UW–Madison Research Drives Recommendations for Enhanced Leadership Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2022

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

UW–MADISON RESEARCH DRIVES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCED LEADERSHIP EDUCATION

MADISON – University of Wisconsin–Madison team members collaborated for months with a common goal: determine how to further strengthen leadership education at UW–Madison.

Leadership advocates from across campus convened to facilitate UW–Madison’s participation in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), an international research program focused on understanding how higher education can help students develop leadership skills.

Through the study, the group aimed to learn how the University can help prepare students to thrive in a changing society and an evolving global economy through the development of leadership skills.

The group provided a survey on leadership to UW–Madison undergraduate students and doctor of pharmacy students. About 5,000 students completed the survey, giving the group insight into students’ attainment of leadership skills, their access to leadership education and their experiences with leadership.

An MSL coalition of UW–Madison administrators, faculty and staff members then formed to interpret the results of the survey in collaboration with survey and data analysis experts.

Key findings from the survey included but are not limited to:

• UW–Madison students are in line with other universities’ students in acquiring leadership skills.
• UW–Madison students are gaining leadership skills at a level consistent with students in previous years.
• Students’ involvement in community service, organizations, student groups, mentoring and leadership training increased their leadership skills acquisition
• Demographics were generally not a factor in student opportunities for involvement in the above activities and usually not a factor in the acquisition of leadership skills, with the exceptions of international student status and GPA.

From these and other findings, the coalition developed the following recommendations to improve leadership education at UW–Madison:

• Identify benchmarks that allow UW–Madison to determine student success relative to peer institutions and to previous UW–Madison students
• Establish infrastructure, such as programming and staffing, that supports leadership skills development best practices
• Expand leadership research and assessment.
• Develop and/or connect complementary classroom and out-of-classroom learning programs
• Encourage both classroom and out-of-classroom leadership learning programs based in leadership theories
• Incorporate learning opportunities into the UW–Madison experience that are strongly associated with leadership skills-building in impact learning environments and work experiences

“UW–Madison is committed to preparing the next generation of leaders to make a positive impact in the world,” said Mark Kueppers, director of the Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI). “The Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership provides critical data to improve leadership programming in and out of the classroom.”

Current leadership opportunities for UW–Madison students include coursework offered by multiple schools and colleges as well as co-curricular opportunities that include but are not limited to more than 900 registered student organizations, hundreds of on-campus student employment positions, intramural sports, volunteer opportunities, learning opportunities through the Willis L. Jones Leadership Center, the Leadership Certificate Program, adventure-based team-building workshops through Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs), and leadership skills development through the students-run Student Leadership Program (SLP).

The CfLI team will help establish working groups to address these recommendations and work across campus to make data-driven leadership education enhancements. In addition, UW–Madison staff, faculty and students can contact CfLI at cfli@studentlife.wisc.edu for leadership consultative support.

The CfLI team encourages staff, faculty and student leaders to review the MSL report, reach out with any questions they may have about leadership development, and to use the results to inform leadership education. The team also encourages current students to explore some of the existing leadership opportunities on campus here.

The MSL study effort included facilitation leadership from Kueppers and Greg Harrington, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin­–Madison and chair of the Pieper Family Foundation Endowment for Servant Leadership; administrative support from CfLI staff; and data analysis support from the UW–Madison Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement.

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About the Center for Leadership and Involvement

The Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) assists University of Wisconsin–Madison students in intentionally connecting with the far-ranging leadership opportunities throughout campus, including student organizations. The Center supports students in making meaning of their leadership experiences and in developing leadership capacity and the ability to affect positive change. Learn more about CfLI at cfli.wisc.edu.

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/msl-2021.

Kraus-Anderson, EUA Architects: Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County completes funding for new hospital

DARLINGTON, Wis. – (April 2022) – Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (MHLC) has completed the financing to build a new $55.5 million facility, which also will include space for behavioral health and mindfulness sessions.

The funds include a $30.87 million revenue bond and $15 million general obligation bond in direct loans from the USDA, and a $5 million guaranteed loan, all of which will be paid for by the proceeds of the hospital.  In addition, MHLC was awarded a $1 million Emergency Rural Health Care Grant.

“The USDA has been wonderful to work with during this process and we are so thankful that such programs are available,” said Kathy Kuepers, MHLC CEO.  “These funds ensure our community has access to quality health care for years to come.

As a critical access hospital, the current facility has served the greater community and provided a full range of acute care inpatient and outpatient services since 1952.  Easily accessible access to quality health care will be the core of the design for the 75,000-square-foot replacement facility.

The construction manager is Kraus-Anderson and the architect is EUA Architects.

Construction on the new hospital is expected to begin in February of 2023 and completed by the summer of 2024. The current facility will be in operation during construction.

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EUA Architects hired to design new Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County

DARLINGTON, Wis. – (March 2022) – The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors has hired the Madison office of EUA Architects to design Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (MHLC), a new 75,000-square-foot facility that also will include space for behavioral health and mindfulness sessions. EUA is 115-year-old firm specializing in workplace, healthcare, learning living, science + technology, industrial and community environments.

As a critical access hospital, the current facility has served the greater community and provided a full range of acute care inpatient and outpatient services since 1952.  Easily accessible access to quality health care will be the core of the design for the replacement facility. The project’s cost and design details will be finalized in the coming weeks.

The construction manager is Kraus-Anderson, one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers  which has been leading the charge in sustainable design and construction for the last 25 years. With deep experience in healthcare construction, Kraus-Anderson is currently ranked 16th in the nation among the top health care general contractors in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in February of 2023 and completed by the summer of 2024. The current facility will be in operation during construction.

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Gail Shore
Shore to Shore Communications, Inc.
Public relations management and consulting since 1989
(612) 770-4106 cell
gshore@winternet.com    

Capitol Bank: Wendy Jirsa Elected President of Verona Area Chamber of Commerce

Madison, WI: Wendy Jirsa, Vice President / Verona Bank Manager, has been elected to serve as President of the Verona Area Chamber of Commerce. The three-year term began in January 2022 and will allow Wendy to serve in this role until December 2024. Wendy has been with Capitol Bank since 2009 and her efforts helped Capitol Bank to become Verona’s largest bank by deposits in 2019 and 2020. Wendy has a wealth of experience in personal and business banking, in addition to serving as a mortgage lender alongside Howard Cagle at Capitol Bank Verona.

In addition to Wendy’s involvement with the Verona Chamber, she currently serves as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Visionaries of the Year Team Chair and was the LLS Woman of the Year in 2019. Wendy also serves on the board for BOSS (Building Opportunities for Student Success) as secretary and treasurer.

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally-owned and operated since 1995, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Dane County area. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank
is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender. Wendy Jirsa NMLS #1264271. Howard Cagle NMLS #593729.

Contact: Natalie Gregerson
AVP / Marketing
Capitol Bank
710 N. High Point Road
Madison, Wisconsin 53717
608.836.1616

Members approve partnership between Dane County Credit Union and Heartland Credit Union

MADISON, WI (March 3, 2022) – Members of Dane County Credit Union (DCCU) voted in favor of joining forces with Heartland Credit Union (HCU). The official legal merger took place on March 1, 2022.

Discussions began mid-year in 2021, with both boards unanimously supporting the partnership of the two organizations to bring added value and increased benefits to both memberships. Dane County Credit Union members gave their consent by an overwhelming majority who voted in support of the merger.

The combined credit union will operate under the Heartland Credit Union name and will hold approximately $617 million in assets, serving more than 36,500 members throughout 28 counties in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. The headquarters will be Heartland Credit Union’s High Crossing Boulevard office on the east side of Madison, and will be led by HCU CEO, Sally Dischler. DCCU President/CEO, Shay Santos, will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer.

“As the financial services landscape constantly evolves, we sought to create greater value for our members, our employees and the communities we both serve,” said Shay Santos, President and CEO of Dane County Credit Union. “The partnership with Heartland Credit Union is a great fit as both organizations have shared commitments to those we serve. We are very excited that as a combined credit union, we will be stronger, allowing more opportunities to support our local communities, provide more resources to help members achieve financial success, and give staff more opportunities for personal development and growth.”

Sally Dischler, CEO of Heartland Credit Union said, “We are thrilled to welcome our friends at Dane County Credit Union into Heartland Credit Union. Our sole purpose is to positively contribute to our member-owner’s social and economic well-being, and our united resources will give us the ability to deliver an enhanced experience to both memberships.”

Members of both credit unions will have access to their combined 11 branches, including a new location slated to open this year in Oregon, Wisconsin. DCCU members will continue to conduct business as usual without changes to their accounts until October 2022 when DCCU will be integrating their software platform systems with HCU’s.

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About HCU and DCCU

Heartland Credit Union, with $400 million in assets was formed in 1936 and serves 21,500 members. Dane County Credit Union, with $217 million in assets was formed in 1935 and serves 15,000 members. To learn more, visit www.heartlandcu.org or www.dccu.us.