OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – Leaders from the University of Wisconsin System stopped in Oshkosh Tuesday to promote the state’s colleges to the local community.
The All in Wisconsin events are being held at UW System campuses around the state to demonstrate the value the universities bring to Wisconsin communities. UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt says the relationship is vital for both sides.
Leavitt says “the community itself is an extension of the classroom. When we do internships, we put hundreds of students into the community. Volunteerism, we put thousands of students into the community. Good community relations is something that is very important for both the community and the university.”
He points out that internships and volunteerism within the community are even built-in to the curriculum.
Leavitt was joined by UW System President Ray Cross and Board of Regents President Andrew Petersen during the event. They met with local business and community leaders to learn about the partnerships being fostered around the area.
Leavitt was excited about the turnout, saying “we had about twenty businesses that were at the morning session. We had a student panel of students who had been on internships in the community speak about the impact the businesses had on them and certainly the impact they had on the businesses. Everybody in the room was agreeing that we need to figure out how to do more of this.”
Recent mergers within the UW-System are also expanding the reach for the impact universities can have on communities around the state.
Leavitt says those connections simply continue to grow because “we have a very strong relationship, and it’s certainly being driven these days by our joining with the Fox Cities and Fond du Lac campuses. So we’re actually adding to the community that we support.”
The Oshkosh campus visit was the fifth in a series of stops that are a part of All in Wisconsin events held at UW System campuses this fall.
