March 11, 2024
Dear Students,
I’m writing to share important and difficult news about the future of UWM at Waukesha.
Following a directive from the Universities of Wisconsin, UWM at Waukesha will close after the Spring 2025 semester concludes. This also means closing the College of General Studies and ending its associate degree offerings at that time. However, UWM at Waukesha students will still have options to complete their degrees.
In place of a standalone campus, UWM is developing the UWM University Center at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC). This partnership will allow UWM to provide bachelor’s degree completion options and graduate-level programs on WCTC’s campus.
Through the collaboration between WCTC and UWM, you will still have access to a high-quality, low-cost associate degree from WCTC and will then be able to seamlessly continue your education with a four-year degree from the UWM University Center at WCTC. The closure of the Waukesha campus will lead to non-renewals and layoffs of CGS faculty and staff. WCTC will seek to hire as many UWM faculty and staff as its enrollment growth supports.
How did UWM get here?
After announcing the closure of the Washington County campus last fall, we hoped to create a clear path to integrate College of General Studies operations into the rest of UWM. We also wanted to identify pathways for growth on the Waukesha campus.
This work was in response to a charge by Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman to the UWM administration to answer the question: What should the future of the Waukesha campus be in the face of ongoing enrollment declines?
The data discovered during this process were not promising and projected continued significant enrollment declines at the Waukesha campus. Although we had truly hoped and believed that we would be able to continue long-term operations at the Waukesha campus, the data and financial realities do not allow for this.
What does this mean for you?
- If you attend UWM at Waukesha, your campus will be closing at the conclusion of the Spring 2025 semester. We are committed to helping you complete your degree. We will work with you individually over the next 16 months to help you complete your associate degree at the school of your choice. If you decide to pursue a four-year degree when the Waukesha campus closes, we will assist you in continuing your education at the institution of your choice, which could include the UWM University Center at WCTC or UWM’s main campus.
- If you attend UWM at Washington County and were planning to continue your studies at UWM at Waukesha, courses will continue as scheduled at the Waukesha campus during the 2024-25 academic year.
- We are still accepting new students to UWM at Waukesha for the Fall 2024 semester. After that, new students are encouraged to apply to the main campus or one of UWM’s top-ranked online programs.
UWM University Center at WCTC
UWM and WCTC are building the UWM University Center at WCTC to offer additional ways to complete your degree closer to home. The University Center will allow students to seamlessly transition between an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree. It will also allow for graduate degree opportunities.
UWM will support current and prospective students in identifying options that best meet their goals. In January 2024, UWM announced transfer agreements with four regional technical colleges, including WCTC. Students interested in continuing their degree at UWM only need to fill out a simple intent form to transfer.
Next steps
We know this announcement will prompt many questions and concerns about your future as a student. We encourage you to reach out to an advisor in the Student Affairs office. During the next several months, we will provide several opportunities for students to ask questions and hear directly from campus leaders.
Find more information about the changes at this Waukesha campus closure webpage. We will be adding answers to common questions and updating the page with fresh information.
I am committed to leading UWM through this transition and working with our campus communities to provide answers as more information is available.
Best regards,
Mark A. Mone, PhD
Chancellor