Education & Workforce Development

"Are you looking to cleanse your soul? BizTimes executive editor Steve Jagler asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am," I responded.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is in the midst of an exciting renaissance.

From early literacy materials for the youngest patrons to special programs, computer training, job search support, and much more, Wisconsin libraries — public, school, academic, and special — are social centers that enrich the daily lives of residents. They welcome all ages to a world of lifelong learning.

The number of new businesses formed in Wisconsin in the first quarter increased by 12.2 percent compared with the same period in 2011, according to data released by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).

Johnson Controls Inc., Wisconsin's largest publicly traded company, has reduced the headcount at its corporate headquarters in Glendale.

Did you know that one in four students – more than one million a year – fails to graduate with their class?

The national unemployment rate dipped to 8.2 percent in March, even though the economy only added 120,000 new jobs, failing to top the 200,000 mark for the first time since November.

The Northwestern Mutual Foundation recently donated 26 grants totaling nearly $1.4 million to 23 Wisconsin nonprofits that promote childhood literacy and increase access to higher education.

Michael Grandillo has been named the new president of Lakeland College in Sheboygan. Grandillo, 54 succeeds Stephen Gould, who was named Lakeland’s president in 1998 and will retire in May after serving the college for 42 years as a teacher and administrator. Grandillo is the 15th president of Lakeland.

Madison is well known for stem cell achievements: UW-Madison's James Thomson was the first scientist, in 1998, to grow human embryonic stem cells in a lab.