UW-Oshkosh $137 million library renovation to encourage recruitment

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh had some big projects approved by the Board of Regents last week– projects the University hopes will increase enrollment.

• The Board of Regents approved a $137.5 million renovation of the UWO library
• The Board of Regents approved an academic restructuring, consolidating four colleges into three
• UWO hopes the new projects will help increase enrollment numbers
  

After the closure of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Fond Du Lac campus this spring, UWO may see some extra transfer students this year.
“I was going to Fond Du Lac but unfortunately they closed down spring semester, so I had to transfer here," Trevor Paar, a sophomore at UWO says. "A lot of people I know from Fond Du Lac came up here.”

Also facing low enrollment the past couple years, UWO is trying not to follow in Fond Du Lac’s footsteps.

Between the fall of 2022 and 2023, UWO's enrollment decreased by 208 students.

While the University will not have a 2024 number until after 10 days of classes, chancellor Andrew Leavitt says he believes they will meet their goal.

“It’s sort of a total effort that’s going across the university," Leavitt says.

On Thursday, Aug. 22, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a $137.5 million renovation of the Polk Library. The improvement will help draw students in, according to Leavitt.

“Librarys are the heart and soul of any university campus," he says. "So bringing together the kind of resources we need to create a new collaborative learning environment, or learning commons if you will, will only help drive enrollment."

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

The board also approved a new academic structure, combining 60 departments across four colleges into six schools across three colleges.

The current existing College of Business, College of Nursing, College of Education and Human Services, and College of Letters and Science will be consolidated into:

• College of Business, Arts, and Communication
• College of Public Affairs and Education
• College of Nursing, Health Professions, and STEM

The restructuring will save the University $2 million in administrative costs, according to Leavitt.
With less departments, there will be less need for department chair positions, which pay higher than regular teaching positions.

After layoffs last year, Leavitt says further layoffs are possible during the restructuring, but not expected.

Levitt says the new structure will be implemented starting July 2025 and will align further with high school academics, making UWO an easier transition for students.

“So we kind of speak the same language, so when students are looking for a university they’re going to see things that are far more familiar to them," he says.