UW-Oshkosh officially announces closure of UW-Fox Cities campus in Menasha

MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt has officially announced the “discontinuation of teaching and learning at the UWO Fox Cities Campus” in Menasha effective June 30, 2025.

According to a release from UW-Oshkosh, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman reviewed UWO’s analysis, supports its conclusions, and has directed the university to move forward.

We reach this decision after spending a year analyzing UWO Fox Cities enrollment, the region’s and state’s changing demographics, student participation rates, the regional higher-education landscape, potential for new and unique academic offerings and economic trends in the competitive Fox Valley marketplace. In the end, we made a difficult but responsible decision.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson criticized the University’s decision in a statement provided earlier on June 13.

Officials with the University say that total enrollment has declined nearly 67% over the past decade at UW-Fox Cities, with the five-year average decline at nearly 19%.

“With the number of high school graduates in Wisconsin expected to fall by 13% over the next decade, and given the regional trends, UWO’s analysis projects the potential for fewer than 100 UWO Fox Cities students by 2032,” UW-Oshkosh’s statement read.

According to the campus’ website, there are 1,367 students at the Fox Cities campus.

“The challenges facing the campus, and indeed facing higher education in general, are not of our own making,” UWO Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Ed Martini stated in a university analysis. “They are a reflection of massive changes in our state, our nation, and our world that have increasingly threatened the educational models on which the Fox campus was founded and in which it thrived for many years.”

Local 5 will continue to follow this story and provide updates when new information or details are released.