% THINK ABOUT US KIDS LOSING
% ACCESS TO EDUCATION CLOSE TO
% HOME.%>> MEMBERS OF THE COMM
UNITY ARE
% ALSO SPEAKING OUT ON THE
% DECISION TO CLOSE UW-PLATTEVILLE
% RICHLAND TO IN-PERSON CLASSES
% INCLUDING THE CHAIR OF THE
% EDUCATION COMMITTEE ON THE
% RICHLAND COUNTY BOARD OF
% SUPERVISORS.
% A LONG TIME ADMINISTRATOR AND
% LECTURER ON THE CAMPUS AND LINDA
% GENTES JOINS US NOW.
% WHEN YOU LEARN THAT THEY WILL
% CLOSE TO IN-PERSON CLASSES AFTER
% THE SPRING SEMESTER, WHAT WAS
% YOUR REACTION?
% >> WELL, I WAS SURPRISED SINCE
% THEY TOLD US A COUPLE WEEKS
% AHEAD THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING
% TO GO AS NORMAL AND WE HAD BEEN
% ASKING FOR A LOT OF CHANGES, AND
% THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT
% THEY WERE PLANNING TO NOT HAVE
% IN-PERSON CLASSES AT THE CAMPUS.
% AND THEN ABOUT TEN MINUTES
% BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME
% OUT, A CALL CAME TO THE CHAIR OF
% OUR COUNTY BOARD AND HE CALLED
% ME IMMEDIATELY AND I GUESS WE
% WERE BOTH JUST -- FOUND IT
% UNBELIEVABLE AT THAT MOMENT.
% >> BECAUSE HOW IMPORTANT IS THE
% COLLEGE TO THE COMMUNITY THERE?
% >> WELL, THIS CAMPUS IS
% EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE
% CAMPUS.
% IT -- AS PART OF THE COLLEGES,
% WE WERE COLLECTIVELY THE THIRD
% LARGEST -- THE UW COLLEGES WE
% WERE THE THIRD LARGEST IN THE
% SYSTEM AND OUR MISSION WAS
% AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.
% AND OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE AT
% RICHLAND IS WE HAD THE LOWEST
% COST PER STUDENT INDEX OF ANY
% CAMPUS IN THERE.
% NOW THAT CHANGED OVER THE YEARS,
% BUT OUR COMMUNITY HAS HONORED
% THE CONTRACT FOR MANY YEARS.
% WE HAVE 134 ACRES.
% WE HAVE SEVEN BUILDINGS.
% WE HAVE THE CAMPUS IS PROBABLY
% WORTH AT LEAST $38 MILLION.
% THE FINANCIAL IMPACT BACK TO OUR
% COUNTY, WE HAD TWO IMPACT
% STUDIES AND ONE IN 2018 AND --
% 2019 AND 1 IN 2005-2006.
% IT MAY NOT BE BIG NUMBERS FOR
% SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT
% AREAS, IT WOULD BE AROUND $7
% MILLION AND $6 MILLION BACK INTO
% OUR COUNTY.
% FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT OUR COUNTY
% PUTS INTO THE CAMPUS WE RECEIVE
% $205 BACK.
% NOW, IN ADDITION, JUST RECENTLY
% I JUST QUICKLY MADE A LIST OF
% ALL THE PROFESSIONALS IN TOWN
% WHO HAD STARTED THEIR EDUCATION
% HERE AND CAME UP WITH OVER 200
% NAMES WITHOUT EVEN TRYING TO ASK
% ANYBODY.%AND OUR TEACHERS, OU
R LAWYERS,
% WE HAVE PHYSICIANS, ATTORNEYS,
% NURSES, THEY'VE ALL BEEN ABLE TO
% START THEIR EDUCATION HERE IN
% THE COMMUNITY AND THEN GO ON AND
% THEN BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND IT
% WAS AFFORDABLE FOR THEM TO BE
% ABLE TO DO THAT.
% SO WE FEEL THIS IS A GREAT LOSS.
% IT IS OUR FUTURE, WE'RE LOSING
% OUR FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND
% OUR FUTURE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
% >> SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS SPOKE
% TO THE STRAIGHT LINE THAT THEY
% SAW AND ALSO STAFF TO LOSS OF
% ENROLLMENT.
% WHAT HAPPENED TO UW-RICHLAND
% ONCE THE SYSTEM STARTED ITS
% COST-SAVING MEASURES AND
% RESTRUCTURING TO MAKE IT A
% SATELLITE OF PLATTEVILLE?
% >> OKAY.
% MANY THINGS HAPPENED HERE.
% A BRIEF EXPLANATION -- I'LL GIVE
% YOU A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THAT.
% SEVEN YEARS AGO, WE HAD A
% MILLION DOLLARS IF REVENUE FOR
% THE CAMPUS.
% WE HAD 500 STUDENTS.
% WE HAD 50 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
% HERE.
% WE WERE A THRIVING, INCLUSIVE
% EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
% WHEN REGIONALIZATION AND
% UW-PLATTEVILLE HAPPENED WE LOST
% 55% OF OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
% FROM THE UW SYSTEM AND THEN
% THROUGH PLATTEVILLE WE LOST A
% DEAN'S POSITION, A RECRUITER, 11
% OUT OF 18 FACULTY MEMBERS,
% STUDENT SERVICES STAFF,
% INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR AND
% CONTINUING EDUCATION DIRECTOR.
% AND IN ADDITION, THERE WAS NO
% MARKETING PLAN NOR ANY STRATEGIC
% PLAN AND YOUTH OPTIONS AND
% ACADEMIC ALLIANCE PROGRAMS WERE
% ENDED.
% THE CAMPUS WAS ACTUALLY TOLD IT
% WAS NO LONGER A SEPARATE ENTITY
% AND THAT WE WERE -- WE DIDN'T
% HAVE OUR OWN CAMPUS CULTURE.
% WE TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO THEM HOW
% IT WORKED IN THAT WAY WITH OUR
% COMMUNITY.% AND OUR ACTIVE G
OVERNANCE WAS
% LOST AND RECRUITING WAS STOPPED
% EVEN THOUGH OUR FOUNDATION
% OFFERED TO HIRE A RECRUITER.
% AND WE HAD STUDENTS WISHING TO
% APPLY FROM AROUND THE STATE AND
% ALL OUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
% WISHING TO APPLY AND THEY WERE
% DEFLECTED FROM APPLYING AT THE
% ADMISSIONS OFFICE AT
% UW-PLATTEVILLE.
% SO THERE WAS NO AUTONOMY AT
% RICHLAND AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT
% HAS CAUSED THE DEMISE OF OUR
% WONDERFUL CAMPUS.
% >> I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT FROM
% YOU, SOMEONE SO INVOLVED AS A
% SUPERVISOR ON YOUR COUNTY BOARD
% THERE IN RICHLAND COUNTY.
% WE KNOW THAT THE UW SYSTEM
% PRESIDENT HAS ASKED THE
% PLATTEVILLE CHANCELLOR TO COME
% UP WITH A PLAN AS TO A WAY
% FORWARD WITHOUT IN-PERSON
% CLASSES THERE BY MID-JANUARY.
% BUT LINDA GENTES, WE NEED TO
% LEAVE IT THERE.
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOOD
% LUCK.%>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH
.
% >> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN VISIT