Next month over 26,000 students will be graduating from HERA institutions and entering the region’s talent pipeline. In this newsletter, you will learn how to connect with these recent graduates to fill any open positions across your industries. You will also read about the ways HERA is providing innovative educational programs to ensure all students receive the training they need today to fill the jobs of tomorrow. Because collaboration is the key to success, there are opportunities for you to work with HERA to help our work as we further enhance employee readiness and expand the region’s talent pool.
Happy to continue our partnership!
Dr. Swallow HERA Chair and President, Carthage College
Welcome to the inaugural Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA) quarterly newsletter. We are excited to use this newsletter as an extension of our partnership to close achievement gaps and educate students to meet the workforce needs of our region. By working together, we can increase college completion rates, develop powerful educational programs and connect employers with the talent needed to build a stronger southeastern Wisconsin.
As chair of HERA, I’m proud of the important work HERA is doing to better our region and ensure student success. In each newsletter, we will include valuable information about the needs of area employers and what HERA is doing to increase student outcomes and grow the region’s talent pipeline. We will also request some information from you on how we can better work together to fulfill the needs of both employers and students.
HERA partners Carthage College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin – Parkside were recognized with the Student Success Collaborative – CONNECTEDness Award from education firm EAB for their commitment to the Moon Shot for Equity initiative. The four HERA institutions were the first regional consortium of higher education institutions to be part of the initiative.
Moon Shot for Equity is led by EAB and focuses on eliminating equity gaps in higher education by 2030. The four HERA partner institutions took part in equity-mindedness training and were taught research-based best practices proven to remove systemic barriers to success in education. Learnings from this initiative were then shared with the 14 other HERA higher education partners to ensure all have the resources needed to further bridge equity gaps and increase student credential and degree completion rates.
The CONNECTEDness Award was presented at CONNECTED21, a three-day virtual gathering of thousands of student success leaders from progressive community colleges as well as four-year colleges and universities.
HERA and the Milwaukee Tech Coalition were recognized by STEM Forward, metro Milwaukee’s leading STEM education and outreach provider, for its partnership aimed at advancing the skills training in data and artificial intelligence for area students. HERA awarded its Foundations of Data and Artificial Intelligence badge to students who completed Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition’s pre-internship program to certify the knowledge they received from the program and the strong skillset they can offer to the region’s employers.
HERA’s badge was awarded to 64 students from area high schools, colleges and universities who completed the program on the ethics and impact of data and artificial intelligence. Students can use this badge to showcase their new skillset and differentiate themselves as they apply to internships and careers post-graduation. The badge also recognizes Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition’s pre-internship program as a credible educational course that teaches students how to develop new data-driven solutions and use artificial intelligence and data in a variety of industries.
The Excellence in STEM Awards, more commonly known as the Stemmy Awards, honor education institutions, employers, individuals and partnerships that demonstrate an unparalleled commitment to promoting STEM awareness and improving STEM competency to area students. HERA and the Milwaukee Tech Coalition along with this year’s other award winners will be recognized at STEM Forward’s 18th annual sySTEMnow Conference, held on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at The Italian Community Center with a virtual option available.
MILWAUKEE (September 8, 2021) – The Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA), a collective force of 18 southeastern Wisconsin public and private, two- and four-year colleges and universities and a network of partner organizations, today announced Dr. John Swallow, president of Carthage College, has been named chair of HERA. Dr. Vicki Martin, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, has been named vice chair. Dr. Mark Mone, chancellor of UW-Milwaukee, will serve in an advisory capacity as the immediate past chair of HERA. Each position holds a two-year term.
