WED AM News: Evers touts more than $400,000 in Wisconsin Fast Forward grants

July 3, 2024

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— Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Workforce Development announced 4,637 Wisconsin students across 17 districts will receive training for careers involving robotics, welding, plasma cutting, 3D printing, drones and more through $408,123 in new grant funding.

The Wisconsin Fast Forward grants will reimburse school districts for purchasing and installing equipment, such as computer numerical control machines and robotic welders, to be used for vocational training and technical education in advanced manufacturing.

Evers in a statement said ensuring kids have access to high-demand, high-skill job training is critical to preparing the future workforce.

“By investing in technical education in school districts across the state, we are connecting the dots and expanding career opportunities for thousands of students while positioning our manufacturers for success,” Evers said.

DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek touted the connections the grants foster between students and manufacturers in the state, such as Baileigh Industrial in Manitowoc and Kenosha-based Snap-On.

“The state-of-the-art equipment, including robotic welders, laser cutters, 3D printers, and other high-tech tools, will enable schools to provide coursework that aligns with industry standards and requirements,” she said.

Some of the largest grants include:

$50,000 to the Muskego-Norway School District for Electrical Fabrication and Wiring Learning Systems;
$49,208 to the Madison Metropolitan School District for CNC routers, VEX Robotic kits and laser cutters;
$46,050 to the Rhinelander School District for a Fusion Pro 36 CO2 laser engraver 80W;
$38,176 to the Jefferson School District for a Haas CNC Mini Mill machining center, a Universal Laser System and a WAZER CNC water jet; and
$35,798 to the Augusta Area School District for a CRX collaborative robot integration package and a FANUC CNC Simulator.

— Robert Griggs and Layla Merrifield are finalists to succeed Morna Foy as president of the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Foy is set to retire this year after 26 years with the system. WTCS Board President Mark Tyler said the five-member search committee’s work “yielded a wealth of exceptional candidates.”

“This is an important position within Wisconsin’s educational landscape. The incoming president will steer our state’s largest higher education system toward a promising next chapter,” Tyler said.

Merrifield has served as executive director of the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association since 2015. She was previously a fiscal analyst for the Legislative Fiscal Bureau and a Wisconsin Technical College System policy advisor.

Griggs has been president of Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the past eight years. Before that, he served in various leadership roles over 16 years at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, both in Minnesota.

The WTCS Board will conduct final candidate interviews next month.

— Universities of Wisconsin Associate Vice President of Finance Julie Gordon and UW-Platteville Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance Chris Patton will replace two UW leaders on an interim basis this fall, President Jay Rothman announced.

Gordon will replace Vice President of Finance and Administration Sean Nelson, who is retiring from the role he has held since 2017, on an interim basis effective Sept. 9. Gordon has been UW’s associate vice president of finance since 2010.

“I am grateful to Sean for his years of service. He leaves the Universities of Wisconsin better than he found them. We wish him well as he returns home to the Boston area to be with his aging parents,” Rothman said.

Patton will replace Jeff Buhrandt as vice president of university relations on an interim basis effective Sept. 1. Buhrandt first assumed the role nearly three years ago. Associate Vice President of Government Relations Deej Lundgren will lead the university relations office until Patton starts on.

Rothman thanked Buhrandt for his commitment to UW and said he respects Buhrandt’s “desire to explore other opportunities.”

Patton previously served as deputy secretary of the Department of Administration, administration operations director at Epic Systems and policy director for former Dem Gov. Jim Doyle.

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