1. UW-La Crosse: Campus reduces energy consumption, saves money, receives worldwide award

    Centennial Hall is one of several buildings at UW-La Crosse that was built to green building certification standards, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. UWL’s commitment to green building design and energy efficient updates across campus have resulted in lower energy use and budget savings.

    UW-La Crosse’s energy consumption in 2015 was 12.7 percent lower than a decade ago. That’s according to a Wisconsin Department of Administration report that summarizes annual energy use in all state facilities. The report sets fiscal year 2005 as a baseline and makes adjustments for weather and total campus square footage. Because of UWL’s dedication […]

  2. UW-La Crosse professor earns Innovator of the Year award for green chemistry contributions

    Robert McGaff, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the Innovator of the Year Award from WiSys Technology Foundation. Here he is pictured in the lab with Rachel Butler, one of his student research assistants.

    Mother Nature isn’t the only one happy about UW-La Crosse Professor Robert McGaff’s innovations in green chemistry. McGaff, Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the Innovator of the Year Award from WiSys Technology Foundation for his research that is making Earth-friendly chemistry more commercially viable. The inaugural award goes to just one innovator each year from the 11 […]

  3. The importance of PAs: UW-La Crosse physician assistant program continues to fill health care shortage

    Students studying to become physician assistants learn skills that allow them to to fill many duties previously completed by doctors.

    When UW-La Crosse graduate Jessica DeBruyne decided to continue her education to become a physician assistant, she looked no further than her alma mater. Factors like a 100 percent pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam among graduates, small class sizes and a partnership with two leading healthcare institutions, made UWL’s program particularly […]

  4. UW-La Crosse exercise program brings community health, trains students for careers

    Long-term participants in the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program during an open house celebrating the program’s 45 years at UW-La Crosse. Kim Radtke, program director, is pictured at bottom right. John Porcari, the previous program director, is in the back row, far right.

    La Crosse resident John Zoerb vividly recalls when his heart attack hit 30 years ago. A heavy feeling came over him — like an elephant on his chest — as he sat alone in his business office at La Crosse Floral. Zoerb had enough strength to get up from his chair and drive himself to […]

  5. UW-La Crosse student leaves a lasting impact by donating a kidney to a stranger

    UW-La Crosse senior Devyn Prielipp believes in living life compassionately. She donated a kidney to a stranger.

    UW-La Crosse senior Devyn Prielipp was only 14 when her mother was murdered during a domestic violence dispute. The tragedy changed the way she looked at life. She decided to live for today — a direction that led her to give life to someone else. Only three years after her family tragedy, Prielipp began talking […]

  6. [art]ifact: History inspires artwork in La Crosse

    UW-La Crosse Associate Professor of Art Brad Nichols created work for the [art]ifact exhibit, along with 15 other community artists. UWL student Ariel Reker and classmates presented the original project idea for [art]ifact as a capstone project in and Introduction to Public and Policy History course in the fall 2013. Since then, several classes moved the project forward from artifact analysis and research to curatorial work and programming. The project was made possible through a partnership among the Pump House Regional Arts Center, La Crosse County Historical Society and UWL’s History Department.

    A women’s mink muff from the 1920s was the last thing UW-La Crosse (UWL) metalsmith Brad Nichols thought he could use for artistic inspiration. But as Nichols, a UWL associate professor of art, learned more about the history of the object — the story of social status wrapped up in this consumer product — his […]

  7. Studying savings: UW-La Crosse research uncovers potential solutions to city’s taxes

    The city of La Crosse commissioned John Kovari, a UW-La Crosse assistant professor of Political Science and Public Administration, to examine potential solutions to the city’s long-term high property tax problem. La Crosse mayor Tim Kabat says the study will be used as a blueprint to move the city forward.

    The city of La Crosse is an economic hub for the Western Wisconsin region, yet the majority of people who work in the city don’t live in it. Why? The No. 3 reason is La Crosse’s high property taxes, according to a 2014 survey of 8,000 people who work in the city. It’s a long-term […]

  8. Business starters: UW-La Crosse students helping new business owners find success

    Erin Wolfe, right, opened The Toy Shop in downtown La Crosse in July 2015 with her husband, Adam. Here she meets with UW-La Crosse student Matt Hemmersbach, who helped create a marketing plan for her business as part of a class project. UWL’s Small Business Development Center helped link the two.

    Erin and Adam Wolfe opened a toy store in downtown La Crosse because as parents of six kids, they know a lot about toys. But with no prior business experience, the two were jumping into the retail world a bit blind, admits Erin. “We thought it would be great to have some outside input and […]

  9. Positive partnering: UW-La Crosse students analyze labor market for area businesses

    During spring semester, students in a UW-La Crosse Labor Economics course assisted community clients with labor market research. Here UWL students Shaun Fleischhacker and Marissa Eckrote, both right, meet with client, Sarah Fecht, vice president of human resources at Community Credit Union, for a round table discussion.

    UW-La Crosse (UWL) business student Shaun Fleischhacker helped solve a problem for a La Crosse business: how to expand its applicant pool in a competitive market. He learned how to apply economic models, write business reports and communicate with real-world clients. Moreover, he gained a new appreciation for what he can do in his field […]

  10. UW-La Crosse students put practice to work for non-profits

    UW-La Crosse students make a difference in the community through class work with community non-profits including the La Crosse County Aging Department. From left, Senior Kaitlyn McFadden; Amy Brezinka, La Crosse County Aging Department; Senior Angelique Kane; Noreen Holmes, La Crosse County Aging Unit; Junior Alexis Merbach; and Senior Mikaela Kornowski.

    UW-La Crosse senior Angelique Kane finished a semester-long project that had an impact far beyond a letter grade. Kane and other students in her spring semester grant writing class put their writing skills to the test to apply for funds that would help local non-profit organizations such as the La Crosse County Aging Department, Capable […]