Outlook Magazine - Fall 2023

Message from Chancellor Katherine P. Frank

State funding approved for Heritage Hall. $139M

I am also proud to report that our six-month graduate employment rate increased to 99.4%, which means even more employers (including many of you) recognize the value of our graduates and how they build a better future both in Wisconsin and beyond. And on the enrollment front, we are seeing increases in incoming undergraduate and international students, and our student retention rate continues to rise. To help us continue to build our student populations, we welcomed Dr. Ediz Kaykayoglu (Central Washington University) as our new vice chancellor of Enrollment & Strategic Initiatives and Dr. Dan Freedman (SUNY-New Paltz) as our new dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management (CSTEMM) this year. I am also happy to welcome Katharine Reed (Cal Poly Humboldt) as our new Vice Chancellor for University Advancement & Alumni Relations. Both Vice Chancellor Reed and I thank you for your contributions to our university and our students. We applaud your successes as alumni, and we are thankful for your support. With your help, we smashed this year’s general fundraising goals! On Giving Day, you helped increase our total gifts by 37% over the previous year. You also helped us exceed our goal for student scholarship support, which will help support even more students along their educational journey. Whether you have supported us for years, or plan to engage or reengage this year, as a community, your achievements, your stories, are featured across this Outlook edition and continue to prove the value of everything we do at Stout. That alone makes me #StoutProud. And there’s so much more to come as we continue to build into the future. With Stout pride,

fter last year’s StoutProud Weekend, homecoming and investiture events, celebra tion continued with an Inno vation Award for Grow, Persist, Succeed , Career Year in Review A

Empolyed or continuing education within six months of graduation. 99.4%

May events included the SGX Stout Game Expo, SOAD’s Senior Show, community concerts and Research Day 2023 , which featured the WiSys Quick Pitch competition and awards for Stu dent and Faculty Researchers of the Year, and 100+ students were honored at UW-Stout’s annual Leadership Awards ceremony hosted a few weeks later. Also in May, SOAD debuted its inaugural UnSpooled Film & Animation Festival , and the university’s industry-leading industrial design showcase, DesignWiscon sin2.0, traveled to Trek , thanks to collabora tion with the company’s design director Hans Eckholm (’94) . By the conclusion of the spring semester, big announcements were just around the corner, including approval of funding for Heritage Hall by Wisconsin’s Joint Finance Committee and the launch of a first-of-its-kind B.S. Auto mation Leadership degree in Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing areas. Mid-month campus leaders traveled to Utah Tech to make presenta tions at the 2023 Polytechnic Summit . By the time this issue of Outlook hits your mailbox, no doubt there will be plenty more to report, so connect with UW-Stout on LinkedIn, read the full stories above at uwstout.edu/news, check your inbox for monthly alumni updates (or contact us to update your contact info), and join us at homecoming to get #StoutProud in person!

The institution and industry traded honors with the Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC) earning a Regional Impact Award from eco nomic development corp. Momentum West, and UW-Stout presenting Fortune 500 collab orator 3M the inaugural UW System Regents Business Partnership Award . The university was named a Military Friendly school for the 14th straight year, maintaining its silver designation. The Cybersecurity Research and Outreach Center was awarded a $299K Fast Forward Grant to develop paid internships in IT and cybersecurity. And Kraus-Anderson’s Executive VP and COO, Rich Jacobson (’89), returned to campus, “Leading by Example” to offer the 2023 Cabot Executive in Residence address. April rained a shower of accolades and events, including top ranking in Wisconsin for three School of Art & Design (SOAD) programs : B.F.A. Game Design & Development and M.F.A. Design (Princeton Review) and B.F.A. Animation & Digital Media (Animation Career Review). Both Princeton Review rankings placed in the Top 10 nationally among public schools. And the M.S. Rehabilitation Coun seling program ranked in the Top 10 by U.S. News & World Report. By mid-month, UW-Stout launched a four week Stout Showcase , which opened with Theatre’s “Be More Chill” (its first production since 2019), Fashion Without Fabric’s return to the runway and other events during Destina tion Weekend . Meanwhile, more than 50 Stout students presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research on topics ranging from mathematic modeling for irrigation prac tices to voter attitudes.

Services’ on-campus job program, delivered in December from the Wisconsin Association of Colleges and Employers. The School of Management kicked off 2023 by launching a first-of-its-kind Service Excel lence course with Forbes Travel Guide in high-end hospitality, which leverages rela tionships with leading locales like Destination Kohler and industry experts like Pete Hayda (’79) and Robert Sereci to better position new grads for top-paying jobs post-graduation. In February, HRTM/real estate student Hunter Kuester, a leading advocacate for the blind, was appointed to the UW System President’s Advi sory Committee on Disability Issues, and the Blue Devil Women’s Basketball won a reg ular season conference title —the team’s first in 16 years. Stout success March-ed on with four education alumni leaders taking home awards, including Emily Larson (’03) , who was named 2 023 Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Asso ciation of Family and Consumer Sciences; Kendra Haessly (’88) , two-time Crystal Apple awardee; Jonathan Szymanski (’22) , a Golden Apple winner and Jamie Nord (’06, ’08 ), who was named Outstanding Central Office Leader from the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. And the month had much more to offer.

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reetings Blue Devil alumni and supporters!

Business and industry coop, internship and research partners. 700+

It is a privilege to introduce another edition of Outlook magazine. As you will see, Stout’s success, and yours as an alumni community, keeps building . Before you read on, there are few things I would like to highlight. First, I’m extremely proud that UW-Stout is one of only two UW schools operating without a budgeted structural deficit. Fiscal responsibility is a critical point of pride for Stout—not only do we live what we teach our students about their own financial wellness (a Financial Wellness & Literacy Center for students launched this fall); we are setting an example for others to follow by establishing a solid foundation from which to build intentionally and strategically. Thanks to many supporters who advocated for UW-Stout and our strong contribution to Wisconsin’s workforce, the legislature invested in UW-Stout and supported full funding for our Heritage Hall Renovation Project. The project will be shovel-ready this spring.

Financial support for student scholarships. $3.2M

Annual economic impact in our immediate region. $306M+

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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT

OUTLOOK 2023