MENASHA (NBC 26) — As UW Oshkosh’s Fox Cities campus prepares to shut down, the future of the Weis Earth Science Museum is in limbo. One Appleton museum is working to take over the collection—but the move isn’t guaranteed.
- History Museum at the Castle proposes housing Weis Earth Science Museum
- Relocation plan still needs county approval
- Original curator hopes to keep the museum where it is
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
We’re closer to knowing the future of one of the museums on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Fox Cities campus after the university announced it would be shutting down the satellite site last year.
Now, the Weis Earth Science Museum may soon have a new home—but not everyone is on board. Because it’s going from the UWO Fox Cities campus to the History Museum at the Castle in downtown Appleton.
While the move isn’t a done deal yet, a lot of work has already gone into trying to make it happen.
“We got involved because we want to make sure community assets remain in the community,” said Dr. Dustin Mack, executive director at the History Museum at the Castle.
Dr. Mack and his team stepped in after hearing that UW Oshkosh would be closing the campus. They developed a plan to preserve some of the cultural institutions housed there, including the Weis Earth Science Museum.
“So our plan right now is to relocate the Weis Earth Science Museum here and have it on display for 3–5 years,” Mack explained. “And in that time, our goal is to be looking at expansion next door to the History Museum.”
“While the Weis will be in this gallery temporarily,” he added, “our hope and goal is to expand to that new space.”
Although the Weis Earth Science Museum is housed within the UWO Fox Cities campus, it’s not actually owned by the university. That means it will still be impacted by the closure but isn’t subject to the same administrative decisions.
Even so, longtime curator Dr. Donald Mikulic said he hopes to keep the museum right where it is.
“Absolutely,” Mikulic responded when asked if the future of the space feels personal. “My wife was the founding director. She designed and built all of this stuff.”
He said he’s hoping to sustain the museum through grants and donations—independent of the university—because of how much personal and financial investment has gone into the existing facility.
“It’s been built special just for the museum itself,” he said.
Before any exhibit can be moved, the proposal to relocate to the History Museum at the Castle must first be approved by both Winnebago and Outagamie counties.
