Student Assets

Photo: A UW-Platteville engineering student listens to task force feedback during his portion of the downtown parking study presentation. 

We are fortunate to have students assisting the City with a number of initiatives this spring. Here’s a brief overview:

• Downtown Parking Study – Senior civil engineering students from UW-Platteville are working with the Downtown Parking Task Force to update the 2012 parking study in light of new and proposed development projects in the downtown area.
• Economic Development -  Master of Public Administration students from UW-Oshkosh are looking at Platteville’s economic development structure and making recommendations based on best practices for cities our size.
• Organization Efficiencies – UW-Platteville students studying organization management are using quality tools to streamline the City’s purchase order process.
• Marketing Plans – A Loras College marketing class is reviewing marketing plans from the Museums Department and Senior Center and making recommendations for improvements. 
• Historical Research – UW-Platteville history students are researching African-American lead miners for a future museum exhibit.

In addition, City Manager Intern Spencer Wingert is creating website content for new residents and investigating policies related to respectful behavior on transit systems. He is also serving as the staff liaison to the Downtown Parking Task Force.

These student-staff teams are a winning combination. The students gain exposure to city government and learn about real world challenges. The City benefits from both their work and their fresh perspective.  None of the students cited above are being paid for their work.

Managing student projects does take staff time. For many of these students, there are valuable lessons about organization protocols and structure, in addition to learning technical content. As public service professionals, we feel it is our obligation to assist the next generation - just as previous generations helped us.