Is UW System ready for changes in higher education?

Higher education, it appears, is at a crossroads. Look no further than what is taking place in the University of Wisconsin System. We learned last week that the UW-Oshkosh satellite campus in Menasha will close next year. I didn’t know they even had a satellite campus in Menasha. This is part of what must be considered a trend. The closing of this campus is the sixth UW satellite campus to either end in-person instruction or close entirely in the last two years. The university cites declining enrollment as the reason. Enrollment on the campus has declined 67% over the past ten years, with fewer than 500 students enrolled in the most recent semester. Projections suggest that enrollment could decline to fewer than 100 soon. That is a lot of buildings for that few students.Closure was the only option. The UW System should see the writing on the wall. This won’t be the last two-year school in the system to close. It is possible some four-year campuses face the same fate. Fewer students are choosing college, at least in-person learning. This trend will no doubt continue. I certainly am not one to belittle the value of higher education, but our current educational models are facing threats like never before and better be ready to respond.