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Partnerships to be recognized

June 3, 2002

The university is honoring a dozen partnerships between the university and local communities for their innovative approaches to education and community service over the last year.

The partnerships will be recognized at the Sixth Annual University and Community Partnerships reception at Olin House, 130 N. Prospect Ave., Wednesday, June 12, 5 -7 p.m.

Chancellor John Wiley will recognize individuals behind 12 different civic improvement projects in which university employees and students partner with local community leaders.

The 12 projects represent a cross-section of hundreds of similar partnerships that exist on the UW–Madison campus. The programs cover a range of areas, including legal and medical assistance, and several programs meant to educate Wisconsin school children. About 140 invited guests are expected for the event.

“The 12 programs being honored exemplify the Wisconsin Idea,” says LaMarr Billups, special assistant to the chancellor for community relations. “These programs are shining examples of this institution’s ability to enrich the lives of people living in the Madison community and, for that matter, the entire state of Wisconsin.” The university-community partnerships being recognized include:

  • Science Is Fun, a partnership with the Madison Metropolitan School District, which provides a series of professional development and science enrichment opportunities for Dane County middle and high school students.
  • The Center for Excellence in Long-term Care, a partnership between the Center for Delivery Systems Development and the UW–Madison School of Nursing, which utilizes research to develop practical applications that lead to greater access to and quality of care for people with chronic conditions and functional limitations.
  • The Students as Neighbors Initiative, which promotes engagement among college students living off campus by increasing their involvement in neighborhood life.
  • Political Science 201: Citizens, Democracy and Difference, which is a course that causes students to reflect upon what it means to be a citizen in the contemporary United States by giving hands-on experience in field service and other activities in the Madison area.
  • Afro-American Studies 151: Introduction to Contemporary Afro-American Society, which is a course where students analyze the social forces and trends that influence the quality of life for all Americans using course material and working with local service agencies.
  • The College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, which is an integral part of the outreach and community partnership initiatives in the College of Engineering, including a program that engages middle school students in science and engineering explorations.
  • Kids in the Crossroads/On Stage!, a partnership between the Madison Civic Center, the Bolz Center for Arts Administration and graduate students that introduces 15,000 children each year to local and regional artists.
  • Madison-area Urban Ministry Community Dialogue Forums, a series of forums often involving UW–Madison faculty and students that focus on topics like preventing violence and promoting a more peaceful, restorative community for children.
  • Community Service Day, a partnership between the Law School and Student Bar Association that sends as many as 330 students into the community to work on a wide-range of projects for non-profit organizations.
  • Neighborhood Law Project, a clinical education program at the Law School through which students provide legal services, information and education to residents of Madison’s South Side neighborhoods.
  • Meriter Hospital Pregnancy and Infant Loss Project, a partnership with textile and apparel design majors meant to help grieving parents cope with their losses by providing hard-to-find garments made to fit deceased babies ranging in size from one to seven pounds.
  • Technology and the Arts, a pre-college program that invites 325 students in grades five through eight to campus to integrate technology and the arts with exploration in the areas if architecture, performance, visual arts, computer design and music.