting, Northland is no longer financially viable.

“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,” he stated. “With declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the college than we raise in tuition.”

Even after budget cuts, layoffs and streamlining academic programs, Bristol stated, “Northland College has no sustainable path forward.”

Northland began the fall semester with about 300 students. That was down from about 450 the previous year.

The college, founded in 1892, proclaims itself as the first university in the country to integrate an environmental focus in its programing.

College leadership first raised the possibility of closing last March. At that time, they said they would need to raise $12 million by April 2024 to remain open. According to the university about 1,000 donors contributed, although the amount raised was far short of that goal.

The school announced last May it would remain open this school year by trimming faculty from 43 members to 29, and by cutting the majors offered from 30 to nine. Those changes saved about $7 million.

Declining enrollment and rising costs have been hitting small Wisconsin campuses. In 2023, Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee shut down after operating for 85 years. And the Universities of Wisconsin System has closed or is in the process of closing six of its two-year campuses.

Along with the announcement of the college closing, Northland’s board announced the resignation of College President Chad Dayton.