University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Fond du Lac Campus

      Gold, black, and whiteNicknameFalconsWisconsin Collegiate ConferenceWebsitehttps://uwosh.edu/fdl/

The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Fond du Lac Campus (abbreviated as UWO Fond du Lac and formerly the University of Wisconsin–Fond du Lac) was a branch campus of the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and a member of the Universities of Wisconsin. It was located on 62 acres (25 ha) in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Prior to its merger with UW–Oshkosh in July 2018, the campus was a member of the University of Wisconsin Colleges. As of 2022, the campus enrolled 258 students, making it the third-smallest of the UW branch campuses.

The campus closed in May 2024, with the Universities of Wisconsin citing enrollment and cost issues.

History

The beginnings of the campus are rooted in the 1950s when the University of Wisconsin–Madison operated an extension campus in Fond du Lac. By the beginning of the 1960s, however, that venture had ended, and local community organizers were hoping to bring a fully operating campus to the community. Setting up a joint commission between the city and county, they successfully lobbied for the building of a campus and set aside land in 1966, the previous home of the Fond du Lac County Airport on the city's east side.

The campus opened as a satellite campus of UW–Oshkosh on September 9, 1968. Its total cost to build was $5 million ($47 million in 2023).^[2] It became an independent two-year campus in 1972.

As part of a $13 million renovation, the campus saw the addition of a student commons, 300-seat Prairie Theater, and renovation of the original buildings in the fall of 2000.^[2]

In July 2018, the University of Wisconsin Colleges system restructured, and UW–Fond du Lac once again became a satellite campus of UW–Oshkosh.^[3]

Closure

In October 2023, UW System President Jay Roth announced that the campus would cease in-person instruction following the Spring 2024 semester, citing enrollment declines and increasing costs.^[4]

The campus officially ceased instruction on May 17, 2024, with all faculty transferring to the main Oshkosh campus and students given the option to transfer to the main campus or Fox Cities campus.^[5]

Academics

UWO Fond du Lac's primary offering was the associate of arts and science degree, a two-year degree to provide prerequisites to four-year UW schools. The campus also offered certain bachelor's degrees in collaboration with UW-Milwaukee and UW-Platteville.^[6]

Athletics

UWO Fond du Lac sponsored teams in women's volleyball and men's basketball as a member of the independent Wisconsin Collegiate Conference. Its campus mascot was the falcon and the campus colors were identical to UW-Oshkosh's gold, black and white.

Prior to becoming a branch campus of UW–Oshkosh, the teams used green and black as their primary colors.^[7]

Alumni

Notable alumni include:

• Terri McCormick, state representative and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives

Notes

References

External links

• UWO Fond du Lac official website