New Colleges, Extension chancellor values partnerships
By David Giroux
As the new chancellor of the UW Colleges and UW-Extension, David Wilson values his institutions’ strong partnerships with UW–Madison.
On May 1, Wilson became the first chancellor to lead two UW System institutions. The UW Colleges provide the liberal arts foundation of the bachelor’s degree at 13 freshman-sophomore campuses. UW-Extension includes county Cooperative Extension offices, Small Business Development Centers, campus-based continuing education programs, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.
Wilson
Wilson intends to be a strong advocate for access to higher education in all its forms. Ongoing collaboration with the Madison campus will be integral to that effort.
“To me, educational access is not an abstract notion. It is real, and it is vital,” says Wilson. “I struggled early in life to obtain an education, growing up in rather penurious conditions. However, I found a college that accepted me, warts and all. It molded my vision, broadened my perspective and imbued me with a world-class education.”
As the first family member to attend college, Wilson completed his baccalaureate degree at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) and went on to earn his doctorate at Harvard University.
As chancellor of the UW Colleges, he presides over an institution where a large percentage of incoming freshmen are first-generation college students — the first in their family to attend college.
“As a young scholar, I was impressed by the Wisconsin Idea. That was a real awakening in higher education, as people came to realize that universities can be more than islands of research. They can transform society,” says Wilson. “Today, UW–Madison is clearly a world-class university, but it’s managed to stay connected to the needs of ordinary people. Extension and the Colleges contribute considerably to that connection.”
Through an interinstitutional agreement, UW-Extension funds more than 380 faculty and staff positions on the UW–Madison campus, investing approximately $50 million each year in the campus’ capacity to support applied research statewide. Wilson sees how that investment produces tangible benefits for Wisconsin taxpayers.
“When agricultural producers face nutrient-management challenges, for example, they deserve solutions that reduce costs, boost profitability and minimize environmental impacts. Our research may show that applying less fertilizer will more closely match nutrients with crop needs, so the farmer spends less money but still enjoys a bountiful harvest. At the same time, our groundwater is less likely to be affected,” explains Wilson.
“For home gardeners, parents, property owners or elected officials, the challenges are different but the process is the same. We connect people to the research and provide the tools to apply that knowledge. Put another way, we take the research horsepower from our flagship campus and transfer that energy to where the rubber meets the road. That’s good for our state, and it’s good for the university.”
Wilson speaks from experience. He recalls how Cooperative Extension agents from Tuskegee, Alabama A&M and Auburn helped his family make a living as sharecroppers. In Wisconsin, residents rely on Extension educators for information on a wide range of topics, including nutrition, family development, natural resources, community growth and youth programs.
“The value is twofold,” explains Wilson. “Our county-based Cooperative Extension educators are the local face that clients know and trust. Our campus connections ensure that everything we do is built upon a foundation of evidence-based research. We have nothing to sell and no profit motive, just reliable facts from top-shelf researchers.”
Research at UW–Madison supports the work of Cooperative Extension faculty and staff members in 72 county offices and three tribal nations. One of Wilson’s top priorities is to help state leaders understand how these statewide networks support economic development.
“A knowledge-based economy is emerging, along with a new emphasis on regional economic development. New bio-based sectors and other ‘cluster industries’ represent a major evolutionary step for Wisconsin, but only if we’re ready to seize the opportunity,” says Wilson. “We can do more to stimulate demand for educated workers and attract companies to employ them. At the same time, we must enroll and graduate tomorrow’s workforce.”
The effort to increase Wisconsin’s pool of college-educated workers involves collaboration between the UW Colleges and UW–Madison through the UW–Madison Connections program. This partnership lets students begin their education at one of the smaller two-year campuses, then complete their degrees at the Madison campus.
During their freshman and sophomore years, students in the Connections program benefit from smaller classes, personal interaction with the faculty and lower tuition. Later, at UW–Madison, they enroll in upper-level classes within their degree program. This alleviates a significant problem at UW–Madison, where the number of incoming freshmen can strain available space and funding for core courses.
“Whether they use the Madison Connections program or similar pathways to another four-year UW campus, our students are well-prepared for the journey,” Wilson explains. “Looking at the data, we can see that transfer students who start at the UW Colleges complete their bachelor’s degrees at a higher rate compared to transfers from other campuses.”
Wilson believes that creating new job opportunities for these graduates will require a continued focus on technology transfer and entrepreneurship, involving both county- and campus-based resources.
“Small businesses are the biggest source of new jobs, but those entrepreneurs require the right kind of support to get from the startup to long-term viability and growth,” says Wilson. “There is great potential for synergy among our Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), the county Extension offices, all 26 UW campuses and others with an interest in economic development.”
UW–Madison’s SBDC operates the Business AnswerLine, a toll-free information and referral service for entrepreneurs across the state. All 13 SBDCs, based on the four-year UW System campuses, are now part of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network, a statewide partnership managed by UW-Extension to integrate and coordinate services for emerging businesses.
Wilson asserts that to address the state’s long-term economic needs, the university must also work to enhance the overall social climate.
“We need strong schools, so young people are ready for college. Parents need quality child care and health care to remain productive in the workplace, and high-tech workers demand easy access to arts and culture. If these systems are not in place, people will be drawn to other places where those amenities are readily available,” says Wilson. “In each of these areas, the UW Colleges, UW-Extension and UW–Madison are playing vital roles now, but we must rise to the new challenges.”
Wilson previously served as vice president for university outreach and associate provost at Auburn University in Alabama, where he led the integration of extension functions from Auburn and Alabama A&M universities.
For more information, visit http://www.uwex.edu or http://www.uwc.edu.