MILWAUKEE — Days after Northland College announced plans to shut down after 133 years in Ashland, students, staff and board members were still coming to terms with the decision.

"Our enrollment has declined significantly," said Ted Bristol, the chairman of the Northland College Board of Trustees. "We're down to a little more than 250 students this winter."

Bristol said Northland's closure is the latest example of the steep, uphill climb more and more smaller schools nationwide are facing.

"We were not immune from the national trends on what's going on with colleges, particularly small colleges like us," Bristol said. "We were at a disadvantage in terms of financial viability and the ability to attract and compete for students."

Northland College, founded in 1892, is a private liberal arts college “geared towards exploration.” Academic programs focus on the environment and sustainability.

In spring 2024, the college launched a fundraising initiative, bringing in more than 1,000 donors. Members of the college’s board donated millions of dollars to try to save the school, too.

Last spring, Northland College also reduced the number of majors it offered and made staffing cuts. In fall 2024, the college offered just nine majors — sustainable community development, biology, business management, directed studies, earth science, education, environmental humanities, natural resources and psychology and social sciences. In fall, the college had a smaller student body than it traditionally enrolls. In fall 2022, Northland College enrolled 518 students, per U.S. News & World Report. 

Despite those cost-cutting efforts, the Northland College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to close the college at the end of the academic year on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Watch the full interview above.