University earns highest certification for benefits, supportive environment
By Abbey Goers, UW Stout
University of Wisconsin-Stout has been gold-level certified by Family Friendly Workplaces, the Woodville-based organization’s highest distinction, which recognizes employers for their strong support of the needs of workers and their families and high level of family-related benefits.
An award presentation at the university’s Memorial Student Center was held recently, with remarks by Family Friendly Workplaces Executive Director Neil Kline; Universities of Wisconsin Regent Mark Tyler, FFW founder; and Chancellor Katherine Frank.
“This award represents the people-process culture that we support at Stout and our learn-by-doing mission to prepare our students for success when they enter the workforce,” Frank said. “We want this campus alive and active and vibrant 12 months out of the year. That depends on what we do as a university but also how we serve our larger community.
“We are excited and honored to be a Family Friendly Workplace, and it reminds us to do better. Our goal is to continue to model the type of activity that we value on this campus and that we want to see across our communities,” she said.
To be certified, Family Friendly Workplaces reviewed UW-Stout’s human resources policies and practices that support families and children, covering a wide range of topics, including health care, time off, flexible work arrangements, employee assistance programs, childcare and early childhood support and others.
As part of the certification process, employers complete the application by self-scoring their organization for each of the criteria. Once the employer submits its application, a Family Friendly Workplaces representative reviews that data and assigns the appropriate certification level.
Family Friendly Workplaces strives to address western Wisconsin's workforce shortage and to strengthen western Wisconsin families by certifying businesses as family friendly and encouraging the adoption of practices that benefit families.
It helps employers recruit and retain talent and helps to ensure that young people have a successful early foundation and the skills they need to succeed when they enter the workforce.
“That skills piece is where Stout comes in because it is the terminus of that skills training,” Kline said. “We are very excited that Stout is participating in the program, that we’ve got robust participation from the technical colleges in our area and other Universities of Wisconsin schools, and that we’re all recognizing the importance of trying to address this long-term workforce shortage. Because ultimately what we’re talking about is the vibrancy of the communities that we know and that we love.”
Tyler appreciates that polytechnic, “hands-on learning has been the attraction of Stout for a long, long time. Stout learned a long time ago that if you teach things in context, knowledge sticks.
“Our program is relatively new. We need organizations that are recognized as leaders in the community, and certainly Stout is one of those. By Stout participating in this program, it really sets a firm path for others to follow,” he said.
UW-Stout’s employee-focused benefits play a role in people choosing to work at the university and move to the Menomonie and Chippewa Valley area, which supports the overall regional economic development and strengthens Wisconsin’s communities and workforce.
A tour followed the presentation that included the Clinical Services Center, the university’s community-based mental health counseling center, and the Child and Family Study Center, both of which support faculty, staff, students and their families, as well as the community.
These centers serve as labs for students to learn by doing and to train in their related fields. The Child and Family Study Center is housed in Heritage Hall, which will undergo a renovation beginning in 2025. The Clinical Services Center will move from the Vocational Rehabilitation building to a new space within Heritage Hall.
The tour included the Plastics Lab in Jarvis Hall Tech Wing, which was remodeled this summer.
UW-Stout hosts a series of youth camps in science, technology, engineering, art and design, and mathematics, as well as athletics camps led by faculty and university students each summer, serving elementary, middle and high school students from across the region.
The Robert S. Swanson Library and Learning Center’s second floor, home to the university’s children’s books section, is open to the public.
“The University Library is an action-focused space where students have a variety of opportunities to learn in different types of spaces and which is part of the ecosystem of learning and literacy in our community,” Frank said.
UW-Stout is among more than 30 employers in western and northwestern Wisconsin that have been recognized for market-leading employee benefits and are committed to supporting children and families.
Learn more about Family Friendly Workplaces and its certification program.
UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.
