UW-La Crosse

  1. UWL grads help fuel Kwik Trip’s workforce

    Photo of UWL graduates, particularly those in the sciences, who are critical to Kwik Trip's recruiting efforts in food safety and related fields. This talent pipeline would be strengthened, Kwik Trip leaders say, through the completion of UWL's Prairie Springs Science Center.

    February 20, 2023

    Science alums ‘incredibly important’ for company’s recruiting needs Kwik Trip fuels our vehicles and a large section of the Midwestern economy. The La Crosse-based company owns and operates more than 800 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan, with nearly 500 alone in Wisconsin.   But what fuels Kwik Trip? It’s the people, says Kwik Trip Vice President Steve Loehr. And […]

  2. Distinctive dress: UWL alum starts business for those with special needs

    Photo of Sarah Burch, ’10, center, started working with individuals with special needs when she volunteered at Special Olympics while attending UWL. She has created Enrich Each Other Apparel, a clothing line that provides meaningful employment opportunities and job skills training to individuals with disabilities alongside peers without disabilities.

    February 10, 2023

    An athlete all her life, Sarah Burch thought about adding coaching to her teaching plans. Instead, she called an audible that not only sparked an interest in working with those with disabilities, but eventually a special clothing business to help them.  Burch started working with individuals with special needs when she volunteered at Special Olympics […]

  3. Reptile read: UWL alum authors book detailing state’s turtles, frogs and more

    Photo of Josh Kapfer, ’99 & ’02, who is the co-author and primary editor “Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin,” a new book offering a detailed look at these organisms. Kapfer is a professor and certified wildlife biologist at UW-Whitewater.

    January 19, 2023

    Growing up in Stoughton, Wisconsin, Josh Kapfer always had an intense interest in wildlife — particularly amphibians and reptiles.  Like many, his first wildlife experiences were capturing turtles and frogs he found outside.    “I also really liked dinosaurs as a kid, and in my young, naïve mind, the closest living thing to a dinosaur was […]

  4. Fantastic fellows: Community Engaged Fellowships a win-win for students, nonprofits

    Photo of UWL's inaugural Community Engaged Fellows (from left to right): Avery Frankl, Gretta Kraus and Samantha Meister. All three say their fellowship experience has provided many valuable lessons.

    January 11, 2023

    As a senior management major, Avery Frankl is getting a solid education at UW-La Crosse. However, Frankl knows that not everything can be learned in the classroom. That’s why she jumped at the chance to participate in UWL’s new Community Engaged Fellowship program, which provides students with high-impact learning opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. “Whereas […]

  5. Back to school: Retirees enjoy opportunity to hit the books — at no cost

    Photo of Linda Kastantin, ’91, who is one of many Wisconsin residents 60 or older taking advantage of a state program that allows them to audit college classes for free. Kastantin is auditing a constitutional law course at UWL — something she has always wanted to do.

    January 9, 2023

    Retirees enjoy opportunity to hit the books — at no cost Linda Kastantin has always wanted to learn more about constitutional law. Now the retired clinic manager from Gundersen Health System has the time. So, she’s heading back to her alma mater — UW-La Crosse — to learn all about it.  Kastantin is one of […]

  6. Fighting cancer with calculations: A mystery profession to most, medical dosimetrists target cancer from behind the scenes

    Photo of Medical Dosimetrist Patrick Melby who graduated from UWL with a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology in 2012, applied for the medical dosimetry program in 2014 and was in the program 2015-2016. He now mentors UWL graduate student Paige Solie. “It is fun to watch a student — to watch the light bulb go on when they understand the concept,” he says. Photo courtesy of Gundersen Health System.

    December 2, 2022

    Back in 2013, Patrick Melby was working at a plasma donation center when a patient sat down in his chair and opened a book with the words “Medical Dosimetry” across the cover. Fluorescent pictures of cross sections of the human anatomy and radiation symbols got Melby’s attention. The conversation that followed changed his career direction. […]

  7. New way forward: Collaboration on community transportation course set

    Photo of a La Crosse MTU bus making a stop downtown at Grand River Station. PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Gaeddert

    November 29, 2022

    How we get to work, school and home is important: It impacts health, climate, economy, opportunity, housing and safety. But transportation decisions are often technical, with complicated processes and time-consuming meetings. How can the public participate in these difficult decisions? UW-La Crosse will hold the first-ever collaboration with a statewide land use and transportation policy […]

  8. Driven by data: UW System data science program producing career-ready graduates

    Photo: UW Extended Campus facilitates the data science master's program as a collaboration among UWL, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior. It is entirely online, making it a good fit for both traditional students and working professionals hoping to take the next step in their career.

    November 22, 2022

    UW-La Crosse graduate student Caleb Waack is ready to launch his career in data science — and he will be joining a fellow program alumnus.  Waack, who will complete UWL’s data science master’s program in December, was recently hired by Epsilon, a media company that is part of the France-based Publicis Groupe.   In his new role, Waack […]

  9. Powerful partners: UWL, Brennan agreement strengthens college experience

    Photo of Ryan Sands, a 2015 UWL graduate, who says the new partnership of his alma mater with his employer J.F. Brennan Company will help students receive specific skills making them job-ready. “This should build networking with local employers and provide training on potential career fields for future students,” says Sands.

    November 10, 2022

    The J.F. Brennan Company is partnering with UWL to strengthen research, curriculum and the company’s talent pipeline. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed Tuesday, Oct. 18, will get students on the Mississippi River to use technology they’ll find when they head into the workforce — and give them an opportunity to experience what it’s like […]

  10. Business builder: UWL’s Michail Walker recognized for work with businesses

    Photo of Michail Walker, business consultant and outreach specialist with the UWL Wisconsin Small Business Development Center, who has been named to the 7 Rivers Alliance’s Rising Stars Under 40 list.

    November 3, 2022

    He’s helped hundreds of western Wisconsin small businesses steer through the pandemic. But UW-La Crosse’s Michail Walker says he’s the one benefitting from those partnerships. “One of my favorite things about helping small businesses is learning more about creativity and innovation in the context of business,” says Walker. “Though clients may come to me for consulting, it […]

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