New Documentary Explores Closures at Two-Year UW Campuses

Wisconsin Filmmaker Ken Brosky discusses the impact of shuttered campuses and his documentary “Closure” on The Todd Allbaugh Show

In his new documentary Closure, filmmaker Ken Brosky explores the consequences of the decision by officials with the University of Wisconsin System to close several two-year campuses across the state. The movie reveals the impact on communities – now without a vital educational institution. It also shows the ripple effects of these closures on students, faculty, and the local populations. 

Brosky teaches at the UW-Whitewater at Rock County campus. He tells Todd Allbaugh, host of The Todd Allbaugh Show, he was inspired to document these closures after learning the UW-Waukesha campus would be closing its doors. The move despite more than 600 enrolled students. He says the news shocked him, especially considering the crucial role these campuses play in providing access to higher education for students who might not otherwise pursue a degree.

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LISTEN to the full interview here:

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“These decisions felt sudden and inexplicable,” Brosky explains. “The idea that you could close a campus with 600 students enrolled, without considering the long-term effects on communities, students, and faculty was something I felt needed to be explored.”

The film helps explain the budget cuts that began in 2012. It’s when $360 million was slashed from the UW System’s funding. Brosky tells Allbaugh that these cuts, combined with a tuition freeze, created a perfect storm leading to plummeting enrollment numbers. These numbers were later used to justify the closures. 

“I believe the UW System failed to address the deeper issues, such as the lack of investment in recruitment and retention, particularly at these smaller, two-year campuses,” Brosky says.

The documentary includes interviews with former faculty, students, and administrators who share emotional stories of what these campuses meant to them. One features a former UW-Fond du Lac student who was told she was “a waste of life” but went on to graduate. And she credits the support at the two-year campus. Her story highlights the life-changing opportunities these campuses provide and may no longer be available to future students.

Allbaugh asks if this film is meant to be a critique of any one individual or institution.

“I’m not criticizing for the sake of criticism,” Brosky says. “What I’m asking is for us to look back, to learn from the mistakes we’ve made, and to ensure that we don’t repeat them.”

Closure premiered in Milwaukee and continues its run with screenings at the Center Cinema in Richland Center on October 2nd, followed by a showing in Oshkosh on October 10th. Brosky has also submitted the film to multiple festivals and hopes to raise awareness through broader screenings.

“The Wisconsin Idea holds that the borders of our university are the borders of our state,” Brosky says. “If we lose these campuses, we lose more than just buildings—we lose access, opportunity, and a part of Wisconsin’s identity.”

Find more information on the Delavan Films website.