MADISON, Wis.—University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross, Regent President Andrew S. Petersen, and Regents Jason Plante, Cris Peterson, Edmund Manydeeds III, and Karen Walsh joined UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt and UW-Stout Interim Chancellor Patrick Guilfoile for a series of events in western Wisconsin today in the seventh stop of UW System’s All In Wisconsin tour, aimed at demonstrating the value the UW System brings to Wisconsin.
“The UW System is a powerful magnet for attracting talent to Wisconsin and developing that talent,” President Cross said. “By strengthening our community and business partnerships, we’ll increase the chances that talent remains in Wisconsin after graduation.”
The tour kicked off with a breakfast with community and business leaders at The Florian Gardens Conference Center in Eau Claire.
At the breakfast, more than 50 community members from Eau Claire and Menomonie discussed with the regents how the UW System can better help their organizations succeed and improve the region. Regent President Petersen spoke about how business leaders can help the UW System build an economic ecosystem and promote student success by being tenacious advocates of higher education.
“The best example of working together I can share from a real-world perspective is how my company, TDS, partners with the UW System on identifying and fulfilling internships,” Regent Petersen said. “We give students relevant, on-the-job career skills and they bring a strong work ethic, new energy, and crisp ideas to the table. It’s a win-win-win for students, us, and the state.”
UW-Stout Interim Chancellor Patrick Guilfoile noted that the placement rate for UW-Stout’s 2017-18 graduates was 98.7 percent, telling those at the breakfast, “What I hope you come away with today is the degree to which both of our institutions do everything possible to give students from this part of Wisconsin the best education possible and to send them out into the world after graduation well prepared for a successful career.”
After breakfast, the regents met with UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout faculty and staff, including representatives from shared governance groups.
“Our faculty and staff are some of the best and brightest minds Wisconsin has to offer,” Chancellor Schmidt said. “We support their efforts to educate our future workforce and improve the human condition in Wisconsin and beyond.”
The regents participated in a roundtable discussion with three recent graduates from each campus who had co-ops or internships at UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire and went on to work locally. The regents also had lunch with student leadership from both campuses.
The All In Wisconsin tour is intended to demonstrate how the UW System meets the needs of Wisconsin and to generate additional ideas about how the System can better serve regional partners.
The next stop on the All In Wisconsin tour is UW-Whitewater on December 5.
The University of Wisconsin System serves approximately 170,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. More than 80 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System institutions also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.