The University of Wisconsin-Platteville and its Distance Learning Center (UW-Platteville Online) have announced the winner of the $500 Dawn Drake Excellence in Distance Education Scholarship.

Matthew Meyer, originally of Beaver Dam, received his bachelor's degree in engineering from UW-Platteville in 2002 and is set to graduate with a master's degree in engineering through UW-Platteville's online program this fall. He currently works for River Valley Testing Corporation in Neenah and Green Bay.

The academic scholarship, established by Dawn Drake, executive director of alternative delivery systems at UW-Platteville, is awarded each spring to a degree-seeking student who has successfully completed at least one course in a UW-Platteville Distance Education program and has a GPA of at least 3.0. It symbolizes the important role that distance education has played in Dawn’s life, personally and professionally.

Click here for full press release or here for a feature on Matthew.

For the third consecutive year, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and its Distance Learning Center (www.GoUWP.com), have been named to Military Advanced Education's 2012 Guide to Top Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities. Published annually, the guide provides information regarding college options for U.S. service people and veterans.

Institutions are selected based on five criteria: the number of American Council on Education credits the school will accept; Service member Opportunity Colleges participation; on-campus active duty/veteran assistance; support provided to the families of service members; and the sophistication and effectiveness of its distance learning programs.

Please click here for full press release.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has reached a top 20 spot in GetEducated.com’s "Best Buys" for an online master's degree in criminal justice. It's the second time in less than five months that UW-Platteville Online has earned a Best Buy designation.

"The value of higher education, especially in criminal justice, has never been greater," said Dr. Cheryl Banachowski-Fuller, program director for the university's master's program in criminal justice. "So, it's vital to ensure programs remain accessible by keeping tuition affordable."

Please click here for the full, interactive press release.

Chuck Millhollan, a 2003 graduate of UW-Platteville Online’s master program in project management, earned the 2011 Kerzner Award sponsored by the International Institute for Learning Inc. (ILL) and administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading project management member association.

As director of program management at Churchill Downs, he created the Churchill Downs, Inc. Project Management Office, which has evolved into an Enterprise PMO responsible for leading projects and programs across all business units, including four thoroughbred horseracing tracks, three casinos, two software development groups, and a bloodstock research group.

Another UW-Platteville Online graduate Olatunde Olatona, was a top five finalist for the Kerzner Award. He worked with Action Missionaire Interafricaine (AMI) in Mali, Africa, to enable the small community of Farakala realize its dream of a high school.

Please click here for the full, interactive press release.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, an accredited pioneer in distance learning for the last 33 years, is among the top schools in the nation for an affordable online bachelor degree in business.

GetEducated.com, a consumer group that publishes impartial online university rankings, recently released its list of the Best Colleges Online for an affordable business degree at the bachelor level. The online degree rankings were objectively calculated by comparing tuition and distance education fees at 67 regionally accredited or regional candidate universities that offer 136 distance bachelor degrees in business administration.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, an accredited pioneer in distance learning for the last 33 years, earned a platinum (first place) award and named the Best School for Online Education in the Best of Wisconsin Business competition sponsored by Corporate Report Wisconsin (CRW). This is the second consecutive year the university and its Distance Learning Center have earned the award.

“All the credit goes to our dedicated staff and, of course, our more than 2,500 students. We wouldn’t be here without them,” said Dawn Drake, executive director.

Please see the full release for more information.

For the second consecutive award cycle, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Online has once again made the top-25 Best Buys – Online Master’s Degrees in Engineering. GetEducated.com, LLC, a consumer-oriented online degree clearinghouse, conducts a biennial survey of tuition costs at accredited distance learning engineering graduate degree programs nationwide.

UWP was one of only a handful of public colleges included in the list, finding its spot at #20.

"The engineering field requires its practitioners to regularly pursue professional development so it’s vital that universities provide that training at an affordable cost, especially in this economy," says Les Hollingsworth, marketing director for UWP Online.

To read more, check out the full news release.
 

UWP's MS in Project Management degree earned a top 30 spot in GetEducated.com's Best Buys in Online Master’s Degrees in the Management and Administration category.

According to GetEducated.com, the Best Buy designation earned by UWP Distance Education indicates that they offer a high quality online master's program with tuition rates well below national averages.

"We're grateful for the recognition by GetEducated.com and we believe our students will benefit by it, too," says Bill Haskins, UWP MS Project Management program coordinator.

To read the whole article, go to our News Release page.

At the will of some 2,000 voters, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Distance Education was named the best school for online education in the Best of Wisconsin Business competition held by Corporate Report: Wisconsin’s Business Magazine.

“We’re obviously very happy to be recognized in this way,” said Dawn Drake, executive director of Alternative Delivery Systems at UWP. “We’ve learned a lot in the 30 plus years we’ve offered degrees at a distance. Our student assessments are our best tool and are a big part of how we continue growing.”

For more, see the full press release.

By Ian Clark

UWP's BS in Criminal Justice degree earned a top 20 spot in GetEducated.com's Best Buys in Online Colleges list in the law, legal and justice studies category.

According to GetEducated.com, the Best Buy designation earned by UWP Distance Education indicates that they offer a high quality online bachelor's program with tuition rates well below national averages.

"Being recognized by GetEducated.com demonstrates that at UW-Platteville, we are not only providing an affordable product, but a structurally sound program too," says Amy Nemmetz, program coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Online.

To read the whole article, go to our News Release page.

By Ian Clark

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's online division received its second military friendly award this fall by a military education magazine. Military Advanced Education selected UWP as a top school in their “3rd Annual Guide to Top Military Friendly Colleges and Universities,” a journal about higher education for service members of the armed forces. The first award came in October from G.I. Jobs Magazine.

"We're delighted this guide has become a valuable resource for service members and the larger network of educational professionals involved in higher education," says MAE editor, Mark Fitzgerald.

From community colleges to nationally known centers of higher learning, MAE's annual guide provides potential students with information about colleges and universities across the nation who they consider to be military-friendly. Among the attributes considered in evaluating any school’s degree of military friendliness are the quality of its academics, the on-campus and online advice and support it provides to veterans and their families, and the sophistication and effectiveness of its distance learning programs.

"We're very happy to receive the distinction and be able to provide a valuable service to soldiers, sailors, and airmen" says Les Hollingsworth, marketing director for the Distance Learning Center and field artillery instructor in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. "Service members have unique educational challenges and it's important that universities step up and be able to help them overcome those obstacles."

Military Advanced Education is the only magazine produced specifically for service members seeking to take advantage of the military education benefit. MAE covers issues and trends in distance learning and education as they specifically relate to military life, including innovative programs, military educational policy, financial aid and coursework that offer special opportunities for military personnel.

UWP offers multiple degrees that are designed for working adults and can be completed entirely online. For more information about UWP's Distance Learning Center, go online at http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted/.

By Ian Clark

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville earned a spot on G.I. Job’s list of military friendly schools, characterized by their efforts and successes in recruiting veteran students. G.I. Jobs, a website and magazine that helps current and former members of the military transition successfully into civilian life, formed the list which recognizes the top 15 percent of the most “military friendly” of the nation’s 7,000 schools. Schools on the list range from state universities and private colleges to community colleges and trade schools. The common bond between them is their shared willingness to cater to the unique needs of military students.

The United States government has allocated tens of billions of dollars through the Post-9/11 GI Bill for educating America’s armed forces, providing monies paid directly to schools for tuition, a housing allowance, stipends for books, and other fees associated with higher education.

“Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school. Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they’re academically qualified.”

Cody Brigman, president of the UWP Veterans Club, while unaware of the new list by G.I. Jobs, was unsurprised. “This campus has a long standing relationship with veterans,” said Brigman. “The Registrar’s Office, which also functions as veterans liaisons, goes to bat for veterans time and again. It is through their dedicated service that many of us on campus are able to concentrate on school work rather than paperwork.”

Brigman also mentioned that many veterans joined their particular branch of service immediately after high school, and that ACT and SAT scores are something that most veterans don’t have before enrolling.

“When a vet leaves his or her branch, it can be at any given time of the year, which doesn’t always lend itself to jumping right into college, but the campus works with us so that we have the chance to get enrolled at our earliest convenience,” added Brigman.

Changes in environment and social structure are also significant issues veterans can have issues with as they begin college. However, UWP has a highly seasoned veteran community that aims to help those in need with these troublesome transitions, and help better acclimate veteran students with their new environment, according to Brigman.

For more information about the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill or other veteran-related questions, contact the Registrar’s Office at (608) 342-1321. To learn more about the UWP Veterans Club, contact Brigman at brigmanc@uwplatt.edu.

Compiled By Christine Hawkinson, Editor, UW-Platteville Distance Learning Center

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree has earned a Best Buy award from the research team at GetEducated.com, a consumer group that rates and ranks online colleges for cost and credibility. The group issues report cards to online degree programs in an effort to bring transparency to the selection process in terms of cost, public perception, and verified student satisfaction.

According to Vicky Phillips, Founder & CEO of GetEducated.com, “Any online student seeking quality combined with affordability in these hard economic times should take a serious look at UW-Platteville. Platteville’s 100% online bachelor’s in business, master’s in project management, master’s in engineering and master’s in criminal justice all rank as top values when compared to the online competition nationwide.”

Hundreds of colleges now offer online degrees, but UW-Platteville is one of a handful of American universities that have successfully combined a venerated residential history with exceptional quality and service in the online education sector.

“We are very excited about the recognition that GetEducated.com has provided for our online programs. At a time when more and more students are searching for ways to continue their education, it is important that they have an online resource that they can trust,” says Dawn Drake, Executive Director of the UW-Platteville Distance Learning Center.

As you all probably have heard by now, PMI recently granted programmatic accreditation to UW-Platteville's Master of Science in Project Management. The awards ceremony was held at PMI Global Congress, N.A. in Denver last month. Here's a 2-3 minute clip from the ceremony including a quote from Bill Haskins, the MS Project Management program director.

PMI GAC Awards Ceremony