Outreach specialist welcomes community to campus

Sometimes you will find her standing behind a red-covered table at the Farmer’s Market on the Square.

Other days, you might hear her answering questions in lightning-paced Spanish about attending UW–Madison at Madison’s Juneteenth Celebration, Africa Fest and Fiesta Hispaña.

On Monday evenings she carries a cart packed with educational resources to the South Madison Branch Library. She is the Division of Continuing Studies’ community representative, and her name is Ileana Rodríguez, a senior outreach specialist in the Adult and Student Services Center.

As a former UW–Madison student coming to Wisconsin from a different culture, Rodríguez relates well to students from diverse backgrounds. Originally from Puerto Rico, she grew up in a coffee town speaking only Spanish. While a student here she met her husband, Raj, a native of Singapore. Now 22 years later, she happily has made Madison her home base, and their home a multicultural one, which they share with their two young children, Sofia and Alfonso.

In her role as an outreach specialist, Rodríquez’s bilingual-bicultural experiences, as well as her understanding of diverse issues affecting students of color on campus, make her a treasured resource.

Besides community events and the library, Rodríguez visits public agencies and private companies to discuss educational and career development options. In her outreach work, she meets with adults in the community who may be changing careers or going back to school.

“This includes adults displaced from area companies that have recently downsized, as well as adults opting to go back to school to continue their education, enhance their career portfolio or prepare for and enroll in graduate school,” Rodríguez explains.

Rodríguez’s on-wheels “office” exemplifies the Wisconsin Idea. Her cart is crammed with information about undergraduate and graduate programs, financial assistance, child care resources and career planning materials, says Christina Wagner, librarian at the South Madison Branch Library.

“Ileana puts a friendly face on what is sometimes perceived as an impersonal and impenetrable institution,” Wagner says. “She makes sure that people know that they won’t be left alone to ‘sink or swim’ at UW–Madison — that there is plenty of help available — and she tells them how to access it.”

People learn about Rodríguez’s outreach work through a variety of sources, including posters, Web sites, public service announcements and, most importantly, word of mouth.

“Every week, library customers see her familiar, smiling face and the red-and-white UW–Madison table laden with information about the university, and they observe people from all walks of life talking with her,” Wagner says. “It helps them to feel comfortable to approach her and ask questions.”

Recently, a woman who had only one semester of college 20 years ago read about the evening service that Rodríguez provides. “She was so excited that she could come to her neighborhood library, where she felt comfortable, at a convenient time, to learn about opportunities at the UW,” says Rodríguez.

Another favorite facet of Rodríguez’s position is coordinating and attending educational fairs at area employers such as American Family Insurance, Covance and Viasys-Nicolet Biomedical. She enjoys working closely with human resource staff at businesses to help recruit professionals to further their education. At these fairs, employees can also learn about continuing education opportunities and tuition reimbursement programs available through their employers, she says.

Some of the programs she hears the most about are the evening credit programs, the evening MBA, engineering, nursing, law and bioinformatics, among others. “The continuing education courses offered through the Division of Continuing Studies also are quite popular, as they provide community adults with a wide variety of options and certificate programs,” she says.

Rodríquez finds working for UW–Madison fulfilling. She has been affected both personally and professionally by many of her experiences. She especially recalls “the personal growth and insights I gained through participating in campus diversity forums such as the Excellence Through Diversity Institute initiatives and the Leadership Institute.”

Rodríguez has used her finely developed leadership skills in many ways. She is one of the co-founding members of the Southern Wisconsin Association of Continuing Higher Education, which includes educational institutions such as Edgewood College, UW-Platteville, Cardinal Stritch University and Madison Area Technical College. “Partnering with this close-knit group has been wonderful; our association has also made it much easier to refer clients to the schools that work best for them,” she says.

Rodríguez has written grants through UW-Extension’s Diversity Program Development Initiative to co-sponsor professional development workshops with Centro Hispaño and Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Through the 10 years she has been in her position, Rodríguez has been a vital link to many aspects of the community. She has worked on committees with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Public Health Department, the Wisconsin Women of Color Network and the South Madison Health and Family Center.

“Our work strengthens university and community relations,” she says. “The key to the success of our outreach efforts is access to information and flexibility — planning outreach sessions during lunch time at government buildings or in the evening at the libraries.”

When one considers Rodríguez’s experience as a former student who cracked cultural barriers on campus, her long-time involvement in the city’s community and her everyday commitment to blend many cultures into an American lifestyle, one can see why her dedication is appreciated by so many, especially by those in the community who are contemplating joining the ranks of UW–Madison students.