Northland College community gathers to discuss next steps

Tom Stankard | Ashland Daily Press

June 25, 2025

Dozens of Northland College alumni and former faculty/staff gathered over the weekend to take part in Northland Together 2025, which featured alumni-led events.

While activities allowed people to catch up with former classmates and professors, a key was a panel discussion on Saturday, June 21 about what steps to take to keep Northland’s mission going after it closed in the spring due to low enrollment and increasing operational costs.

Northland College “never had an easy go of it,” said Professor Emeritus David Saetre, adding the college was “broke from the beginning.” Promised funds to launch the school never came through. Its financial struggles continued, as the college declared financial exigency in the 1970s. Yet, Northland continued to face its challenges head on, he said.

To read more and see an interview done by Burke Center Associate Director, Valerie Damstra, go to https://www.apg-wi.com/ashland_daily_press/news/local/northland-college-community-gathers-to-discuss-next-steps/article_5b5e588f-20b5-43a8-97dd-5769c3ce9f10.html