By KIMBERY PILON

Beloit College and Northland College are five and a half hours away from each other; two small liberal arts colleges on either side of the state. Both colleges have a 10:1 ratio, although Beloit has a higher graduation and freshman year retention rate, both being ten percent higher. 

Northland cites enrollment decline as one of the major causes for their closing, along with being in a financial deficit. 

The Round Table talked with Tim Leslie(Vice President, Strategic Planning & Career Development), as well as Ron Watson(Associate Provost and Dean of Students) about the decisions regarding Northland College. Out of Northland’s three hundred and fifty students, Beloit is trying to encourage as many Northland students as possible to transfer here. Regardless of their status as a teach-out or a transfer, we have been contacting them through social media, school directors, and alumni from both schools. 

Both administrators also said that they would be open to accepting professors and other staff, dependent on openings and their fit. As an athlete who has heard heavy concern regarding athletic trainer shortages the past few days, I asked specifically about how they will be planning to adjust. They said that the need for an athletic trainer was already an issue, there is a nationwide shortage, and with the addition of these new athletes, there will be a focus on a third athletic trainer. They are aware of the issues and pinch points that this causes, and they are working on alleviating them to give the best experience possible to all students. 

When questioned, they believe that Beloit College was identified as a transfer/teach-out school as early as last spring, when Northland publicly announced that they were going through a financial hardship. Teach-out students will be able to finish their schooling at Beloit but receive a Northland degree. Ron Watson believes that there is fluidity within the major requirements, and that Beloit can fulfill the course requirements to graduate. They have already examined different courses within the majors, and although there is a possibility of new classes for teach-out students, there is no concrete information. 

Northland’s website notes their emphasis on environmental sustainability, something Beloit College does not have the same significance on. Their website says, “Northland College is a private liberal arts college with a focus on the environment and sustainability.” I asked how this will affect these topics at Beloit. They pointed out that it is dependent on who decides to transfer here, as in spring of last year, transfer agreements were made with Gustavus Adolphus College(St. Peter, MN) and College of the Atlantic(Bar Harbor, ME). They hope a variety of students will transfer here. “It will be really great… to enhance our environmental offerings and expectations,” said Ron Watson. However, the hockey players they have been in contact with are more interested in business, economics, and nursing majors. 

This is not expected to have an impact on current students, and that the students coming in will only add to the upcoming class, as well as to the athletics department. Tim Leslie pointed out that we share a lot of programs with Northland, as well as the fact that some students applied to both schools. 

The closing of another liberal arts college is devastating, especially one so close to Beloit. When asked what Northland failed to do, Tim Leslie brought up the struggle that liberal arts colleges around the nation are currently facing. Enrollment is declining across colleges and universities across the nation, and this explicitly hurts liberal arts colleges. 

When asked about Beloit and what is happening to prevent Beloit closing, Tim Leslie talked about the college’s focus on career forward thinking. He says that it is important that we evolve into a relevant, pragmatic program that finds careers and practical experience. The students he has talked to are excited to come to Beloit because of this, and they are looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities we have here. In the past two years, we have built a center of integrated learning, five schools, as well as Impact Beloit, which all focus on career forward thinking. 

I asked how this is expected to affect housing next year, and they were both very confident that not a lot will change. Tim Leslie brought up his history as a Beloit alum, and that during his time here, there were twelve hundred students on campus, and believes that is the optimal number. Ron Watson expanded on that, saying thirteen hundred would be stretching, and fourteen hundred would be tight. They claimed that they want to have the issue of trying to accommodate more students on campus, and that it would be a good problem to have. As we wrapped up, they sounded committed to continuing to invest in residence halls on campus to give quality living experiences to all students. 

Beloit students are not expected to face major changes, even though the similarities between the colleges are striking, and Beloit went through its own financial struggle around five years ago. The closure of another liberal arts college is concerning; slowly the nation is losing the colleges that emphasize critical thinking, communication and problem solving. As Northland students transition into Beloiters, we are reminded of the importance of our liberal arts education, and how much these seemingly insignificant choices and decisions play into our world.  

_{Featured image: FOX 11 News}