Outlook Magazine - Fall 2016

125 YEARS

Special mission accomplished UW-Stout’s 125th anniversary serves as a reminder that its long-term success rests squarely on its mission and remaining true to it. By Charles W. Sorensen, Chancellor Emeritus

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

There are four salient reasons for this illustrious history and transformation: • The school has focused sharply on its mission and does not try to be all things to all people. Faculty and staff are keenly aware of the needs of industry, education, social agencies and other sectors. The curriculum reflects those needs and is tweaked periodically to reflect changing demands to remain current. • The school accepts needed change, often with spirited debate but change nevertheless. Remember, James Huff Stout established the school in a turbulent historical time. In the decades following the Civil War there were intense debates on how to respond to the needs of a rapidly growing society that was becoming more urban and diverse. Education was at the center of the debate. • A new type of school then emerged in the educational ranks: the polytechnics developed with a sharper focus on the research, development and new technologies. Schools like MIT, Fisk University, Virginia Polytechnic University and others opened to address the growing demand for an educated populace. James Huff Stout matured during this dynamic period, and undoubtedly this influenced him as he studied models for his school in Menomonie. • UW-Stout has been willing to adjust to change: add programs, adopt new technologies, embrace new teaching styles and hire well-prepared faculty. In March 2007, after three years of debate, the Board of Regents designated UW-Stout as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. This differentiated UW-Stout from other UW schools, creating a strong marketing tool and offering unique partnerships with polytechnic universities such as MIT. No one knows what the future holds for UW-Stout in the next 125 years, but a strong foundation has been laid for the institution to adapt, and thrive, in a complex and ever-changing higher education environment.

University history book, ‘An Idea Comes of Age,’ due out in fall In celebration of the 125th anniversary, UW-Stout will publish a book this fall about the university’s history.

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am privileged to write an essay celebrating a very historic event: the 125th anniversary of the founding of UW-Stout. If we can imagine for a moment that the nearly 4,000 postsecondary institutions in America represent a galaxy of stars, then this institution represents the lode star, the bright shining example of how higher education should and

guided by the university’s mission. New programs met changing societal needs, the student body grew, highly qualified faculty and staff were hired, buildings were

“An Idea Comes of Age: UW-Stout 1891-2016” has been written by Jerry Poling, assistant director of University Communications.

renovated and constructed and the school thrived. The programs and the curriculum remained practical, based on real-world needs. UW-Stout’s reputation grew in stature. Only 13 years after its founding, the school received national and international recognition at the 1904 World’s Fair for its success in elementary education and for the faculty exhibit demonstrating the work of students in designing and building of furniture. This recognition drew the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt. Nearly a century later, in 2001, UW-Stout won the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This program encourages entities to embrace continuous quality improvement. It is a rigorous evaluation program, demanding thorough and honest scrutiny of the organization using data-driven analysis. UW-Stout remains the first and only entire university to be selected for this award, and I had the privilege of representing the campus in receiving the beautiful crystal trophy from President George W. Bush. So again, this small school in a western Wisconsin town achieved further fame and respect in the competitive higher education field.

Charles W. Sorensen

Based on historic documents, news accounts, interviews and other sources, “An Idea Comes of Age” chronicles the university’s past starting with its humble beginning as a manual training school for Menomonie public schools to winning the national Baldrige award and being designated Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. More than 130 historic photos will be part of the hardcover book, which has 14 chapters and an extensive timeline of university history. The book is the first full history written about UW- Stout. Previously, a three-book set was published for UW-Stout’s 100th anniversary: a biography of James Huff Stout, a short history and an oral history. “An Idea Comes of Age” will be available through the publisher, Thomson-Shore, www.thomsonshore.com . Jerry Poling

must serve society.

How did a small school in a remote area of northwestern Wisconsin become nationally recognized as a creative, innovative leader in higher education? The success of UW-Stout rests on its mission and remaining true to that mission. Its origins were simple yet noble: educate women and men for the new century, prepare them for the industrial revolution, prepare them for a new, complex society. James Huff Stout had a clear plan of action — men were to study the mechanical arts and women the domestic sciences. He knew the future depended on an educated populace, men and women who knew and embraced the tenets of democracy yet had specific skills essential to building a competitive economy. The curriculum wed theory and practice and met specific needs of the professions. Be of that, the school could prosper.

Over the decades, change has occurred, yet school leaders were

March 13, 1935 Graduate School approved by state Legislature; opens in summer

Dec. 8, 1910 James Huff Stout dies in Menomonie, school becomes property of state

March 9, 2007 Designation as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University

Fall 1943 During World War II, enrollment drops from 600 to 280

June 10, 1988 Charles W. Sorensen named chancellor

April 28, 1903 Lorenzo Dow Harvey named superintendent

Aug. 9, 1961 William J. Micheels named president

Jan. 5, 1891 Stout Manual Training School opens

Feb. 26, 1960 John F. Kennedy gives campaign speech

1934 Stout Alumni Association established

Summer 1976 Alumnus John Peterson

Nov. 30, 2001 University wins Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

1963 Stout University Foundation chartered

wins Olympics gold medal in wrestling

March 1917 First homecoming held

1928-29 Blue Devils

nickname first used by men’s basketball team

April 16, 1923 Burton E. Nelson named president

Feb. 2, 1897 Fire destroys school; construction begins in July on new building

Sept. 24, 1945 Verne C. Fryklund named president

July 1, 1955 School renamed Stout State College

Sept. 18, 1972 Robert S. Swanson named chancellor

May 27, 2014 Robert M. Meyer named chancellor

Fall 1994 First engineering program, manufacturing engineering

October 1904 School wins grand prize at World’s Fair in St. Louis

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