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Doctoral student ��. AI-enhanced artwork featured on chancellor ��. seasonal greeting card

giffeyt — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Doctoral student ��. AI-enhanced artwork featured on chancellor ��. seasonal greeting cardgiffeyt January 8, 2026

Like her artwork, educator ��. dissertation explores using AI to supplement student creativity

For more than 125 years, University of Wisconsin-Stout ��. stately Bowman Hall and its distinctive clock tower have served as landmarks for the campus and the community.

This holiday season, they provided artistic inspiration for a doctoral student who designed an annual greeting card sent by �� Chancellor Katherine Frank to hundreds of recipients. The image — created with a combination of digital tools, including an artificial intelligence assistant — shows the familiar campus building reimagined as a glowing 3D blueprint.

Desiah Melby / Contributed photo

“I wanted the design to capture both my student experience and the character of ��,” explained Desiah Melby of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, who is pursuing an Ed.D. in career and technical education leadership. “My mind went to the clock tower — but I wanted to reimagine it to reflect the changes in education right now!”

Among those ongoing changes is the use of AI in higher education, which Melby is examining as part of her doctoral dissertation as well as in her professional career at Mid-State Technical College, which has four central Wisconsin campuses. Melby is a communications instructor at Mid-State, where she teaches courses in writing, literature, workplace communication and technical reporting while also leading institutional initiatives around AI integration in teaching, learning and faculty development.

�� . iconic Bowman Hall in winter.

‘A Blueprint for the Future’

“We are excited about this year ��. design, which shows, through student work, what it means to learn at a polytechnic university,” stated Frank, who sends out the seasonal cards annually. “Desiah ��. design is the result of applied research and learning. What she has produced tells a story about the tangible results of a polytechnic education that have an impact today through the card ��. design and message, and will continue to impact students through the innovative educational experience that Desiah creates in her own classroom well into the future.”

This is the third year that �� students have been invited to submit designs for the chancellor ��. seasonal card. Melby learned about the contest through a campus email, and she pursued the opportunity to connect her current academic pursuit with her personal curiosity and creativity.

“This design reimagines �� . iconic Bowman Hall clock tower as a glowing, holographic blueprint — blending history with innovation,” Melby wrote in an artist ��. statement. “The tower honors the university ��. proud traditions, while the futuristic aesthetic reflects its role as Wisconsin ��. only polytechnic and its forward-facing embrace of technology, creativity and applied learning.”

In addition to the artist ��. statement, the card carried the phrase “A Blueprint for the Future” emblazoned on its front.

Melby ��. creative process integrated both traditional and cutting-edge processes. After sketching an initial concept by hand, she refined the composition using a photograph in Adobe Illustrator. Next, she uploaded the image to Midjourney, a generative AI service, where she used iterative prompting to reach the holographic-style blueprint style she was seeking. From there, Melby brought the image into Photoshop, where she adjusted the color palettes, layout and background until she was satisfied with the result.

“For me, the refinement stage is always the most enjoyable: adjusting compositional balance, nudging elements and reworking details,” she said. “That ��. the ‘play’ part of the process.”

Supporting creativity with technology

A close-up of the image created by doctoral candidate Desiah Melby for the chancellor's annual seasonal card. / Submitted image

Melby completed her M.S. education with an emphasis in curriculum and instructional design at �� in 2023, and soon after decided to pursue her doctorate at �� as well.

“My master ��. experiences left me with a sense that my work wasn’t finished — I knew there were deeper questions I wanted to explore, especially around educational leadership, instructional design and emerging technologies,” Melby said. �� . Ed.D. program was a “perfect fit,” she explained. She is now writing her doctoral dissertation and expects to graduate in May.

“Crucially, the program lets me focus on my professional passions: innovative pedagogy, workforce preparation and the evolving landscape of digital learning,” she said. “It has also informed much of the work I am doing both in my classroom and leading AI in teaching and learning at my college.”

As a full-time faculty member and committee leader at Mid-State, Melby is grateful that �� . online model has allowed her the flexibility to integrate what she ��. learning into her professional life. “Instead of education happening outside of my work, it has genuinely shaped the work I do every day,” she said.

Likewise, both her work in the classroom and her academic interests lie at the intersection of traditional and AI-enhanced methods. “My dissertation examines how integrating AI tools into first-year writing instruction influences student perceptions of writing, confidence and learning,” she said. “I created a curriculum model that integrates AI literacy, workplace use cases and ethics into writing instruction. Instead of replacing critical thinking, I believe that AI can serve as a scaffold — supporting brainstorming, revision and idea development — when students are taught to use it transparently, responsibly and with academic integrity.”

Melby said she is surprised that her design was chosen but is grateful for the opportunity to represent her educational journey at �� in a unique way.

“This project embodies the heart of my dissertation: student learning and creativity supported by technology,” she said. “I used digital tools to extend, not replace, my artistic intent — much like I ask students to use AI to extend their thinking and writing, not bypass it. The design is my practical demonstration of human creativity augmented by thoughtful technological choices, which is exactly the paradigm I believe education must embrace.”

Designer ��. Statement
“This design reimagines �� . iconic Bowman Hall clock tower as a glowing, holographic blueprint — blending history with innovation. The tower honors the university ��. proud traditions, while the futuristic aesthetic reflects Stout ��. role as Wisconsin ��. only polytechnic and its forward-facing embrace of technology, creativity, and applied learning.
“I created this piece in collaboration with an AI design assistant, making the creative process itself a reflection of Stout ��. identity — where human vision and emerging technologies meet. This choice is also deeply connected to my doctoral research, which focuses on how AI can enhance education and workforce readiness. By incorporating AI into my creative process, I extend my scholarly work into the artistic realm.”
Desiah Melby (’22)
Ed.D. Career & Technical Education Leadership Communications Instructor
Mid-State Technical College

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Like her artwork, educator ��. dissertation explores using AI to supplement student creativity Seasonal card 2025 on white background

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Hero Caption: Using a combination of digital tools, Desiah Melby created this image of Bowman Hall that was used in Chancellor Katherine Frank ��. annual seasonal greeting card.

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Two-time �� grad leaves mark as nontraditional student turned college president

giffeyt — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:21:22 +0000

Two-time �� grad leaves mark as nontraditional student turned college presidentgiffeyt October 22, 2025

Mid-State Technical College leader honed skills at ��

Tom Giffey

Shelly Mondeik followed a nontraditional path to becoming a college president – a path that ran through �� and led her to be named one of Wisconsin ��. top female leaders.

Mondeik earned an associate ��. degree after graduating from high school and immediately went to work in the medical field. Over time, she developed her natural affinity as an instructor and mentor and ultimately began to teach at a technical college. As her career progressed, she realized she needed to further her own education.

“When I had my checklist, �� hit all the boxes,” Mondeik said. “They were able to provide the balance that I needed, not only for my family at home but also my work family – all the people that I was supervising.”

Mondeik said she was drawn by �� . strong reputation, as well as a delivery mode that allowed her to take classes on weekends while still having time to fulfill her roles as a mother and spouse with a full-time job. As a student, Mondeik said she benefited from both �� . experienced faculty as well as the cohort model, which helped create synergy among her fellow students. She earned her bachelor's degree in career and technical education in 2006, then forged ahead to earn her master ��. in the same field two years later. “I was so happy with my bachelor education, I thought ‘Why would I go anywhere else?’”

Shelly Mondeik, second from right, speaks to students from Mid-State Technical College, which has four campuses in central Wisconsin. / Submitted photo

The back-to-back �� degrees helped propel Mondeik to become dean of public safety and then vice president for learning at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau before she was named president of Mid-State Technical College in 2017.

The technical college has more than 10,000 students on campuses in Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield and Adams.

“I very much believe that becoming president was because of the education I received at ��,” Mondeik said. “They prepared me well.” In particular, through case studies and role-playing, �� instilled the skills necessary to provide consistent leadership, she said. Furthermore, her experience as an adult learner returning to college in her 30s contributes to the decisions she makes as leader of an institution where many students have also followed nontraditional routes.

Mondeik ��. leadership has attracted attention far beyond Mid-State ��. four central Wisconsin campuses. She was named Central Region 2024 Chief Executive Officer by the Association of Community College Trustees, and for both 2023 and 2024 was listed among the Top 50 Women Leaders of Wisconsin by Women We Admire. The most recent list included a range of female business, education and nonprofit leaders, including fellow �� alum Krista Hoglund, health insurance company executive.

“When I got that recognition,” Mondeik said, “it did make me reflect and I did smile, because it was some validation that I have had a positive impact and people have noticed.”

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Mid-State Technical College leader honed skills at �� Shelly Mondeik speaks at event

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Hero Caption: Shelly Mondeik, who holds two �� degrees, became president of Mid-State Technical College in 2017. / Submitted photo

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School of Education impacts field of teacher education, develops instrument adapted by national colleagues

goersab — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:19:53 +0000

School of Education impacts field of teacher education, develops instrument adapted by national colleagues goersab September 28, 2022

Housed in Heritage Hall, teacher education programs address Wisconsin ��. workforce needs

Abbey Goers

Professors at �� . School of Education have developed an instrument for measuring students’ dispositions, part of the school ��. assessment system for its seven undergraduate teacher education programs.

The disposition committee presented “Professional Dispositions: Development, Validation and Implementation” to colleagues from universities around the country at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education conference in March, in New Orleans.

A disposition is the professional attitudes, values and beliefs of educators, demonstrated through their verbal and nonverbal behaviors as they interact with students, families, colleagues and communities.

Kevin Mason / ��

The committee developed the new disposition instrument to measure education students’ progress as they reach benchmarks within their teaching programs. Students’ dispositions are reviewed by faculty and staff before they begin student teaching.

The committee identified 15 dispositions to be measured that fit under five major categories: collaboration, continuous learning, inclusiveness, professionalism and reflection.

Kevin Mason, special education program director and disposition committee chair, believes it is “absolutely vital for every teacher to be able to collaborate and communicate effectively and respectfully with students and families. Those skills cannot be measured on a standardized exam for teacher licensure.

An early childhood education student works with preschoolers / ��

“At ��, we teach our preservice teachers to work effectively with students and families in our courses and through a variety of field experiences in the classroom. We want our graduates to be great with kids and contribute positively to their school and community,” he said.

After the conference, Mason received several requests from colleagues around the country who wanted more information.

“The attendees were very impressed with the development, validation and implementation of our professional disposition instrument at ��,” Mason said. “Some have adapted it for their own teacher education programs.”

Universities that requested the disposition instrument include:

Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah
College of Education and Human Development, University of Missouri, in Columbia, Mo.
Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, Rhode Island College, in Providence, R.I.
St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind.
Thelma P. Lally School of Education, College of St. Rose, in Albany, N.Y.

Career and technical education students in an APA writing course / ��

Assistant Professor Julienne Cuccio Slichko at the College of St. Rose created self-paced modules for their students to learn about the dispositions. “We are so very grateful to �� . department for getting us started,” she said.

The committee members are Mason; Ann Carlisle, art education; Allison Feller, Child and Family Study Center; Diane Klemme, family and consumer science education; Jim McMullen, school counseling; Chris Peterson, school psychology; and Deb Stanislawski, marketing and business education.

AACTE is a nonprofit national alliance of education programs dedicated to the professional development of pre-K-12 teachers and school leaders, representing more than 800 postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs.

A renovation to support Wisconsin ��. workforce needs

Technology education students in a Mechatronics course / ��

�� . School of Education, housed in Heritage Hall, offers seven undergraduate teaching degrees and five postgraduate teaching degrees, as well as eight education certificates and certifications

SOE is working to fill a statewide need for teachers, as many school districts struggle to fill existing positions. Wisconsin K-12 schools made nearly 3,700 emergency teacher hires in 2020, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

SOE graduates approximately 100 undergraduate students and 25 graduate students each year, with a 99% employment rate within six months of graduating.

Heritage Hall, one of the university ��. busiest classroom and lab buildings, serves more than 2,000 students each academic year. It is also home to the School of Hospitality Leadership, nutrition and family health, and the Weidner Center for residential property management. It will be the future home of four Graduate School programs in clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology and school counseling.

Major renovation of Heritage Hall ranked No. 1 in Chippewa Valley, third for UW System academic buildings

A critical renovation project of one of �� . busiest classroom and lab buildings has taken a major step forward.

A major renovation of the hall received priority approval on Aug. 19, at the UW System Board of Regents meeting held at UW-Green Bay. The project is ranked No. 1 in the Chippewa Valley and third for UW System academic buildings.

The state job outlook for graduates from most of the programs based in the building is expected to grow between 6% and 15% by 2025. The improved capacity provided by the Heritage Hall renovations will help provide qualified Wisconsin workers to address workforce needs.

The Board of Regents’ action means that the renovation will be in the UW System ��. capital request to the Legislature for the 2023-25 state budget. If the $120,614,000 project is included in the state budget, final approval still is needed by the State Building Commission. Construction could begin as early as fall 2025 and will take about 24 months.

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Kevin Mason

Kevin Mason is a Professor of Education and Chair of the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He previously held positions as a chemistry and physics teacher at Chippewa Falls High School and Middleton High School.

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Curriculum Vitae: Kevin Mason CV (198.13 KB)

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Inspiring Graduate: Maria Cruz-Lopez, B.S. Career, Technical Education & Training

polingj — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 18:27:33 +0000

Inspiring Graduate: Maria Cruz-Lopez, B.S. Career, Technical Education & Trainingpolingj December 15, 2021

Graduate's 20 year journey to bachelor's degree enhances career as admissions navigator at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

As a student, Maria Cruz-Lopez has traveled a long and challenging path to becoming a college graduate, from Humacao, Puerto Rico, to Milwaukee to University of Wisconsin-Stout.

On Saturday, Dec. 18, she will celebrate the terminus of that path, covering 2,400 miles and lasting more than two decades, at �� . Johnson Fieldhouse. She proudly will receive a Bachelor of Science degree during one of three commencement ceremonies for 560 graduates.

“Personally, I am proud of the journey and how, when I look back, I see growth. I am not where I was mentally and emotionally when I started my bachelor ��. degree. Stout gave me confidence,” she said.

Maria Cruz-Lopez, a career, technical education and training graduate from ��, is an admissions navigator at Milwaukee Area Technical College. / Contributed photo

Befitting one of the meanings of the word commencement, or to begin, Cruz-Lopez envisions not an end but a transition to a new direction in her life with her degree in career, technical education and training.

The CTET online program, designed for working adults, educates students to teach in the field as well as how to train and retrain adult workers for critical workplace skills.

Cruz-Lopez intends to use her education to help others who face education and career challenges. She is an admissions navigator, serving “the diverse student community” at Milwaukee Area Technical College. She was promoted to the position while working on her degree.

She hopes to continue on her new career path and become a student adviser or career development coach.

“I feel prepared to serve my community in a larger capacity. Before my education at Stout, I was sort of in the shadows. Now I feel confident in taking on larger responsibilities while applying the knowledge acquired through the past few years,” she said.

Associate Professor Matt Simoneau, director of the CTET program, has no doubt that Cruz-Lopez will succeed.

Matt Simoneau, associate professor and CTET program director / Contributed photo

She has been voted by program faculty as the CTET Outstanding Student of the Year.

“Maria has demonstrated tremendous growth and a deep understanding of career and technical education and its impact on students within the PK-12 system,” Simoneau said.

“She has leveraged her education for personal and professional growth at Milwaukee Area Technical College. She is a strong advocate for students and continues to exemplify what a �� graduate can accomplish,” he added.

Cruz-Lopez will be attending the 1 p.m. commencement for the College of Education, Hospitality, Health and Human Sciences with two of her best friends as guests. Her family, including her mother in Milwaukee and father in Puerto Rico, will be watching the livestream of the ceremony, available at the commencement website.

“I am grateful for the support of my family, friends and co-workers who form my support system. They kept me grounded and motivated throughout this journey,” she said.

A 21-year journey

Not knowing any English or having been exposed to any culture other than Puerto Rican, Cruz-Lopez moved to Milwaukee in 2000 at age 21.

She had earned an associate degree in office systems administration from the University of Puerto Rico.

Maria Cruz-Lopez, an online student from Milwaukee, visited �� in 2019 to receive a scholarship. / ��

She started taking English as a second language courses at MATC. The experience led to a part-time job there for five years. Then she worked full time with Aurora Health Care for six years before returning to MATC for a full-time position in 2012.

Around 2015, a �� faculty member — possibly Simoneau — visited MATC to talk about the CTET program, and Cruz-Lopez attended.

“Completing a bachelor ��. degree had been a long-time goal that I had put aside for lack of confidence and resources,” she said.

Finally overcoming her fears, Cruz-Lopez enrolled in the CTET program as a transfer student in 2018, with 12 of her credits transferring.

She had been hesitant to pursue the degree because she was unsure if her level of proficiency in English would be a barrier to learning. “However, that challenge disappeared the moment I started receiving instructors’ feedback and guidance,” she said.

Also, the financial burden she faced was eased greatly when she applied for and received five scholarships through the Stout University Foundation.

Cruz-Lopez cited professors such as Simoneau, Virginia Lea, Daniel Kovach, Debbie Stanislawski, Michael Critchfield and others who “were engaged and provided constructive feedback that made sense. They all left their mark. They were all great.

“The education I received at Stout has opened doors to infinite opportunities,” Cruz-Lopez added. “The possibilities for growth in the workplace are endless. Stout ignited in me the desire to continue learning and developing myself. A Stout education means moving forward and staying on course.”

###

As a student, Maria Cruz-Lopez has traveled a long and challenging path to becoming a college graduate, from Humacao, Puerto Rico, to Milwaukee to ��. Maria Cruz-Lopez 2

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Matthew Simoneau

Matthew Simoneau is the program director for B.S. Career, Technical Education and Training.

Teaching Interests: Principles of Career and Technical Education Instructional Evaluation Performance Analysis Coordination and Supervision of CTE Course Construction Methods of Teaching Postsecondary CTE Curriculum

Research Interests: Effective use of Carl Perkins funds Perceptions of Career and Technical Education Program viability and evaluation Faculty evaluation systems Programs of Study

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Degree: M.S. Career & Technical Education

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Teach Day encourages high school students to explore teaching career

powersp — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 19:24:10 +0000

Teach Day encourages high school students to explore teaching careerpowersp November 22, 2021

Pilot project allows a dozen Wisconsin high schoolers to learn from �� students

About a dozen Wisconsin high school students visited University of Wisconsin-Stout on Nov. 15 to learn how they could impact future generations.

The students came to explore teaching as a career during Teach Day, a university pilot program.

Students from Eau Claire, Prescott, Cameron, Brookfield, Holmen, Slinger, Jefferson and Merrill took part in the daylong event.

“There is a shortage of career and technical education teachers in the country,” said Debbie Stanislawski, professor and program director of marketing and business education. “We wanted junior and senior high school leaders to think about the teaching profession. We wanted to get them on campus, see the programs �� offers and get them excited about a career in teaching.”

�� students shared why they chose the university and their plan to enter the teaching profession in technology education, marketing and business education and family and consumer sciences education.

Students learned how to create a public service announcement to help solve a problem. / �� photo by Chris Cooper

During Teach Day, high school students created storyboards for a public service announcement about the need for CTE teachers and wrote the announcement. They also learned how to write a lesson plan that they could take back to their schools and use to teach a class.

They also had an opportunity to tour campus and learn more about programs at ��.

Teaching: ‘Every day is different’

Riley Seifert, a �� senior technology education major from Cottage Grove, loved being a part of Teach Day. “It ��. something I wish I would have had,” he said. “I think it was a good opportunity to learn.”

Seifert chose teaching as a career because he envisions that every day will be different. “I found education to be a really rewarding field,” he said. “No day is the same and there are new challenges every day.”

Monica Miranda, a �� sophomore majoring in marketing and business education, was excited to be part of Teach Day because she wanted to help answer high school students’ questions about college.

“I love the flexibility of the marketing and business education program,” she said. “You have the opportunity to be a teacher, or if you decide you want to go into business and marketing you have that option. Teaching encourages kids to be the best they can be. You can help shape their future.”

Miranda chose �� because she graduated from Boyceville High School, a smaller school. �� offers a similar atmosphere and many opportunities to get involved in activities.

Faith Leisgang, a first-year marketing and business education major from Black River Falls, felt Teach Day introduced CTE to high school students.

“I think it is important for students to be able to come into the classroom and explore what they will be doing as teachers,” she said.

Leisgang was an assistant dance teacher in her hometown. She fell in love with teaching and helping others grow and progress.

High-demand occupations, with opportunities

Stanislawski attended a conference last year focused on expanding the supply of teachers in high demand areas. There is a shortage of marketing and business, family and consumer sciences, and technology education teachers — the programs that were highlighted during Teach Day.

Students learned how to create a lesson plan they could take back to their school and then teach. / �� photo by Chris Cooper

Stanislawski along with Barbara Bauer, program director and instructor of technology education, and Diane Klemme, professor and program director of family and consumer sciences education, decided to host Teach Day.

“This is a high-demand occupation with a lot of opportunities,” Stanislawski said of teaching.

Bauer said the goal was to give high school students a reason to come on campus and learn more about �� and teaching.

“Our students are our greatest advocates,” Klemme said. “The high school students got a chance to talk to our students and see what life is like on campus.”

Megan Schatz, a Brookfield High School junior, attended Teach Day to help explore a teaching career.

“I have always liked working with my hands, and teaching is something I would love to do,” Schatz said. “Technology education just seems like a natural fit. I thought I would come to learn about what you have to do to get started and the opportunities there are.”

The plan is to hold future Teach Days to help encourage more high school students to consider the career.

Grace Koehler, a senior at Merrill High School, was encouraged to attend Teach Day by her technology education teacher, Jordan Kratz, a �� alum.

Koehler has taken part in a past SkillsUSA competition and toured ��. “I loved it,” she said, noting she enjoyed hearing from �� students about the campus and the programs available.

�� offers a B.S. in CTE, an M.S. in CTE and an Ed.D. in CTE leadership.

About a dozen Wisconsin high school students visited University of Wisconsin-Stout on Nov. 15 to learn how they could impact future generations. teachhero.jpg

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Hero Caption: High school students from throughout Wisconsin visited �� Nov. 15 to learn about careers and opportunities in teaching as part of a pilot program called Teach Day. / Photos by Chris Cooper

Debbie Stanislawski

Debbie Stanislawski is ��'s Program Director for Marketing and Business Education (MBE). In this role, she provides academic advising to all students in the MBE major, leads curriculum development and implementation, and teaches courses on assessment, curriculum design, and instruction. Debbie also oversees clinical experiences for aspiring educators. Additionally, she teaches leadership courses within the doctoral program and mentors graduate students in career and technical education, guiding them through their thesis and dissertation work. Before joining ��, Debbie gained valuable experience teaching middle and high school business in Wisconsin and Illinois. Her time in the PK-12 education system ignited her passion for preparing future educators. Debbie's research interests include instructional technology, particularly in exploring how educators at �� integrate generative AI into their coursework. She is also deeply involved in research focused on the comprehensive preparation of future teachers for their roles in career and technical education. In her free time, Debbie enjoys kayaking, hiking, training hunting dogs, and traveling.

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Degree: Ph.D. Professional Studies

University: Capella University

Degree: M.S. Instructional Technology & Telecommunications

University: Western Illinois University

Degree: B.S. Business Education

University: Winona State University

Degree: Wisconsin Teaching License #250 Business Education (Grades 6-12)

University: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Degree: Wisconsin Teaching License #265 Elementary Keyboarding (Grades PreK-8)

University: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Center partners with school districts to prepare career, tech ed educators for Wisconsin teaching license

goersab — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 14:19:33 +0000

Center partners with school districts to prepare career, tech ed educators for Wisconsin teaching licensegoersab February 18, 2021

Industry professionals who moved into classrooms thanks to 2015 law receive professional development training

Abbey Goers

In 2015, then-Gov. Scott Walker announced a budget provision allowing professionals to receive a teaching license without an education degree as long as they had a bachelor ��. degree and demonstrated proficient knowledge in their field.

While new teachers have been hired under the experience-based license – EBL – program, bringing a new sense of experience to the classroom, it is up to school districts to provide them with the necessary professional development to meet standards for a Wisconsin teaching license. This must be done within a three-year time frame of hire, said Carol Mooney, with the Emerging Center for Career and Technical Education Excellence at ��.

This need to provide new professional development programming presented a challenge for districts and coordinators, including Cheryl Kothe and Chris Neff, CTE coordinators at Kenosha Unified School District and Racine Unified School District.

In summer 2016, Kothe and Neff approached Mooney at �� . annual CTE Summit about offering courses for individuals in their districts who had moved from a career in industry to the classroom.

Carol Mooney, Chris Neff, Instructor Matt Janisin and Cheryl Kothe. Taken at Gateway Technical College in spring 2020, pre-COVID. / Carol Mooney

Kothe has a degree in marketing education and graduated from �� in 1987. She later returned for her Career and Technical Education Coordinator license. Knowing �� . history of preparing CTE teachers, Kothe and Neff wanted to best prepare their districts’ EBL instructors. They asked Mooney to collaborate.

"For many years, �� provided an eight-week summer program for career and technical teachers that delivered the six courses needed for certification,” Mooney said. “We used that as a model for a new EBL program – our CTE Experience-based Licensed Teacher ‘Boot Camp’.”

Five years later, four cohorts have completed the “boot camp,” with 45 EBL teachers from six school districts in eastern and southeastern Wisconsin participating. What started as a partnership between the Emerging Center and the Kenosha and Racine districts has expanded to include the Green Bay Area, Milwaukee Public Schools, West Allis/West Milwaukee and Wisconsin Rapids districts.

The current cohort has 37 attendees, with 14 participants from Kenosha, Racine, West Allis/West Milwaukee and Wisconsin Rapids; 12 participants from Milwaukee Public Schools; and 15 participants from Green Bay.

“The demand for CTE teachers is high, not just in Wisconsin but throughout the country. For people who would like to serve in a role where they can guide, introduce and influence career development, it ��. a great profession,” said Mooney, project manager for the Kenosha Racine CTE EBL.

CTE Experience-based Licensed Teacher ‘Boot Camp’

The “boot camp” seminars are held over a two-year period and are designed to help EBL teachers become effective CTE teachers as they earn their licenses.

“The experience is multidimensional,” Mooney said. “Attendees work with peers in a cohort. They develop core values and a cohort name, they learn and work together, all connected in a common core of CTE disciplines.”

Cheryl Kothe, CTE coordinator at Kenosha Unified School District / Cheryl Kothe

Mooney, Kothe and Neff develop each cohort ��. sequence of courses based on a priority of need. A typical schedule includes four two-day seminars, which provide instruction in areas such as Special Education and Classroom Management; Instructional Methods and Lesson Planning; Evaluation and Assessment; and CTE Foundations. This is “must know” curriculum content, Mooney said.

Courses are supplemented with pre- and post-seminar activities based on overall CTE foundations, including work-based learning and career and technical student organization advisement. Courses are instructed by faculty, directors and administrators from ��, Gateway Technical College in Kenosha and Racine and collaborating school districts.

Charlene Smith, a technology education teacher at Tremper High School in Kenosha, was a member of the first “boot camp” cohort. She attended from 2017 to 2019 during her second and third year of teaching. Smith has her bachelor ��. in architectural engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering and was a design engineer working in fire protection prior to teaching.

Initially, she was asked by Gateway Technical College to teach a few classes because other instructors were overloaded.

“Even though it was one course each semester, I found that I really enjoyed teaching,” she said. “What inspires me is instilling inspiration in my students to create and design. I love when students experience the ‘ah-ha’ moment, where the material or concept clicks and makes sense to them.”

The “boot camp” provided Smith with teaching philosophies and gave her “background on the teacher lingo – education has acronyms for everything,” she said.

“Teaching – and teaching well – requires a lot of dedication,” Smith added. “Unfortunately, even with five years of teaching experience in my current position, I feel that there are teachers who do not look at EBL teachers as equals. I fear there will always be that stigma.”

Carol Mooney, project manager for the Kenosha Racine CTE EBL / Carol Mooney

The boot camp followed a hybrid model in past years, with Gateway campuses serving as neutral delivery sites. However, in 2020, classes were held entirely online with synchronous and asynchronous models.

Mooney thought the online classes worked well within the COVID-19 environment, but she plans to return to face-to-face instruction and activities when it is again safe.

Plans for the 2021-22 online programming are underway and will be scheduled this spring. School districts contract with �� through the Emerging Center for Career and Technical Education Excellence. Attendees are identified by their CTE coordinators. There is no open enrollment.

An attendee ��. next step to receiving their Wisconsin teaching license is to work with their CTE coordinators and human resources to submit their professional license application to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Attendees also have the option to enroll in a graduate-level course through ��.

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�� prepares CTE teachers for K-12 school districts through its undergraduate education degrees in family and consumer sciences, marketing and business education and technology education and offers a full complement of career and technical education programs.

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Nationwide teacher shortage inspires new recruiting and retention methods

goersab — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:03:22 +0000

Nationwide teacher shortage inspires new recruiting and retention methodsgoersab January 21, 2021

Thorn, local marketing and business education teacher, thinks administrative support can make all the difference

Abbey Goers

Last June, �� . Emerging Center for Career and Technical Education Excellence held its fifth annual CTE Summit.

The summit, held virtually, provided career and technical educators with valuable information about recruitment and retention as the nation faces a shortage of teachers.

David DeGuire, director of teacher education, professional development and licensing at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, noted that 40% of teachers leave the profession in their first five years. At the summit, he estimated that one in five were not planning to return to teaching last fall because of COVID-19.

Debbie Stanislawski / ��

“The demand for teachers continues to outpace the number of graduates each year,” said Debbie Stanislawski, professor and program director of marketing and business education. “School districts continue to share that they are moving the hiring process earlier in the school year to be able to beat out their competition for getting the best teachers.”

The summit included a panel of teachers who discussed what recruitment methods work best for them and shared their experiences as CTE teachers.

Teachers need support

Kathleen Thorn, a business education teacher at Colfax Middle and High School, was a member of the panel.

Thorn is in her second year of teaching. She graduated from �� in 2016 with her degree in business administration and earned her second bachelor ��. in marketing and business education in 2019.

Kathleen Thorn in her classroom at Colfax Middle and High School / Kathleen Thorn

Her greatest joy is being in the classroom. “I love being goofy with my students and talking with them about what has been going on in their world, asking them questions about themselves and their interests. One of my greatest strengths is creating connections with students.”

But for many, the joy of teaching is not enough. Moving from her college career to her teaching career, Thorn, like everyone, still needs a support system. As schools across the country build new teacher recruitment methods and strengthen retention practices, Thorn feels having supportive administration can make all the difference.

She is thankful for the administrative staff at Colfax, including Principal John Dachel, who gives “feedback on observations, is supportive when I am unsure of disciplinary actions and has even encouraged staff to take mental health days if they need it.”

Thorn began her MBE at �� in the online program. So when she needed to adapt her teaching to COVID-19, creating an online model in spring 2020 and a hybrid model last fall, she emulated her professors’ approach.

Colfax administration held professional development opportunities for teachers to make the necessary possible changes to adapt their classrooms to COVID-19, including training on Google Classroom features and capabilities; and implementing provided cameras and headsets to better engage virtual students at home, Thorn said.

The Colfax district also has a mentor program to help new teachers connect with co-workers.

Kathleen Thorn teaching in her classroom / Kathleen Thorn

“The mentorship program at Colfax is wonderful. My mentor Jennifer Steinke has been incredibly supportive, both professionally and personally. Having good relationships with co-workers is all the more reason for teachers to stay at their schools,” Thorn said.

She enjoys working with teaching assistants and student teachers to show her students that marketing and business education might be a great career to pursue. Last fall, Thorn worked with a prestudent teacher from �� . MBE program.

“It ��. fun to see the next generation of teachers develop their skills in the classroom,” Thorn said.

Stanislawski believes in the importance of recruiting young people into the field of teaching. “We need to continue to prepare entrepreneurial marketing and business teachers to meet the needs of our communities, schools and learners,” she said, adding, “�� prepares graduates who can plan, implement and evaluate instruction with their learners at the heart of their decisions.”

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Speaker: Collective impact leads to community change

powersp — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:46:27 +0000

Speaker: Collective impact leads to community changepowersp June 25, 2019

CTE Summit on campus included panel discussion on the subject

Sylvia Cheuy equates collective impact to that of growing a bamboo tree.

The first few years the tree develops a root system so that when mature it can grow many feet in a matter of days.

Cheuy is a consulting director of the Tamarack Institute, a consulting group from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, that helps organizations and citizens equip themselves to make lasting change in their communities.

She was the keynote speaker at the Career and Technical Education Summit held June 20-21 at University of Wisconsin-Stout. The fourth annual summit was created because �� recognized that workforce development and career and technical education needs to be viewed through a wide community lens and through the engagement of many partners.

Collective impact is a cross-sector approach to solving complex social and environmental issues on a large scale.

For success in collective impact, there needs to be a common agenda with continuous communication, and those involved must be willing to collaborate over a long-term commitment, Cheuy said.

“It starts to happen when we all have a say and role to make the goal happen,” Cheuy said.

A panel consisting of groups showing collective impact spoke as part of the summit.

Panelists included Karen Katz, operations lead of the Wisconsin Office of Children ��. Mental Health; Stacy Eslick, executive director of Reach Higher Wisconsin; Chelsea Powell, deputy director of Higher Expectations in Racine County; Andrea Gabel, director of Sector Strategy Development with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp; KT Gallagher, Dunn County Health Department director; and Cristy Linse, director of the Initiative to Create the �� Center for the Study and Promotion of Health and Wellbeing.

The initiative at �� started about 11 months ago, Linse said. She has had more than 100 cups of coffee as she talks with people and meets stakeholders about the initiative. “Communication is really listening to people,” she said.

The goal of the center is to establish partnerships that increase opportunities for students to engage in applied learning and research and to develop relationships that promote the accessibility and visibility of �� academic programs to the community.

“We have many specialists on our campus, and we want to make sure the community has access to them,” Linse said.

“We always have a next step in our project,” Linse said. “We work together toward that.”

Keeping momentum going is a challenge for collective impact, Cheuy said, noting that working together as a connected force can create community change.

Her company embraces the words of Margaret Wheatley, a writer and management consultant. “All change, even very large and powerful change, starts from very small conversations held among people who care,” Wheatley has said.

UW Stout offers a Bachelor of Science in career, technical education and training, a master ��. and doctorate degree in career and technical education. The university also has an Emerging Center for Career and Technical Education Excellence, whose mission is to offer programs and services to support and promote career and technical education in partnership with educational institutions, government agencies, business and industry, other nonprofits and professional associations.

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Photos

Sylvia Cheuy talks about the collective impact to make lasting change in communities during the �� Career and Technical Education Summit.

A panel discussion took place on collective impact. Panelist Cristy Linse, at right, director of the Initiative to Create the �� Center for the Study and Promotion of Health and Wellbeing addresses the summit.

Panelists speak on collective impact around Wisconsin.

Sylvia Cheuy equates collective impact to that of growing a bamboo tree. sylviaweb.jpg

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Hero Caption: Sylvia Cheuy talks about the collective impact to make lasting change in communities during the �� Career and Technical Education Summit.

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State education executive, an alumna, to be featured Feb. 26

polingj — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 20:12:18 +0000

State education executive, an alumna, to be featured Feb. 26polingj February 20, 2019

Baird to speak for Career and Technical Education Executive in Residence

An alumna who works for the state Department of Public Instruction is the 2019 Career and Technical Education Executive in Residence at ��.

Sara Baird, assistant director for the DPI ��. career and technical education division, will speak from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in room 110 of Jarvis Hall Science Wing. Admission is free.

As part of the CTE Executive in Residence program, Baird also will meet with students, faculty and staff throughout the day.

Baird has two degrees from ��, a bachelor ��. in marketing and business education in 1997 and a master ��. in training and development in 2008.

She will address:

How to expose youth to high need, high skill and high wage occupations
How to meet the future of work within an ever-changing, social, technological and political environment

“Sara is passionate and significantly involved in driving the initiatives across PK-12 academic and career fields through her position at DPI,” said Professor Urs Haltinner, director of �� . CTE doctoral program. “She works to help students see how their innate talent and learning passion intersect with career options.”

Baird taught marketing education for 10 years in southeastern Wisconsin before joining DPI in 2006 in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. She also has worked at DPI as a Career Pathways consultant.

Along with honoring graduates who contribute to the advancement of the field, the CTE Executive in Residence program helps expand “the vision of contributing to the business and industry supply chain of graduates who possess the skills, knowledge and aptitudes to meet the current, near future and futures of work that have yet to be envisioned,” Haltinner said.

�� . bachelor ��., master ��. and doctoral CTE academic programs are outgrowths of one of the university ��. first majors, industrial education, dating to the early 1900s. The CTE master ��. program has been offered for 75 years, since the Graduate School opened in 1935. �� began offering a doctorate in CTE in 2013, the university ��. first doctoral program.

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Sara Baird

An alumna who works for the state Department of Public Instruction is the 2019 Career and Technical Education Executive in Residence at ��. Sara Baird

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Graduate Q&A: Terry Hanley

polingj — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 22:20:49 +0000

Graduate Q&A: Terry Hanleypolingj January 7, 2019

'My adviser ... went above and beyond to remove any obstacles that could have derailed my progress'

Following is a Q&A with one of the 763 students who received a diploma Dec. 15 at ��

Hometown: St. Kitts and Nevis
Major: Career, technical education and training (online)
Awards, honors: Cum Laude

Why did you choose ��? I was looking for a university where I could further my education in career and technical education because I have been working at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College in the Technical Division for over 20 years and I would like to contribute to the upgrading of our programs to competency-based programs. After reading what the CTET program entailed, I knew this was the right place.

What are the biggest obstacles you faced in earning your degree? It was (as an online student) getting the notes. This may sound simple, but there was the time when some courses used hard copy books and not e-text. After having been able to have the notes be copied and emailed to me, one instructor said that doing so would breach copyright laws, so already starting the course late now I had to wait for a textbook. Without these books, you would not be successful.

What stands out among your college experiences? The willingness of some instructors to really do whatever it takes to help students learn, as according to Steven Brookfield. Living in the Caribbean I don’t have a lot of the resources that are readily available in the United States, and many of my instructors presented alternatives and were patient with the inherent delays. My adviser, Matt Simoneau, helped to make this experience more than just gaining knowledge; he went above and beyond to remove any obstacles that could have derailed my progress. Had it not been this time of the year (snow), I would have traveled to Wisconsin so that my family could meet him in person. I don’t think that it is just for me or because it is his job that he does what he does. I believe that he genuinely cares and wants others to be successful in life.

What ��. next? Be a proud Wisconsin alumni and use the knowledge, skills and experience to promote the university. Become actively involved in the college program development of programs, courses and lecturers. Apply Steven Brookfield ��. five important pillars of a successful teacher.

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Following is a Q&A with one of the 763 students who received a diploma Dec. 15 at �� Terry Hanley

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