June 6, 2025 3:45p
(WPR)---Facing an uncertain financial future, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside is merging its four academic colleges into a single college led by one leadership team.
By combining into one school the existing College of Arts and Humanities; College of Business, Economics, and Computing; College of Natural and Health Science; and College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies, UW-Parkside will have one vice provost and one dean for the faculty. The change will eliminate about $200,000 to $300,000 in administrative costs.
Matt Cecil, interim provost and vice chancellor at UW-Parkside, told the Board of Regents Thursday that no one will lose their job as a result of the realignment, and the changes will not affect academic programs.
UW-Parkside, like many regional schools, is facing declining enrollments and budget challenges.
Parkside had an enrollment this year of 3,947, down from 4,029 in the 2023-24 school year. In November, the college cut about 10 percent of its workforce, or about 50 jobs, to manage its deficit.
The UW system hired outside consulting firm Deloitte to assess the financial health of its individual campuses last year. Reports released last spring raised questions about the financial viability of the state’s public universities.
The Parkside report found that if the school maintained the “status quo” its reserves would be depleted and the campus would need UW to fund its operations in fiscal year 2025.
Cecil said the Faculty Senate endorsed the dissolution of the four colleges into a single college on April 1, after two months of intensive meetings.
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