International enrollment drop leading to staff cuts at UW-L

Eight positions could be cut for next fall.

Enrollment for international students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has dropped recently.

The loss has led to downsizing staff for the fall semester. UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow said six instructional positions and one or two staff positions will need to be cut.

“These will not be people who necessarily are permanent employees of the university,” Gow added. “It would be contracts that are more temporary and, in some cases, are even vacant right now.”

Why the enrollment drop, however, is still a question.

“That has been going up for a number of years and we’ve seen a downward trend lately,” Gow said. “We certainly have redoubled our efforts in international recruiting. 

“We have a great new director of the office and we also have some new recruiters around the world who are constantly trying to talk to students.”