Lawrence partners with University of Wisconsin to provide skills development to local business community

Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business Center for Professional and Executive Development (CPED) launched a partnership in late 2020 to offer learning and development opportunities to the business community in the Fox Valley.

The courses are being delivered online during the COVID-19 pandemic but will shift to in-person sessions on the Lawrence campus when it is safe to do so.
Lawrence leadership first began talking with CPED Director of Corporate Partnerships Mark Seifert in late 2018, expressing interest in using Lawrence facilities and expertise to provide educational outreach in business skills development.

Lawrence President Mark Burstein called the partnership a great opportunity for Lawrence to support area organizations in new ways.

“Many CEOs in northeastern Wisconsin have asked me over the past few years if Lawrence could offer learning opportunities for their staff that would be practical, tailored to their business needs, and locally delivered,” Burstein said. “Teaming with CPED has allowed us to fulfill this need, relying on the expertise of the Wisconsin School of Business and Lawrence’s local knowledge and talent.”

The first session in the partnership, held earlier this year, drew participants from Jewelers Mutual, Johnsonville Sausage, Michel’s Corporation, and Schreiber Foods.
The early responses from the course have been promising. It is traditionally a two-day immersive program. But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program shifted to an online delivery, running six weeks with 75-minute weekly learning sessions.

The interactive sessions offered participants the opportunity to grow their professional networks and get real-time feedback on their progress. The Live Learning Sessions were complemented by pre- and post-work activities that included an assessment tool, videos, readings, discussions, and a final project.