Outlook Magazine - Fall 2020

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A total of 19 proposals were submitted by faculty and staff, and five have been approved. They are: Develop an online advising and peer mentoring program for students in the biology concentration of the applied science program. Improve biology and chemistry students’ conceptual understanding and lab experiences while providing animation projects for entertainment design students. Expand library research support with a 24/7 librarian chat service using Springshare LibChat and LibAnswers. Build university identity and community through collecting and archiving student, faculty and staff stories about our response to the COVID-19 crisis. Develop a best practices guide for teaching in a digital or hybrid environment.

hen the pandemic took hold in mid-March, UW-Stout adjusted and kept moving

forward. One of the ways the university did that was, to paraphrase the cliché, create some lemonade out of the bitterness of COVID-19. Three special funds have been created to address impacts of the pandemic and make the university a better institution long after the immediate health threat of the virus has faded. Student Emergency Fund The new Student Emergency Fund will help students who face temporary financial hardship. At midsemester, when the residence halls closed, some students struggled to make ends meet as they moved out unexpectedly and had to give up on- and off-campus jobs, which in many cases was their only source of income. Hearing of the need through the Dean of Students Office, Chancellor Katherine P. Frank and husband, Joe Dvorsky, donated $15,000 to establish the fund, with a total commitment of $50,000 over three years. Stout University Foundation will continue to build the fund for students in the years and decades to come. To be eligible for help, a student must be enrolled, have a temporary financial hardship and have exhausted other financial resources. The maximum amount a student can receive is $500 for such things as school-related expenses, food, transportation, housing, health care and child care. One student, a single mother, used the money to feed her children for a month. Another who received help said, “I could cry, I am so thankful for what Stout has done for me.” Innovation Fund Another effort spearheaded by the chancellor is the Innovation Fund. It supports innovative ideas that could address an issue caused by the pandemic while at the same time improve the overall educational experience at UW-Stout.

Recovery Fund

The Recovery Fund, also through Stout University Foundation, addresses new health and safety needs in learning environments because of the pandemic.

Examples of the needs include:

Personal protective equipment, thermometers, sanitation stations, virus shields, testing and quarantine spaces for students, faculty and staff. As supplies become limited, demand increases the cost for these items. Safe learning spaces and expanded virtual course delivery, which provide continued hands-on and expanded online learning experiences for students. Access to laboratory materials, consumables and other items necessary for students to complete their applied learning outside of a classroom environment.

Learn more about the three funds and donate at: uwstout.edu/stout-forward-funds.

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