Much of the city was without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel. At the Inner Harbor, Pratt Street was a virtual river. Closed to vehicular traffic, cyclists pedaled through the submerged street with the water up to the top of their tires. The flooding subsided just in time for the opening of the PMI event at the Baltimore Convention Center. Tony Munos (Project Management coordinator), Joanne Wilson (faculty member in Project Management and Engineering), and Darla Banfi (marketing coordinator for UWP distance learning) presented a distance education exhibit at the convention center on September 20-23, 2003. The three utilized the opportunity to promote the unique features of the online Project Management program, as well as all distance programs offered by UW-Platteville.

Tony Munos with current UWP Project Management student Gregory Seiler

The PMI Global Congress provides UW-Platteville a formidable arena in which to make UWP's pioneering efforts in distance education known. A record-breaking 3,000 attendees, and more than 700 vendors, guests, and presenters, converged for this premiere conference. The UWP representatives had the opportunity to speak to current and prospective students, interact with businesses and agencies seeking opportunities for their employees, and discuss with a wide variety of individuals possible educational partnerships with UW-Platteville.

The global congress also gave the UWP team an opportunity to speak directly with PMI representatives. The team got an update on the progress with UWP's PMI accreditation process, talked with various colleges and institutions regarding developing transfer agreements, and met potential faculty candidates interested in teaching online.

The team also utilized opportunities to view demonstrations by other vendors of the latest project management products, software, and techniques. The UWP contingent also had the opportunity to discuss project management initiatives with attendees, with an eye to maintaining the relevance of and enhancing the content in UWP's project management curriculum.

Tony Munos, Joanne Wilson, Darla Banfi, and Ginger Levin

A special highlight of the conference for the UWP team was having Ginger Levin, a current instructor in the Project Management program, join them at the UWP exhibit. Levin, who lives in Florida, served as a presenter at this conference before going on to present at Oslo, Norway. Prospective and current students sought her out, and her enthusiasm for the quality of the UWP program bubbled over. She also had a display in the exhibit hall of books on project management that she has authored.

Next October, UW-Platteville will attend the PMI 2004 Global Congress in Anaheim, California, for another outstanding opportunity to meet many students, faculty, and partners.