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Northland College in Wisconsin is seeking a $12 million lifeline from donors to keep its doors open. If it fails to raise the money by April 3, the college will likely close, officials announced Monday.
“A recent, comprehensive review by the Board confirmed the College does not have sufficient resources or the financial stability to continue current programs and operations beyond this academic year,” university officials said in a news release announcing the fundraising effort.
The small, private liberal arts college is known for its emphasis on environmental studies. It enrolled 518 students in fall 2022, according to the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. That's a slight dip from fall 2017, when it counted 645 students—its highest enrollment in the last decade.
Public financial documents show Northland has operated at a deficit for most of that last decade.
“Funds raised will be used to support a transition year (the 2024–2025 academic year) and the exploration and creation of a new Northland model,” the statement read. “The current academic year will continue as planned. The College is committed to providing regular updates and having the resources available to take care of its campus community.”
Such last-ditch fundraising efforts can be hard to pull off, however.
The King’s College in New York made a similar appeal last year, requesting $2.6 million from donors to meet its “immediate needs” over a compressed fundraising period of roughly two weeks. That fundraising effort was ultimately unsuccessful, leading to months of uncertainty at the evangelical college. TKC eventually ceased operations without announcing a formal closure.
