UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Manohar Singh speaks to the media and members of ThedaCare Regional Medical Center at their Neenah site.
UW-Oshkosh Provost Ed Martini stresses the commitment to career readiness and efforts to build partnerships with Fox Valley employers.
More new University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh grads are stepping off the stage with jobs already lined up—and they are choosing to stick around in Wisconsin when they take those first strides.
The latest survey of new UWO alumni shows a growing trend of Titans kicking off their careers right in the region where they went to school. On Monday, Aug. 11, UWO leaders rolled out the “First Destination” survey results for the class of 2023-24 at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. They gave special recognition to partner ThedaCare, which hired a whopping 48 UWO grads from that class—more than any other single employer.
More than 81% of 2023-24 graduates who worked with UWO’s Career and Professional Development (CPD) team (742 students) landed their first career opportunities before even finishing college, with many of those jobs right in the Fox Valley.
The full First Destination report is now available HERE.
“To prospective students, moms, dads and employers: In so many ways, college is most definitely worth it, and here’s more proof courtesy of talented Titans and the university partners providing them incredible opportunities to learn and earn,” Chancellor Manohar Singh said.
Lynn Detterman, president of the North Regional of Froedtert ThedaCare Health, speaks to a crowd about the collaboration with UWO and how it helps to provide future team members
“UWO students see additional return on their investments thanks to all the real-world career connections,” Singh said. “Why wait until after graduation to get started? Local businesses, hospitals, schools and government offices are opening doors for our students while they’re still progressing through UWO. The need for locally generated and locally retained talent is essential to any thriving region. Having community partners like ThedaCare—now building a state-of-the-art ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh just down the river from campus—is a game changer for our students and the local economy.”
Chancellor Singh and Ed Martini, UWO Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, also highlighted a few more big survey findings and wins at the Aug. 11 event:
· Titans “brain retain” and “brain gain” are climbing: More than 91% of Wisconsin natives who graduate from UWO stay in the state (mostly around Fox Valley). That’s up from 88% in 2016-17, when UWO started tracking this info. Plus, more than 40% of out-of-state grads from the class of 2023-24 are now calling Wisconsin home and starting their careers here, too.
· And good news about those first paychecks: Starting salaries for new UWO grads are still rising. Over the past 15 years, the average salary has jumped from $41,975 in 2011-12 to $59,064 in 2023-24—and yes, that is keeping up with, if not surpassing, the cost of living.
· Finally, more Titans are using UWO Career and Professional Development to get them career ready… and it’s working: The number of grads who’ve used CPD and landed a job before graduation went from 67% in 2016-17 to nearly 82% in 2023-24—a 15-point leap.
Martini also highlighted several standout findings from UWO’s latest National Alumni Career Mobility survey, which measures Titans graduates’ early career successes and opinions about how well UWO prepared them.
The latest survey gathered feedback from alumni in the classes of 2014 and 2019 and, in many cases, found UWO far outperforming peer and national higher education institutions, based on alumni responses.
Some highlights:
· 70 percent of UWO alumni surveyed responded favorably when asked if “My institution helped me understand career opportunities. That compares to 58.4% of alumni respondents from alumni of peer and national institutions in those same classes.
· 66 percent of class of 2019 UWO alumni responded favorably when asked if “My institution helped me envision my career options,” compared to about 54% of alumni respondents from peer and national institutions.
· 54.6 percent of UWO alumni responded favorably when asked if “My institution helped me network with employers,” compared to 43% of peer and national institution respondents.
“UWO’s commitment to career readiness and our efforts to build partnerships with Fox Valley companies, nonprofits and government employers is giving students so many outstanding opportunities to apply what they learn right away.” Martini said. “It is helping shape future leaders faster, clearly driving alumni success.”
“College here clearly extends beyond the campus. And having so many community and regional partners like ThedaCare invested in students’ professional growth and development is making a difference, helping students get one step ahead while driving the region’s growth and economic vibrancy.”
Beyond their efforts to develop a futuristic Fox Valley region workforce, ThedaCare and UWO continue to partner and earn recognition for other community responsive initiatives:
· Rural Telehealth Initiative: Funded by a UW Innovation Grant, this initiative focuses on educating nurses on telehealth technologies to improve access to and delivery of quality healthcare in several of the region’s rural communities.
· ThedaCare School of Radiologic Technology: The program is affiliated with UWO, allowing students to apply for federal loans and grants through the university if enrolled.
· Business Partnership Award: ThedaCare was honored with a Universities of Wisconsin Regents Business Partnership Award in fall 2024.
“To achieve our vision of reinventing health care and being proactive partners in health and well-being, we must adapt the way we deliver care and enhance the way we recruit and retain our team members,” said Lynn Detterman, President of the North Region of Froedtert ThedaCare Health. “The collaboration with education partners such as UWO helps provide future ThedaCare team members with the knowledge, skills and development they need to continue our mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve. They are a great benefit to the organization, passionate about serving patients and families, and dedicated to providing high-quality care for our communities.”
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