Wisconsin Ideas Summer 2002 - Text Only Budget Figures for Cover Story

Special Report

Technology program looks promising for Wisconsin's workforce
An inside look at the UWM Student Technology Services

By Kate Kail

MILWAUKEE—In today's seemingly faceless world of technology, students at UW-Milwaukee are running a script with a distinctly human touch-and gaining valuable work and life experience in the process.

UWM's Student Technology Services (STS) is an award-winning strategy that develops students' professional skills while turning them into information technology experts. All UW System campuses, as well as several colleges and universities nationwide, have adopted elements of the program, which could help soothe Wisconsin's economic woes.

STS is perhaps best known as a tech-support department that's operated, budgeted and managed primarily by students. The program has created more than 700 IT jobs throughout the UW System, and the Board of Regents intends to eventually double the size of such programs systemwide.

STS isn't for academic credit, and at first glance, might seem like just another student job opportunity. But a closer look at the program's leadership training, invaluable work experience and cost savings to campuses proves that, at its core, STS is true to the Wisconsin Idea.

As STS expands, organizers believe the program could make it possible for UW students to graduate with as much as 10 years of work experience. They hold up the program as a way to build Wisconsin's workforce, slow "brain drain" and support the state's technology-cluster economic strategy.

Empowering students to run the show

UWM's STS program began in 1997. The roster has doubled to about 250 students who serve 26,000 peers, faculty and staff on campus. UWM's STS staff is largely made up of undergraduates ? 70 percent of staffers are between the ages of 17 and 24 ? who mentor Milwaukee Public School students and during the summer, also work for area companies.

STS staffers can advance to management-level positions as they hone skills they'll use after graduation, such as customer service, decision-making and troubleshooting. STS duties may include serving on help desks or maintaining desktop computers, networks and classroom technology. Student managers watch over their own budgets, supervise a staff and are the front line for day-to-day operations.

UWM Chief Information Officer Joe Douglas says STS isn't centered on technical know-how, but rather on teaching students "soft skills" they need to become an effective leader. It's the life-skills approach that allows a student, regardless of major or experience, to become a computer expert in a matter of months.

"Students who lacked self-confidence two years ago are now supervisors and managers who aren't afraid to lead," said Douglas, who brought the 16-year-old program to Milwaukee after success at Oklahoma State University and Washington State University.

Thanks in large part to Douglas and a team of STS staffers, who were instrumental in lobbying the state Legislature during the 1999-2001 Biennial Budget process, campuses were able to use approximately $4 million in state dollars to apply elements of STS throughout the UW System.

The Board of Regents has noted that since adopting the program, UW-Green Bay was able to expand computer lab hours, UW-River Falls hired STS graduates as permanent IT staffers, and UW-La Crosse earned a 100 percent satisfaction response in surveys about their service.

Schools that adopt STS guarantee themselves technical support at a fraction of what it would cost to hire a full-time staff. The program also brings enhanced academics and better relationships among students, faculty and staff, organizers say. According to STS program co-director Dean Holschbach, technology services are almost an afterthought ? giving students valuable social skills is top priority.

"We can teach the technical skills," Holschbach said. "We're looking for people who have those interpersonal skills."

Offering an economic solution

The program is working to fill the empty ranks of educated, qualified IT personnel, organizers say. Current graduates of the STS program can have three to five years experience by the time they receive their diploma and have reported quick success in finding jobs after graduation.

The experience UW grads take away could be increased as STS expands its development program in the Milwaukee Public Schools. About 15 STS staffers already teach some 250 MPS high-school students the same leadership and technical skills they learn at UWM. The mentoring program boosts the confidence of students in a struggling school district, and encourages MPS students to envision themselves on a college campus, said Robert Nelson, chief information officer for MPS.

"We know that young people can add value if they're given the opportunity," Nelson said.

Some MPS students even qualify for advanced standing and a guaranteed job during school at Milwaukee Area Technical College and UWM if they choose to continue their education.

STS organizers plan to work with middle-school students as early as this fall, giving them a chance to graduate from a UW System school with 10 years of professional experience while leaving behind a legacy.

"The purpose of a university is to graduate people. We knew that was going to happen," Douglas said. "We plan the program so the younger people are following behind and learning from the experience of the older students. The constant turnover of new students brings you a constant source of new talent."

The life-skills curriculum allows the program to be easily reproduced on any campus, and university leaders from across the country are taking notice.

In late June, STS hosted its third annual conference at UWM, bolstered by its 2001 EduCAUSE award. The prize, given by a professional member organization, recognizes UWM's progress in incorporating information technology into the campus educational mission.

As with previous conferences, participants who came in from around the country left Milwaukee anxious to implement STS at home. They expressed a desire to keep in contact with others who attended to create a sort of nationwide, evolving STS program. The participants were part of the constant cycle of STS visitors, who come to observe the higher-education model that's at the heart of the program.

As STS senior staffer Eric Dohman put it: "The better you can deal with different cultures, the better leader you'll be."

Kate Kail is an associate university relations specialist with UW System.