NEWS
Mayor pushes students to stay after graduation
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Also by Becky Vevea:
- Badgers brave weather to audition for Campus Idol (April 11, 2008)
- University under fire for snow dumping (April 9, 2008)
- Students vie for Jeopardy! spot (April 4, 2008)
- Economist seeks support with special video lecture (April 2, 2008)
- Union plans call for unique looks (March 28, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Mayor enjoys cookies, milk with students (November 10, 2005)
- Dems rally for Cieslewicz (January 31, 2007)
- Cieslewicz plans for re-election (December 1, 2006)
- Cieslewicz prepares for inauguration (April 15, 2003)
by Becky Vevea
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz described his career path to
University of Wisconsin students over dinner Tuesday night.
The Wisconsin Alumni Student Board hosted the dinner at The
Angelic Brew Pub as one of many Dinners On Wisconsin, a UW alumni-student
networking event held each semester.
At dinner, students asked Cieslewicz about everything from Halloween to city
transportation.
Cieslewicz turned the tables on the students, asking them a
number of questions about Madison.
“It was very interesting to ask how many students wanted to
stay in Madison,” Cieslewicz said. “We’ve got to do some work there because not
enough hands went up.”
He talked about several current city initiatives including
redeveloping Allied Drive and improving the bike trails to achieve a platinum
rather than gold rating from the League
of American Bicyclists.
Cieslewicz also asked students what they liked about Madison
and what the city could do to improve.
“Getting people who are well-educated and bright to stay or
at least to come back is really important to the city, so I wanted to know what
it was about the city they liked,” he added.
Hosts of other dinners included, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison,
former Governor Tony Earl and Kelly Meuer, the owner of State Street Brats.
According to Josh Cummins, WASB alumni connections director,
WASB sends a mass e-mail to UW students directing them toward the website to sign
up for the various dinners.
“We have had, in the last two semesters, more demand from
students than we’ve been able to accommodate spots at the dinners,” Cummins
said.
Over two nights WASB facilitated 32 dinners with over 350
student participants, and 15 of them attended dinner with Cieslewicz.
UW senior Meg Reinbold attended the dinner with Meuer because
she wants to start a business in space tourism one day, and said she wanted to
get some advice about owning a business.
“I guess one of the things I’m trying to learn from him is
where he screwed up, because that’s always a more valuable lesson than where he
was successful,” Reinbold said.
Students can choose from a wide array of dinner topics, such
as nursing, entrepreneurship and teaching.
“Most of these dinners do take place at [alumni’s] homes,”
Cummins added. “Some of them do happen at restaurants if they can’t
accommodate.”
To get alumni to host dinners, Cummins said they contacted
the Dane County alumni via a mass e-mail and personally invited some of the
more prominent hosts like Cieslewicz.
Anonymous (April 16, 2008 @ 9:36am):
Perhaps he wants an offset to all the homeless his policies attract?
Anonymous (April 16, 2008 @ 9:37am):
Better bike paths isn't going to keep UW grads in Madison, or in Wisconsin for that matter! The state needs to lower personal and business taxes, and create an inviting business climate.
As long as liberals continue to see business tax incentives as "corporate welfare", WI is doomed. Guess what, all major US businesses get tax breaks from the states they're located in. It brings jobs to the state, and more jobs means more tax revenue. It is a win for the business and a win for the state.
It is ridiculous that we pay so much to maintain a great university system, but get no return on it because all the graduates leave the state.
Anonymous (April 16, 2008 @ 12:10pm):
Wisconsin lower taxes???
ROFLMAO
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