Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The human resources program at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will soon benefit from a generous donation made by the Keller Foundation, Ltd. UW-Platteville has been chosen as the pilot site for the J.J. Keller Human Resource Management Study Laboratory. The purpose of this lab is to supplement classroom education and provide students with real, on-the-job situations that they will face in their future careers.

The total initial gift from the firm exceeds $17,000, which includes training, equipment, HR products, release time and a student's salary (a student will act as lab coordinator). Each following year, an additional $7,000 will be supplied for the student's salary and upgraded lab materials. Training materials have already been selected for this year, including resources dealing with diversity, harassment and workplace violence and a computerized system to facilitate compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act. The company's recently released online environment, Prospera(r), will also be available to students to use and become familiar with before they leave college.

The Prospera(r) Development Team describes Prospera(r) as "the first and only complete set of people management tools with an emphasis on why and how human resource functions are conducted." It has tools that aids in planning, staffing, development, reviewing and providing compensation, in addition to another "toolbox" of informative and interactive tools. Duane Ford, dean of the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture, explained that the J.J. Keller Human Resource Management Study Laboratory will actually be the university's second J.J. Keller supported lab. He said, "They are also very generously supporting the J.J. Keller Safety Lab in Russell Hall. I am so pleased about our relationship with the Keller Foundation. The foundation has made a difference with regard to the quality of our offerings in safety and will now do the same for our human resources program." Janis Bowers, sales promotion planner for J.J. Keller, explained that the success of the first lab at UW-Platteville made the university an easy choice for a second lab. "The UW-Platteville Safety and Compliance Lab has been a continued success since its launch in 2002, so choosing to work with Platteville to 'pioneer' the HR Study Lab concept was an obvious decision. The university has a strong emphasis on curriculum that mixes theory and practical experience; those are the ingredients for a successful business/education partnership," said Bowers.

The location of the lab has not yet been determined, but spaces in the library are being considered. The lab will be open for the 2006 fall semester and the dedication ceremony will be held sometime during Homecoming week. That same weekend, J.J. Keller and Associates will be honored with a Friend of the College award during the College of BILSA banquet. Marge Karsten, primary coordinator for the project, will receive release time from her regular load of teaching to analyze how best to incorporate the lab and its materials into the curriculum. Karsten is excited about the opportunities the lab will give UWP students. She said, "The J.J. Keller lab will give students a chance to familiarize themselves with comprehensive human resource software while they are still in school. This provides a great opportunity for experiential learning and should help UW-Platteville students be even more competitive in the job market when they graduate."

J.J. Keller and Associates, Inc., of Neenah, employs 1,100 associates and is a leading specialized publisher and services provider. Founded in 1953, the company offers a wide spectrum of ready-made and custom safety and regulatory compliance products to customers throughout North America. Keller helps customers in industries such as construction, utilities, manufacturing, transportation and food processing comply with DOT, OSHA, EPA, DOL, FDA and USDA requirements. The company's diverse product line includes technical publications, computer software, training programs, online management tools, specialized forms, and supplies. J.J. Keller also provides safety consulting, on-site training and a variety of transportation services, including licensing, permitting, fuel tax reporting, driver log auditing and driver qualification file management. More information about J.J. Keller can be found at the website athttp:// www.jjkeller.com To learn more about Prospera(r), interested persons may visit the website atwww.prospera.com

Contact: Derek Dachelet, director of major gifts, (608) 342-1969, dachelet@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Kate McKinney, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,mckinnka@uwplatt.edu