FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) – How was the decision made to close the UWO-Fond du Lac campus? Some leaders say they felt out of the loop. Officials say it was a UW system call.
- Some local leaders believe there should have been more community conversations about the future of the UWO-Fond du Lac campus.
- The county board chair says more plans will be announced in the coming months.
- A video explaining more about the decision-making process.
It's the last semester for students at UW-Oshkosh Fond du Lac, which ends with in-person instruction at the end of the school year.
Local leaders say they felt left in the dark about the decision, and that the future of the campus buildings remains uncertain. They want that to change in future negotiations
Fond du Lac County Supervisor Tiffany Brault said she and other board members were surprised in October when they learned in-person instruction was ending.
“I was hoping, at least as a local leader, that we would get some heads up,” Brault said.
Brault is a graduate of UWO -Fond du Lac and said she wishes the community was part of the conversation.
“I feel like this creates a lot of mistrust in people,” Brault said. “At the very least, having a community conversation might open up some trust in the process. Even if we still have to close our campuses, I think people just want to “They feel involved.”
When the decision was announced, County Executive Sam Coffman issued a statement saying this could be an opportunity for the county.
At the time, he said he had been talking with UW officials about the future of the campus during the year before the announcement.
Off camera, Kaufman said, “My duty was to keep the board leadership informed, which I did.”
Fond du Lac County Board Chairman Steve Appel, another college graduate, said the decision came from the UW system, not the county.
“I think there are things that maybe could have changed over the years that maybe would put us in a better position to continue studying there,” Appel said. “But unfortunately… the University of Wisconsin system didn’t want to do it that way and just informed us that they would be discontinuing classes at the end of the year.” school year”.
But he said the campus's fate wasn't entirely a surprise.
“I think it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that, they started looking at these two campuses over a two-year period and how sustainable they were with the way they were managing them,” Appel said.
I reached out to UW leadership. In a statement, a speaker told me in part: “We want to work with districts to determine how our universities can best serve their communities.”
As for the future of the campus buildings, Appel says those conversations will remain private for now.
“There have been ongoing discussions and negotiations since then… I don't want to say it's delicate, but you can't do that, you have to get some things out of the way and settle things before you can bring in the general.” “The audience is in,” Abel said.
But Brault said she, and the rest of the community, hopes to hear more soon.
“I always think communication is better than no communication,” Brault said. “So, if we can find ways to talk to each other and learn from each other, that’s even better.”
There will likely be a closed district board meeting to discuss the future of the campus in late March, and the plan will be presented to the public by early summer, Appel said.
