Amid recent discussions about expanding an educated workforce in Waukesha County, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has accommodated the needs of qualified students through its Connections Program.

The Connections Program, first announced in 2001, was an idea of University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley and William Messner, who was then the UW Colleges chancellor.

"They were concerned of the highly qualified [high school] seniors who wanted to be at UW," UW-Madison Connections Program Director Judith Strand said. "But being so limited at freshman admissions, we were losing great students to other places."

The UW Connections Program accommodates academically strong students who apply for admission to UW but are ultimately denied because of class capacity limits.

Students invited to the program must be Wisconsin residents and are required to start at a two-year UW College campus. They then finish their bachelor's degree at UW.

This restricted-invitation process is unique to UW.

"What is different about our program [than transferring] is that at UW, you are invited to participate," Strand said. "You can't start somewhere else and just apply to be part of the Connections Program."

Also, admitted students hold distinctive UW student status starting with admission in the program, including a UW ID and access to the MyUW website. Students may also be involved in UW student activities and organizations and use UW facilities.

Requirements for the Connections Program include completing 54 credits — including all general-education requirements — within three years, maintaining a 2.0 grade point average and working with a UW Colleges advisor to complete the Transitioning Student Checklist.

These requirements can be met at any time within three years and, if completed correctly and admitted to UW, the student is enrolled with junior standing.

Twelve students involved with the program through the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha had dinner with Chancellor Wiley Feb. 7, the same day Wiley gave a speech identifying Waukesha as a pathway to Madison.

And interest in going through Waukesha to get to Madison appears to be growing.

"In 2004, there were six new freshmen at Waukesha through our Connections Program, and all six will be here [at UW] in fall [2006]," Strand said. "This fall 2005, there were 20 new Connections students."

Strand added the program helps students save about $8,000 per year at a two-year campus versus the costs of tuition and housing on the UW campus.

"Those who really want to come here, the Connections Program is a good route to take and take advantage of state resources," Strand said.

Students are taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Shane Pittser, a first-year student at UW-Waukesha through the Connections Program, found the biggest advantages of the program were being "closer to home and to family," and that classes at Waukesha were "less intensive and smaller."

"It's completely beneficial for me," he said. "It was bad enough I was rejected, but now [a degree from UW] is a more-than-obtainable goal."

If the Waukesha campus could no longer be involved in the Connections Program due to the agreement of a proposed merger between UW-Waukesha and UW-Milwaukee, students would be required to attend one of the other 12 two-year UW Colleges to reach Madison.

With regard to answering implications the proposed merger would have, UW-Waukesha Dean Patrick Schmitt said there is no written, documented plan and, therefore, there are no answers to any questions about future limitations.

"Right now, there is no set of plans to go with the merger proposal," he said. "At this point, we wait on the decision of the (UW) regents."

But Schmitt, who has been added to the steering committee that is discussing plans to improve education in Waukesha, sees a change coming in the future.

"I expect an expansion of educational opportunities," he said. "And I would welcome those educational opportunities for the people of Waukesha."