A delegation consisting of Dean Brett Peters, UWM’s Chief Government Relations Officer Keri Duce, UW-Madison Engineering Dean Devesh Ranjan and UW-Platteville Engineering Dean Philip Parker met with Wisconsin Congressional members in February. The group was in Washington D.C. for the annual American Society for Engineering Education Public Policy Colloquium.
Among those they spoke with were:
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin
- Sen. Ron Johnson
- Rep. Gwen Moore
- Rep. Tony Wied
The dean’s group also attended a Wisconsin group breakfast with Rep. Mark Pocan and had lunch with staff members of Rep. Glenn Grothman, Rep. Bryan Steil, Pocan, and Wied.
The group sought to promote the universities’ educational programs, discuss the critical role of federal support and research funding, and highlighting other opportunities for investment.
Advanced manufacturing and the Wisconsin Manufacturing Summit in Green Bay in June was one topic discussed.
Others included quantum computing, artificial intelligence, the ongoing engineering workforce shortage, partnership with technical colleges, and internships and co-ops, Duce said.
The legislators were interested in the number of graduates the schools are producing, starting salaries, companies working with the universities, and the kinds of federal research going on at each campus.