UW-Superior to offer research, evaluation services
Oct. 3—SUPERIOR — The University of Wisconsin-Superior launched the Center for Research and Evaluation Services on Monday, Oct. 2.
The center will provide resources for local businesses, nonprofits and public institutions in the Twin Ports and beyond, officials said in a news release.
"Throughout the years, UW-Superior has received requests from community members and organizations to be involved or help in different research projects," said Emily Neumann, director of Institutional Research and Sponsored Programs and a member of the research team said the news release. "Our office and other centers and departments across campus were not always able to provide such services, and this center is a response to those needs."
Officials determined an applied research center would meet an existing need after completing a study of research centers offering similar services in Wisconsin and Minnesota; surveying local organizations to assess research needs; and subsequent interviews with a sample of survey respondents, the news release said.
"What we're looking to do with the center is to deliver the expertise of UWS faculty and staff to provide services to our community, to our businesses, nonprofits and organizations in the area," said Daniela Mansbach, a researcher and one of the center's founders. "Specifically, we're interested in providing research services such as data collection and providing assessment and evaluation."
The center will provide professional fee-for-service research to organizations. The center will be revenue-neutral, with all fees for service covering its operations. Initial research services will include data collection and analysis, program assessment and evaluation, and process facilitation.
"It is particularly exciting to me how they can support the for-profit and nonprofit and government entities in this area with services and expertise that abound in this university," said UW System President Jay Rothman. "It is a great example of how ... UW-Superior supports this region, the important role that our university can play in the communities in which they operate. UW-Superior is a leader. This is an innovative idea about dedicating expertise and resources to support the broader community."
Research services will include both primary and secondary data collection and analysis, such as surveys of internal and external client stakeholders; focus groups; market analysis; and data collection and analyses for grant submissions.
"The lack of this type of service in rural areas hinders the flow of dollars to non-metro places and Tribal Nations, essentially creating an even bigger divide between urban and rural places and limiting access to resources for smaller communities," said Jason Hollinday, planning division director for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, in the news release. "Having experts in our region to call upon for support with data, assessments and evaluations will increase competitiveness when seeking funding and help us tell a better story of the impact being made in our communities."
"These are really exciting times at UW-Superior," Chancellor Renee Wachter said Monday. "There's so many new and innovative projects going on."
Other developments include microcredentials and digital badges, launching varsity esports for PC gamers and ongoing work to develop the Superior Plan, Wachter said.
"We know that to keep pace with technology and changes in industry and educational needs, we've introduced new options for students and our broader community," Wachter said. "Microcredentials are credit-bearing or noncredit-bearing, short life experiences designed to teach new skills or to upgrade existing ones. Once completed, learners earn a digital badge that they can display on their resume or job applications. If taken for credit, they can actually be stackable. It's an incremental way to gain experience on a pathway to earning a degree."
For PC gamers, Wachter said esports is an opportunity to compete on a team against other universities. She said a gaming facility is being constructed.
The
Superior Plan
would add an indoor practice field along Belknap and expand Wessman Arena with two additional sheets of ice; complementary facilities for health care, child care, housing and a hotel would be built through public-private partnerships.
"I'm excited about the Superior Plan and being able to do a P3 project here," Rothman said Monday. "We are working through the details ... We now need to move down the path to determine if it is feasible and will cash flow. It will also serve the region, not just the university but the broader community. I'm excited about the possibilities that project could create for the university and the community."
For more information about the Center for Research and Evaluation Services, email
or visit
