Elsewhere

Elsewhere is a quick summary of news from the UW System and its campuses.

Eau Claire: Job outlook bright
More employers are recruiting UW-Eau Claire students for internships and full-time jobs despite the sagging economy, the Career Services staff says.

“The number of employers contacting our office is up 37 percent from a year ago,” says Jeanne Skoug, Career Services director. The increase comes at a time when schools across the country are reporting dramatic decreases in campus recruitment activity and a national survey found employers plan to hire 20 percent fewer university graduates this year than last year.

“Given the economy, employers are being careful to make the right hire. They have confidence in our students and graduates so they’re seeking them out,” Skoug says.

Employers recruiting UW-Eau Claire students range from small regional organizations to large international businesses, says Sharon Becker, career and employment coordinator.

Stevens Point: New programs
The Faculty Senate at UW-Stevens Point has approved two new options in natural resources — watershed administration, and soils and land management.

Watershed administration, an option in the water resources major, emphasizes basic science and water resources as well as skills in communication, planning and administration. The land management option will be attractive to students who don’t foresee graduate school, but desire more comprehensive courses in soil and land management.

UWM: Remedial work reduced
An initiative launched last summer at UW-Milwaukee is reducing the number of incoming freshmen whose placement scores put them in non-credit math courses.

Created by mathematical science professors Richard O’Malley and Eric Key, the Mathematics Placement Enhancement Program enables new freshmen to brush up on math skills before taking the placement test but without spending time on skills they already know.

PEP consists of one-on-one faculty support plus a computer review program called ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces), which contains an artificial intelligence component that customizes the material to the abilities of the individual student.

Of the students who were enrolled in the program last summer and took the placement exam a second time, 53 percent placed higher on the exam than the first time without the tutorial.

Whitewater: Security class grows in popularity
We live in a more vigilant world since Sept. 11, where the word “security” has taken on new meaning. It’s one big reason why enrollment in the Introduction to Security course at UW-Whitewater has doubled since last fall.

People have more awareness regarding security since Sept. 11, contends course instructor Robert Lepkowski, a former law enforcement officer who now works as security manager for Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee. The security industry is being accepted as a more integral part of the whole business picture, he says. The course is offered through the occupational and environmental safety and health department. About a third of the students are safety majors. All will learn about home, retail and industrial security systems. Workplace violence, security law and security technology will also be covered.

“As an elective, this has become a very popular course,” says safety department chair Alvaro Taveira. “There is a clear shortage of safety professionals. In addition, students’ personal concerns have increased.”