Date set for Waukesha County education listening sessions

State representative, Paul Farrow and Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakaas have announced the dates of the listening sessions where they plan to seek public input on the future of higher education in Waukesha County.
Two listening sessions will be held initially. The first will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 6 to8 p.m. at the Waukesha County Technical College, RTA-Center and the second will be held on Monday, Feb. 6 from 12 to 2 p.m. at the UW-Waukesha, Lunt Fontanne Theatre.
The effort is aimed at helping more students achieve post-secondary education, meeting the needs of area employers and increasing economic development.
“Every day we are hearing from constituents and business leaders about their concerns surrounding higher education,” Farrow said.  “We need to have an open and constructive discussion on how state-supported schools are responding to the needs of Waukesha County.”
Farrow and Vrakas will participate in the discussions and so will Barbara Prindiville, Ph.D., president of WCTC, Harry Muir, Ph.D., campus executive officer and dean of UW-Waukesha, Doug Hastad, Ph.D., president of Carroll University and Suzanne Kelley, president of the Waukesha County Business Alliance.
“In recent months, I have  met with concerned citizens, educators, and businessmen throughout our  county that  expressed a desire to revitalize the higher education system,” Vrakas said. “These listening sessions will give further opportunity for open dialogue about how we can best serve our students and future workforce.”
The discussions will focus on three primary questions, and attendees will have the opportunity to offer personal testimony on topics including: How can higher education impact economic development in Waukesha County? What are the barriers to students in Waukesha County that are  preventing them from  reaching their career goals, and what roles should  UW-Waukesha and WCTC play in providing  the educational needs for the students in Waukesha County?
Attendees who do not wish to speak publicly will have the opportunity to submit individual comments.  Those unable to attend can find live updates of the meetings and offer online comments at https://www.facebook.com/EDUwaukesha.
The discussions will be moderated by Ernst Franzen, associate editorial page editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.