Madison College’s downtown campus may be up for lease in two years should they accept a recommendation issued Wednesday that would focus resources in south Madison.
Madison College president Jack Daniels issued the recommendation Wednesday in light of decaying attendance and dated equipment at the downtown location.
The recommendation calls for the creation of a larger south Madison campus and would mean UW students who normally would have gone to the downtown location for summer or ancillary courses would have to travel to the south campus by 2018.
The recommendation stems from data that shows decreasing enrollment and utility at the downtown campus located at 211 N. Carroll St., Institutional Learning and Effectiveness vice president, Tim Casper said. According to Daniels’ recommendation, attendance at the downtown campus has declined by 25 percent in the past five years.
Madison College downtown campus sale would increase access in south Madison, officials say
Casper said some programs once housed within the downtown campus, such as Health Education and Protective Services programs, have moved out of the building in recent years. Meanwhile, Madison College does not need the space offered by the downtown location while the south side campus is in need of renovations and expansion, he said.
“We’re looking for ways to reduce the square footage of the college and still serve our residents and students,” Casper said.
Daniels’ recommendation would mean the college would maintain ownership of the downtown location and lease it out for 50 years. Commercial entities could begin renting out the location by July 2018. In the meantime, the campus would continue operation as normal.
Madison College downtown campus sale would increase access in south Madison, officials say
The cost of building a new south campus, Daniels said, would be cheaper than upgrading the downtown location, which would cost approximately $30 million. Casper said Madison College has a desire to better serve the poorer south Madison area.
“This is a population that needs our services and are currently not enrolling in levels we would expect for folks who need more education to get jobs in the Metropolitan area,” Casper said.
Analysis by Madison College has also determined that students that would have attended the downtown location, including UW students, would be willing to go from downtown to the south Madison location.
Madison College will host student and community forums addressing the possible refocusing on south Madison. The first student forum will be held April 12 at 3:00 p.m. at the Downtown Education Center.
