Finalist

Engaged University of the Year Award

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Finalist of the Engaged University of the Year Award

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire - United States

"Redefining interdependent partnerships to solve societal problems"


Engage on social media

Have a say and vote for this entry to win the People's Choice Award!


Registered vote
500 points per vote

Provide your email address and click on "vote". You will then receive an email that enables you to verify your vote by clicking on a link.

 
Social media vote
1500 points per tweet. 500 points per retweet. 250 points for a like.

Support this entry by engaging with it on Twitter. Tweet or retweet using the following two hashtags to support this entry (use both hashtags in the same Tweet). Also, if you "like" an existing Tweet with these hashtags, the entry gets points.
#ACEEU_Awards
#2023Entry830

Live voting at Awards Ceremony
7500 points per vote

Join the Awards Ceremony online and vote live for this entry. Register here and we will send you a reminder and streaming link closer to the event.

The Award Ceremony for this entry (award category "Engaged University of the Year ") will take place on 27 June 2023, 18:45 to 19:45 CEST.

Summary

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s (UWEC) rich history of community engagement and collaboration has led to US$700 million in public-private investments over the past 10 years, including the development of a US$60 million performing arts center (Pablo Center), a US$115 million arena and event center (Sonnentag Complex), and a planned US$348 million Science and Health Sciences building.

In 2017, our commitment to interdependent partnerships led us to embark on a transformational research and education collaboration with the Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS). Both UWEC and MCHS share a common vision and mission and are led by visionaries who are committed to the hard work of finding joint solutions to pressing healthcare problems. The collaboration is supported by investments of money, time, and resources from both partners. It thrives on mutual trust, innovation, and the belief that the best ideas result from collaborations between physicians, faculty, and students.

In 2021, UWEC and its Small Business Development Center, in collaboration with MCHS and other regional partners, developed a Workforce Innovation initiative to create sustainable solutions to economic and workforce challenges that were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative was recognized by a US$9.4 million grant from the State of Wisconsin.

UWEC’s partnership with MCHS and its Workforce Innovation initiative can serve as models for how universities can effectively collaborate with their community to solve society’s most pressing challenges, provide premier educational opportunities for their students, and positively impact the regions they serve. 

Key People


Dr. James Schmidt
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire



Dr. Richard Helmers
Regional Vice President
Mayo Clinic Health System



Dr. Timothy Nelson
Director of Research and Innovation
Mayo Clinic Health System



Dr. Carmen Manning
Dean, College of Education and Human Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire



Dr. Michael Carney
Assistant Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire


Acknowledgements

We thank all the UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff, and students who are working with the Mayo Clinic Health System and our other partners to positively impact the health and wellbeing of our region.

Images

Aerial view of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus

The Pablo Center, a $60 million, collaboratively funded performing arts center in downtown Eau Claire

The Sonnentag Center, a $115 million, collaboratively funded event center, arena, and fieldhouse that will open in 2024

Rendition of the $348 million, 30,000 square meter Science and Health Sciences building, which will include 1000 square meters for Mayo Clinic Health System labs

Local small business owner who received services from student interns in UW-Eau Claire's Small Business Development Center

Two of 48 additional nursing students who are being trained each year to fill critically needed nursing positions in the state

Biomedical Innovator students are developing a biocompatible foam, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic Health System, to protect healthy tissue during cancer surgery

Mayo Clinic physicians engage with students during UW-Eau Claire's weeklong celebration of undergraduate research

State of Wisconsin Governor announces the awarding of a US$9.4 million grant to support UW-Eau Claire's Workforce Innovation initiative

Mayo Clinic's "three shield practice", consisting of patient care, research, and education forms the foundation of our partnership

IMPACT STORY

Impacting lifes

Selected as one of only 60 undergraduate research projects from across the United States, a team of UW-Eau Claire Biomedical Innovator students shared their research at the Prestigious Posters on the Hill event in Washington, D.C. The three students, sophomore Marshall Apps, freshman Grace Cunningham and sophomore Kira Haus, have been working with Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski of UW-Eau Claire and Dr. Jeremy McBride of Mayo Clinic Health System to develop an injectable biocompatible foam that will protect healthy tissues from being damaged when cancer patients are receiving treatment. The team has completed a successful animal trial and is now working to patent the material and process, and move to human trials.

“Knowing this has the potential to positively impact people’s lives, makes me realize how important research is,” says student Marshall Apps.

The project’s success reflects what is possible when experts from UW-Eau Claire and Mayo Clinic Health System work together—and involve ambitious and talented undergraduate students—to solve real-world medical problems. “Collaboration is what drives this project,” says Dr. Glogowski. “Together we help students clearly see the connection from what they learn in their coursework, to the experiments they do in the lab, to how that will benefit patients by potentially decreasing pain post procedure.”

Glogowski credits the UW-Eau Claire and Mayo Clinic Health System collaboration with making it possible for two big institutions to bring students, scientists, and physicians together to “try new things” and to improve the quality of healthcare throughout the region.

LEARNINGS

Lessons learned

The Covid-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to effective partnering. Programs to provide our Biomedical Innovator Scholars with on-site professional development opportunities at MCHS stalled as hospitals and the university locked down. Faculty and MCHS physician researchers were overtaken by pandemic-focused demands.

Despite these pandemic-related challenges, the relationships that underpin the partnership led to new opportunities. Early in the pandemic, UWEC and MCHS collaborated on an app that enabled 10,000 students and 1,200 employees to monitor their health and find options for care. The “Blugold Protocol” app helped the university avoid major outbreaks and complete 2021 with in-person instruction.

Another challenge for the partnership has been fostering nimble innovation between two large and often inflexible institutions. Plans to seek joint appointments across both institutions stumbled as administrative red tape slowed the process. Programs to involve students in hospital settings faced patient confidentiality regulations. However, the partnership leaders never wavered in their vision for what could be accomplished together. By embracing a spirit of change, “Say ‘yes’ and solve problems as they arise” became the mantra for our collaboration.

Finally, the willingness of both partners to invest directly in the collaboration – and to provide staff to support it – has helped to keep the momentum going. That shared investment has fostered an interdependent partnership that was ready to embark on the Workforce Innovation initiative, which led to significant additional funding for the collaboration. Trust built by working through challenges and institutional barriers created a firm foundation to seize new opportunities.

FUTURE PLANS

What's coming?

The future of the MCHS partnership is made possible by a new 10-year agreement that moves beyond joint research to include new collaborations around professional development for healthcare professionals and new strategies to meet high-demand needs for nurses and healthcare professionals. Going forward, we plan to leverage the MCHS partnership to incorporate other nationally prominent partners who share the vision of collaborating with a university and its students to solve societal problems.

The future of the Workforce Innovation initiative includes piloting new models of improving rural healthcare delivery and decreasing health disparities in rural communities; launching six new high-skill, health-related degree programs to prepare a workforce that can help address ongoing healthcare challenges; partnering with the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship to develop innovation and design thinking curriculum available to all UW-Eau Claire students and community members; and helping to establish a network of entrepreneurial hubs throughout the State of Wisconsin.

KEY STATISTICS

US$700 million

Investments in public-private facility partnerships in last 10 years

40

Biomedical Innovator students receive 4-year, full tuition scholarships, plus research and mentoring opportunities with Mayo Clinic physicians

1 of 3

universities in the world with a collaborative research agreement with the Mayo Clinic

645

Small Business Development Center clients served in the past year

48

more nursing students will graduate each year from UW-Eau Claire

US$14.7 million

investment by Mayo Clinic Health System in UW-Eau Claire's Science and Health Sciences building

40+

ongoing collaborative research projects with Mayo Clinic Health System clinicians

#9

US News&World Report ranking of UW-Eau Claire on the list of "Most Innovative Schools in the Midwest"

27th

consecutive year appearing on US News&World Report's list of top midwestern public universities

Triple E Awards

The Triple E Awards are a global recognition of efforts toward the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education. It is the first award to focus specifically on different dimensions of the universities' third mission. Implemented regionally, the Triple E Awards aim to foster change in universities and to emphasize their role in their communities and ecosystems.

Home | About the awards | Categories | Apply | Ceremony | FAQ | Contact

2024 © ACEEU. All rights reserved.