Friday, January 20, 2012

Spring 2004 Edition

Guest column

Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen

The first edition of Chippewa Valley Business Report gave an excellent description of how UW-Stout serves the business community through our applied learning programs. However, I am concerned that some readers may misunderstand the term “get their hands good and dirty” when describing UW-Stout students.
The writer was using the phrase as a metaphor for practical learning, not to imply that our students engage in menial, dirty tasks as they pursue their studies. All of our programs require the sophisticated deployment of the arts and sciences to particular disciplines.

UW-Stout has focused on technology programs throughout its history, and today technology remains a strength of the university. We have programs in high demand throughout the state and nation, and we support the only ABET accredited program in western Wisconsin — Manufacturing Engineering. UW-Stout is a digital campus, totally wired and wireless; an infrastructure developed to support our e-Scholar or laptop program, the only public university in Wisconsin to commit to using this level of technology.

We use the term “hands on — minds on” to describe an educational philosophy that weds theory and practice, a philosophy now being adopted by educational institutions across the nation. We have blurred the distinctions between the campus boundary lines and the real world, promoting and practicing the idea that education must serve the citizens of the state and nation. Companies and corporations recognize this and over 700 are in touch with us each year recruiting our student body. We can boast of a 98-percent placement rate year after year.

But we are not simply graduating narrow professionals. Our students take rigorous courses in areas such as biology, physics, mathematics and chemistry in preparation for their major course of study. A broad-based general education is required of all majors so our students leave UW-Stout with a well-rounded education, prepared for the civic responsibility demanded of all citizens today.

We take great pride in being a unique, special mission university delivering the kind of education necessary for the 21st century.

Charles Sorensen is chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - Stout in Menomonie.

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