University of Wisconsin-River Falls
EN-13: Community Stakeholder Engagement

UW-River Falls has established the Chancellor’s Advisory Council as an official body representing key external stakeholders. The Chancellor’s Advisory Council is composed of civic, business and education leaders from Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities.

UW-River Falls is also part of the St. Croix Valley Educational Cooperative, which includes other leaders of educational institutions in the community.

With its Small Business Development Center and Center for Innovation and Business Development, UW-River Falls is dedicated to supporting the economic growth and development throughout the greater St. Croix Valley, engaging regularly with business, industry and economic development agencies throughout the region.

Through UW Cooperative Extension on our campus, Dr. David Trechter is an Extension Economist working on issues related to cooperatives and community development. He also directs the Survey Research Center (SRC) at UWRF and, in this role, he oversees various survey projects to assist communities with determining needs assessments, gathering residents' opinions on various issues, quantifying the impact of tourism, etc.

Chancellor’s Advisory Council members serve renewable three year terms. At the conclusion of every academic year, the membership of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council is reviewed to ensure balanced representation for key stakeholder groups as well as individuals with insights key to ensuring UW-River Falls serves as an effective resource for the St. Croix Valley.

Regarding underrepresented groups, our office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) provides a bridge to the external community through opportunities offered to students such as by selecting UW-River Falls students to attend the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. MSS also invites multicultural alumni to share their story on how they navigated college and prepared for their professional journey.

Social responsibility is a focus of our sustainable goals. By connecting students, faculty and staff with opportunities for volunteering and participation in service learning experiences, we are able to achieve this goal. From "Adopt-a-Highway" program participation, to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, from Grow to Share community garden which supports the local food pantry, to the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice program, our students, faculty and staff regularly engage with local community and vulnerable groups. A full list of opportunities is posted online at: https://orgsync.com/271/community/opportunities/partners

Other opportunities to engage community stakeholders are welcomed and evaluated on an ad hoc basis as they arise.

Chancellor's Advisory Council members:
Arlin Albrecht, Owner, Red Wing Publishing (Retired)
Jamie Benson, Superintendent, School District of River Falls
Chris Blasius, CEO, River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau
Jeff Cernohous, Interfacial Consultants
Kristi Cernohous, Interfacial Consultants
Marian Furlong, President and CEO, Hudson Hospital
Gregory Gray, Chief Compliance Officer, Minnesota Department of Human Services
James Harsdorf, Secretary-Emeritus, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Food & Consumer Protection
Steve Healy, Executive Director, Polk County Economic Development Corporation
Lynn Nelson, Executive Director, West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC)
Nick Oullette, Superintendent, Hudson School District
John Potter, Executive Director, Phipps Center for the Arts
John Rosenow, Partner, Rosenholm-Wolfe Dairy
Bill Rubin, Executive Director, St. Croix Economic Development Corporation
Scot Simpson, City Administrator
Quentin Schultz, President, Eurofins BioDiagnostics, Inc.
Regent Mark Taylor , President, OEM Fabricators
Donnette Wheelock, Vice President, Wheelock Corporation
Angel Zimmerman, Chief Operating Officer, Sajan, Inc.
Shannon Zimmerman, CEO, Sajan, Inc.

St. Croix Valley Educational Collaborative members:
Chippewa Valley Tech. College
Hudson School District
River Falls School District
Wisc. Indianhead Tech. College
UW-River Falls

UW-River Falls has been represented through participation on the Boards of directors of the River Falls Chamber of Commerce, St. Croix County Economic Development Corporation and Pierce County Economic Development Corporation

The Chancellor’s Advisory Council continues to play an integral role in our strategic planning efforts. In recent years the CAC has provided input that has guided the development of our current strategic plan and legislative advocacy efforts, new academic programs, and the Center for Innovation and Business Development.

The Kinni Watershed Consortium has led to the development of http://kinniconsortium.org/, as part of a project intended to:
- Create a framework for easy access to information about various research interests within the Kinnickinnic watershed;
- Develop stakeholder engagement activities that allow constructive deliberation among UWRF scientists, community leaders, agencies, and interested publics;
- Implement new undergraduate research activities in the three sustainability spheres during 2015 and beyond

A local partnership of the City of River Falls, River Falls Economic Development Corporation, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and the Chippewa Valley Technical College has been awarded a $1.4 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to construct a business incubator to serve the St. Croix Valley region.