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The Badger Herald

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The Badger Herald

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Letter to the editor: Joint engineering program in northwestern Wisconsin is a win-win

Letter+to+the+editor%3A+Joint+engineering+program+in+northwestern+Wisconsin+is+a+win-win
Flickr user JeffChristiansen

I would like to comment on the proposal by the Universities of Wisconsin-Stout, Eau Claire and River Falls to start a joint engineering program. I am a Wisconsin native who grew up in rural west central Wisconsin, attended UW-Platteville for two years and transferred and graduated from UW-Madison in engineering. I then worked for Kimberly Clark Corporation in Neenah, Wisconsin before returning to UW-Madison where I received by PhD in engineering. After faculty jobs elsewhere, I returned to UW-Madison where I have been on the engineering faculty for almost 15 years. I provide this background because I hope it will provide some credibility to my thoughts on this subject and at the very least my past experiences allow me to provide a unique perspective.

I’ll get right to the point. I agree with the proposed new engineering programs in northwestern Wisconsin.

https://badgerherald.com/news/2014/12/11/uw-system-chancellors-disagree-about-merit-of-proposed-engineering-programs-for-northwestern-universities/

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Why?

First, the engineering programs at different schools are not the same — nor should they be. There are distinct differences between the educational style and climate at UW-Platteville, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison. None are inherently “better” then the others and they all teach similar core knowledge, but they serve different student clientele. My own story is a relevant example.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin, West Salem to be precise, which was a bit more rural back in my formative days than it is now. In any case, though I graduated near the top of my class, the thought of attending UW-Madison seemed a bit daunting — in fact, I never seriously considered it. Instead I opted for UW-Platteville. It was a great fit. The smaller school allowed me to gain confidence and skills under the close guidance of high quality instructors.

After two years, I needed to see a bit more of the world and to be a bit more challenged intellectually, so off I went to UW-Madison. Even then it was daunting. UW-Madison is a big place with lots to do besides study, but I managed to adjust and succeed. For me, both schools were right at the right time. I well understand why many students stayed at UW-Platteville and why some transferred to UW-Madison, as I did. The educational environment is very different at UW-Platteville and UW-Madison, and it should be. We need diversity at all levels including the way we educate at the college level.

Second, increasing enrollment at UW-Madison to meet the need for more engineers is not in the best interest of the stakeholders. The need for engineering education in the state is at the bachelor’s level.

It is difficult to gain acceptance to UW-Madison. This creates a student body of high achievers who are often quite competitive. For those students, UW-Madison can be wonderful place with endless possibilities to push the boundaries working on world class research as an undergraduate and setting the stage for success in graduate school and beyond for those so inclined, as many students on campus are. However, the most pressing need is not for more students primed for graduate school, rather it is for more students primed for heading to industrial jobs at the bachelor’s level. It seems to me the rational course is to let UW-Madison continue to do what it does very well and either expand capacity at UW-Platteville or establish the new proposed program in northwestern Wisconsin.

The arguments made by the three northwestern campuses make sense to me. Geographically, they are positioned closer to where the bachelor’s level jobs are and likely will continue to be with the strong and growing manufacturing base in that area. They will keep more engineering graduates in the state.

I also suspect that the proposed new program will not draw students away from UW-Madison — quite to the contrary, it will likely only increase demand. I would anticipate that most of the students attracted to the new program in northwestern Wisconsin will be students that otherwise would not have gone into engineering. A subset of those students will find their way to UW-Madison at the time that is right for them, much as I did 30 years ago. For the rest, they can be educated closer to home and within a program and student body more aligned with their choice of career path. Everyone wins.

So why is UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank arguing against the proposed program addition in northwestern Wisconsin? I suspect the reason is quite simple. Money. I’m certainly not a budget expert, but it seems obvious that if the state is to expand engineering enrollment, funds are needed and the funds will go to campuses establishing those new programs or campuses expanding current ones.

Budgets are tight for everyone and higher education has taken a particularly hard hit over the last decade. We are lean to the point of verging on disfunction due to lack of appropriate staff and infrastructure. But that is a topic for a different letter and should not cause us to lose sight of what is the best solution to the need for more engineering education capacity in the state. Why UW-Platteville is opposed is more of a mystery to me, but I suspect money again is at the core.

In summary, I find the arguments for the program to be rational, compelling and in the best interests of the state and of the students. It’s time we make decisions based on the best interest of the state and its students and rise above the real and severe budgetary stress we find ourselves in. In the long run, everyone will win because the programs will be better and more suited for their respective student bodies. They will be more focused and efficient and thus, the cost of educating students will, in the end, likely be lower so the taxpayer also wins.

David Beebe ([email protected]) is a faculty member in the College of Engineering at UW-Madison. Opinions expressed in this letter are solely his own and do not express the views or opinions of his employer.

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