The UW-Madison Connections Program, announced Tuesday, March 13, will offer admission to both institutions to students from six select Wisconsin counties for Fall 2001 semester.

“UW-Waukesha is pleased to be part of the UW-Madison Connections Program.  Participating in this innovative program provides us with another avenue to help accomplish our mission to provide access to the UW System for the citizens of Waukesha County and Southeastern Wisconsin” says UW-Waukesha Dean Brad Stewart.  “Over the past few years, we've partnered with UW-Milwaukee to bring some very successful degree completion programs to our campus and we look forward to working with UW-Madison as well,” Stewart adds.

The program will begin on a pilot basis and will be evaluated during its first year. Students who agree to participate will be admitted to UW-Madison, but fulfill their general education requirements at one of four two-year UW Colleges: UW-Waukesha, UW-Marathon County in Wausau, UW-Richland, and UW Rock County in Janesville. They will have three years maximum to successfully complete those requirements, which total 54 credits.

After finishing those courses, students will move to the UW-Madison campus to complete the upper-level courses needed to earn their four-year degrees.

“More and more students every year want to attend UW-Madison, and we have only so many spaces available in the freshman class,” says UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley. “The Connections Program gives us greater flexibility to address the demand for more access, while partnering with a fellow UW System institution.”

Students admitted to the UW-Madison Connections Program will receive a UW-Madison student identification card that will grant them many of the privileges available to all new freshmen. These include access to UW-Madison libraries, recreational facilities and student unions, and the opportunity to purchase tickets for athletic events at student rates.

“The students who enroll at the UW Colleges campuses as part of the UW-Madison Connections program can look forward to getting a great start on their college careers with our world-class teachers in small classes,” says UW Colleges Chancellor William F. Messner. “With our emphasis on undergraduate learning on the freshman/sophomore level, the UW Colleges has a long history of preparing students for success at UW Madison.”

The freshman/sophomore UW Colleges campuses have no graduate students and therefore no teaching assistants teaching lower level courses. Faculty are hired specifically to teach the students enrolled at the campuses. The campuses charge a lower tuition as well, and class settings are small and intimate, which has been shown to be the most advantageous environment for learning.

The UW-Madison Office of Undergraduate Admissions estimates that approximately 750 students from Dane, Marathon, Milwaukee, Richland, Rock and Waukesha counties will be eligible for the Connections Program. Participants will pay tuition and fees at the UW College they choose to attend.

The four UW Colleges and six counties in the program were selected either because of their population base or their proximity to Madison, and because two of the colleges – UW-Marathon County and UW-Richland – offer student housing.

UW-Madison Admissions Director Rob Seltzer says applications for fall admission have for the first time exceeded 20,000, a 12-percent increase over last year. The Fall 2001 freshman class is expected to total approximately 5,700 students, about the same size as this year’s class.

“The UW-Madison Connections Program is another example of how the UW System is well-positioned to serve the citizens of Wisconsin in new and innovative ways,” says UW System President Katharine C. Lyall.

Eligible students will be notified about the program by mail this week. Those who have questions can contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at (608) 265-5228.