Goal 3:
Promote excellence in teaching, research, scholarship and service
Support in teaching and learning
The UW-Stout Teaching and Learning Center, devoted to the support of teaching and learning in the academic community, completed its third year of operation.
The Teaching and Learning Center facilitated a $1,000 per person Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project during 2003–04. A total of 15 applicants were funded.
The goal of the project was to provide a venue that allows teachers -- including both faculty and academic staff -- to conduct a reflective practice/scholarship of teaching investigation. Teachers were asked to identify a problem or issue in teaching and learning in one or more of their classes that they feel passionate about. The project itself was to investigate that problem or issue in such a way that a conclusion could be formed and disseminated to the UW-Stout community. Each participant joined a small group of other teachers interested in the same problem or issue. This group met several times during the course of the project.
Other developments that came from the project included:
- A campuswide speaker on teaching and learning, including a workshop for the project participants, helping them to reflect on their projects.
- In January, the Teaching and Learning Center sponsored highly successful focus groups in which faculty members discussed changes in teaching and learning that are developing across campus due to the changes in UW-Stout's digital environment.
Fourteen faculty members participated in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Project, and six delivered presentations about their project to national conventions.
All participants posted their final report on the project's Web site. Notices of these postings were sent to the entire UW-Stout faculty using standard communication channels in order to reach as many different audiences as possible.
Other activities of the Teaching and Learning Center included:
- conducting a workshop on learning for campus department chairs.
- writing a grant to support a second year of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project -- 17 new participants and seven former participants signed up to carry out projects and join small groups.
- working closely with Budget, Planning and Analysis to assess the impact of laptops on teaching and learning.
- facilitating the learning experience of students through the use of a "best practices in the classroom" series, illustrating effective ways to weave cyber-possibilities into student learning.
- using e-Scholar College Associates to act as liaisons between the faculty of the colleges and technology sectors of the university.
Developing leadership on campus
The Jeff Russell Leadership and Professional Development Certificate Program is a series of eight sessions offered to UW–Stout support staff, supervisors, managers and directors. Its purpose is to develop leadership competencies among all staff at all levels of the university. The program accomplishes this through dynamic and interactive sessions that are based on current and emerging issues. Participants in the program -- who must be nominated by a supervisor -- are expected to attend all eight courses. In all, 76 participants have gone through the program in its three years.
Sessions during the 2003–04 academic year included:
- Self Leadership for UW-Stout’s Future.
- Leadership During Times of Change.
- Working Together Effectively.
- Communication and Personal Effectiveness.
- Understanding and Managing Conflict.
- Creating and Sustaining a Customer-Centered Program.
- Decision Making and Problem Solving for Quality Results.
- Next Steps for UW-Stout Leadership.
Cabot Executives program has anniversary
UW-Stout celebrated a 20-year connection with business and industry leaders March 24, through the Arthur A. Cabot Executive Residency program.
A generous donation from UW-Stout alumnus Scott Cabot allows the university to bring a successful business executive to campus to interact with students and instructors for one day each year.
Since the Cabot Executive Residency program began in 1984, numerous business people from such companies as McDonald's Corporation, General Motors and Mead Corporation have visited the campus to attend student presentations, speak to classes, consult with instructors, meet with student groups, and deliver keynote addresses.
Several of the executives who have visited the campus as Cabot residents in the past 20 years returned to campus to take part in the leadership panel discussion March 24.
The Cabot celebration involved as many students on campus as possible. For example, students in the graphic communications program produced the printed materials for the event. Also, students in the People Process Culture course videotaped the event and acted as personal guides to the returning Cabot residents.
Brouwer travels to Siberia
Lynnette Brouwer, associate professor in UW-Stout's hospitality and tourism department, was already intimately acquainted with the Buryat Republic before she was awarded a Fulbright appointment to teach courses there during the fall 2003 semester.
Brouwer first journeyed to Siberia in the dead of winter in 1998 to meet her new daughter at the Ieestonock orphanage. That trip spurred her interest -- both professional and personal -- in the vast region.
While in Siberia, Brouwer taught service management, leadership, tourism and English courses at East Siberian State Technological University's main campus in Ulan Ude, the capital city of the Buryat Republic, and at two other universities in the city.
Brouwer also conducted pro bono consulting for tourism organizations and helped nonprofit organizations write grants and explore their missions. She spoke to students at several high schools, helped her daughter's kindergarten classmates with their English skills, and sponsored children's and nature museum outings for the entire class, as well.
Despite the beauty and culture of the region, Brouwer admitted that living in Siberia was sometimes harsh.
Godfrey conducts NASA research
Gary S. Godfrey, associate professor in UW-Stout's technology department, spent 10 weeks at the Kennedy Space Center as a researcher for the NASA Faculty Fellowship Program.
Chosen for his unique software expertise, Godfrey conducted numerous computer-modeling projects as part of his two-year research residency.
In a large hangar that housed collected shuttle wreckage, Godfrey worked to correct a flaw detected in the design of Columbia's door by altering its shape to better withstand high levels of force.
According to Godfrey, 3-D computer modeling helped NASA investigate the Columbia tragedy by reconstructing how the heat shield was penetrated.
Godfrey also worked on 3-D models of the assembly of an orbiter to a shuttle's external tank, the installation of an Orbital Maneuvering System Pod and the operation of landing gear. NASA will use these models to identify safety issues and train Kennedy Space Center employees. The models will also benefit engineers in their design and analysis efforts.
In addition, Godfrey prepared a depository of 3-D models by accurately translating files from several formats into a single format called Pro/Engineer Wildfire. To do this, he had to determine how to retain as many of the original model's features as possible. If he could not accurately translate a model, he redrew it from scratch.
UW-Stout student Ben Brandt joined Godfrey in the continuation of his research at the Kennedy Space Center during summer 2004.
Incubator helps local business
UW-Stout's Technology Incubator continues to foster technical businesses through a close relationship with faculty, students, industry and the UW-Stout community to better enable Wisconsin to compete in the global arena and sustain employment within the region. Currently, the incubator is working with client Red Cedar Plastics, which handles production of custom specialized injection molding. Red Cedar Plastics has been working in the incubator since 2001.
Through its work while in the UW-Stout Incubator, Red Cedar Plastics offers the following services:
- product design assistance
- pre-production services
- controlled environment manufacturing
- tool design
- material selection assistance
- insert molding
- TPE over-molding (soft touch)
- low to high volume production
- secondary operations
- fast quotation turnaround
- light assembly
Along with its own equipment, Red Cedar Plastics is afforded access to the on-site laboratories offered at the incubator for development and testing purposes using state-of-the-art equipment.
Students are also benefactors of the incubator, helping the client companies with work through student projects.
Student projects done with Red Cedar Plastics include:
- designing the company logo.
- materials testing.
- packaging.
- industrial design.
- computer-aided design work.
Synergy Conference a success
Governor Jim Doyle provided the headline address at "Synergy 2003: Positioning for Economic Growth," a regional conference held at UW-Stout in September 2003.
The governor spoke on strengthening economic development in the region and was joined at the conference by the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the secretary of the Department of Workforce Development, and the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Synergy 2003 specifically addressed the critical issues that make the Chippewa Valley, St. Croix Valley and I-94 corridor the impact center for west central Wisconsin, which includes Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pierce, Pepin, Polk and St. Croix counties.
Student leaders welcomed
"GLACURH 2003: Life in the Fast Lane," the annual conference for the Great Lakes Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls, was held at UW-Stout in November 2003.
Approximately 500 student leaders representing 50 colleges and universities from Michigan, Ontario, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois attended sessions on various leadership and educational topics that were presented by students and advisers throughout the region.
The conference was coordinated by 25 UW-Stout student leaders, with assistance from Housing and Residence Life advisers.
Students offer counseling services
Affordable couple and family therapy services and various psychological evaluations for area residents were made available through the College of Human Development's Clinical Services Center at UW-Stout. The center is staffed by supervised students and faculty members of the marriage and family therapy program, and school psychology program.
The services were made available to any individual, couple or family experiencing difficulties, desiring relationship enhancement or evaluation as it relates to a particular concern, such as a child's difficulties in adjusting to school.
The psychological evaluations could also be done with children or adults.
Additional Resources:
- Teaching and Learning Center
http://www.uwstout.edu/cas/english/stoutteachnet
Assessing Changes in Teaching and Learning
as a Result of Course Management Tools
http://www.uwstout.edu/cas/english/stoutteachnet/assesscoursemanage.htm
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Project
http://www.uwstout.edu/cas/english/stoutteachnet/sotlprojects.htm - Jeff Russell Leadership and
Professional Development Certificate Program
http://www.uwstout.edu/hr/jeff_russell/russell_index.pdf - Lynnette Brouwer: Cultivating connections
NewsPlus feature article
http://www.uwstout.edu/ur/np/2004/fea_connect.html - Gary Godfrey: Modeling a new perspective
NewsPlus feature article
http://www.uwstout.edu/ur/np/2003/fea_nasa.html - Clinical Services Center
http://www.uwstout.edu/chd/csc/