NWTC, UW-Stout and UW-Green Bay will offer ‘groundbreaking’ bachelor's degree at NWTC
2 + 2 transfer agreement will deliver needed manufacturing engineering program to Northeast Wisconsin


Students will be able to earn 2-year and 4-year manufacturing engineering degrees at NWTC-Green Bay under an historic agreement from NWTC, the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
 
A Feb. 19 celebration at NWTC’s Manufacturing Technology Center unveiled NWTC's new Manufacturing Engineering Technology Associate Degree, which will be offered in collaboration with UW-Green Bay, and a 2+2 engineering degree completion program in Green Bay through UW-Stout.

This agreement creates the first complete engineering bachelor's degree in Northeast Wisconsin, speakers said. It is so sorely needed that George Semenak of Georgia Pacific Corp. said he felt as though the program had been created just for their company. Semenak is Maintenance and Engineering Manager for Georgia Pacific's four Green Bay facilities, and is a member of the NWTC Educational Foundation Board.
 
What's different:
 
  • The new Manufacturing Engineering Technology associate degree will require five courses that are only taught by UW-Green Bay. Students must meet UWGB admission requirements and pre-requisites for one chemistry course, two physics courses and two more in Calculus and Analytic Geometry.
    
  • Graduates of that program can complete their bachelor's degree at NWTC. They will be able to transfer as juniors into UW-Stout’s Manufacturing Engineering bachelor of science degree program. The third and fourth years of the program will be taught by UW-Stout faculty on the NWTC Green Bay campus – enabling students to stay closer to home.
   
“We are excited to participate in this groundbreaking endeavor that allows people in our district to stay in our district while they complete their studies,” said NWTC President Dr. H. Jeffrey Rafn. “The partnership between NWTC, UW-Green Bay, and UW-Stout reflects the commitment that all of us in higher education have to provide the highest quality education to the people here in Wisconsin.”
 
“We are extremely pleased to partner with two fine institutions in delivering a needed engineering program to Northeast Wisconsin,” said UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen. “This is done in the best sense of educational collaboration and will have an impact on the economic growth of the state.”
    
“The collaborative manufacturing engineering program is an excellent example of how our universities and technical colleges can work together for the benefit of our state’s citizens,” added UW-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard. “It will help build a brighter future for our region and state and meet the changing economic needs of Wisconsin.”

Smiles and handshakes all around: Speakers for the signing ceremony included (seated, left to right) Dr. Rafn; UWGB Chancellor Dr. Bruce Shepard, UW-Stout Chancellor Dr.Charles Sorensen; and George Semenak, Georgia-Pacific Manager of Maintenance and Engineering for Green Bay.
    
Further information:
 
NWTC’s Manufacturing Engineering Technology program prepares students to work in the manufacturing sector assisting engineers and managers in developing new products and improving production processes. For more information, go to www.nwtc.edu or call (920) 498-5444.

For information about UWGB's admission requirements, including enrollment fees, see www.uwgb.edu/admissions. To find pre-requisites for the UWGB courses required for NWTC's Manufacturing Engineering Technology program (UWGB's Math 202, Math 203, Chem 211, Physics 201 and Physics 202), consult the UWGB Undergraduate Catalog.
   
UW-Stout's Manufacturing Engineering program prepares students to be involved with the production process, from product design through post-sale service. Manufacturing engineers work with other professionals to design products and the automated systems that produce them. They are experts in selecting the right materials to use and processing them into usable products. They know how to control automated production systems with computers, and they utilize advanced technologies when appropriate. More information is available at www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsmfe/ps.html.

The new Manufacturing Engineering Bachelor of Science Degree to be delivered on NWTC's campus involved two systems and three colleges, but it was applauded by local and state government officials, representatives of the WTCS Board and UW System Board of Regents, and industry.