Milton College - Closing of The College

Closing of The College

On May 15, 1982 the college abruptly closed its doors. At the time, it was Wisconsin's oldest continually operating college.

The college's board of trustees voted 18-2 to close the campus. The decision was forced by a notification from a reviewing committee of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that the college's accreditation would be dropped with the coming of the fall term; the college had previously been in a probational status. The decision from North Central stemmed from the college's continual shaky financial situation, which culminated in a $4 million in debt. The college had, in fact, been struggling financially since the Great Depression, 50 years earlier. Without accreditation, the college would not have seen any federal loans or grants, adding to an already difficult situation of decreasing student enrollment. Furthermore, the college could no longer compete with other schools in the Wisconsin State University system.

Some 135 students had been planning to come back to campus when the school closed, many with only a few credits left until completion of their studies. Officials at that time were negotiating with other campuses about accepting Milton students.