New and Returning Regents
Governor Walker has nominated two new
members and reappointed one current member to the University of
Wisconsin System Board of Regents. I'm looking forward to
working with them in my role as chair of the Assembly Committee
on Colleges and Universities.
Cris Peterson, of Grantsburg, is owner and Chief Financial
Officer of Four Cubs Farm. Peterson is a respected member of the
agricultural community receiving the 1997 Wisconsin Farm Woman
of the Year, 2002 Association of Women in Agriculture
Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award, 2004 World Dairy Expo
Woman of the Year, and many other honors. Peterson served as a
student regent to her alma mater, the University of Minnesota
where she received a bachelor’s degree in education. Peterson
also attended the UW Extension for the Agricultural Executive
Management Program.
Jason Plante is Vice President of Market & Johnson in Eau
Claire. Plante is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire with a Bachelor of Science in marketing. Plante has been
active in several community organizations such as Big Brothers
Big Sisters, the Boys & Girls Club, Eau Claire Economic
Development Corporation and Momentum West.
Gerald Whitburn currently serves on the UW System Board of
Regents. Prior to serving on the board, Whitburn was Chief
Executive Officer of Church Mutual Insurance Company from
2001-2010. Whitburn has also held two cabinet position in
Wisconsin: Secretary of the Department of Industry, Labor, and
Human Relations from 1989-1991 and Secretary of the Department
of Health and Social Services from 1991-1995. Whitburn is a
graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a
bachelor’s degree in political science and history and a
graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master of
Arts in Political Science. Whitburn is a Merrill native who
continues to serve his community as a board member of the River
Valley Bank.
UW College Fairs
Join a
UW Journey college fair at any of UW Colleges’ 13 campuses
across the state. These recruitment events are open to students
looking to transfer from a two-year campus into a four-year
institution, as well as new students looking to start their UW
journey. Talk to representatives from all the UW campuses to
help find out which campus is right for you.
For students interested in a smaller
campus, UW transfer institutions are a great option. There are
locations across Wisconsin where students can earn an
associate’s degree, or use their two years of general education
credits to transfer into a four-year UW institution. UW transfer
institutions offer affordable tuition and admit every qualified
student who applies. These campuses will be joined this fall
with the UW’s four-year comprehensive and research institutions.
This reorganization will allow the UW System to maintain
affordable tuition at the transfer institutions, and eventually
bring more classes to those campuses, including upper-level
courses.
All UW System campuses are known for their
quality and dedication to students. Download the
FREE
UW Journey app in
iTunes or Google Play to explore all 26 campuses. UW Journey
helps students find the right UW campus for them, navigate the
application process, and explore options to pay for college.
A UW Journey college fair will be held
Monday March 12 at UW-Fox Valley in the Atrium and Hallway from
11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
UWSP Adjusting Majors to Better Meet the
Needs of Students
Changes in Wisconsin’s population mean that
there are fewer college age students right now and the leaders
at UW–Stevens Point are being proactive to adjust the majors
they offer to better meet the needs of future students.
You can read more about the plan here.
This isn’t the first time UW-Stevens Point
has made changes in course offerings, or even its mission, in
order to better reflect the needs of students and the state.
Many UW campuses once focused exclusively on teacher
preparation, but over time, as prospective students saw a need
for educational opportunities that better matched the needs of
20th century careers, our universities heeded the call and met
those needs by changing course.
I have a great deal of respect and
admiration for the faculty and staff at UW–Stevens Point who
will be implementing these difficult changes to meet the needs
of 21st century students. I'm confident that these changes will
ensure the strong educational legacy of Wisconsin for
generations to come.
Education decisions are best made locally,
and as a state legislator, I'm always reluctant to intervene
unless it becomes absolutely necessary. I’ll continue to monitor
the changes being made to degree and major offerings with a
great deal of interest, and if they do not produce positive
results for students, alumni, and the state as a whole, then
expect me to be one of the first people to speak up.
UW Audit
An audit was recently completed on the
relationships between UW System campuses and affiliated
organizations.
The audit conducted by the non-partisan Wisconsin Legislative
Audit Bureau can be read online here.
The audit provided information and
recommendations about how UW System institutions should improve
the way they manage relationships with foundations and other
organizations affiliated with campuses. I'm looking forward to
hearing from university leaders on how they plan to address the
concerns outlined in the report. It's critical that our
universities operate in a transparent and efficient way and I'm
hopeful that the results of this audit will lead to positive
changes by university leaders.
A public hearing regarding the audit
will be held soon by our Joint Legislative Audit Committee. |