Report by President Ray Cross to the Board of Regents
UW-Parkside is making its mark in professional sports. Student Andrea Wagner completed an internship with Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and UW-Parkside alumnus Duane McLean leads business operations for the Detroit Tigers. The school has earned a top five ranking by schools.com for Sports Management degree programs.
UW-Green Bay is giving back to the community in meaningful ways. This fall more than 500 new students cleaned up Bay Shore County Park. The campus also hosted the region’s annual Back to School Store, helping to provide 1,500 elementary students with free back-to-school essentials.
The recently opened Pablo Center at the Confluence in downtown Eau Claire is the result of the work of innovative public-private partnerships. The center will host UW-Eau Claire performances and exhibits, as well as other community arts events. The creative arts are increasingly driving economic development in the Chippewa Valley and were one reason Eau Claire was featured in TIME magazine a couple of years ago.
UW-Whitewater is launching a new app called Involvio to help drive student engagement from orientation to graduation. Students will have access to class schedules, campus resources, advising, calendars, and more on their phones. About 300 freshmen are currently piloting the app.
UW-Superior’s new Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being will become a gathering hub to provide resources, expertise, learning projects, and personal and professional development activities for students and employees. The center also promotes wellness by establishing partnerships and collaboration across the campus and within the community.
UW-Stout’s supply chain management program helps Wisconsin companies efficiently move their products through manufacturing and distribution. STEMM College dean Chuck Bomar says supply chain is about creative, real-time problem-solving. Students Greg Cops and Destiny Vojtik recently had internships at Plexus in Appleton and at Greenheck in Schofield. The payoff? Students in the program enjoy a 100% employment rate after graduation.
UW-Stevens Point just opened a new Chemistry Biology Building. The building features research and teaching labs with state-of-the-art equipment; lecture halls; classrooms; and even a tropical conservatory. The campus has more than 1,300 students in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and natural science disciplines. This building – the first major new academic building at Stevens Point in 40 years – showcases science and expands research opportunities for students.
This year UW-River Falls accepted over $3 million in external grants to fund research and academic programming. This year’s grant activities involve 77 partners, including five Fortune 500 companies. One ongoing partnership with John Deere, for example, aims to advance emerging technologies that use big data to help farmers make informed decisions.
UW-Platteville faculty and undergraduate researchers are developing eco-friendly material for 3-D printing. Dr. John Obielodan, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Joseph Wu, associate professor of chemistry, are using wood waste extractions to develop a low-cost biocomposite for 3D printing applications, creating an eco-friendly substitute to petroleum-based printing products.
Students in the UW-Oshkosh Master of Business Administration-Executive Program are given the unique opportunity each year to establish international business partnerships. This year’s cohort of 24 students visited companies in Stockholm and Prague.
UW-Milwaukee signed an agreement with Foxconn Technology Group to create an international co-op program starting this semester. UWM engineering students will study at a university in Taiwan and work at a Foxconn facility there before returning to UWM to complete their degrees. Nearly 80 percent of students at UWM will have completed an internship, student teaching or other work experience before they graduate.
UW-Madison’s Field Days held at Arlington Agricultural Research Center hosted more than 200 farmers, ag extension agents, and industry experts. They learned about the latest research into pest management, fertilizer, drainage, gene editing, and more. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences regularly holds field days at its 11 research stations around the state to share insight into farming issues.
UW-La Crosse students get in-the-field experience right in their back yard. They benefit from hands-on environmental studies classes and internships in the nearby La Crosse River marsh. They even research the impact of potential railway spills on microscopic organisms. Their efforts greatly contribute to the region’s vigorous economy and healthy environment.