Recruitment & retention

The Wisconsin Idea will enhance recruitment and retention efforts at both Cerritos College and UW-Stout, because the linkage dovetails with the unique mission of both institutions.

Cerritos College is one of the most ethnically diverse community colleges in the nation. In a recent accreditation report, it was described as a model of student centeredness. Recognizing its commitment to technology for faculty and students, Cerritos College as a Working Connections Partner – one of only seven in the nation.

University of Wisconsin-Stout, as a special mission institution, serves unique role in the University of Wisconsin System. UW-Stout is characterized by a distinctive array of programs leading to professional careers focused on the needs of society. These programs are presented through an approach to learning which involves combining theory, practice and experimentation.

The Wisconsin Idea will build upon the student-centered approach of each campus, opening for students a vista to new viewpoints. Most importantly, participation in this learning community will enhance student performance, strengthening retention.

The importance of introducing students to new perspectives beyond those of their particular local community is vital to successful learning. As Howard Gardner has noted in The Unschooled Mind, "By virtue of living as a human being in a world with certain expectable physical and social dimensions, every person develops a whole collection of concepts, schemas, and frames that {s/he} brings to bear in attempting to play games, explain phenomena, or simply make his {her} way around the world." It is vitally important to create a learning environment that calls forth student assumptions – and includes them as an important part of the discussion. This would create a learning environment, as Jill Janov has written, "in which members engage one another in making their underlying assumptions explicit and in constantly questioning them." Through this engagement can come true discovery and learning.

Enhanced student performance will follow this engagement. Since the mid-1980’s, educators such as Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, Vincent Tinto, Director of the Higher Education program in the School of Education at Syracuse University, and organizations and colleges such as The Carnegie Forum on Education, Evergreen State College in Washington state and the University of Wisconsin’s Undergraduate teaching Improvement Council have promoted interactive learning climates. Solid research had documented that interaction bolsters learning.

The Wisconsin Idea will introduce students to new perspectives in an interactive environment, bridging a thousand miles and generations of racial and ethnic experiences to create a dynamic learning community which students will enjoy, and in which they will succeed. Recruitment and retention will follow from this program.