Area colleges and universities have come together to promote adult education opportunities throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
The Southeast Wisconsin Education Consortium formally organized in December with the mission of reaching out to businesses to help them inform employees of local education options, said Katie DeWees, chairwoman of the consortium and an admissions counselor at Alverno College in Milwaukee.
"We’re hoping to raise awareness for working adults in terms of furthering their education, from the high school diploma to the PhD," DeWees said.
The consortium provides a practical service to businesses, said Kacie Chitwood, corporate education specialist for the University of Phoenix’s Milwaukee campus. If a business wants to hold an education fair, it can invite a number of schools through one call to the consortium, rather than calling each school individually, Chitwood said.
Consortium officials hope many schools will join the consortium, and as such have sent membership information to all the colleges, universities and technical schools in southeastern Wisconsin, DeWees said.
Alverno, Bryant and Stratton University, Capella University, Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll College, Carthage College, Concordia University of Wisconsin, ITT Technical Institute, Lakeland College, Marian College, Marquette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Mount Mary College, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Ottawa University, University of Phoenix, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and Waukesha County Technical College were involved in brainstorming and consortium planning sessions, DeWees said.
"Our main goal is to let people know what educational opportunities are available to them and what school would best suit their needs," DeWees said. "We’d like every school in the area to join."
Not only will the consortium give businesses a central checkpoint for reaching several schools, it also will give representatives from the schools the chance to get to know the curricula and programs of all the schools involved. That will help the consortium do a better job of serving the public’s educational needs, Chitwood said.
"We’ll know where to direct people depending on what kind of program they’re looking for," she said.
Ultimately, the consortium’s goal is to encourage adult education and get the word out about as many programs as possible, Chitwood said.
"A lot of people aren’t even aware of what educational programs are out there because it’s been so long since they were in school," Chitwood said.
Businesses interested in the consortium’s services and schools interested in joining the consortium should call Kacie Chitwood at the University of Phoenix Milwaukee campus, 262-785-0608, ext. 121.
February 1, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
