3/05/2026

ASHLAND - After closing last May due to a financial shortfall, Northland College petitioned the Ashland County Circuit Court on February 14th of this year, to distribute its remaining $3 million to donors and area nonprofits. This follows a 2024 audit revealing the college improperly diverted $22 million in donor funds for operations and debt from 2015 to 2024. Chairman Ted Bristol says the distribution honors donor intent. The college plans to allocate $2.1 million to the Burke Center for Ecosystem Research and $945,000 to the Sigurd F. Olson Education Institute, with approximately $250,000 already distributed to named beneficiaries like the UW-Whitewater Foundation, and the rest slated for various foundations, nonprofits, and colleges.