University of Wisconsin - Extension

The University of Wisconsin-Extension's Division of Outreach and E-Learning has reallocated more than $300,000 this year in support of 12 new economic development projects statewide. The new University of Wisconsin Continuing EDvantage program provides start-up funding to new initiatives that create partnerships with Wisconsin businesses, community and government agencies, the nonprofit sector, and the continuing education offices on the University of Wisconsin campuses. This year’s UW Continuing EDvantage initiatives include collaborations with:

• 18 UW campuses and UW-Extension,
• 8 Wisconsin Technical Colleges,
• 4 private colleges,
• 18 economic development organizations,
• 7 nonprofit agencies,
• 1 government agency,

• the Public Library System, and
• Wisconsin hospitals.

The 2003-04 UW Continuing EDvantage projects:

• Central Wisconsin Training and Development Network: Coordinating Resources: UW-Stevens Point
• This project will identify Central Wisconsin employers’ training needs and then link those employers to appropriate training solutions. This project combines the efforts of UW-Stevens Point, the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, Northcentral Technical College, Mid-State Technical College, Nicolet Technical College, and numerous human resource agencies.
• Healthcare Management Certificate Program: UW-La Crosse
• UW-La Crosse Continuing Education and Extension is teaming up with the Rural Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative and the Health Science Consortium to create a new Healthcare Management Certificate Program. The certificate will focus on the business management aspects of healthcare, meeting the training needs of regional hospitals' administrators and employees.
• Minority Contractor Capacity Initiative: UW-Milwaukee
• This program will provide professional development opportunities to small minority- and women-owned construction firms in an effort to increase their ability to compete effectively in the marketplace as prime contractors. This project is a partnership between the UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education and the National Association of Minority Contractors Wisconsin Chapter.
• Economic Development and Planning: Marketing of Services and a Pilot Project: UW-Whitewater
• This initiative has two primary objectives: (1) develop and disseminate information about the capabilities of UW-Whitewater’s new Fiscal and Economic Research Center, and (2) coordinate a pilot project to quantify the impact of a clean and healthy case study lake on the surrounding local economy. Input will be sought from regional public entities, county and municipal agencies, associations of homeowners and lake users, state agency staff, and trade and professional association representatives. The case study will be undertaken in partnership with the Delavan Lake Improvement Association, among other community and agency partners.
• Economic Development in Northeast Wisconsin through Continuing Education: UW-Oshkosh
• The goal of this project is to aggressively promote mentoring, career planning and customized self-help workshops at job centers, work sites, and social service agencies. This project will be led by the UW-Oshkosh School of Graduate Studies and Continuous Learning, in partnership with the Center for Development and Employability Training and career Services, the Oshkosh Collaboration Work Group, and the Department of Workforce Development. Other potential partners include nonprofit community service organizations, government agencies, county and local economic development councils, the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, Fox Valley Technical College, Morraine Park Technical College, UW-Fox Valley, UW-Fond du Lac, and area employers.
• Economic Development in Rural Areas through NEW ERA Collaboration with Public Library Systems: UW-Oshkosh
• Through the NEW ERA collaboration with Wisconsin libraries, more adults in northeast Wisconsin will be able to learn about educational opportunities available statewide. The major partners in the project are UW-Oshkosh Continuing Education and Extension, the Oshkosh Collaboration Work Group and the Division of Workforce Solutions/Bureau of Partner Services of the State Department of Workforce Development.
• Engaging Young Professionals in Downtown Green Bay: UW-Green Bay
• UW-Green Bay’s Office of Outreach and Extension, Downtown Green Bay, Inc. (DGBI) and Employers Workforce Development Network, Inc. (EWDN) through the Young Professionals Network (YPN), will partner in this project to enhance Downtown Green Bay, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, and strengthen existing efforts to create and nurture a capable and dynamic cadre of young professionals in Green Bay.
• Infrastructure Development for the Housing of Economic Data for the Southeastern Wisconsin Region: UW-Parkside
• This project will result in a database of regional economic development data and will create a means for maintaining and making data available. The partners in this project are the Racine County Economic Development Corporation and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside School of Business and Technology.
• Northwoods Nonprofits: UW-Superior
• This comprehensive two-year training program is designed to stabilize the nonprofit sector and build capacity by providing educational opportunities, peer learning groups, and web-based resources. Primary partners include UW-Superior, College of St. Scholastica, Northland College, United Way of 1000 Lakes, Crow Wing County United Way, United Way of Greater Duluth, United Way of Superior/Douglas County, Bayfield and Ashland County Extension, Arrowhead Regional Development Commission, CESA 12, and the Red Cliff Land Recovery Project.
• West-Central Wisconsin Synergy Regional Initiative: UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout
• This collaborative project builds upon the Synergy Regional Initiative toward regional economic development in a nine-county region. This project will advance and accelerate community-level development initiatives outlined by the Synergy Regional Advisory Group, in cooperation with the Continuing Education units of UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, and UW-Stout. In addition to the established Synergy conference series, this project will support the development and delivery of Preserving Community Character workshops at the local level, and develop a train-the-trainer program to support these local efforts.
• Winning the War for Talent: UW Colleges
• The Continuing Education Offices at UW-Baraboo/Sauk County and UW-Marathon County are teaming up with regional businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies to offer two economic development programs. In Wausau, in October, there will be a one-day summit titled Celebrating the Business & Education Connection. In Baraboo in September, there will be an evening program titled Attracting & Keeping Young Talent in our Businesses & Communities.
• Arts Build: Using the Arts to Foster Economic Development in Rural Southwest Wisconsin: UW-Platteville
• UW-Platteville’s Office of Continuing Education and the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center are creating a program to provide intensive assistance to art-related business owners and entrepreneurs in southwest Wisconsin. The focus is strengthening the professional and business capacity of arts workers in underserved rural communities. Primary partners include the Platteville Area Industrial Development Corporation, the Platteville Chamber of Commerce, and art-related nonprofit groups such as the Spring Green Cultural Arts Coalition, the Pecatonica Educational Charitable Foundation and the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts.