As a new school year begins, conversations for Wisconsinites naturally focus on education: first-day experiences, fall sports excitement, touring universities and preparing applications. We are invested in these experiences, but we don’t always stop to consider their value – for students and our communities.
At UW-Stout Polytechnic, our impact is our value. It has been clearly reflected in the success of our graduates for decades, from their near-perfect and unmatched employment rate after graduation to their highest-in-the-region starting salaries. It is proven by the more than 125 Fortune 500 companies that have hired our graduates in the past five years, often before our students even receive diplomas. And it is obvious when you consider the value we provide Wisconsin: UW-Stout Polytechnic generates $857.8 million in additional income for our state’s economy every year – as verified by an analysis by labor market firm Lightcast – enough to support 9,400 jobs statewide.
To put it in perspective, that total – 9,400 jobs – is bigger than the number of Wisconsin workers employed by Northwestern Mutual, Phillips Medisize, Uline or Harley-Davidson – all of which employ Stout graduates.
In our immediate seven-county region alone, UW-Stout Polytechnic’s economic activity translates into nearly 5,800 jobs in engineering and manufacturing, IT and other technology sectors, health care, design, business and professional services, and thousands more that wouldn’t exist without UW-Stout Polytechnic.
As the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents’ budget proposal for 2027-29 moves forward and state policymakers determine how our universities will be funded, we are proud to share the profound economic impact that Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University has and the ongoing return on investment we generate.
UW-Stout Polytechnic’s $857.8 million economic impact is directly related to our identity as the only polytechnic university in the Upper Midwest. Our students’ applied learning and research opportunities, business and industry collaborations and career-focused experiences are directly tied to our more than 700 national and regional industry partners, who in turn rely on our university for R&D support, industry consulting and a workforce pipeline.
From Day One, our students are finding impactful solutions to real problems. Conducting sustainable plastic research for John Deere. Creating equipment solutions for Ashley Furniture. Meeting industry needs with 3D concrete printer training. Using AI to research products that meet the nutritional requirements of GLP-1 users. This is what applied learning and research look like in practice.
And it’s no surprise that the largest share of the university’s economic impact is created by our alumni: Blue Devil graduates add $721.4 million to the state’s collective income each year.
These higher earnings have a ripple effect statewide, improving the quality of life for tens of thousands of Wisconsinites, even if they never step foot on our campus. That is because Blue Devil graduates don’t just hold jobs – they create them. Our alumni include C-suite executives and other visionaries who have founded, transformed, led or continue to lead companies such as Ashley Furniture Industries, EVCO Plastics, Prent Corporation, Trek, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Gordon Flesch Co., Sentry Insurance, Security Health Plan and many more. By forging ongoing relationships with these alumni-driven companies and numerous others – including Harley-Davidson, 3M, Andersen Windows, Milwaukee Tool, Oshkosh Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Xcel Energy – UW-Stout Polytechnic serves as a statewide engine for growth.
Even as skeptics have questioned the broad value of higher education, the magnitude of UW-Stout Polytechnic’s impact proves the value of investing in Stout: From 2016 to 2025, the university’s economic impact on our immediate region grew more than 63% – a dramatic surge in less than a decade.
The value of a UW-Stout Polytechnic education is clear: For every dollar students spend on a UW-Stout Polytechnic degree, they receive $4.70 in higher lifetime earnings. It is why the average starting salary for our bachelor’s degree graduates is $59,000 annually – consistently the highest in the region. It is why, throughout their working life, a Blue Devil with a UW-Stout Polytechnic bachelor’s degree will earn $27,900 more each year than someone with a high school diploma alone. That adds up to an additional $1.2 million during a career – and the dividend is larger for those who receive master’s or professional degrees.
And it is why, dollar for dollar, the return on investment for society is greater still: The value of the economic growth generated throughout graduates’ working lives means society will gain an estimated $5.30 for each dollar invested in UW-Stout Polytechnic.
Likewise, as a polytechnic university, UW-Stout Polytechnic has always invested strategically in the innovations that power Wisconsin industries. To ensure this return on investment continues, UW-Stout Polytechnic is seeking funding in the state budget for laboratory and equipment modernization as well as for targeted initiatives, including:
- New Innovation and Library Learning Centers: Planning and design funds for a technology-forward replacement building and renovation project on central campus to address aging infrastructure and evolving program needs.
- Center for Innovation & Development, PROPEL Initiative: Establishing a coordinated student venture studio that will help students move ideas from concept to commercialization.
- Advanced Computing & Emerging Technology Lab: Providing introductory quantum computing access via cloud-based platforms.
- Built Environment Emerging Technologies Lab: Advancing UW-Stout Polytechnic’s 3D concrete printing lab as a center for emerging technologies.
- The Stout Applied AI Innovations Hub: Creating a shared space for applied AI learning, industry collaboration, and regional partnership development.
These and other investments will ensure UW-Stout Polytechnic students – as well as industry and workforce partners – continue to have access to the most advanced technology and equipment available, preparing them to become the next generation of leaders that our business and industry partners need to compete and lead in the global economy.
As Wisconsin students consider their next steps and lawmakers weigh how to invest in our universities and students, I invite them – and every Wisconsinite – to see our polytechnic advantage for themselves. Tour our campus, visit our labs and studios, meet our faculty and staff, speak with our students, and connect with the employers who hire them. You will then understand exactly where that $857.8 million for Wisconsin’s economy comes from.
Dr. Katherine P. Frank is the eighth chancellor of UW-Stout Polytechnic, and the first woman to lead the university. Under her leadership at UW-Stout Polytechnic, Chancellor Frank has codified and amplified the university’s distinct mission as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University in Board of Regents’ policy documents and through a formal university name change, the first throughout the Universities of Wisconsin since 1971.
