(Published Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:08:45 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Frank Schultz fschultz@gazetteextra.com
One of the state's biggest producers of schoolteachers is looking to extend its reach beyond the physical limits of Whitewater. Its first effort is aimed at UW-Rock County.
That makes sense, officials said, because one of the most popular majors at the two-year campus in Janesville is education. And many UW-Rock education majors finish their degrees at the teacher producer up the road, UW-Whitewater.
The details still are being worked out for UW-W to take its first step: offering a new course at UW-Rock in the spring 2008 semester.
Jeffrey Barnett, dean of UW-W's College of Education, said he is optimistic that bureaucratic hurdles can be overcome.
Steady progress is being made on the construction of the new Allen Hall at UW-Rock County. The curved section will house the library.
Bill Olmsted/Gazette Staff
UW-Rock Dean Diane Pillard said the new course probably will be offered in the late afternoon or early evening, to appeal to students with job or family commitments.
A night class also would avoid the problem of finding space during the day on the crowded UW-Rock campus, Pillard said.
Construction of UW-Rock's new Allen Hall and related expansion work now going on are intended to solve the space crunch in years to come.
Barnett said it's unlikely UW-W would ever offer a complete bachelor's degree in education entirely at the Janesville campus, but he sees UW-W eventually offering a "fifth semester" of teacher courses, to follow the four semesters now typical of UW-Rock students.
Pillard is even more optimistic, talking of a third year at UW-Rock for teaching majors.
The two story lower lobby of Allen Hall will be partially lit from above via skylights. The building will house the campus library as well as classrooms and offices.
Bill Olmsted/Gazette Staff
Pillard said UW-Rock probably could offer enough classes to give teaching students a minor in Spanish or science.
However it works out, adding courses at UW-Rock would make it easier for older students to get a start on their teaching degrees before transferring to UW-W or another four-year institution, Barnett said.
"It's a lot easier if it's in your own backyard, and it's the same education," Pillard agreed.
UW-W and UW-Rock are working with the Beloit and Janesville school districts. They plan to survey the districts' employees to gauge interest.
"Both Janesville and Beloit told me they have people in their school districts who they know would take advantage of this," Pillard said. "They might be support staff, teaching aides or clerical. We don't know because we haven't surveyed anyone yet."
Another argument for the plan is that officials have noticed some students who begin their studies in Janesville but never complete a degree. Perhaps the thought of leaving Janesville is daunting.
"We don't think of Whitewater as the big time in terms of a big city, but I think that U-Rock students are perhaps a little intimidated … even though we're only 30 miles down the road," Barnett said.
The hope is that by offering more opportunities to further a teaching degree in Janesville, students would be more willing to transfer for a shorter time to UW-W.
UW-W is seeking approval from the UW Board of Regents to create a new teaching position in its college of education. The professor's job would be to provide courses at UW-Rock and elsewhere. Madison Area Technical College and UW-Waukesha are also being considered, Barnett said.
The regents are interested in smooth transitions from one institution to another, so this plan fits that goal, Barnett said.
UW-Rock has for many years offered three courses that lead to a teaching degree. The one planned for this spring, Tests and Measurements, is a required course for UW-W education majors.
"It's one more required course on the U-Rock campus, and we're kind of excited about this," Barnett said.
"I really think this is the wave of the future," Barnett said. "I think we will be doing more of this kind of thing, you know, offering courses on other campuses."
UW-Rock's greatest hits
The most popular majors indicated by UW-Rock County students:
-- 2005-06-business, 95; education, 58; communication and theatre arts, 55.
-- 2006-07-business, 118; education, 72; communication and theatre arts, 66.
-- Full data for this year is not yet available, but a survey of 173 of the 293 incoming freshmen showed education and business as the top majors, tied at 22.
UW-Rock's bachelor's degrees
UW-Rock already allows students to earn bachelor's degrees through the following institutions without ever leaving Janesville.
-- UW-Platteville: electrical engineering.
-- UW-Whitewater: liberal studies.
-- UW-Milwaukee: three degrees-organizational administration, communication and information resources.
