- Annual youth entrepreneur camp fosters entrepreneurial spirit
An entrepreneurial camp sponsored by the UW-Extension Small Business Development Center on the UW-Madison campus teaches youth how to start a business. The day-camp fosters entrepreneurial spirit by building skills in management, communication, team-building, and business etiquette. Students also learn how to negotiate for materials and recognize business opportunities.
- ARTSBUILD helps southwest Wisconsin artists lay the foundation for entrepreneurial success
Beyond creativity and originality, artists need entrepreneurial know-how to earn a living in their field. A UW-Platteville professional development program designed especially for use in southwest Wisconsin helps participants jumpstart their sales, sharpen their marketing skills, and meet supportive associates and benefactors. Since its 2004 launch, ARTSBUILD’s network has steadily increased to 350 artist members who consistently praise its worth. Growing partnerships between ARTSBUILD and state and local organizations have furthered the visibility of area arts, thus contributing to the health of local economies. Originally funded by a UW-Extension grant, the program has moved progressively towards self-sustainability.
- Assessing the Economic Worth of a Clean Lake Puts the Cost of Improving Water Quality in Perspective
Officials in Delavan, Wisconsin have set aside funds for maintaining the water quality of their local lake, thanks largely to a study conducted by UW-Whitewater economists. Capitalizing on a major Delavan Lake rehabilitation effort completed in 1992, researchers assessed the value of the cleaner, healthier lake to its surrounding community. They proved that, beyond the obvious environmental benefits of the rehab, the entire region enjoyed economic gains in the form of increased property values, tourism, jobs, and retail spending. The well-publicized findings now serve as a tool for local, state, and national officials who make decisions about investing resources in lake quality protection.
- Better pest management helped producers reduce pesticides and save money on $184 million Wisconsin soybean crop
Soybean producers and agricultural professionals who participated in University of Wisconsin-Extension Pest Management Education programs bettered their practices for managing the soybean aphid. By improving control of the pest while minimizing use of chemical pesticides, these farmers minimized crop damage, saved time and money and protected the environment.
- Certificate for Nonprofit Professionals strengthens leadership and management skills of nonprofit practitioners
Nonprofit organizations represent one of the fastest growing sectors of the American economy, currently 7% of the total workforce. In Wisconsin, nonprofits have become the state's fifth largest employer. To respond to this increase, the UW-Green Bay Division of Outreach developed a certificate program for nonprofit practitioners in 2002. It emphasizes business and management principles that can improve the efficiency of nonprofit organizations. Through January 2004, the Certificate for Nonprofit Professionals workshops had enlisted a total of 76 participants. The additional training they received helps these professionals become more effective within their organizations, ultimately enhancing the quality of life in Wisconsin.
- Collaboration builds and grows regional economy in northeast Wisconsin
When the Fox Valley lost more than 10,000 good paying jobs, the fast-growing Fox Cities area suffered a brain drain, losing college-educated workers. UW-Extension campus and county faculty worked with community partners to assess northeast Wisconsin’s workforce needs and analyze the economy. Their findings engaged economic development professionals in strategic planning, netted state funds, and support partnerships working toward a vibrant regional economy.
- Constructive dialog on land use concerns helps farmers weigh their interests with those of their non-farm neighbors
As farm and non-farm populations converge, Wisconsin enacted Livestock Facilities Siting legislation encouraging constructive dialogue among rural neighbors. UW-Extension assessed research-based performance standards for new and expanding livestock operations, and engaged public involvement. In 2005, county educators and community partners presented workshops helping elected officials understand the state law for revising local ordinances. In four of the counties involved, 181 farmers and elected officials developed or modified local livestock facility siting plans or land use policies that complied with local and state regulations.
- El Centro Empresarial offers bilingual training and resources to strengthen Milwaukee’s Hispanic business community
Since opening its doors in 2004, El Centro Empresarial, the Hispanic Entrepreneurship Center at UW-Milwaukee, has graduated 76 area Latinos from its certificate program, with 24 graduates going on to start their own businesses. The program promotes entrepreneurship in the region’s Hispanic community through bilingual training, counseling, technical assistance, and networking activities. It is the initiative of UW-Milwaukee’s School of Continuing Education, which has teamed up its Small Business Development Center with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin and other community partners.
- Electronic applications make a UW education more accessible to students everywhere
More than 94,000 prospective students submitted online applications for undergraduate admission to University of Wisconsin System schools in 2004-2005, representing nearly 75 percent of the total applications received. The popularity of electronic applications - or eapps - demonstrates that students favor online registration over the slower, more laborious paper method. UW campus admissions officers prefer the eapps, too. This faster application system saves the UW system money and better serves student applicants by minimizing errors, eliminating duplication, and moving information more quickly to the UW campuses.
- Extension Response to June 2008 Floods
In June 2008, record rains on saturated soils caused widespread flooding, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Thirty southern Wisconsin counties were declared disaster areas. Backed by campus specialists, county extension faculty helped their neighbors assess damage and document losses even as floodwaters were rising. They contributed to positive impacts for farmers, families, homeowners, businesses, agencies and communities, from reduced losses, risks, stress and anxiety, to improved local and state agency performance.
- Facilitated Community Innovation Spurs Economic Development
Community centers face obstacles to growth and sustainability as development draws consumers and businesses away, but intervention can reverse this economic decline. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-Whitewater (UWW) has developed a Facilitated Community Innovation process that provides a new model for revitalizing business communities. Based on market research and implemented under the guidance of a trained consultant, the process builds a core image for a community in efforts to make it a desired destination for consumers, companies and residents.
- Food security education helps lessen hunger among families and children at risk
About 1 in 11 Wisconsin households is at risk of not having enough food, making them food insecure. Severe food insecurity includes hunger. The Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program helps lessen hunger among families at risk, helping adults get the most nutrition for their limited food dollars, and helping develop more free or reduced price School Meal Programs for children.
- Fostering professional practices among commercial manure applicators
For-hire manure applicators manage about 4 billion gallons of dairy manure each year, making them major partners in regulatory compliance. UW-Extension responded to their request for professional development with an interagency-industry collaboration to train new and existing firms. The industry now enforces professional standards under UW-Extension guidance, regulators and trained applicators are building mutual trust, and certified firms save on insurance.
- Free tax service nets refunds for low-wage workers
Research shows that many eligible low-income families do not use public assistance programs such as tax credits or Food Stamps. When an advisory committee identified a neighborhood in critical need, UW-Extension led a broad-based community partnership to provide free tax preparation and referrals for financially vulnerable families. Low-wage workers are using their new tax refunds to pay bills and add to savings.
- From garage to industrial park — Helping businesses grow in Taylor County
In rural areas like Taylor County, UW-Extension plays a vital role in long-term economic development. Working with community partners, UW-Extension Taylor County helps build successful businesses that bring good-paying jobs to small towns and benefit the North-central Wisconsin economy.
- Get Checking gives consumers with poor credit histories a chance at financial stability
A pilot program created for people who have no banking privileges helped nearly 1400 Milwaukee County residents open checking accounts between 1998 and 2002. In 2006, the Get Checking program continues to offer personal financial training that enables consumers to use banking services effectively, and eventually to open and maintain their own accounts. UW-Extension Milwaukee County, the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Milwaukee, and three sponsoring financial institutions initiated the program, which has now expanded to serve more than 9,000 consumers in 102 cities nationwide.
- GMSO is a GEM for STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education plays a critical role in the country’s ability to remain an economic and technological leader in the global marketplace. Yet student scores for science and math literacy are lower in America than in many OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, an intergovernmental organization of 30 member countries). This situation is more complex for American girls, who often think boys can do better in science and math. Strategies to address this challenge must be innovative and girl focused, targeted at grades 6, 7 and 8, and should feature female professionals in STEM careers. To this aim, in 2008 the fourth annual Girls + Math + Science = Opportunities (GMSO) conference was held at UW-Fond du Lac.
- La Crosse area entrepreneurs learn how Geographic Information Systems can strengthen local economies
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a multipurpose technology that links map features with related databases, represents a growing marketplace in which the demand for services far outweighs the supply. To keep pace, a UW-La Crosse GIS applications and training program introduced area business, government, and higher education personnel to the versatility and features of GIS. In addition, project planners held meetings with local decision-makers to discuss potential GIS projects. The effort resulted in contract work for UW-La Crosse''s Center for Geographic Information Systems.
- Leadership Development Institute Fills a Need for Leadership Training in the Green Bay Area
When businesses, non-profits, and governmental organizations in the Green Bay area needed leadership training for their mid-level employees, they turned to UW-Green Bay Outreach and Extension to develop a program tailored to local needs and issues. Participants in UW-Green Bay¿s Leadership Development Program say the professional relationships they developed with program staff, facilitators, and peers were invaluable as the eight-month program groomed them to excel as leaders in their respective organizations. As part of the program, each created a customized leadership action plan that makes the most of his or her individual strengths and best meets the needs of their respective employers.
- Long Term Care Promotion and Recognition
Through this EDvantage grant, UW-LaCrosse Continuing Education and Extension (UWL CEE) engaged and challenged community leaders and providers to address the state’s critical long term care workforce issues. The Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition has a growing membership of 26 long term care providers of services for elders and people with disabilities. Providers have additional tools to recruit and retain young workers and workers over age 55. Workforce development agencies and elected officials are equipped with information and personal accounts of the workforce crisis and its impact, and city and county planners and officials are exploring ways to make neighborhoods and LaCrosse-area communities more aging-friendly. This EDvantage grant embodied the outreach and engagement ideal of the Wisconsin Idea.
- Long-term care initiative leads to improved job satisfaction among direct care workers
In La Crosse and Monroe Counties, supervisors in the long-term care industry are taking part in a sweeping effort to improve their workplace cultures and retain employees. UW-La Crosse’s Continuing Education and Extension logged 105 enrollments in 2006-07 in a new leadership development series designed to improve the management skills of long-term care supervisors. Participants’ employees report that positive changes in their supervisors’ workplace behaviors have led to higher levels of trust, worker satisfaction, and teamwork. A recently formed regional coalition is advancing the effort, too. While continuing to promote supportive supervision of direct care workers, Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition advocates for better pay, workplace conditions, and training.
- Low-cost dairy modernization helps risk-averse farmers stay in business
Competition hands thousands of dairy farmers the tough choice of whether to keep farming or quit the business. UW-Extension offers options to help them make sound decisions, and planning support for those who decide to keep farming. As a result, new and retrofit facilities on small farms are increasing dairy profitability statewide, and easing the back-breaking labor of milking cows.
- Managed grazing improves pasture yields and small farm profitability
Wisconsin’s small dairy and livestock farms make a big contribution to the state’s economy, yet remain vulnerable to market forces. With UW-Extension education through local partners and grazing networks, dairy and livestock producers are securing federally cost-shared pasture improvements, selecting economical forage varieties, adding fencing, controlling aggressive weeds, practicing land stewardship on hillsides, exploring niche markets and writing business plans.
- Milk quality teams increase profitability throughout the dairy community
When sick cows put farm income at risk, UW-Extension gathers a local milk quality team of professionals to support herd management practices that prevent costly mastitis infections. As a result, producers are keeping better records; developing standard, written milking routines; consulting with dairy professionals; adopting team management — and taking bigger milk checks to the bank.
- Minority Contractors’ Capacity Initiative gives minority-owned construction firms a business edge in southeast Wisconsin
To compete with large construction firms for jobs, smaller contractors have some hurdles to leap. In an effort to level the playing field for small minority- and women-owned firms, UW-Milwaukee and its partners kicked off the Minority Contractors'' Capacity Initiative in 2004. Program leaders interviewed 98 minority contractors to determine obstacles to achieving growth and, subsequently, to offer them the training and support they say they need. Contractors who took part in the resulting programming report that they acquired new, relevant knowledge to help them advance their businesses. In fact, 100% of participants interviewed after a bonding seminar say they would recommend the program to others.
- Nonprofit Administration Certificate Program provides needed leadership training in Northern Wisconsin
UW-Superior''s Nonprofit Administration Certificate Program helps nonprofit workers improve their job performance and expand their career opportunities, according to program graduates. The curriculum, designed expressly for directors, staff, and volunteers of nonprofit and governmental agencies, offers participants a well-rounded foundation in the skills and needs unique to their organizations. By 2006, 89 participants had received certification through the university’s Center for Continuing Education/Extension.
- Nursing home administrators' course enhances quality of management and practice in long-term care facilities
Nursing home administrators in Wisconsin are required to pass an exam to be licensed in their profession. A University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies course not only prepares students to pass this exam, but also increases their knowledge of management, issues, overall practice, other-care facility departments, and the development of long-range goals, plans or policies in the profession of long-term care. Some students said the course helped expand their perspectives; others received promotions because of their new knowledge and skills.
- Portal Wisconsin Web site delivers information on arts, culture and humanities in one easy stop
Portalwisconsin.org, a Web site of arts and cultural events programs throughout Wisconsin, demonstrates that cultural and educational organizations can partner together to raise their profiles and extend their reach. It encourages community engagement and program collaboration, and has made it easier for prospective audiences to learn about and enjoy Wisconsin programs of interest to them. The arts and cultural tourism generate significant revenue for localities and the state, and Portalwisconsin.org helps cultural tourists spend their money in Wisconsin.
- Program teaches healthcare professionals to make better business decisions
Forty-five healthcare specialists in western Wisconsin received healthcare management certification through the UW-La Crosse’s Office of Continuing Studies in 2005. The new program focused on the business management aspects of healthcare, to meet the training needs of regional hospital administrators and employees. Many of the participants claim they are managing their departments more efficiently after completing the certificate program. For the convenience of the students, classes originated from UW-La Crosse’s Health Science Center and were transmitted via the TeleHealth video network to several sites in western Wisconsin.
- Project management skills save Wisconsin businesses time and money
Many organizations are finding their project managers have not had formal training in how to manage projects. As a result, there are often miss-steps and time lost as these managers learn "on the job." An in-depth Master's certificate program helps managers learn to plan, schedule and control projects. This training has helped managers work on larger, high-priority projects, improve procedures and policies, and lead in managing new projects in their organizations. Many are promoted as a result of their new skills.
- RNs earn their baccalaureate degree @ home
Ten years after launching its first online class, the BSN@HOME program has awarded baccalaureate degrees to 445 registered nurses. Participants choose the program—offered specifically for Wisconsin nurses through the combined resources of five University of Wisconsin nursing schools—because they like the flexibility it affords them. Learning online allows them to get their degrees without disrupting their work or family lives. Furthermore, graduates of BSN@HOME say the program prepares them to advance in their careers. Many alumnae have either completed, begun or plan to enroll in a graduate nursing program.
- School of the Arts boosts arts programming and tourism in Rhinelander
Rhinelander''s School of the Arts has brought art to the people—and people to the arts—for more than 40 years. An annual grassroots learning program administered by UW-Madison Extension, School of the Arts receives the consistent and overwhelming support of Rhinelander residents and businesspeople, who recognize the economic, educational, and cultural benefits the week-long event brings their community. In July 2007, more than 300 participants came from every corner of Wisconsin—as well as from nine Midwestern states—to study visual arts, music, photography, drama, writing, movement, and computer arts from regional experts.
- Self-Sufficiency Program prepares low-income parents for successful college work
UW-La Crosse's Self-Sufficiency Program (SSP) is a free service for low-income adults who want to learn how to succeed in college. SSP curriculum emphasizes reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, but it also aims to boost the self-confidence of its participants as they prepare to enroll in degree programs. The SSP team recognizes that obtaining a bachelor's degree can greatly improve the economic prospects of low-income citizens, which in turn benefits workers' families and entire communities. In 2004-2005, six individuals who completed the Self-Sufficiency Program sought and gained admission to UW-La Crosse for fall 2005.
- Shoreline Incentives Program protects and restores Northern Wisconsin lakes and natural resources
As natural shorelines vanished, UW-Extension Burnett County worked with local partners to create a unique program restoring native trees and plants along lakes and rivers. The Burnett County Shoreline Incentives Program demonstrates that development and recreation can be balanced with natural landscape, clean water, aquatic health and wildlife habitat. Preservation and restoration projects have been completed on 507 properties along 37 miles of shoreline.
- Small Business Development Center state network counseling services retain and develop Wisconsin’s businesses
The UW-Extension Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network provides one-to-one business counseling to help entrepreneurs and established businesses become more profitable, retain jobs and better compete in today's global market. Businesses receiving SBDC counseling increased sales by $113 million incrementally, created 1452 new jobs and retained 601. These businesses generated $ 4.6 million in state tax revenues, and obtained $1.7 million in financing, according to a recent survey.
- Small business owners get help applying for competitive federal grants
Researching and developing new products can be expensive and risky for small business, but special federal funding can help these firms. Training by a partnership led by UW-Extension's Small Business Development Center has helped 150 businesses target and write proposals, boosting the number of state firms that win awards. Since 2002, Wisconsin small businesses have received almost $10 million in these highly competitive grants. Businesses that win the prestigious innovation awards typically have less trouble finding sources of financing for the final commercialization and marketing of their products.
- Stout Solutions and Wisconsin’s Indian Nations assess options for training partnerships
Tribal tourism is an important source of employment and economic development for Wisconsin’s Native Americans. To enhance this, UW-Stout Solutions launched an assessment of the educational needs of Wisconsin’s tribal tourism industries. The project will ultimately facilitate the development and delivery of programming tailored to the needs the Native American community, where citizens have historically enrolled in and completed post-secondary schooling in low numbers.
- Superior Days uses grass roots approach to community development
Spurred by economic stress, Douglas County residents took their concerns directly to the state Legislature in 1986, launching Superior Days under UW-Extension guidance. For 20 years, this model of participatory democracy has fledged community partnerships working toward common goals. Now, 8 neighboring counties enjoy safer highways, greater access to health care, and up-to-date infrastructure supporting education, aquatic research and commerce.
- Understanding generational differences in the workplace, community and home develops dynamic teamwork and common values
Hearing employers voice frustrations, UW-Extension Washburn County developed Communicating Across the Generations team-building workshops to train educators, managers and employees of all ages, cultures, socioeconomic and immigrant status through partners in state and tribal government, public and trade schools, communities and business. Those learning to blend the creative energies and work styles of four generations are creating dynamic teams.
- UW-Extension Local Government Center keeps local governments updated on state fiscal changes
As the 2003-2005 biennial budget progressed through the Wisconsin Legislature, projected shortfalls worried public officials statewide. Backed by University of Wisconsin-Extension Local Government Center research, county community resource development educators kept local leaders abreast of proposed budget changes and key provisions—strengthening ties with government decision-makers and easing fears by sharing the facts.
- West Central Wisconsin Synergy program positions region for sustainable economic growth
Participants in the West Central Wisconsin Synergy Conference left the 2005 event with concrete action items—and some valuable new associates—to help address some common local concerns that often accompany rapid economic development. They are collectively committed to promoting sustainable growth, which is the belief that the quality of people''s lives and of their communities are shaped by a combination of social, economic, and environmental forces. Since 2003, representatives from nine counties in the St. Croix and Chippewa Valleys have attended the event.
- Wisconsin Unions Address Diversity and Succession Planning
Impact Summary: Sixty-seven active union members have engaged in focus groups to address the need for diversity and succession planning in their unions. These participants, along with members of their unions and institutions which supported the project, have worked together to identify and recruit potential new union leaders and mentors.
- Young professionals pitch in to create Downtown H.Y.P.E.! in Green Bay
Revitalizing downtown Green Bay got a boost from more than 75 young professionals who live and work in the area by engaging them in research. Their observations not only influenced the way local administrators and developers envision future projects but also helped the young participants see their city in a new way. And downtown merchants altered their marketing plans after seeing the young professionals’ perceptions. The program has gained the attention of other cities, as urban centers struggle to remain economically healthy.
