I would like to hear how NTC (or Mid-State in Wisc. Rapids) is doing in contrast, as it is more of geared to trades, associate degree fields. I know people in admin so I can ask them but just curious if you have done that comparison. I know some trade classes are smaller but plateaued. Are all/most trade schools doing better than universities in Wisconsin. I would guess that is some of the universities' biggest competition. Thanks!
Stock addressed that briefly in the meeting, but from what I've observed, NTC is doing much better than UWSP-Wausau, I think for a couple of reasons.
1) Difference in funding sources: Technical Colleges get their funding from the levy, and universities from the state budget. I haven't done the analysis recently but university funding has decreased quite a bit as a percentage of UWSP's budget in the past. (That was before the merger with Wausau and Marshfield.) Technical colleges have restrictions too - when Mid-State took over part of the former mall in Point one of the considerations was that there was a specific window by which the school could spend on a major capital project that only came up every few years. (I have medium-high conviction for this statement because it was at least true the last time I worked on a story about enrollment decline.)
2) The technical schools appear to have been more responsive to area employer's needs (and the structure is set up better). I think that goes beyond trades too. NTC's IT department is surprisingly robust, not to mention the nursing and culinary schools. I think the universities started doing that more recently, but not as quickly as NTC adapted (and they universities received a lot of pushback at the time too). And once UW-Marathon/UWSP-Wausau started cutting classes, that I suspect started a downward spiral because with fewer and fewer options for students, it looks less and less appealing and they start wondering if it's worth it. (I have medium conviction on this, based on past reporting.)
That said I haven't looked at enrollments over time and I would be curious what that looks like for NTC. Interestingly both my nephew and niece attended NTC over UWSP-Wausau. Everyone is dealing with the lack of students, but my sense is that NTC has weathered it better than UWSP-Wausau. But comparing enrollment and funding trends would be a pretty good idea for a future story.
Thank you for that response. You bring up other considerations that are important. I recall (was it the mayoral debates recently??) that enrollment at UW-SP is down massively from previous years and they are at the point they can not continue if they don't turn it around. My recollection may be unreliable, but that is what I remember hearing. I think it might make a good story to compare the systems and to see if there is an actual movement of high school graduates to more of the trade professions and other fields you mention. NTC seems to be pretty viable and "reading" the work environment well? I also think the debt a student now typically accumulates in a university system is becoming untenable. This all feeds into how to retain young people in Marathon County, and Wausau specifically.
I would like to hear how NTC (or Mid-State in Wisc. Rapids) is doing in contrast, as it is more of geared to trades, associate degree fields. I know people in admin so I can ask them but just curious if you have done that comparison. I know some trade classes are smaller but plateaued. Are all/most trade schools doing better than universities in Wisconsin. I would guess that is some of the universities' biggest competition. Thanks!
Stock addressed that briefly in the meeting, but from what I've observed, NTC is doing much better than UWSP-Wausau, I think for a couple of reasons.
1) Difference in funding sources: Technical Colleges get their funding from the levy, and universities from the state budget. I haven't done the analysis recently but university funding has decreased quite a bit as a percentage of UWSP's budget in the past. (That was before the merger with Wausau and Marshfield.) Technical colleges have restrictions too - when Mid-State took over part of the former mall in Point one of the considerations was that there was a specific window by which the school could spend on a major capital project that only came up every few years. (I have medium-high conviction for this statement because it was at least true the last time I worked on a story about enrollment decline.)
2) The technical schools appear to have been more responsive to area employer's needs (and the structure is set up better). I think that goes beyond trades too. NTC's IT department is surprisingly robust, not to mention the nursing and culinary schools. I think the universities started doing that more recently, but not as quickly as NTC adapted (and they universities received a lot of pushback at the time too). And once UW-Marathon/UWSP-Wausau started cutting classes, that I suspect started a downward spiral because with fewer and fewer options for students, it looks less and less appealing and they start wondering if it's worth it. (I have medium conviction on this, based on past reporting.)
That said I haven't looked at enrollments over time and I would be curious what that looks like for NTC. Interestingly both my nephew and niece attended NTC over UWSP-Wausau. Everyone is dealing with the lack of students, but my sense is that NTC has weathered it better than UWSP-Wausau. But comparing enrollment and funding trends would be a pretty good idea for a future story.
Thank you for that response. You bring up other considerations that are important. I recall (was it the mayoral debates recently??) that enrollment at UW-SP is down massively from previous years and they are at the point they can not continue if they don't turn it around. My recollection may be unreliable, but that is what I remember hearing. I think it might make a good story to compare the systems and to see if there is an actual movement of high school graduates to more of the trade professions and other fields you mention. NTC seems to be pretty viable and "reading" the work environment well? I also think the debt a student now typically accumulates in a university system is becoming untenable. This all feeds into how to retain young people in Marathon County, and Wausau specifically.