UW-Whitewater sees another 4% decline in enrollment, but the university’s interim chancellor says that the figure was still “very good news” considering the pandemic.
In January declining enrollment was listed as the main factor that would necessitate budget cuts and layoffs. The pandemic has not helped the university’s budget situation, either.
But during a town hall event with university and city officials from Whitewater, Interim Chancellor Greg Cook said Thursday “many national and local experts” in the spring said COVID-19 could lead to college enrollment declines of 20% or 25%.
Before the pandemic, he said, the university was expecting about a 2% decline this school year.
This is the fourth year in a row that UW-Whitewater has seen declining enrollment at its main campus after several years of increases and record highs.
