Cyberspace. Intangible electronic space.The term was first used in a science fiction novel but has since become reality. And Stout students became a part of this new frontier recently when they participated in "24 Hours in Cyberspace," a worldwide project to capture electronic images of the impact of technology on how people live.

Stout students were in good company with more than 100 of the world's top photojournalists participating. Thousands of students from all over the world shot pictures, wrote articles and crafted their own home pages for the Cyberspace "Student Underground."

The project's headquarters site had a direct link to Stout's Cyber24 page which listed all students as they submitted pages. Pages submitted to university sites were posted as they came in.

Susan Hunt, Stout professor of graphic design, said Stout students had only two weeks to create their entries. "I'm especially proud of what the students were able to accomplish in that short time," Hunt said, noting that it was also during those two weeks that the entire Stout computer lab was moved to a new location.

Hunt admitted that at first some of the students were intimidated by the computer Internet. "It's not just people over 30 who may feel they're being left behind," Hunt said. "It's changing so fast, it's hard for anyone to keep up. It's a tremendous transition phase."

Darrel Austin, a junior in graphic design, had just completed a co-op with 3M in which he used the computer extensively so the Internet was not new to him. His team's project was to write material comparing the Internet to other mass media - radio, TV and newspapers. Austin likened it to the era when TV was a new medium, and advertisers were eager to use it. "It's a great worldwide market," he said. "It has created a whole new field of design."

Austin was fortunate in that he had experience with Internet. But those students who didn't, at least got their feet wet. "It was like a jump into a cold lake," he said. "It woke them up to the Internet."

Like Austin, Garrick VanBuren had previous experience with Internet, and he was eager to tackle the project of making his own page on the World Wide Web. VanBuren's project was to show the difference between traditional ways of finding information, for example encyclopedias, books and periodicals, and the Internet.

"When you search for information on the Internet, you get up-to-the-minute information," VanBuren said, citing stock quotes as an example. "It's as quick as your thoughts are," he said. He noted that even weekly periodicals or daily newspapers can be out of date by the time they are printed. VanBuren said he now uses the Internet to do research for all his school papers. Hunt said she hopes other students' exposure to the Internet via this project will make them aware of the possibilities as well.

Hunt said she also sees the project in terms of producing a time capsule, noting that a permanent World Wide Web site is to be established, and a book and CD-ROM will follow. Readers can access the 24 Hours in Cyberspace site at:

"It's historic," Hunt said, "and exciting. I'm happy Stout was able to be a part of it."

A-TEN-shun! Fall in! Today, students, our lecture is on task analysis. Sound like a military base? Or a college classroom? It's both.

UW-Stout is offering a new "college weekend opportunity" at Wisconsin's Fort McCoy military base. In two years, participants can graduate with a master of science degree in training and development.

"Stout's master's degree in training and development prepares training professionals to meet the technical training needs of business and industry," Julie Furst-Bowe, program director, noted.

Furst-Bowe said that graduates of the program will be able to analyze training and development needs; design, develop, deliver and evaluate training programs and materials; manage and coordinate training efforts; and develop training and development competencies in managers and supervisors.

She said that organizations spend "billions of dollars" each year on employee training and development. "Companies need people who are responsible for training employees to do their jobs effectively," Furst-Bowe said.

UW-Stout faculty members and trainers from business and industry, such as Miller Brewing and Phillips Plastics, make up the teaching staff.

Steven Schlough, of UW-Stout's communication, education and training department, taught for the third time at Fort McCoy last fall. "I enjoy it because most of the students are employed full time and have background knowledge. The discussions are great." Schlough said he usually gets information to bring back to UW-Stout as well.

He doesn't mind the weekend trips to Fort McCoy, some 100 miles away. "To be competitive in today's market, public schools like Stout need to be flexible."

Jim Breen, of Phillips Plastics, and Joel Benkowski, of Miller Brewing, team-taught the first class offered for the fall semester. "It was a unique synergy," Breen said, "because most students had industry backgrounds and there was so much give and take. There was a wealth of knowledge there already." Breen said it was also rewarding for him personally to get the military training perspective "which has been working for years" and bring that back to Phillips. "It was enriching for everyone involved," he said.

Leon "Carl" Stough, military instructor at Fort McCoy, was a student in that class. "I feel it's an outstanding program," Stough said. "It's an exceptionally well put-together weekend program for people who work full time." Stough said also that he was impressed with the training staff. "They were so knowledgeable and so accessible," he said. "They were even willing to give their home phone numbers if we had questions." Stough noted further that he found the college weekend format to be an "economical program."

Stough said he had looked at several programs which would allow him to obtain a master's degree while still in the military full time and that UW-Stout's program was very economical compared to many others.

Trudy Kroeger, manager of human resources at Jerome Foods in Barron, is earning her master's degree through the college weekend program while remaining employed full time at Jeromes. "The program is ideal for me," Kroeger said. "I want to earn my master's degree, but I need to work full time." Kroegler said she looked at programs at several colleges, but she likes the flexibility UW-Stout provides.

UW-Stout's weekend college opportunity enables individuals like Kroeger and Stough to remain employed full time while earning master's degrees-with ease. Or is that "at ease."?

UW-Stout was among those schools recognized by UW System President Katharine Lyall at the fall Board of Regents meeting.

"I want to recognize the extraordinary fruits of a partnership among five institutions of the UW System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, the State Department of Development, private industry and two of Wisconsin's private colleges," Lyall said.

She noted that UW-Extension Chancellor Don Hanna and Dwight York, director of WTCS, led the formation of the Wisconsin Center of Manufacturing and Productivity, of which UW-Stout is a part. The non-profit corporation was formed to deliver technical assistance to Wisconsin's small- and medium-sized businesses.

In addition to UW-Stout, other participating UW institutions are UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Platteville and UW-Extension.

Each center in the network works as a partnership of federal, state and local government, industry and educational institutions. Lyall said that the underlying philosophy of the center is to extend to manufacturing businesses the kind of technical assistance that has been offered for many years by universities to agriculture.

"I like to think of it as a modern-day extension of the Wisconsin Idea," Lyall said, "to assist Wisconsin firms in creating jobs and becoming competitive in national and international markets."

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership is supported by the Department of Commerce with a grant of $15 million over five years. A number of partners, including five UW institutions, are matching financial support for 1996.

"This is an extraordinary milestone in statewide partnering with university outreach activity," Lyall said. UW-Stout was among those schools recognized by UW System President Katharine Lyall at the fall Board of Regents meeting.

"I want to recognize the extraordinary fruits of a partnership among five institutions of the UW System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, the State Department of Development, private industry and two of Wisconsin's private colleges," Lyall said.

She noted that UW-Extension Chancellor Don Hanna and Dwight York, director of WTCS, led the formation of the Wisconsin Center of Manufacturing and Productivity, of which UW-Stout is a part. The non-profit corporation was formed to deliver technical assistance to Wisconsin's small- and medium-sized businesses.

In addition to UW-Stout, other participating UW institutions are UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Platteville and UW-Extension.

Each center in the network works as a partnership of federal, state and local government, industry and educational institutions. Lyall said that the underlying philosophy of the center is to extend to manufacturing businesses the kind of technical assistance that has been offered for many years by universities to agriculture.

"I like to think of it as a modern-day extension of the Wisconsin Idea," Lyall said, "to assist Wisconsin firms in creating jobs and becoming competitive in national and international markets."

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership is supported by the Department of Commerce with a grant of $15 million over five years. A number of partners, including five UW institutions, are matching financial support for 1996.

"This is an extraordinary milestone in statewide partnering with university outreach activity," Lyall said.

Seven-fold? Try 70-fold. Since its inception in 1982, UW-Stout's cooperative education program has increased nearly that much. Eight students were employed at eight companies when the program started, Howard Slinden, coordinator of cooperative education, said. Slinden's annual report for 1994-95 notes that 541 students were employed at 321 companies.

Student salaries have, of course, increased too, but even just in the last year, Slinden reports that student salaries have increased "significantly." Co-op students in the School of Liberal Studies applied math program, the highest paid area, averaged $12.40 an hour during their co-op employment. Other high-paying areas were in the School of Industry and Technology with product development students averaging $11.28 an hour and packaging students, $10.94.

"Salaries have increased along with demand for co-op students," Slinden said. He noted that there were three jobs for every packaging student.

"Companies want part-time employees with enthusiasm and fresh ideas," Slinden said, "and Stout students offer that."

Slinden said companies also want co-op students because it gives them a pool of job applicants to choose from. "You can get a pretty good idea of an applicant's performance and potential after they've worked for you for four months," he noted.

Companies from A to Z, from all over the country, participate in the program-from Amana Refrigeration to Zaug's Food Service Inc. Cray Research, in Chippewa Falls, Wis.; IBM and Rollerblade, of Minnesota; and Marriot hotels all over the country are just a few of the well-known companies that employ UW-Stout students. "Target has been pleased with Stout students and has hired a number of them," Slinden said.

Each year cooperative education "Students of the Year" are chosen from various fields. Dana L. Pischke, industrial technology-packaging, was chosen in that area. "Cooperative education is a program that brings out the best in people, as it did in me!" she said.

"This whole experience built not only on my packaging, engineering, organization and communication skills, but built my confidence as an individual and a professional," Dana added.

Students, employers and the university all benefit. "The cooperative education program at Stout is an excellent example of a working partnership between employers and a university," Slinden said. "UW-Stout has long recognized the value of practical work experience to strengthen university programs."

Three new programs, bachelor of science degrees in graphic communications management and telecommunication systems, and a master of science degree in applied psychology, were approved by the UW System Board of Regents.

All three programs are extensions of UW-Stout's specialized mission and are unduplicated elsewhere in Wisconsin, according to Provost George DePuy.

The university has been offering studies in graphic communications management and telecommunication systems as concentrations in the industrial technology program before making them full majors, DePuy said. The applied psychology graduate program is a natural extension of the university's undergraduate degree in psychology, he added.

DePuy said that the telecommunication systems program will place a strong emphasis on the application of theory to the solution of real work problems through the intensive hands-on laboratory environment that is at the heart of UW-Stout's teaching strategy. The program is designed to prepare telecommunications specialists who have the ability to respond aggressively to the changing needs of the marketplace. Emphasis will be placed on emerging telecommunication technologies at all levels of an organization including telephone systems, networking data communication systems, and graphic and video imaging. Graduates will also have an understanding of the contemporary work force.

The graphic communications management program is designed to prepare individuals to work and contribute in the printing and publishing industry. Graduates of the program are expected to function in management positions at a national and international level in the world economy. The program will focus on modern and emerging technologies as they affect the printing and publishing industry beyond the conventional printing processes. Required and elective courses will allow students to explore specialty and related areas of the field. This will permit students to develop special strengths in specific industry areas or career paths such as flexography, screen printing, gravure, offset lithography, inks, electronic imaging, sales, marketing or research.

DePuy said the applied psychology master's program has a number of specific objectives: designing, conducting and evaluating behavioral research in applied settings; applying concepts of human learning, information processing, social psychology, and organizational and group dynamics to behavior change; assessing individuals' emotions and abilities for application in organizational change and career assessment; using behavioral science to work effectively with diverse groups; and understanding value systems and ethical behavior in the work place.

All three programs have been endorsed by outside consultants and will be implemented in the fall semester.

UW-Stout's academic division will be reorganized, from four schools to three colleges, under a plan being submitted to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Under the plan, the university's four schools--industry and technology, liberal studies, education and human services, and human environmental sciences (formerly home economics)--would be reorganized into three new colleges: arts and sciences; technology, engineering and management; and human development.

Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen said there was "broad discussion" across campus in developing the plan. "Following Regents' action, I am asking for the cooperation of everyone on campus so that this can be accomplished by July 1, 1996," Sorensen said.

Provost George DePuy, who led discussion on the restructuring effort, pointed out that the change does not involve eliminating any degree programs at UW-Stout. "It does eliminate the cost of mid-level administration and reconfigures the responsibilities of the remaining mid-level administration," he said. "The objective is to preserve the quality of instruction by cutting administrative costs."

DePuy noted that the change comes in part through budget cuts imposed by the State Legislature. "In responding to the Legislature's budget cuts, the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin mandated that significant cuts in administrative costs be made at the dean's level and below," he said. "Our efforts to reduce the number of schools in order to cut administrative costs is consistent with actions being taken at several other UW institutions."

DePuy said that faculty, staff and students all had an opportunity to offer suggestions for the plan. "Every member of the university community has had the opportunity to contribute their ideas," he said. Those opportunities included public forums and a Provost's Advisory Committee on Academic Restructuring, which included representatives from the university's various segments.

Sorensen said that three additional issues need to be addressed in the near future:

• Duplication"I am asking the provost to appoint an appropriate team to identify and study course duplication and eliminate all unnecessary duplication within and between our academic programs and departments," the chancellor said.
• Deans "The provost will address the issue of appointing deans to the new colleges," Sorensen said. "He will address the level of support for each college."
• Sorensen also said that other refinements to the academic structuring can be considered after the new colleges are in place and functioning.

UW-Stout's Nakatani Center can make its own CD-ROMs that store as much information as 500 computer discs. Even computer novices can begin to understand the impressiveness of that potential.

The wealth of knowledge that that represents is, however, unfathomable, even to the educators who use the Nakatani Center to learn how better to dispense that knowledge.

Constantly improving the process of education is the vision of the Nakatani Center. Through the integration of cross-disciplinary processes that employ technology, research and partnerships with business, industry and education, the art and science of teaching can be greatly refined.

In times of increasing budget cuts and belt tightening, opening high-tech centers like this one is difficult, if not impossible. But UW-Stout's Nakatani Center was made possible through an endowment from the family estate of a Stout alumnus, Arthur Nakatani. According to Joe Hagaman, director of the center, operating expenses are kept at a minimum. "We are living off the interest of the endowment," Hagaman said. "We still have the one and a half million."

Arthur Nakatani, an elementary school teacher in the District of Kona, Hawaii, passed away in 1989 while still in his 30s. At the death of his mother, Kiyo Nakatani, a bequest from her estate in memory of Arthur was endowed to UW-Stout. UW-Stout was then able to open the center to provide an extensive program of workshops, campus conferences, professional support for educators as well as technological linkages among a multitude of constituencies.

"The Nakatani Center's environment will provide stimulating, nurturing and pluralistic learning experiences for educators and their students," Hagaman said. "It will capitalize on the strengths of Stout to help provide cutting edge innovations in the design and application of research and technology to teaching."

Primary emphasis at the center currently is to provide support to faculty and staff through the grants they write, according to Hagaman. He noted that $40,000 in grants were awarded this past year.

Other activities include establishing a World Wide Web workstation at the Library Learning Center; providing multimedia training and development programs; videoconferences on the uses of instructional technologies; continued development of the Nakatani Web site; promoting partnerships with business, industry and education; and a summer academy for K-12 educators. The bottom line is to help educators to better use technology in their teaching.

It is said that Arthur Nakatani, from a wealthy family, chose to teach because he loved it. It seems appropriate that the bequest that launched the UW-Stout facility will benefit others dedicated to teaching, like Arthur Nakatani.