MILWAUKEE — Gov. Tommy G. Thompson today fulfilled a commitment made in his 1996 State-of-the-State address, as he teamed up with a Milwaukee Riverside High School senior in opening a new door of technology for all Wisconsin students.
Gov. Thompson assisted as Kim-Lien Callies, 17, became the first Wisconsin high school senior to transmit a University of Wisconsin System electronic admission application via the Internet. “I’m excited by what this means for Wisconsin students and their parents,” the governor said. “We’ve opened a new door of technology and service that’s going to make it much easier for students to apply for admission to college.”
Callies, whose career goal is to work in agriculture/botany or biology, sent her electronic application to UW-Milwaukee via an on-line student information service made possible in part by a $521,800 gift from Ameritech to the UW System.
Joining Gov. Thompson and Miss Callies at the 9 a.m. ceremony at Riverside High School, 1615 Locust St., were UW System President Katharine C. Lyall, Ameritech Wisconsin President Bronson Haase, Wisconsin Technical College System Director Ed Chin and Riverside High School Principal Mary Ann Zapala.
In his January State-of-the-State Address earlier this year, Gov. Thompson challenged educators to make greater use of the Internet, both to increase student access and to enhance student performance.
“Our partner in achieving higher performance in our schools is technology,” Thompson said. “The Class of the Year 2000 will be setting the standard for a new century. We owe them, and those who follow, the guarantee of an education that will help them lead productive, happy lives in the next millennium.”
Also in his State-of-the-State address, Thompson announced that high school students would be able to use the Internet to apply for admission to the UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System campuses beginning in 1997. Riverside is one of four pilot on-line application sites in four Wisconsin communities.
Other participating sites include: UW-La Crosse and La Crosse Central High School; UW-Stevens Point and Stevens Point Area High School, and UW-Superior and Superior High School. The four UW institutions will also receive transfer applications from UW Center-Sheboygan County and Western Wisconsin Technical College.
Gov. Thompson and Haase announced the grant from Ameritech, a leader in communications services, to the UW System in support of the development of “HELP On-Line,” the high-tech version of a student information service offered by the UW System for more than 20 years.
The grant will provide HELP On-Line with initial staffing, promotion and support for:
- the electronic admissions application;
- the career advising and placement service;
- academic advising; and,
- in-school demonstrations of HELP On-Line to teachers and students.
“Ameritech is pleased to lead the way in helping the state meet the challenge set earlier this year by the Governor,” said Haase. “This project is a solid, innovative opportunity to offer students instant access to information regarding their choice of an educational institution and just one example of the many ways business and educational institutions are forging successful partnerships.”
In accepting the Ameritech grant, Lyall said: “We believe that HELP On-Line will be a more effective and efficient way to provide information to current and prospective students. I look forward to having Ameritech as a partner with the UW System in this enterprise.”
When fully operational, HELP On-Line will provide current and prospective students with campus profiles, financial aid information, advising assistance and much more. It will help families make better choices about how to save and pay for college, and will be available on the World Wide Web from home, work or school, at any hour of the day or night. Students can also use the service to locate and contact campus staff by telephone if they have questions.
Contacts:
Kevin Keane, (608) 266-1212
Jonathan Henkes, UW System, (608) 263-3362
Pam Bednarczyk, Ameritech, (414) 678-2157 (800) 242-1553