UW-B/SC to launch master's degree program

By Tim Damos

Local educators won't have to leave Sauk County to obtain a master's degree after the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County becomes a hub for a statewide education program.

The college announced this week it will enter an agreement with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to deliver a two-year graduate degree program designed to keep K-12 teachers on the cutting edge of education.

"It helps keep them current so they can always meet the needs of their students and improve student achievement," said Dr. Rhonda M. Rabbitt, interim director of the Master of Education-Professional Development program at UW-La Crosse.

Student groups of 20 to 40 meet one weekend a month as part of the program, which was started in 1997 and currently serves 650 students at 20 locations throughout the state.

UW-L officials were looking to market the program in the Baraboo area and began talks with UW-B/SC after meeting with local administrators, Rabbitt said.

Because the groups meet during alternative hours, the schedule should allow students to continue working, said UW-B/SC Dean Thomas Pleger.

The program will be the first master's degree available on campus.

The primary degree at UW-B/SC will continue to be the Associate of Arts and Science as the stepping stone for a bachelor's degree in the UW System. The school also offers a few baccalaureate degrees through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"It's my hope for (UW-B/SC) to become a platform to deliver high-demand UW degrees and services from not just our own campus, but other campuses in the system to provide better access for people in Sauk County to UW resources," Pleger said.

UW-B/SC will share resources with UW-L to administer the program, and officials will sign the agreement during a ceremony at the campus Monday.