UW campus in Wausau to relocate to Northcentral Technical College

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will relocate its branch campus in Wausau next fall to the campus of Northcentral Technical College.

In a joint announcement, the university and technical college said the move will strengthen both institutions and support the regional economy.

UW-Stevens Point at Wausau is the seventh two-year campus in the Universities of Wisconsin system to announce major changes to local campuses, though unlike some branches, this one is relocating within the city rather than closing outright.

“We’ve heard clearly from our industry partners and the businesses within the community, including social services and health care, that there’s a need for our graduates,” said UWSP Provost La Vonne Cornell-Swanson. 

Enrollment at the Wausau campus has fallen by nearly 73 percent in less than a decade, from 978 students in 2015 to 265 in 2024, according to enrollment data from the university system.

Cornell-Swanson said enrollment declines did factor into the decision to relocate. But she said the move also builds on a years-long partnership between UWSP and the technical college, which has campuses in central Wisconsin and the Northwoods.

The schools already have 26 programs where students can seamlessly transfer to the university after completing an associates degree at the tech, Cornell-Swanson said. 

 “We are already in the same community,” she said. “The topic came up about saving resources and being, I think, better stewards of the taxpayer dollars by co-locating to one location.”

UWSP does not anticipate any faculty or staff reductions at this time. If staff are reduced after the move, Cornell-Swanson said affected employees will be connected with other positions at UW-Stevens Point or through Marathon County.

As part of the move, UW-Stevens Point at Wausau will offer courses that help students work toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree, while Northcentral Technical College will focus on associates degree programs and technical certificates. 

Cornell-Swanson said the Wausau campus already offers a bachelor’s program in business administration, while other bachelor’s or master’s programs will require students to take some classes virtually or in Stevens Point.

“We’re not actually conferring the bachelor’s or the master’s at the Wausau location, but we are making sure that they’re connected,” she said. 

Both schools will have advisors on-site. While students will still apply to the schools separately, officials say transferring between them will be more seamless.

Northcentral Technical College and UWSP also hope to use the partnership to increase degree programs in high-demand fields like health care and business. Northcentral Technical College President Jeannie Worden said the schools are exploring creating a collaborative surgical technician program. 

“That is a need that we are hearing loud and clear from our employers,” Worden said. “We have an associate’s degree in that, and we are looking to create a transfer agreement that gives a bachelor’s option.”

Marathon County owns the Wausau campus. The university plans to continue to cover facility costs through December 2026. 

Plans for the future of the campus still have to be developed, according to Marathon County Board chair Kurt Gibbs.

He said the county was not caught off-guard by the announcement because it has been aware that enrollment at the Wausau campus has been declining and “was to the point where it probably was not sustainable long-term.” 

Gibbs said county leaders will meet in the next 30 days or so to begin discussing what to do with the campus in 2027 and beyond.

“Sixteen months seems like an awful long time, but to spell out and actually get in place what the next use of that property is going to be comes very quickly,” he said. “I think the timeline is doable. It’s just a matter of the sooner the better.”

Northcentral Technical College and UWSP both use a field house on the campus for intramural sports. Officials at the schools said they are interested in continuing to do so after courses stop being offered on the campus, but nothing has been finalized.

Cornell-Swanson said UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield is still open and the university hasn’t “entered into any conversations about partnership for that campus.” Right now, she said the university is “steadfast that we’re staying there at this time.”