Developing a greater understanding of how neighborhood dynamics affect communities. Strengthening time management skills. Distilling a range of opinions and applying them to a final deliverable.
These are just a few examples of the professional skills that UniverCity Alliance Scholars gained during the fall semester by partnering with Wisconsin local governments on individual projects, ranging from mapping EMS resources to creating public access trail designs and optimizing county facility space.
Lexi Golding, a junior majoring in political science, said her experience working with the City of Beaver Dam on a human resources project has prepared her for her future career.
“I learned valuable skills in communication, professionalism, and collaboration. Through the project, I realized how passion and dedication can significantly enhance the work experience, making it both meaningful and rewarding,” said Golding, who worked on the project with fellow scholar Maggie Claussen. “The opportunity to drive a project based in local government helped build a great foundation for my future career in both public service and organizational management.”
Golding and seven other students made up the 2025 UniverCity Alliance Scholars Program, which completed its third year. This program convenes committed undergraduate and graduate students with a range of skills and interests to work on individual projects with local government partners.
Upon completion of the project, the students receive $1,500 scholarships that have been generously provided by the Division of Continuing Studies and UW alumni John Holton, Pat Thiele, Colleen Goggins, John Nelson, Bill and Karen Monfre, John Bauman, Jane Mandula, Curt Fuszard, and others.
The 2025 cohort completed the following projects in collaboration with these Wisconsin communities:
- Updating position descriptions to align with a job factor analysis and salary schedule updates in the City of Beaver Dam
- Mapping EMS demand and resources for the Town of Irving, Town of Melrose, and Village of Melrose
- Designing a survey to engage residents and stakeholders about an eco-friendly mountain biking area in the Village of DeForest
- Creating orientation and onboarding materials for new Village of DeForest trustees
- Optimizing Sheboygan County facility space use to meet current and future staffing needs
- Developing initial concept plans and identifying strategic design elements for Amsterdam Dunes public access trails in Shebogyan County
- Inventorying and developing a guide for local resources for the UW South Madison Partnership
“Because of the wide variety of needs that local governments address in their communities, UniverCity Alliance is able to offer a range of unique projects that align with students from diverse academic disciplines,” UniverCity Alliance Managing Director Megan McBride said. “This allows us to introduce local government to students majoring in political science and planning and landscape architecture, for example, but also in environmental studies, information science, biology, journalism, and human ecology.”
Producing ‘useful and actionable’ work
Madeline Green, a senior studying political science, journalism, and criminal justice, said she learned just how “complex and thoughtful local government work truly is.”
“I gained a deeper appreciation for the amount of research, collaboration, and decision-making that goes into serving a community,” said Green, who worked with the Village of DeForest on creating materials for new local elected officials.
Green, who plans to pursue a legal career, said the experience expanded her professional network and strengthened her time management skills.
“Additionally, collaborating with a variety of individuals and learning about an unfamiliar topic, then applying that knowledge directly to my work, was extremely valuable,” Green said. “This experience showed me how to adapt, communicate effectively for my needs as a student, and approach new challenges with confidence.”
Rachael Shields, who is pursuing a PhD in design studies through the School of Human Ecology, aims to be a professor in Wisconsin after she completes her degree. Shields said learning more about these local government projects provided insight into the types of projects she could pursue that incorporate meaningful community involvement.
“I learned the value of creating deliverables that are quick, easily editable, and easy to understand,” Shields said. “While many university projects unfold over multiple years, focusing on a clearly defined and specific problem can produce work that is useful and actionable within a much shorter timeframe.”
For Megan Dorsey, a senior majoring in landscape and urban studies, understanding how resources are communicated and shared within a community provided greater insight into neighborhood dynamics and relationships.
Dorsey worked with the UW South Madison Partnership on a local resource guide. She said she learned the importance of truly getting to know her community partner in order to create a tool that can be implemented.
“Being able to understand the needs and interests of the community is essential to produce a useful deliverable,” Dorsey said. “This experience is very rewarding because I was able to create a project that will be useful to many residents in the South Madison area.”
–Abigail Becker