Outlook Magazine - Fall 2018

Magazine for Alumni & Friends • F all 2018

INSIDE

Pathways Forward: First comprehensive campaign

Collaboration is key at the UW-Stout Child and Family Study Center

Professor envisions virtual reality instruction expanded across campus

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S T A F F Mark Parsons Vice Chancellor, University Advancement and Marketing

Doug Mell Executive Director of Communications and External Relations

Fall 2018 • University of Wisconsin-Stout

Amy Luethmers Director of Marketing

Jerry Poling Assistant Director, University Communications Pam Powers Communications Specialist, University Communications Mesa Covill ‘07 ‘09 Senior Alumni Relations Officer Jennie Smith ‘11 Campaign and Donor Relations Coordinator

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Stephanie LaBair Sr. Graphic Designer, University Marketing Cade Walters ‘14 Graphic Designer, University Marketing

L E A R N I N G E N V I R O N M E N T S C O N T. 20 21 22 23 School of Art and Design hoping for new lab Collaboration is key at the Child and Family Study Center Corporate donations, partnerships improve labs, learning experiences University named center of excellence for cyber defense

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A N C E L L O R 2 Chancellor Bob reflects on the 2017-2018 academic year

Brett Roseman University Photographer

O N C A M P U S 3 4

Cheryl Keyes ‘92 Production Manager, University Marketing Emily Wettergren Student Designer, University Marketing S H A R E YO U R N E W S We’d love to hear from you, and your fellow alumni would too! Drop us a line about your promotion, a reunion, or just to reminisce. S T O U T T R A D I T I O N S Your Alumni Association is interested in learning what traditions were part of your days on campus. Were there bon- fires after the hockey games; did you have weekly dances; what event(s) did your fraternity or sorority hold each year? As you think back to those events, please share them with us.

Snapshots of the 2017-2018 academic year

Bowman, Clock Tower renovation project aiming for historical accuracy

P R O G R A M I N N OV A T I O N 25 26 28 30 31

P A T H WAY S F O R WA R D 6 8 9 S T U D E N T E X P E R I E N C E 11 12 13 14 L E A R N I N G E N V I R O N M E N T S 17 18

Prent donation boosts packaging labs Center for Study of Institutions and Innovation encourages civil debate Professor hopes to see his virtual reality instruction project expand across campus Alumnus’ company designs, builds high-tech equipment A successful and enduring relationship – Greenheck and UW-Stout

UW-Stout embarks on its first comprehensive campaign

Pathways Forward’s progress

Meet the campaign leadership

Donations that boost professors’ research are helping students begin careers Graphic design grad realizes NY dream after landing job with L’Oréal School of Hospitality Leadership marks 50 years of success with special events

C L A S S N O T E S 32

Class notes; Chancellor Emeritus Sorensen remembered

E M A I L alumni@uwstout.edu

Successful hospitality alumni

A T H L E T I C S 36 36

P H O N E (715) 232-1151

First-time head coaches take over women’s, men’s basketball programs Senior Sam Elsner wins national titles in shot put, discus

O N L I N E Share your news or ideas at www.uwstout.edu/alumni

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering helps create ‘hub of excellence’ Pankowskis make $4M estate commitment

tinyurl.com/stoutalumni

facebook.com/stoutalumni twitter.com/stoutalumni

ON CAMPUS

During my campus presentation in 2014 as part of the chancellor interview process, I made the case for dramatically increasing the size of the assets held by the Stout University Foundation. It was clear to me, even before I became chancellor, that foundation support would be essential to maintaining the quality of education at UW-Stout. I am ecstatic that now, four years later, we are at the dawn of the public phase of the first comprehensive campaign in UW-Stout’s history. While the Stout University Foundation steadily has increased its fundraising, this phase will provide the essential boost every comprehensive campaign needs. You can read elsewhere in this publication about the details of the campaign, but I want to publicly thank the co-chairs, Debbie Cervenka and Joe Rossmeier, for their hard work in moving it to this point, as well as the other members of the steering committee: Bill Flesch, Craig Yolitz, Kim Polzin, Barb Steinhilber and Bill Hendricksen. I also want to thank Vice Chancellor Mark Parsons and his entire staff for their efforts. This campaign has been fashioned to allow everyone who cares about the future of UW-Stout to become involved. The pathways that have been selected for emphasis — student experience, learning environments and program innovation — will be critical areas for UW-Stout’s future. While we have made significant progress toward achieving our goal, much work remains. I intend to devote my time and resources to this important and exciting effort, and I hope you decide to join me as well. Employment rate for graduates up again One of the top selling points at UW-Stout is our traditionally impressive employment rate for new graduates. I’m pleased to report that the 2016-17 employment rate hit 98.2 percent, up from 97.4 percent a year before. Because the average starting salary of our recent graduates has climbed to $43,000, we estimate that our graduates will contribute nearly $69 million to the economy in their first year. I’m also happy to share that the employment rate has increased every year since I became chancellor in 2014. This rate positively reflects on the hard work of our dedicated faculty and staff, as well as our employer partners who serve on our program advisory committees.  Thanks to all of you for helping make our graduates so successful and valuable in the workplace. Remembering Chancellor Emeritus Sorensen Finally, there is a story in the Class Notes, but I wanted to express my sorrow and condolences at the February passing of Chancellor Emeritus Charles W. Sorensen, who died in Florida from complications of a stroke. I had the privilege of working with this education visionary as a faculty member, program director, college dean and special assistant to the chancellor. I marvel at his dedication to innovation and his passion for UW-Stout.

Message from the Chancellor BOB MEYER

He is missed by all who knew him.

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SNAPSHOTS OF THE 2017/2018 ACADEMIC YEAR

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ON CAMPUS

Bowman, Clock Tower renovation project aiming for historical accuracy NOT JUST ANOTHER Brick in the Hall How do you replace bricks in a historic, 121- year-old building? That’s the question, and project, UW-Stout has been working on at Bowman Hall, the university’s iconic structure built by founder James Huff Stout.

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Remove and replace stone Replicate Original 24,000 BRICKS The art of replacing

LEGEND

Substitute Stone Repair Replicate original profile & finish

Substitute Stone Repair Replicate original profile and finish Redress Stone Insitu Replicate original profile and finish Dutchmen Repair Replicate original profile and finish

Remove & Replace Replicate original

Replace Face Brick Replicate original

Flip Face Brick Remove and flip

Flip & Face Brick Remove and flip

Substitute Stone Repair Replicate original profile & finish

Replace Face Brick

Dutchman Repair Replicate original profile & finish

East Elevation: Bowman Hall No Scale

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owman Hall, built in 1897 as Stout Manual Training School, needs approxinately 24,000 new bricks — a

The $8.95 million state-funded project has other aspects. Workers are grinding out mortar joints and tuck pointing the entire building; replacing damaged stone; putting a new roof on the Clock Tower (requiring the copper weathervane to come down temporarily in 2019); installing new, historically accurate windows throughout the building; installing new entrance and tower doors; upgrading areas inside the tower; and exposing original features in the annex on the south side. The clock mechanism in the tower also will be fixed, a separate small project. When the project wraps up in November 2019, the hope is that Bowman Hall and the Clock Tower will be good for at least another 100 years. Bowman is one of three 2018-2019 renovation projects totaling more than $38 million. The other two are student fee-funded. At North Hall, a 371-bed residence facility built in 1967, a $21.74 million project is adding 14,000 square feet for an accessible entrance along with a complete renovation — remodeled student rooms, more lounge and kitchen space and expanded bathrooms and showers. Closure of the building for the 2018-19 academic year has necessitated the reopening of Jeter-Tainter-Callahan Halls on north campus. At Price Commons, also opened in 1967, a $7.57 million project includes remodeling about 19,000 square feet of first- floor offices and meeting areas while also rebuilding the patio on Broadway Street. The second floor, which includes the main campus dining hall, was renovated in 2009.

small fraction of what’s in the four-story building yet no small problem. A substance applied in 1994 to waterproof the exterior ended up trapping moisture behind some brick, causing dam- age, according to Mike Bowman, project manager in Facilities Management (and no relation to the building’s namesake, Clyde Bowman). Preservation architect Laura Davis, of Madison, thoroughly researched the locally made red brick. She worked with Building Restoration Corp., which found a company to reproduce it exactly. Replacing the bricks one-by-one began in July, after masons received special training on campus. Other bricks won’t be removed but flipped around.

Workers from Building Restoration Corporation remove mortar between bricks on the south side of Bowman Hall

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PATHWAYS FORWARD

A COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN FOR UW-STOUT

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budget, while costs to update and maintain state-of- the-art learning environments, hire and support exceptional faculty, and provide industry relevant experiences for students continue to rise. To maintain the university’s national reputation of preparing career-ready graduates and sustain its leadership position as a forward-focused polytechnic university, the Pathways Forward campaign has been launched. It is the first comprehensive campaign in university history. This $35 million campaign is designed to support three areas: student experience, learning environments and program innovation.

f James Huff Stout were to return today to the institution he founded in 1891, he wouldn’t recognize most of the campus or the specialized majors offered by what is now UW-Stout. Yet, he would undoubtedly conclude that the spirit of his forward- thinking vision lives on. Through its 127-year journey, the university has maintained a commitment to a high-quality, affordable, career-focused education. The 98.2 percent postgraduation employment or continuing education rate is a testament to the value of the polytechnic approach, which blends hands-on learning with liberal arts theory to develop highly sought-after graduates. However, state funding has been reduced to approximately 14 percent of UW-Stout’s operating

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

PROGRAM INNOVATION

The Program Innovation Pathway will create new opportunities to swiftly respond to rapidly evolving industry and societal needs. Program support Dynamic shifts in the workplace are creating opportunities to produce industry- specific programs to meet these needs through industry partnerships who help keep programs current, as well as facilitate new majors and minors in emerging areas. Schools and centers The creation of a school or center will provide critical resources to facilitate cross-sector collaboration internally and externally, differentiate program offerings and further develop faculty expertise. Collaborative initiatives The development of faculty, staff and student leaders through collaborative partnerships transforms the student educational experience, expands faculty expertise and creates industry and societal solutions. Initiatives within this pathway include: • STEPS for Girls summer program • Social Science Research Center • Cybersecurity

The Student Experience Pathway will empower student success with an increase in scholarships and additional faculty support. Scholarships Despite value-driven tuition and housing rates, the total average cost, including living and additional expenses, of attending UW-Stout is approximately $88,500. A “lack of funding” is a reason many students are unable to complete their degree. Stout University Foundation has funds to assist only 30 percent of students qualified for scholarships. Faculty support UW-Stout’s distinctive programs depend on attracting and retaining highly sought- after faculty and instructional staff. Initiatives within this pathway include: • Scholarships • Named professorships and chairs • Chancellor’s Fund for Teaching Excellence and Student Success

The Learning Environment Pathway will ensure the ability to continue to provide industry-standard learning environments that mirror evolving, modern workplaces. Lab modernization UW-Stout has nearly three times the number of labs to traditional classrooms, which are increasingly difficult to keep current. Technology-enabled classrooms These cross-disciplinary learning environments incorporate modern learning technologies to help the university better collaborate with internal and external audiences. Laboratory operational funding Funding is required to ensure the ability to enhance hands-on learning in specialized environments with lab technicians to support operations, maintenance safety and equipment training. Initiatives within this pathway include: • Child and Family Study Center • Digital Process Laboratory • Multipurpose recreational field • Automation and robotics

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PATHWAYS FORWARD

PATHWAYS FORWARD B Y T H E N U M B E R S A S O F M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 8

CAMPA I GN TOTAL $24,508,740 OF $35,000,000 GOAL

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

PROGRAM INNOVATION

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

$12,607,516 OF $15M GOAL

$4,462,213 OF $12M GOAL

$7,439,011 OF $8M GOAL

90%

OF G I F TS I N FY ’ 16- ’17 WERE LESS THAN $1 , 000

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE PATHWAYS FORWARD CAMPAIGN HOMECOM I NG SATURDAY, OCT. 6

Activities include

• Blue Devil Run/Walk • Breakfast at the Buck

• Tailgate party • Football game

• And much more

See the back cover for additional information.

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PATHWAYS FORWARD C A M P A I G N L E A D E R S H I P

The Pathways Forward campaign has been led by a dedicated group of volunteers who share an inspirational vision for the future of UW-Stout. While these co-chairs and Steering Committee members represent many regions of the country and have a wide variety of talents, expertise and career accolades, they all have a remarkable, unwavering passion and dedication for UW-Stout. They have provided tremendous leadership in helping develop our campaign plans and likewise clearly have set the pace through their philanthropy in advance of the public phase of the campaign. It is with great appreciation and admiration that we introduce this outstanding leadership team.

CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS

JOE ROSSMEIER ’65 Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Vienna, Va. VP client development, CampusWorks Inc.

DEBBIE CERVENKA, friend to UW-Stout Duluth, Minn. Consultant to nonprofit organizations

CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE

BILL FLESCH ’81 St. Charles, Ill. Executive VP, Gordon Flesch Company

BILL HENDRICKSEN ’74 Newport Beach, Calif. Vice chairman, Lineage Logistics

KIM POLZIN ’78 Cambridge, Minn. Owner, Polzin Communications LLC

BARB STEINHILBER ’62 St. Germain, Wis. Retired nutrition educator

CRAIG YOLITZ ’85 Prior Lake, Minn. VP customer operations, FindLaw

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE

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Paying it forward Donations that boost professors’ research, in the end, are helping students begin careers

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n May, Jamison Noye proudly walked across the Johnson Fieldhouse stage to become one of the first graduates of UW-Stout’s three-year-old mechanical engineering program. The New Richmond, Wis., native, in typical university fashion, soon thereafter began a full-time job that he locked down before commencement day. It may seem simple — get a diploma, land a job. But why has UW- Stout, with a 98.2 percent employment rate for recent graduates, done exceedingly well over the years? One of the reasons UW-Stout’s graduates are career-ready can be traced back several steps to philanthropic decisions to support the work of professors. UW-Stout has about a half-dozen named professorships created with donations that award faculty members with special funding for research. Professors who receive the honors then incorporate new-found knowledge into their curricula, keeping classes current with industry standards and trends. The Fulton and Edna Holtby Manufacturing Engineering Chair, for example, was created through a donation by the Holtbys to Stout University Foundation. This year, David Ding and Adam Kramschuster each will receive $75,000 over three years. Ding will implement a new certification program, Industry 4.0, into the manufacturing engineering program and do other research. Kramschuster will involve students in the plastics engineering lab on research into new injection molding technology. From 2015-2017, Professor Scott Springer was the Holtby chair and did research on 3D printers that updated his Advanced Manufacturing class. “This is why I came to UW-Stout. There ar- en’t a lot of schools that have classes like these,” said Anthony Panici, of Wilmette, Ill., an engineering technology major who took Springer’s class.

For students like Noye, the Holtby chair and other named

professorships hit home, even though they’ve likely never heard of the Holtbys.

Jamison Noye

Noye’s skills — he double-majored in mechanical and manufacturing engineering — helped him get hired at McNally Industries in Grantsburg as a design engineer. McNally serves the U.S. Department of Defense and is the world’s largest prime contractor with hydromechanical and electromechanical systems, including for precision machined components for defense and aerospace. “The professors in the STEM program are awesome,” Noye said. “They're extremely knowledgeable and really seem to care about students learning and being prepared for industry. The problem- solving skills that we learn in our classes allow us to be ready for any challenges we will face in our careers.” In the university’s most recent employment report, 100 percent of 2016-2017 plastics and computer engineering graduates and 98 percent of manufacturing engineering graduates had full-time jobs or had other defined career paths. Along with Ding and Kramschuster, three other faculty members received professorships — in apparel design, psychology and graphic design — beginning in 2018-19, with the total amount awarded more than $180,000. Forward thinking — or paying it forward — by the Holtbys and other legacy donors has provided, and will for generations to come, support the work of UW-Stout’s faculty.

WHO WAS Fulton Holtby?

Fulton Holtby was a pioneering mechanical engineering professor for 41 years at the University of Minnesota. Along with funding the Holtby Manufacturing Engineering Chair at UW-Stout, he and his wife, Edna, created a scholarship in their name for engineering students. He received an honorary doctorate from the university, and the Holtby Museum opened recently in Menomonie.

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE

BIG CITY TALENT

T he road to New York, Anna Haggerty’s dream city, went through UW-Stout. In January, Haggerty began work as a graphic designer at L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics company. Since about age six, Haggerty had dreamed of moving there to work and live. When she graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and interactive media, that’s exactly where she went. “I left Minnesota with very little money — the one-way ticket thing,” said Haggerty, who grew up in Oronoco, a city of about 1,300 people in southeastern Minnesota. After working a part-time job and then a short-term, full- time freelance position while living with an aunt and uncle in New York, she interviewed with L’Oréal. “Five minutes after I left the interview, the recruiter called and said I had the position.” Graphic design grad realizes NY dream after landing job with L’Oréal

Working in midtown Manhattan near L’Oréal’s U.S. headquarters — the company’s home is in Paris, France — Haggerty is designing print materials for one of L’Oréal’s best-known brands, Redken, along with myriad other design duties, like helping design a presentation for the CEO. She has designed posters for Redken that began showing up this summer at salons around the world and at Ulta Beauty stores. Haggerty also will be involved in new product launches this year. Some of the company’s other brands are Maybelline, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren and Garnier. Haggerty believes she had a well-rounded education, with a strong foundation in design principles, at UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design. She also gained valuable experience working part time as a designer in University Marketing all four years of college. “Everything Stout provided helped me prepare for this. I had no anxieties.” She appreciates how Professor Nagesh Shinde pressed her to reach her potential as a designer. Although Haggerty’s dream was to head to the East Coast, she didn’t look very far east when it came to choosing a college. “My high school teachers said, ‘You have to go to Stout.’ I only applied to Stout.”

“I left Minnesota with very little money — the one-way ticket thing.”

Half-century of hospitality School of leadership will mark decades of success with special events, new initiatives

Along with the HRTM program, UW-Stout’s hospitality programs consist of golf enterprise management; and real estate and property management. The university also offers an event and meeting management certificate. New food, beverage lab plans During the anniversary year and the university’s Pathways Forward comprehensive campaign, officials will focus on hospitality education in other ways, according to Gerdes. One goal is to create a new food and beverage research lab in Heritage Hall. Plans call for renovating the Rendezvous restaurant, which opened in 1992, and installing a new theater- style tasting lab with 30 stations and a wine cellar. Other majors on campus, such as dietetics and food science, could benefit from the lab, Gerdes said. Eight or more courses could be taught there. Also, fundraising efforts will support new scholarships and a professorship or chair for faculty research, some or all of which could be named for longtime professors such as D’Souza, Jafar Jafari, Phil McGuirk and Charles Metelka, who died in 2017.

Matthew Giguere’s Quantity Food Production class prepares a meal at the Cedar Cafe.

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ssociate Dean Kristal Gerdes believes there’s an overarching reason why UW-Stout’s School of Hospitality Leadership is recognized as one of the best in the world. “It’s the faculty. We know the students, and we’re preparing them to succeed — to be leaders in the industry.” The university and alumni will be celebrating UW-Stout’s legacy of hospitality education — and looking to the future — during the 2018-19 academic year. A banquet marking the 50th anniversary of the hotel, restaurant and tourism management undergraduate program will be held Thursday, March 7. The hotel and restaurant management Bachelor of Science program was approved in 1967 and began in 1968. It was renamed hospitality and tourism management in 1991 and took on its current name in 1999. Another anniversary event will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, the first College of Education, Hospitality, Health and Human Sciences Golf Scramble to support scholarships. The event will be at Tanglewood Greens golf course in Menomonie and managed by students in the golf enterprise management program. Tanglewood Greens is part of a new initiative. Course owner Rajiv Lall recently signed a memorandum of understanding with UW-Stout. The agreement includes student opportunities for internships at the course and experience at Tanglewood’s new events center; on-course educational programs for students and professionals, such as classes and seminars; and hands-on learning opportunities, such as turf management, for students.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

10:00-11:30 a.m.

Student-led tours of campus

Noon-1.30 p.m.

Luncheon, looking ahead to the next 50 years Keynote speaker, Great Hall, student center Roundtable panel discussions featuring alumni, students Wine and food tasting seminar with Professor Peter D’Souza Dinner, featuring a “roast” of Professor Phil McGuirk

2:00-3:00 p.m.

3:00- 4:00 p.m.

5:30-7:00 p.m.

7:00-9:00 p.m.

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Shining examples Managing restaurants, hotels, properties — these alumni are enjoying success in their hospitality careers

David Crabtree, a 1989 graduate, visits a Landshark Bar & Grill, one of the restaurant brands he is expanding as CEO of IMCMV Holdings.

David Crabtree Whether it’s the people or restaurants he’s been associated with — Debbie Reynolds, Jimmy Buffett, Planet Hollywood — David Crabtree has had a star-studded executive career in the hospitality field. The 1989 graduate isn’t slowing down, either. Starting in 2016 he became CEO of IMCMV Holdings, an Orlando company that’s developing Margaritaville, Landshark and other tropical-style casual restaurants in tourist areas of the U.S. In two years, Crabtree has expanded the Buffett-licensed business from 14 to 22 restaurants. More are on the board, including three in a Margaritaville hotel in 2020 in Times Square. IMCMV Holdings is a subsidiary of International Meal Company of Brazil. Crabtree was sought out by IMC because of his management success — president/CEO of Planet Hollywood restaurants from 2010-2014; COO of sales and marketing with Westgate Resorts from 1998-2010; and manager of Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from 1993-1998, the latter while working on his MBA at University of Nevada-Las Vegas and after he left Ruby Tuesday’s management program.

Crabtree helped Westgate Resorts, owned by timeshare king David Siegel, grow from five to 28 resorts and from $16 million to $250 million annual earnings before taxes. The company had more than $1 billion in revenue and 12,000 employees before the 2008 financial crisis hit, when Crabtree had to lay off 6,000 workers in one week. With his people-centered business philosophy, Crabtree is back doing what he loves — managing employees and visiting his restaurants to meet them. “I try to run it like a team or family. I love to see other people succeed and achieve whatever career goals they have. Someone gave me the opportunity and I seized it, and I’m very grateful for that.” Crabtree started at UW-Stout in the applied mathematics and computer science program after being recruited to play baseball by Coach Terry Petrie. He soon switched to hospitality. “I wasn’t sure what I would do with a math degree, and I always loved people. I have nothing but fond memories of Stout. It helped make me who I am today, and I built many close, lifelong friendships,” he said.

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CambriaHotel Chicago Loop

Treasure IslandCenter

Zach Vierling For a former UW-Stout hockey team captain, managing an upscale property in St. Paul that includes the Minnesota Wild’s new practice facility is close to a dream job. “I couldn’t ask for a better facility to be at,” Zach Vierling said. Vierling’s career has taken off like a slapshot since he graduated in December 2014 with degrees in real estate

Lisa Adams Lisa Adams didn’t plan to

work in hospitality when she went to college. It came to her — via UW-Stout. By the time she graduated in 1991 with a business administration degree, she had become familiar with the industry through friends who were hospitality majors and was intrigued. After a Career Fair on campus, she landed a job with Red Roof Inn.

Lisa Adams

Zach Vierling

property management and in business administration. He started as an assistant property manager for Ryan Companies and was named a 30 Under 30 exceptional young professional in June 2017 by the Institute for Real Estate Property Management. In July 2017 joined Hempel Companies as a property manager. With Hempel, he manages the Treasure Island Center, a mixed- used redevelopment of a former Macy’s department store in downtown St. Paul. The marquee tenant of the 540,000-square- foot property is the Wild of the National Hockey League; the covered TRIA Rink on the top floor has 1,200 seats and is used by other hockey teams too. Other tenants include a Walgreens, Tim Horton’s, Treasure Island Resort and Casino offices and Stacked Deck Brewery. The Wild began using the rink last season, and renovation on the building is continuing. “The development phase is always exciting. Every day is something different. There’s nothing mundane,” said Vierling, whose job includes all aspects of managing the property, including working with tenants. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native began work on his CPM certification — certified property manager — while at UW-Stout and expects to have it soon with his required three years of professional experience. He said he wouldn’t be where he is today without UW-Stout and the education advice of his father, who also works in commercial real estate. “The majors are extremely beneficial to what I do. I was able to jump right into a manager’s role, which doesn’t happen too often.”

More than 25 years later, she’s still in the hotel industry and loving what she does. After joining Choice Hotels in 1999, she has moved up to regional vice president for franchise services for the Central/Midwest Region, based in Indianapolis. She oversees operational and financial matters with franchisees at 1,200 midscale hotels in seven states, managing 17 area directors. Some of the company’s 11 brands are Cambria, Comfort, Clarion, Quality, Woodspring, Mainstay, Sleep, Econo Lodge and Rodeway. “Our biggest goal is to help these owners become more profitable. If they’re more successful, they’ll open more of our hotels,” said Adams, who travels often. “Two things I like most are the relationships with the owners, seeing how they’ve grown their portfolio of hotels, and relationships with area directors. I get to work with a lot of really interesting people.” Adams also enjoys the strategic part of the job, helping owners prepare for the future. When she started in the industry, computers, online booking and hotel websites were new. Metal room keys have been replaced by card keys and, soon, phone apps. Robot concierges and Amazon’s Alexa in rooms aren’t far off. “This role is more strategic than ever. Working on what we are going to do three to five years down the road is really fun for me.” The northern Wisconsin native hopes soon to visit her Quality Inn franchisee in Menomonie and stop by UW-Stout. “Stout really prepared me. There still are things I use to this day from my business classes,” Adams said.

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LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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obert Cervenka followed a people-centered culture, believing in the long-term investment in people and For growth Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering honors philanthropy, helps create ‘hub of excellence’ R communities.

His investment in UW-Stout led to the October 2017 dedication of the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering, which honors the Phillips Plastics co-founder’s lifetime of philanthropy to the university. Gifts by him and his wife, Debbie, have totaled about $5.5 million since the 1990s, including a $2.5 million memorial gift. Cervenka died in September 2015 at age 79. A plastics pioneer, he played a pivotal role in establishing and funding UW-Stout engineering programs and co-chaired the 1990’s renovation of Fryklund Hall, now home to the engineering school. Cervenka helped write the curriculum for the first accredited engineering program on campus, manufacturing engineering, and served as its second program director. UW-Stout then added computer engineering, plastics engineering and mechanical engineering, all of which are in the Cervenka School of Engineering. The university also offers a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering. Chuck Bomar, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management, said Cervenka’s gifts showed the university’s programs had a significant impact on industry and Phillips Plastics. “Being a polytechnic university with a school of engineering is very powerful,” Bomar said. “I see it continuing to brand the institute and to continue to brand western Wisconsin as the hub of engineering excellence.” In the fall, UW-Stout will be expanding computer engineering to include an electrical engineering concentration. “Our ability to offer electronical engineering meets a significant need for electrical engineers. That demand is nearly as high as for mechanical engineers,” Bomar said. Electrical engineers design and develop new electrical systems including for computers, robots, cell phones, radar, navigation systems and wiring and lighting in buildings. Professor Tom Lacksonen, UW-Stout engineering and technology chair, said the new mechanical engineering program and electrical concentration are part of a well-rounded array. The Cervenka gift will strengthen the programs by supporting teaching, research and lab development. “Our vision is to grow in the areas of automation, robotics and 3D printing,” Lacksonen said. “Each of these areas will allow students across different

Top: Robert F. Cervenka; Bottom: Signage for the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering at Fryklund Hall.

engineering programs to work together in classes and on projects.”

Wei Zheng, plastics engineering program director, said UW-Stout is poised well for the future in engineering, particularly in the upper Midwest. “The (Cervenka) gift means more opportunities to expand the current engineering array, more support to create a platform for exchange and collaborations with industries and other academic institutes, and higher-value education to cultivate next generation engineers,” Zheng said.

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LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

lifetime

GIFT OF A

Pankowskis make $4M estate commitment after building life of adventure together in real estate construction management and travel

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successful from day one,” Dallas said.

n a late summer morning in the mid-1950s, young Dallas Pankowski

“I really believe in the Stout philosophy,” Dallas said, adding that he strongly supports the blend of liberal arts with technology education. “Dallas and Edith Pankowski are the embodiment of the type of benefactors who are incredibly important to UW-Stout, and I am extremely grateful for their generosity,” Chancellor Bob Meyer said. “This gift is a confirmation of their continued connection to both UW-Stout and our community and their desire to invest in the future of our university.” The Pankowskis have given back to UW-Stout for many years via an endowed scholarship that benefits two students each year. In addition, they are lead donors for a planned amphitheater at Schmeeckle Reserve in Stevens Point. New, successful adventure Their philanthropy is possible thanks to the highly successful but low-key company, Pankowski Associates, they started about 40 years ago near Stevens Point, Wisc. Dallas left the electronics teaching field after more than four years at SUNY-Oswego and after Edye had earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, the latter in interior architecture from Penn State. They moved to Plover, near Stevens Point, about halfway between their hometowns to be closer to their ailing fathers. Pankowski Associates began with six rental units for college students at UW-Stevens Point. Although they took a risk – they cashed in Edye’s life insurance policy to help fund the startup – “it was

Their number of rental units grew for many years. They also expanded into building single-family spec homes and purchasing commercial real estate properties in the Green Bay-Appleton area. The company, smaller in recent years, is a team effort. With his know-how from UW-Stout, Dallas managed crews that built the apartment units and homes. Edye designed the interiors and handled the books, a tight, vertically integrated operation. “I liked the challenge and actually enjoyed the building. People will ask, ‘What did you do today?’ There’s a wall,” said Dallas, who took pride in using his teaching skills to train his crews and develop efficient production methods. Dallas’ adventure at 18 when he took the all-night train to Stout State was only a life’s beginning. He and Edye’s wanderlust has taken them to about three-fourths of the world’s nearly 200 countries, often on the road less traveled and sometimes in tenuous situations. They have collected art, created art and remained physically active with cross-state bike tours, hiking and downhill skiing out West. No matter where they’ve gone, however, their hearts have remained tethered to UW-Stout and Menomonie, a connection that will live on in perpetuity through their generous estate gift and scholarship. They are helping ensure that other students have opportunities, like they did, to make their marks in the world.

stepped off a train in north Menomonie to begin an adventure. The first person from his Milwaukee family to go to college, he was by himself and had never seen Stout State College. Later that day after he checked into Lynwood Hall – east of Harvey Hall -- he was wondering just what he’d gotten himself into so far up north. Five years later in 1961, the man leaving Menomonie wasn’t the same. He had bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial education, had taught classes while earning his master’s and was headed to the University of Missouri for his doctorate. Something else was new. Two days after getting his master’s, he and Edith Rogers of Menomonie were married. They had met when she waited on him at a restaurant in town. She then worked in the business office at Stout, as she couldn’t afford to attend the university. The city and school that once seemed strange to Dallas – he originally thought Stout State was in Menomonee Falls near Milwaukee – had changed him. “I had made Menomonie my home. You knew everybody, the storekeeper, your neighbor,” he said. A hands-on learner who had a career opportunity as a machinist before he came to Stout and whose dad worked at American Motors and was an amateur mechanic, Dallas loved the UW-Stout way of learning by doing. Nearly 60 years later, the Pankowskis are honoring the impact the school had on their lives with a $4 million estate gift, one of the largest donations in UW-Stout history. “What did Stout do for me? A lot. And it’s Edye’s hometown. It’s the right thing to do,” Dallas said. They hope that through their gift, UW-Stout can continue to prosper as an outlier in higher education. “We hope Stout never loses that hands-on emphasis. We want Stout to remain special and unique,” Edye said.

Dallas skydiving and Edye climbing a mast on a sailboat to Europe.

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a pl ace to learn

and grow

At the UW-Stout Child and Family Study Center, collaboration is key.

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rom early childhood education classes to school psychology courses, from Arts Integration Menomonie to working with graphic communications students, the center is a unique child care program offering college students opportunities to link educational theories from the classroom with hands-on practice. It is one of only two university laboratory schools in Wisconsin; the other is at UW-Madison. The center provides child care for children of staff, students and families in the community while fostering teacher preparation and allowing classroom observation. Undergraduates participate weekly in the toddler and preschool lab classrooms as part of their early childhood education coursework. Many undergraduates are employed as work-study students. Other students work part time as teaching assistants, teacher materials assistants and food service prep workers. Graduate assistants within the food and nutrition program assist with menu planning and preparation of healthy snacks while students from the school psychology

program have assisted with assessment of children’s developmental progress. The center, accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, has five classrooms in the preschool building near campus and the Infant-Toddler Lab in Heritage Hall, providing services for children from six weeks to six years of age. The program originated when the preschool building opened in fall 1971 and Heritage Hall in 1973. Merging the two sites under one roof and updating spaces is one of the goals of the center, which is licensed for 68 students. Having one facility would provide opportunities for even more collaboration, said Allison Feller, center director. “We are utilized across the board on this campus, and we are reaching more pro- grams every year,” Feller said. “We stay abreast of what’s happening in the field of early childhood development and welcome other program involvement in our center to forward best practices in their field.” For example, Marcia Wolf, a senior instructional specialist, collaborates

Robert F. Cervenka

weekly in the infant room with former educator Peggy Nelson using Skype to bring music into the classroom. “Music can help in a fun way to develop essential attachments and learn basic routines,” Wolf said. Children benefit in a variety of ways, and teachers in the infant room put theory into practice by using sign language while singing songs such as “Itsy-bitsy Spider” with children. Top: Marcia Wolf, a senior instructional specialist, greets a musician over Skype; bottom: Students play along with music

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‘Future of technology and design’ School of Art and Design hoping for new lab to streamline printing, boost collaboration

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planned new design studio in the Applied Arts Building would act as a central hub for creative innovation in the fine art and design fields. The digital process lab would be a maker space — a design fabrication laboratory that would allow students to quickly bring digital projects to life using 3D printers, large format ink-jet printing, vinyl cutting and laser etching. “We want something that is looking toward the future of technology and design,” said Dave Beck, director of the School of Art and Design. “We need to provide hands-on technology. It’s important we create a lab and environment centered around that.” The lab would require about $250,000 in laboratory construction costs and furniture and about $110,000 in equipment. “It will give students that real-world experience and prepare them for the workforce with the technology you would find in this day and age and in the future,” Beck said. “We want to design for the future and envision the future.” In the roughly 5,000-square-foot lab, printers from throughout Applied Arts would be brought together in a safe, ventilated area. The lab also would house a materials library and audio/ visual resource center. Beck believes a centralized print area will help disciplines within the art and design mix create collaboratively.

The Child and Family Study Center is a university laboratory school committed to creating a link between educational theory and hands-on practice. Students from 12 undergraduate and graduate courses across campus have the opportunity to observe, participate, develop and execute lessons under the guidance of an experienced and highly qualified teaching staff. While its programming and curriculum continues to be state-of-the-art, the facilities have significant operational limitations and are not conducive to supporting the research and development needed to keep UW-Stout students at the forefront of innovative and evidence-based early childhood education. The Child and Family Study Center will serve as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in early learning and the preparation of future educators. Plans are being formulated for a new cutting-edge facility that will maximize the learning environments, for both UW-Stout students and the CFSC children, in addition to providing greater service to university and community families. THE CASE FOR The Child and Family Study Center

Rendering of digital process lab

Kimberly Loken, assistant professor of design, said as a polytechnic university UW-Stout needs to be hands-on and cutting-edge at every step in the curriculum and in project processes. “A central hub for maker activities would bring together approximately 1,000 students from all of the art and design majors and concentrations. It promotes interdisciplinary discovery and collaboration, all just a few steps from our traditional studio spaces,” she said. Rapid prototyping not only supports the design process but allows user-driven modification and manufacture, Loken added. Jennifer Astwood, associate professor of design, said the new studio would create professional opportunities for students. “Collaboration is essential to the polytechnic mission,” she said. “Students will be using the ‘making’ tools that they will utilize after they leave UW-Stout.”

UW-Stout’s art and design programs began in 1965 with 85 students and have grown to 1,017 students, the largest public higher education art and design program in Wisconsin, Minnesota and North and South Dakota. School of Art and Design students make up about 14 percent of on-campus undergraduate students. MORE THAN 1,000 Art & Design Students

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Top of the line Corporate donations, partnerships improve lab, learning experiences for students

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he value of hands-on learning, one of the hallmarks of a UW-Stout education, can depend significantly on what

exactly students are getting their hands on.

Thanks to in-kind equipment donations and industry partnerships in 2017-18 totaling more than $1.5 million, students have new industry-standard equipment in three labs — plastics engineering, computer networking and engineering technology. Donations in each area are valued at about $500,000. “Students really need state-of-the-art technology. With cutting-edge labs and our extraordinary faculty, graduates can plug right into the workforce,” Chancellor Bob Meyer said. In plastics engineering, Professor Adam Kramschuster worked with three leading injection molding equipment companies, Arburg, Engel and Milacron, to secure three new machines on loan in the Jarvis Hall lab. New machines will rotate in every few years. “We have one of the premier labs in the U.S., and it’s because the industry values this program and wants to get information about their equipment in here for our students,” Kramschuster said. In the computer networking and information technology program, two Dell EMC employees who are UW-Stout alumni installed about a dozen pieces of high-tech equipment — new computer storage units, servers, fiber channel switches and ethernet switches in the CNIT lab in Fryklund Hall. “It’s such a great opportunity for students. We’re educating the future workforce,” said Michelle Dingwall, a senior development officer with Stout University Foundation, which helped coordinate the Dell gift. “This is the most cutting-edge, emerging technology,” said Associate Professor Holly Yuan, CNIT program director. “Dell is really interested in seeing the program develop and grow.” In the engineering technology department labs, which serve students in manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering and engineering technology, a company that wished to remain anonymous donated two custom-designed robotics machines. The donation was coordinated through the Phillips Medisize facility in Menomonie, which used the machines to make medical device parts. Students in the Fryklund Hall lab will delve into how the machines are designed so they can make similar automated production equipment in their senior design classes and in their careers. “We want our students to be the ones who design this equipment,” said Professor Tom Lacksonen, chair of the engineering and technology department.

Top: Students work with donated machines in the plastics lab; middle: new computer networking hardware donated by Dell EMC is installed in the CNIT lab; bottom: mechanical engineering students Kefa Okoth (left) and Ben Miner look at their prototype designs of a product they plan to produce with donated manufacturing equipment.

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