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HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY

UW-Stout is listed as one of the top regional public universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report and since 2007 has been designated Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. The university is a leader nationally in distance education, and UW-Stout’s undergraduates enjoy the use of a laptop through the eStout program funded by student fees. The polytechnic university is one that combines applied learning with a liberal arts education to provide active learning environments, promote student-centered teaching and educational innovation. Applied learning incorporates tools to evaluate, create and shape human comprehension and emphasizes “real world” and “hands on” learning experiences. At UW-Stout, there are three times more labs than classrooms. A focus on a liberal arts approach develops critical thinking, complex problem solving, communication and leadership skills while introducing students to a variety of academic disciplines. Only 3% of U.S. universities are considered Polytechnics and UW-Stout is uniquely positioned because of the blend of scholars from the humanities, arts, sciences, education, and helping professions who work closely with students to ensure the student isn’t just prepared from a career and technical perspective; UW-Stout aims to educate the whole student.

To further help students choose their exploration of careers, UW-Stout has created a system in which students can easily browse majors by visiting six career clusters: 1. ART, DESIGN & GRAPHICS 2. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 3. EDUCATION 4. HUMAN SCIENCES 5. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY&COMMUNICATIONS At UW-Stout, 89 percent of graduates engaged in an experiential learning. These are defined and required programs that include: Capstone courses, Co-ops/ internships, practicum, service learning, student teaching, field experiences, study abroad, and student research. UW-Stout is also a leader in credit transfer agreements with the technical colleges. Nearly one-third of our undergraduates have transferred from another institution, and in 2017, UW-Stout had more than 1,000 freshman transfer students from Wisconsin. At present, UW-Stout has 131 articulation agreements with other institutions, including 115 within the Wisconsin Technical College System, 13 in Minnesota and three in Illinois. 6. SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & MATH

UW-Stout won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2001 and holds the distinction of being the first-ever higher education recipient of the prestigious award. In 2001, President George W. Bush bestowed the honor. During his speech, he said, “An organization needs a good idea and a good product or a good service. It certainly needs a good strategic plan. But more than anything, it needs good people -- men and women of integrity, who understand their duties to each other and to the public interest.” The Baldrige Award is given by the President of the United States to businesses — manufacturing and service, small and large — and to education and health care organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and business results. The Baldrige Quality Award is responsible for making quality a national priority and disseminating best practices across the United States. Based on the Malcom Baldridge criteria, the next chancellor will benefit from the structures and processes in place at UW-Stout. UW-Stout has an operating budget of approximately $205million and an additional $62million in assets managed by the Stout University Foundation. The campus has 125 acres; 25 major academic and administrative buildings; 20 residence halls and 235 laboratories.

The UW System designates UW-Stout as a special mission institution, forged from the heritage of its founder, Senator James Huff Stout, a Wisconsin industrialist. Stout believed that people needed advanced education to prepare them for America’s developing industrial society. To implement this vision, Sen. Stout founded a private institution called the Stout Manual Training School in 1891. In 1908, the training school was renamed Stout Institute, and following Sen. Stout’s death became a public institution. The Stout Institute received teacher-training accreditation in 1928 with programs centered on industrial arts and home economics. In 1932, Stout was accredited as a college and received Master’s degree accreditation in 1948. The campus became Stout State College in 1955 and Stout State University in 1964. In 1971, UW-Stout became part of the UW System when a state law combined its two public university systems under one Board of Regents. In 2007, UW-Stout received designation as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

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