Bryan Albrecht, who retired this fall after 16 years as president of Gateway Technical College in Racine, has received UW-Stout’s highest honor bestowed on a former graduate — the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Albrecht has three degrees from UW-Stout, a bachelor’s in industrial education in 1984, a master’s in technology education in 1988 and an Education Specialist in 2008. He earned a doctorate in education in 2011 from the University of Minnesota.
A Fond du Lac native, he began his career as a career and technical education teacher in the Cornell and Kewaunee school districts, then in 1987 joined the state Department of Public Instruction in technology education. He was named Gateway Tech president in 2006.
“It is an honor to receive the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award. My career can be directly attributed to the experience I was gifted while attending UW Stout,” Albrecht said.
Albrecht was recognized Oct. 7 on campus by the Alumni Association during homecoming weekend festivities.
“My UW-Stout experience has extended beyond my time as a student. It has shaped my life’s work as an educator and industry partner. The faculty and university mentors challenged me to be a lifelong learner and to share my passion with every student served throughout my career,” he said.
His honors include the lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education, and he served as president of the national association. His career has included leadership positions with 12 local boards, 11 regional and state institutions and 18 national organizations. He also has been an invited speaker in 12 countries.
In 2011 he was UW-Stout’s Career and Technical Education in Residence, giving a campuswide address, meeting with leaders and speaking with students, saying, “Leadership is not a title; it’s a lifestyle.”
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