Northland College (Wisconsin)  Northland College is a private college in Ashland, Wisconsin. Founded as the North Wisconsin Academy in 1892, the college was established in 1906. Originally affiliated with the Congregational Church, the college remains loosely tied to the Congregational Church's descendant, the United Church of Christ. It enrolls 600 full-time undergraduate students and employs 60 faculty members and 99 staff members. Northland College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. Northland College is the successor to the North Wisconsin Academy, and was founded on the same tract of land. Wheeler Hall, built in 1892, was the sole building of the North Wisconsin Academy, providing classroom space, board and cafeteria services. The building was renovated in 1993 and 1994 and remains the centerpiece of campus. Today, Wheeler houses classrooms and faculty offices for the social sciences and humanities and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The college is located in Ashland, Wisconsin, a small city on the shore of Lake Superior. The school is ten blocks from the lakefront. The school's location on the lakefront makes internship opportunities available with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ashland Fisheries Resource Office, the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Geological Survey. As a result of concerns about the college's financial position, the Higher Learning Commission required Northland to file a financial recovery plan. The college's endowment, which incurred losses caused by the stock market crash of 2008-09, has since recovered and the college reported 2010-11 fund raising at the highest level in several years. Northland College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. On August 1, 2012, the commission established two requirements for the institution resulting from its spring site visit. First, the college had to produce a monitoring report by December that would outline faculty credentials, including official transcripts and appropriate certifications where applicable. Second, the college would receive a focused visit from the commission during the 2014-2015 school year that would assess student learning and institutional strategic planning, with a focus on student enrollment and college finances. The college has a relationship with the nearby Native American communities, being close to the Lac Courte Oreilles, Bad River and Red Cliff Ojibwa (Chippewa) reservations. The college offers courses focusing on Native American history, language and culture, and offers a degree in Native American studies.