UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Initiatives

Strategic Plan Initiatives: 2018-2019

  • Bilingual Education Certification Curriculum - In an effort to meet the teacher demand in Wisconsin and increase the skill set of UW-River Falls graduates, this proposal would add two courses to the curriculum so that students majoring or minoring in TESOL Education could add the Bilingual Education Certification to their ESL teaching license.  Adding the Bilingual Education Certification would also require students to pass a language proficiency exam before student teaching.
  • Development of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate Program - This initiative will allow the development and implementation of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) certificate program in CEPS.  Twelve credits of coursework will be offered within the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.  Completion of the coursework will result in a transcripted certificate. The goal is to better prepare our students to work with children and adults with ASD in school, community and employment settings. The program will be offered to undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students university-wide.
  • UWRF Summit on International Education and Development - This weeklong series of events in mid-November 2018 would be aimed specifically at celebrating UWRF's successes in Goal 2, Global Education and Engagement, while also serving as a launching pad for actions that confirm our ongoing commitment to the values expressed by this goal.  Envisioned as a high visibility, campus-wide series of initiatives, the Summit would help cement the position of UW-River Falls as a leader in education abroad and demonstrate the "payoff" of the past five years' efforts to rpovide more international opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.  The event would bring positive awareness and attention to UWRF, supporting recruitment while also strengthening our relationships with key external stakeholders.  Finally, the event would enhance charitable support, especially dedicated to study abroad scholarships.  
  • Workshop in General Chemistry - The Workshop in General Chemistry initiative will allow the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology to develop / pilot a chemistry placement system that screens students for college/chemistry readiness.  College readiness is assessed through ACT and high school class rank. Chemistry readiness is assessed through a placement exam.  At-risk students are required to enroll in a 1-credit chemistry workshop that is associated with the lecture course and taught by the lecture instructor.  The workshop will lead to the increased student success and progression at UWRF. (withdrew on 9/10/18)
  • Development of a new academic program/major in International Food Business - This initiative will provide for faculty reassigned time and basic travel costs associated with the development and initiation of a new academic program in International Food Business. This unique program will require agreement on curriculum and other requirements with the international partners and appropriate shepherding through UWRF, UW System and HLC approval processes. Work with international partners and the various approvals will be the primary activities for the faculty member's reassigned time. This program will be a collaboration (dual degree) with Aeres University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and with a potential launch in Fall 2019 for the first UWRF cohort. It will involve a full year of study for UWRF students in the Netherlands and similarly a full year of study by Dutch students here. By its very nature the program will provide an opportunity for students to obtain a degree in an increasingly relevant field and have significant international engagement in the process. Targets are set at 25+ students for each freshmen cohort, with 85+ students total in the program after four years. The program will involve working with industry partners to provide funding to support students' international experiences. 
  • STEM Colloquium Series - A 5-session industry or academia specialist-led colloquium series to introduce students, faculty and alumni to emerging research and workforce trends in STEM disciplines, with an emphasis on the new UWRF STEM majors; Data Science, Applied Computing, Neuroscience, and Agricultural Engineering.  The colloquia will be held on selected Wednesdays from 4-5pm and will be organized in collaboration with the relevent departments and/or colleges.
  • Year of Strategic Initiative - The Year Of . . . initiative provides funding to bring scholars, educators, and cultural events to the university to promote student, faculty and community engagement in a culture and country external to the United States of America.