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UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
Prepared for the AQIP Quality Checkup Visit, May 2007
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
The University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) is one reporting to one of the Deans, lead new program
of the 13 publicly supported universities in the Uni- development across the institution. Program directors
versity of Wisconsin System. The UW System desig- are supported by advisory committees and a campus-
nates UW-Stout as a special mission institution, forged wide Planning and Review Committee to assure newly
from the heritage of its founder, Senator James Huff developed program proposals are consistent with the
Stout, a Wisconsin industrialist. Stout believed that mission and strengthen the curriculum. This focused
people needed advanced education to prepare them for set of programs guides students in their career choices
America’s developing industrial society. To implement and enhances their job opportunities upon graduation.
his vision, Mr. Stout founded a private institution called Graduate placement rates reinforce the value of this
the Stout Manual Training School in 1891. In 1911, focused approach to program offerings.
the training school became a public institution named
Stout Institute and received teacher-training accredita- UW-Stout Mission Statement
tion in 1928 with programs centered on industrial arts University of Wisconsin-Stout, as a special mission institution, serves
and home economics. In 1932, Stout was accredited as a unique role in the University of Wisconsin System. UW-Stout is
a college and received Master’s degree accreditation in characterized by a distinctive array of programs leading to professional
1948. In 1971, UW-Stout became part of the UW Sys- careers focused on the needs of society. These programs are presented
through an approach to learning which involves combining theory,
tem when a State of Wisconsin law combined its two practice, and experimentation. Extending this special mission into the
public university systems under one Board of Regents. future requires that instruction, research, and public service programs be
adapted and modified as the needs of society change.
Today, UW-Stout’s 8,416 students are enrolled in
undergraduate and graduate programs in the College UW-Stout Vision Statement
of Human Development; the College of Technology, UW-Stout, a respected innovator in higher education, educates students
Engineering and Management; the College of Arts and to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens in a diverse and changing
world through experiences inside and outside the classroom that join the
Sciences; or the School of Education. UW-Stout offers general and the specialized, the theoretical and the practical, in applied
a distinctive array of 30 undergraduate and 18 graduate programs leading to successful careers in industry, commerce, education,
degree programs which, taken as a whole, are unique and human services.
in the country. UW-Stout offers the smallest number
of undergraduate programs within the UW System. UW-Stout Values
Approximately half of these programs are offered at no • Excellence in teaching within high quality, student-centered undergradu-
other campus in the UW System, and several are unique ate and graduate education involving active learning
in the nation. Even degree programs appearing to be
and appropriate technology
• Scholarship and research within
similar to programs elsewhere are unique in the extent applied knowledge and general education
of applied focus. UW-Stout’s programs are delivered on • Collaborative relationships with business, industry,
campus and to audiences around the world via distance education, community and government
learning technologies • Growth and development of students, faculty and staff
through active participation in a university community
Mission, Vision, Values and Academic Programs • Diversity of people, ideas and experiences
This distinctiveness as an academic institution comes • Active involvement in shared governance, consensus-building, teamwork,
from a strong focus on programs supporting UW- open and effective communication, and respectful, ethical behavior
Stout’s mission, vision and values and strong em- Mission, Vision and Values Statements
ployer relationship processes to keep programs current
with fast-changing technology and market dynamics. Quality Journey
Towards that end, UW-Stout emphasizes an integrated In 1996, UW-Stout was a campus in crisis. The institu-
approach to learning that engages students in both tion was in the midst of a series of budget reductions;
theoretical and practical aspects of their disciplines. communication, trust and employee morale were at ex-
Classroom instruction is reinforced with extensive tremely low levels. At the height of the crisis, Chancel-
technology laboratories and experiential learning. These lor Charles W. Sorensen, received a formal vote of “no
methods are complemented by UW-Stout’s digital confidence” from the faculty and staff. He immediately
learning environment that includes a student laptop began rebuilding the campus through a series of trans-
program, wireless network, specialized software and formation changes in leadership, strategic planning,
mediated classrooms. communication with internal and external stakeholders
and information technology, thus laying the ground-
UW-Stout is also unique in its approach to program work for UW-Stout’s quality improvement program.
management. Program directors, faculty members
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
1n 1996 and 1997, the campus implemented a new rigorous process that includes a 50-page application and
system of shared leadership that includes faculty, staff, all finalists receive a site visit conducted by a team of
students and administrators as members of the senior highly trained Baldrige examiners. A detailed feedback
leadership team. A new participatory strategic plan- report, containing both strengths and opportunities for
ning process was launched; this process integrated the improvement, is provided to each applicant
campus planning and budget processes. All of the com-
puting units on campus were combined under a chief UW-Stout’s key strengths, as noted by the Baldrige
information officer and the campus began implementing examiners, include shared leadership, a comprehensive
its first ERP system. Each year, the campus collected process for strategic planning and priority identifica-
data on needs, expectations and satisfaction levels from tion, high levels of student and stakeholder satisfaction,
students, faculty, staff, alumni and employers. Early re- effective use of information and measurement systems,
sults of these improvements were impressive and were and effective systems for the design, implementation
shared widely with internal and external stakeholders. and improvement of academic programs and sup-
One of these stakeholders, a Stout Foundation Board port services. UW-Stout continues to use the Baldrige
member, introduced the Baldrige criteria to UW-Stout criteria for internal assessment and continuous improve-
and the senior leadership team made the decision to ap- ment. Each year, the results section of the Baldrige
ply the criteria in an effort to conduct a formal assess- application is updated and reviewed by the Chancellor’s
ment of the institution and formalize the institution’s Advisory Council and the Strategic Planning Group as
quality improvement program. part of the annual planning and priority identification
process.
Adoption of the Baldrige Criteria
1998, UW-Stout took performance improvement to the As a past award recipient, the UW-Stout leadership team
next level by applying the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria continues to be involved in Baldrige outreach activi-
for Performance Excellence in Education. An initial ties, including speaking, consulting, writing and hosting
Baldrige application was submitted in 1999 and the educational institutions from around the globe. The
university used the feedback from the examiner’s report Chancellor and other members of the senior leadership
to improve many areas including complaint manage- team have given national and international presenta-
ment and comparative data. A second Baldrige applica- tions on application of the Baldrige criteria. The Provost
tion was submitted in 2000 and UW-Stout became the serves as a judge for two state quality awards programs
first educational institution to receive a Baldrige site and as the lead instructor for the American Society for
visit. The feedback from the report and site visit led to Quality’s course on Baldrige in Higher Education. The
additional improvements, and by 2001, UW-Stout was senior leadership team authored a book on quality im-
able to demonstrate national leadership in a number of provement in higher education and UW-Stout has been
areas including active learning, graduate job placement featured in several higher education publications includ-
and employer satisfaction with graduates. A third Bal- ing The Presidency, University Business, Quality Digest
drige application was submitted in the fall of 2001 and and the Journal of Innovative Management.
UW-Stout became the first post-secondary institution to
receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. AQIP Involvement
In March 2002, the award was presented to Chancellor UW-Stout’s participation in the Academic Quality
Sorensen and the senior leadership team by President Improvement Program (AQIP) reflects an ongoing com-
George W. Bush in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. mitment to applying continuous improvement processes
to higher education and to organizational learning and
To achieve award recipient status, educational institu- development. At UW-Stout, the AQIP accreditation
tions have to possess significant strengths and national process works in conjunction with the strategic plan-
role model characteristics in six key areas including ning and priority identification process and provides an
leadership; strategic planning; student and stakeholder improvement framework that focuses on achievement
focus; faculty and staff focus; measurement, analysis of established goals and objectives.
and knowledge management; and educational and sup-
port process management. Award-winning institutions In 2002, UW-Stout joined AQIP and representatives
must also demonstrate continued positive results in six from the campus participated in the institution’s first
related areas including student learning outcomes; stu- Strategy Forum. The Chancellor’s Advisory Council
dent and stakeholder satisfaction; financial outcomes; serves as the AQIP Steering Committee and numer-
human resources; social responsibility; and organiza- ous administrators, faculty and staff members have
tional effectiveness. Recipients are selected through a been involved in AQIP initiatives. In 2002, UW-Stout
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
launched its first three Action Projects. These projects The four current action projects, established in February
were identified through the university’s strategic plan- 2007, include:
ning and priority identification process:
Improving the Effectiveness of Internal Communication
Graduate Education The goal of this project is to address concerns expressed by faculty and
The primary goal of this project was to increase the number of graduate staff relative to internal communication. This project is aligned with the
students enrolled at UW-Stout. This was accomplished by developing new university’s enduring goals and the AQIP criteria for leading and communi-
graduate programs, increasing enrollments and retention rates in existing cating. Completing this project will serve as a concrete action to improve
programs and increasing the number of courses and programs that are UW-Stout’s Quality Program.
delivered in non-traditional formats. Improving the quality of services
provided to graduate students was also part of this action project. Polytechnic Initiative
The goal of this action project is to shape and communicate UW-Stout’s
Leadership Development polytechnic identity and to develop an effective brand around this
The goal of this project was to increase the number of individuals who are designation. The action steps associated with this project include the
interested and prepared to assume leadership positions within UW-Stout, deployment of an internal communication team to share updates with
including program directors, department chairs, unit directors and leader- the campus, the establishment of a Polytechnic Steering Committee and
ship positions in faculty and staff governance. the creation of an Integrated Marketing Committee. This project is also
focused on strengthening UW-Stout’s Quality Program
Assessment of Student Learning and the e-Scholar Program
Preparing Students for a Global Society and Workforce
The goals of this project were to develop an overall assessment frame-
work for the campus and to improve the methods by which student learn- The goal of this project is to better prepare UW-Stout graduates for a
ing outcomes are measured in major programs, the general education global society. The following action steps will be taken: 1) Determine
program and through the e-Scholar program. intercultural competencies of a global-ready graduate, 2) Incorporate
global perspectives into experiential learning opportunities, including
co-ops, internships and field experiences, 3) Increase awareness of and
access to study abroad opportunities for all students and faculty, and
These action projects were completed and retired in 4) Increase “internationalization at home” and diversity at a distance
2004. In January, 2005, the campus began work on two through existing technology.
new action projects:
Reaching New Markets and Providing New Programs
First Year Experience The goal of this action project is to reach new markets and provide new
academic programs. The action steps associated with this project are
The goal of this project was to design and implement a comprehensive
1) Develop a campus-wide plan for outreach, distance learning and
first year experience program and create a freshman learning community
online learning. 2) Assess, coordinate and implement student support
that is supported by faculty, student services, housing and residence life.
services for online programs for both on and off campus learners. And,
This project built on existing programs and services for new students and
3) Redesign selected courses using the academic transformation model
included initiatives to enrich the educational experience and to assist
(Twigg model).
students in making a successful transition to UW-Stout.
Expanding and Updating the Academic Program Array
Institutional Strengths
Over the past decade, Baldrige examiners, AQIP
The goal of this project was to expand and update the existing array of
academic programs in order to make the programs more attractive to
students and employers. The project included updating existing programs, reviewers and members of discipline-specific accredita-
developing new undergraduate and graduate programs and developing tion teams have noted the following strengths relative
collaborative programs with technical colleges. to the UW-Stout Quality Program. In some cases,
other higher education institutions have adopted these
processes and practices; others have been cited as “best
The campus made considerable progress on both of practices” by higher education experts and publications.
these projects and retired them in late 2006. Although Each of these strengths is a core element in UW-Stout’s
there had always been a close relationship between the Quality Program.
university’s annual priorities and the identified AQIP
Action Projects, the campus made a decision to totally Focused Mission UW-Stout has remained focused on its
integrate the two processes after attending their second unique mission within the University of Wisconsin
AQIP Strategy Forum in January 2007. It is believed System to provide applied educational offerings lead-
that total integration of university priorities and AQIP ing to careers that address the needs of employers and
Action Projects will allow the campus to sharpen its fo- society. All key processes, including strategic planning,
cus on quality improvement, simplify tracking/reporting program development, and teaching and learning con-
and enhance campus understanding of both the strategic tinue to be guided by this special mission. For example,
planning and AQIP processes. UW-Stout is a leader in applied learning as evidenced
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
by its laboratory-intensive curriculum, digital learn- measure the success of action plans, implementation
ing environment and experiential learning programs. of a bottom-up process for priority identification, an
UW-Stout has led its University of Wisconsin peers in expansion of the membership and role of the strategic
lab instruction for juniors and seniors for the past five planning group, and the development of a more system-
years and nearly all students graduate with related work atic method for identifying and following up on action
experience. Graduate job placement has been above 95 plan gaps as the planning process continues to evolve.
percent for more than a decade and employer satisfac- Further, goal setting is now based more on comparisons
tion with graduates is consistently close to 100 percent. to best academic institutions rather than just striving for
incremental improvement.
Shared Leadership Led by Chancellor Charles W. So-
rensen, the UW-Stout administration is responsible to Listening to Students and Stakeholders Quality program
meet the goals set by the Board of Regents; manage examiners have noted that UW-Stout utilizes a variety
the planning and operational functions; interact with of well-deployed comprehensive methods for listening
students and stakeholders; and manage academic, ad- to students throughout their academic careers, and to
ministrative and support services. State statutes require the university’s primary stakeholder groups, includ-
the formation of additional decision-making functions ing alumni, employers and technical colleges. These
called “Shared Governance” within the faculty, aca- listening approaches help to identify program needs,
demic staff and students. This means that, in addition enrollment trends, employment trends and to create a
to the Chancellor, these groups have primary respon- supportive climate for students. UW-Stout continues
sibility for the formation, development, and review to systematically gather information on student and
of policies concerning their functions. UW-Stout has stakeholder needs and requirements using a combina-
three governance bodies: (1) Faculty Senate, (2) Senate tion of surveys, focus groups and other specialized
of Academic Staff, and (3) Stout Student Association. assessments. Each year the campus participates in the
The concept of shared governance provides for equal National Survey of Student Engagement and the ACT
representation in the decision-making process, but com- Student Satisfaction Survey. Parents, alumni, employ-
plicates the organizational structure and inhibits rapid ers and board members also participate in specialized
decision-making. Recognizing these issues, UW-Stout surveys and follow-up studies.
created an innovative new leadership system in the
Chancellor’s Advisory Council. Student and stakeholder surveys are also conducted as
part of the academic program and support service unit
This nationally recognized leadership system encourag- review processes. As part of this information gathering,
es responsive two-way communication, and flattens the the campus has placed a great deal more emphasis on
organization structure through broad involvement of all gathering comparative data from within UW System
governance bodies. The Chancellor’s Advisory Council and from national higher education sources, seeking
is the core of the leadership system. It meets bi-weekly, information from the best performing academic institu-
and involves university leaders from administration, tions. The information gathered from these listening ap-
faculty, support services, Stout Student Association, proaches, performance comparisons, and benchmarking
and the Stout Foundation. These members of the senior drives the design of new programs and services as well
leadership team provide the communication conduit as the improvement of current programs and services.
to and from their respective groups, resulting in strong Feedback from alumni, employers and feeder schools is
communication linkages and participatory decision- used to develop and sustain key partnerships to enhance
making. the university’s ability to deliver programs and expand
services beyond the campus boundaries.
Strategic Planning UW-Stout has created a comprehen-
sive, collaborative and iterative strategic planning Key Student Requirements
process for developing and implementing long-term Career-oriented academic programs
goals, short-term objectives and action plans. The Quality instruction (active learning, technology integration)
process is highly participative and is driven by fact-
Effective student support services
based information on student and stakeholder require-
ments. The process is linked to the resource allocation Employment and/or career growth opportunities
process ensuring that funding is available to accomplish Safe and supportive campus environment
action plans. Over the past five years, several refine- Key Student Requirements
ments have been made to the original planning process
including the refinement of performance indicators to
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
Information Management and the Digital Learning Environment of the classroom through the use of technology.
At UW-Stout, information is communicated widely via Key performance indicators include (1) increased
a number of channels including email, newsletters, re- levels of student engagement, (2) increased ratings
ports and the campus website and portal. UW-Stout also of e-Scholar learning measures, and (3) growth in
provides broad access to data through its ERP system. distance education offerings.
Authorized faculty and staff users access the system for
performance data as well as financial, human resource
. Promote excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and
and student information. Nearly all administrative, busi-
service. The campus promotes and facilitates re-
ness and student support services are provided online.
search and developmental opportunities to attract,
retain, and develop UW-Stout’s faculty and staff.
At UW-Stout technology is used extensively in the
Even though UW-Stout is primarily a teaching
formal instructional context. One of UW-Stout’s endur-
university, its objective is to be a leader among the
ing goals is active learning, and the university became
UW System comprehensives in federal grants. Key
a wireless laptop campus in 2002. UW-Stout also pro-
indicators of success include (1) federal research
vides students with extensive laboratories that contain
dollars awarded and (2) number of submitted
state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Currently,
grants and contracts.
the campus has more than 80 multimedia classrooms
and extensive distance education capabilities. UW-Stout
currently leads the UW comprehensive institutions in . Recruit and retain a diverse university population. To sup-
the number of distance learning courses and the number port the increasing requirement for students to op-
of web-enhanced and online courses continues to in- erate effectively in a globally diverse environment,
crease each year. UW-Stout deploys initiatives to retain and graduate
all student groups. Key success indicators include
Future Challenges (1) freshman retention rate, (2) graduation success
Guided by its vision, values, and mission, UW-Stout’s and (3) ensuring that UW-Stout is affordable for
objective is to be the school of choice for the 21st students from all backgrounds.
century. To achieve this objective, campus direction
is guided by seven enduring goals with specific action . Foster a collegial, trusting, and tolerant environment. The
plans deployed through its annual budget planning pro- challenge in achieving this goal is to make shared
cess involving the entire campus. This process enables governance effective by integrating the Faculty
UW-Stout to respond to its strategic challenges with Senate, the Senate of Academic Staff and the Stout
constancy of purpose and consistency of actions, avoid- Student Association in planning and decision-mak-
ing year-to-year major shifts in direction. ing processes. Faculty, staff and students are also
UW-Stout’s strategic challenges and goals are: involved in numerous committees that directly
influence academic programs, support processes
. Offer high-quality, challenging academic programs that influ- and the campus environment. Success indicators
ence and respond to a changing society. include (1) faculty/staff morale, (2) student reten-
UW-Stout’s challenge is to keep its programs tion and (3) student satisfaction.
continually updated. Strong stakeholder contact
processes are employed to keep current on chang- . Provide safe, accessible, effective, efficient, and inviting
ing requirements. These relationship processes are physical facilities. UW-Stout implements effective
complemented by performance indicators including capital and budget planning processes and innova-
(1) curriculum renewal, (2) employer assessment of tive methods of funding new technology plans to
graduate skills and 3) job placement success. continually improve its physical facilities in an en-
vironment of constant budgetary challenges. At this
. Preserve and enhance educational processes through the time, UW System has authorized the building of a
application of active learning principles. Hands-on, minds- new science complex that will provide UW-Stout
on student learning capabilities have differentiated faculty, staff and students with state-of-the-art
UW-Stout in the marketplace. The challenge in classrooms and laboratories in biology, chemistry
maintaining this reputation is to continue to lead in and physics. Key success indicators are (1) student
the percent of instruction provided in laboratories, satisfaction with the college environment (class-
to increase the number of experiential learning rooms and laboratories) and (2) safety and security.
opportunities and to engage students in and out
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
. Provide responsive, efficient, and cost-effective (educational
support) programs and services.
UW-Stout must continuously improve and refine
internal capabilities to (a) strengthen its attraction
as a leading academic institution, (b) optimize
its support programs and services to best meet
the needs of its students and stakeholders, and
(c) ensure that budget priorities are allocated to
instruction. In order to achieve this goal, UW-Stout
systematically evaluates its support process effec-
tiveness and efficiency as described in Category 2.
Key success indicators include (1) student satisfac-
tion in programs and services and (2) energy use.
UW-Stout’s Quality Program Summary
