UWS On Track To Handle Budget Cuts By Growing

15% Increase In Freshmen Enrollment

University of Wisconsin School campuses across the state are struggling with their budgets, after the state of Wisconsin cut millions of dollars out of higher education last year. 

The University of Wisconsin Superior has been required to cut around 1.75 million dollars to cover their portion of the 250 million dollar budget cut to the UW system.

The school has made some major changes by doing things like cutting programs, reducing supplies and equipment, and outsourcing the bookstore.

“For smaller schools like UW superior we saw a smaller percentage of that cut, that said, because we are a smaller school any kind of cut we feel,” said Communications Director Daniel Fanning.

Through these actions, UWS was able to bring the gap down to around 500 thousand. UWS representatives say they have made the cuts they can, and that more cuts would negatively impact students too much.

The school is hoping to absorb the remaining 500 thousand by enrolling or retaining an additional 80 students

Daniel Fanning

“The silver lining in all this is opposed to some other schools, we’re starting to see some growth as far as freshman enrollment,” said Fanning.  “So that gives us some hope that if we can keep those changes going in the right direction, we really can grow our way out of this problem.”

UWS’s fall freshmen enrollment in 2015 was up 15% from the year before, and they’re hoping for even better numbers this year.