Dear editor,
For nearly 100 years, the University of Wisconsin and the Wausau community have worked together to provide high-quality education to thousands of area students at UW-Stevens Point at Wausau (formerly UW Marathon County). Our UW Wausau Campus Foundation has been proud to support that partnership.
It has been both a dynamic and fruitful partnership. Traveling professors taught classes here in the 1930s, and then Marathon County led the way when it built the university facilities on the west side—the first UW-community partnership of its kind in the state. You can hardly go anywhere around town without running into someone who started college at our local UW campus.
The mission of the UW-Stevens Point at Wausau campus is more relevant than ever—delivering a first-class UW education locally to help students discover their purpose. We could not be more pleased.
In the midst of the pandemic, our UW campus is thriving. Enrollment is increasing as we offer a combination of in-person, blended and online courses. In fact, many first-year students tell us the Wausau campus was their first choice for starting college. As always, students can transfer seamlessly to any UW campus or continue at the Stevens Point campus. Studies show Wausau campus students graduate at the highest rates at these schools. Even better, a great many return to the Wausau area to start or continue their careers.
The Wausau campus’s association with UW-Stevens Point has led to the initiation of several new bachelor’s degree programs in business, social work and nursing, as well as master’s degrees in business administration and, starting in fall 2021, a master’s in social work—fully available at Wausau. Enrollment in these new programs is growing.
In addition, the campus just announced a new pre-engineering professional associate degree program. This is an opportunity for students to complete two years of engineering coursework here before transferring into accredited electrical, mechanical, manufacturing or civil engineering programs at UW-Platteville, UW-Madison, UW-Stout and elsewhere without missing a beat but while saving considerable money.
Our foundation proudly supports this innovative spirit, this focus on quality and affordability. We work hard to support UW-Stevens Point at Wausau students. Our scholarship funds continue to grow, the direct result of generous community support from businesses, donors and alumni. Our Giving Tuesday campaign was a huge success, raising in one day more than $50,000 to fund scholarships.
This spring we will award nearly $250,000 to deserving students, including new scholarships in conjunction with the Medical College of Wisconsin to train physicians who will serve our area. Our new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) scholarship program supports students planning careers in science and technology fields. We will also award top-tier high school students who commit early to our campus.
Our scholarship funds are critical since so many of our Wausau campus students are first generation and non-traditional, working several jobs to pay for college. A list of scholarships can be found at www.uwsp.edu/wausau/admissions/Pages/scholarships.aspx.
As Wausau and Marathon County gear up to compete in the years ahead, your UW campus plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining the talented, educated people who will help our community succeed and thrive. We see nothing but possibilities and new opportunities.
Amy Plier, president, UW Wausau Campus Foundation
Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.
