With a new strategic plan, three building projects and a strong commitment to campus climate, University of Wisconsin-Platteville has the opportunity to transform its three campuses, Chancellor Dennis J. Shields said Tuesday in his annual State of the University address.
“We face challenges ahead, but by working on the intentional priorities we began years ago, by being proactive, by seeking out opportunities and by working together, we can continue to thrive and continue to provide world-class education that is still affordable and accessible to our students,” he told a crowd of university faculty and staff and community leaders. The address was also streamed across campus and the branch campuses in Baraboo and Richland Center.
The 2019-24 new strategic plan will be based on five themes:
- Academic experience
- Student success (recruitment and retention through graduation)
- Campus climate
- Fiscal planning
- Community and corporate partnerships
“Our best opportunity to transform our campuses comes from the strategic plan,” Chancellor Shields said.
The chancellor said enrollment is the number one challenge facing the university, as the number of high school students nationwide, but especially in the upper Midwest, has declined. UW-Platteville’s fall enrollment was 7,170 undergraduate students and 809 graduate students. More aggressive, intentional marketing efforts have begun, such as a new “P” logo and brand, updated website and social media marketing efforts.
“We know we have a great educational experience to tell prospective students of all types in a more consistent and powerful way, setting us up for many years of success,” he said.
Also playing key roles for future success will be expanded opportunities at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County and UW-Platteville Richland. Additional programs are being developed and could be announced soon, the chancellor said.
On the main campus, the three building projects total $93 million in improvements. The $15 million Williams Fieldhouse addition, which features three full-length courts, expanded fitness areas and a turf multi-purpose field, opened last month. The $23 million Boebel Hall renovations, currently planned with a stunning atrium that allows for more student collaboration spaces, will begin in late summer or early fall. The $55 million Sesquicentennial Hall will be built next to Engineering Hall, giving the university a first-class engineering corridor, Chancellor Shields said. Construction on the three-story structure, which will feature more lab and maker space rooms, a green roof and – like in Boebel Hall – open space for student collaborations, will begin in 2020.
The chancellor discussed the importance of making UW-Platteville a learning community that is welcoming for all. He pointed out that 25 incidents of bias were reported in the fall, with the majority targeting race and ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender.
“We cannot be passive bystanders in the face of injustice to any one of us,” Chancellor Shields said. “We must speak up individually and collectively, and we must have educational processes that help us deal with these challenges.”
The chancellor, who showed the audience racist letters he has received as examples, talked about the development of the department of Campus Climate to support training and awareness programming. He also encouraged people to attend the Diversity 101 trainings or Intergroup Dialogues.
“I share this to acknowledge and encourage those who are very aware of these issues,” he said. “We care about your experiences; we support you; and we are committed in the work of transforming our campus.”