Outlook Magazine - Fall 2022

A CELEBRATION OF LEADERSHIP, LEGACY OF DONORS, GRADUATES

Delayed by pandemic, investiture for Chancellor Frank highlights progress, roles of women in university history

The Bowman Hall bells rang across campus with a special celebration peal at 1:08 p.m. on Oct. 14 to herald a new era — the leadership of Katherine Frank, the eighth and first female chancellor in UW-Stout history. The bells put an exclamation point on Frank’s investiture celebration in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center, held nearly three years after she arrived on campus. While many of the speakers and Frank addressed the numer ous pandemic challenges, they also focused on impressive progress that has been made since 2020. One area of advancement is giving. The uni versity has seen increases of 27% in gifts, 20% in donors and 17% in corporate giving. Frank announced three new gifts totaling $3.1 million (see Page 22 for additional information). The gifts, Frank noted in keeping with a theme of female leadership from her address, are from a female alum, in honor of a female alum and from the wife of an alum. “It is not lost on me that this year we celebrate 50 years since the enactment of Title IX, and I stand before you as the first female chancellor of UW-Stout about to recognize the role that women have played in the past, present, and future of Stout,” she said. “More often than not, the history of our insti tution is masculinized; while, in fact, our foun dational programs included early childhood education, domestic science (home econom ics), and manual training. Women’s education is part of the foundation of this institution, and women leaders have helped to build our pres ent and future,” Frank added.

UW-Stout’s enduring tenets of applied learn ing, career focus and collaboration with business and industry along with a new FOCUS2030 strategic plan forged during the pandemic guided Frank and the university community through the pandemic. “To do at Stout is in our DNA, from our earli est beginnings, and it resonates loudly today throughout our campus in our programs and through the success of our graduates,” she said. “Our success not only depends on the com mitment and hard work of our university community, but also on the commitment of our surrounding community and our many partners who are so essential to the complete

Stout learning experience.” Story continues on page 8

11

F A L L 2 0 2 2