City of Ashland Considers Purchasing Northland College Campus

ASHLAND, Wis. (WBZH / WHSM) – City of Ashland officials are exploring the feasibility of purchasing the Northland College campus following the school’s permanent closure.

Northland College officially closed at the end of the last school year after more than a year of attempts to work around budget constraints. After managing to restructure and secure enough money to remain open for the 2024-2025 school year, the Board of Trustees determined that there was no sustainable path forward financially. The closure left 112 employees without a job and displaced a meals for seniors program.

In the months since, a number of smaller portions of the college have been sold off including the baseball and softball fields. College officials say they are hoping to sell the 130-acre main campus as a whole, rather than splitting it into different parcels in smaller sales.

The City of Ashland has now emerged as a potential buyer for the full campus. According to an Ashland Daily Press report, the Ashland City Council approved hiring CIVILIS Consultants to explore potential uses for the campus and the feasibility of purchasing it.

The organization will be tasked with gathering data on financial constraints, potential revenue streams, and real estate market conditions before developing a plan for the campus. The goal is to determine if the City of Ashland could finance the potential purchase and if the campus could generate enough revenue to make their plans permanent.

Potential plans could include new housing developments, hospitality opportunities, and exploring ways the campus could continue to be used for educational purposes. Organization officials say they could finish developing that plan by early November.