UW Stevens Point to relocate Wausau campus to Northcentral Technical College under new partnership

Interim Chancellor Pratima Gandhi of the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Jeanne Wharton, president of Northcentral Technical College, told the Marathon County Board of Supervisors that UWSP at Wausau will relocate and co-locate on the NTC campus to create seamless degree pathways for students.

The partnership will keep UWSP at Wausau students enrolled in UWSP, keep UWSP employees as UWSP employees and is not a merger, Interim Chancellor Pratima Gandhi said. "This is not a typical collaboration," Gandhi said. "This partnership creates a seamless connection between UW Stevens Point at Wausau and NTC with advisors from both schools working side by side to help students find academic pathways that fit their interests, their career goals, and financial needs."

Why it matters: County officials pressed for commitments on continuity, timelines and financial responsibilities because the move creates redevelopment questions for the county-owned UWSP campus in Wausau. UWSP and NTC said the arrangement is intended to maintain higher-education access locally while aligning programs to workforce needs.

Most important facts

- UWSP at Wausau programs will be colocated at the NTC campus; UWSP students remain UWSP students and UWSP faculty and staff remain UWSP employees, Gandhi said.

- UWSP and NTC said they will integrate advising and classroom/lab use: "They are absolutely gonna be integrated, in the front with our advisers," Jeanne Wharton said.

- Key dates presented by UWSP’s dean: fall 2026 is the implementation window. The last day of courses at the current UWSP at Wausau site is scheduled for May 15, 2026; academic and student-support staff moves are slated to begin Aug. 1, 2026; UWSP intends to exit the current campus by Dec. 31, 2026.

- UWSP committed to continue paying budgeted utilities and facility expenses through Dec. 31, 2026, and said it will work with Marathon County on redevelopment conversations.

- UWSP will lease defined rooms at NTC; presenters said the lease charge identified in the presentation is $30,000 per year.

Questions from supervisors and responses

Supervisor Wilhelm asked whether the NTC property tax levy would change because of the move; UWSP and NTC representatives answered that the institutions had budgeted for space and were not planning significant construction that would change the levy. Supervisor Jeong asked how the two institutions would keep distinct identities; presenters said admissions, diplomas and branding will remain separate and visible on site (UWSP admissions and degree conferral remain UWSP’s responsibility).

Additional details and county commitments

NTC and UWSP said they have an existing history of transfer agreements (presenters said 26 articulation agreements now), shared programs such as nursing pathways, and prior partnerships (for example, a sawmill project in Antigo). UWSP said it will collaborate with Marathon County on facility and redevelopment planning and on grant opportunities; presenters noted $2 million grants available from the state for counties that were home to former UW Colleges branches and said they would assist county staff in pursuing those funds.

What the board did

This item was presented as an informational briefing; the board did not take a formal vote on the partnership itself at this meeting. Supervisors asked for continued reporting and indicated committee-level follow-up will occur on campus redevelopment and budget impacts.

Ending

UWSP, NTC and county staff agreed to continue transition planning and to bring more specific redevelopment proposals and budget implications to county committees in the months ahead. Presenters framed the partnership as intended to expand local bachelor’s and master’s pathways while the county explores reuse options for the present UWSP campus space.