ALUMNI AWARDS
FOUNDATION & ALUMNI
The Superior Floating Classroom $100,000 Challenge
programming. Amy Eliot, assistant director of LSRI, will lead the planning efforts.
In November 2019, the UW-Superior Foundation was excited to announce the acceptance of a $1 million anonymous gift to help launch a new floating classroom initiative of UW-Superior’s Lake Superior Research Institute (LSRI). The program will re-establish hands-on learning on a Lake Superior vessel and enable LSRI and UW-Superior faculty and staff to have a unique platform that capitalizes on direct experience to inspire and educate students of all ages about the importance of Lake Superior. LSRI has a rich history with this type of programming. From 1978 – 2012, LSRI successfully ran the L.L. Smith Jr. (LL Smith) research vessel and program. While the LL Smith program was truly unique and highly visible in the area, with much thanks and appreciation to its founding leaders, the cost of operating the LL Smith became untenable. According to Matt TenEyck, LSRI director, “We believe a boat program modeled on what we did best in our past, combined with a financially sustainable state-of-the-art vision for the future, will be highly successful in our region at this time. The Superior Floating Classroom will not only advance scientific research and knowledge, it will provide our students and community members with an intimate connection to Lake Superior that will have lasting impact.” The program is also being designed to promote opportunities for professors in disciplines such as literature, social science, visual and performing arts, folklore and economics to use on-the-water experiences for teaching and outreach.
“We are now in a two-year planning phase to determine what type of vessel will best meet our needs, and whether we can purchase and retrofit a used vessel, or if it will be best to have a vessel built,” said Eliot. Inspired by the Superior Floating Classroom initiative, Bill and Lynne Rogers, both UW-Superior alumni and lifelong Superior residents who are extremely passionate about the “greatest of all Great Lakes,” want to see this program succeed. As a result, they are offering a $100,000 challenge match to all alumni and friends to help fund this important Lake Superior initiative. According to the Rogers, “We both did our undergraduate and graduate work at UWS, and developed a deep reverence for Lake Superior. Knowing the degradation that has occurred to the lake over the years, we feel that supporting LSRI is extremely important to enhancing the entire watershed.” “Innovative and regionally focused educational programs that meet the needs of our students and regional citizens of all ages, such as this, is what makes our university unique,” states Jeanne Thompson, vice chancellor for advancement and executive director of the UW-Superior Foundation. “We are truly grateful for the generous challenge that Bill and Lynne have brought forward. It will genuinely make a difference in the additional funding needs for this program.”
Show your Yellowjacket pride with our Together We Are Superior gear!
The Alumni Association is raising funds to support the UW-Superior Foundation’s Yellowjacket Emergency Fund.
This generous gift was made with the intent to create an endowment, which will allow for financial stability for the Superior Floating Classroom
Place your order online now through November 8 at uwsuper.edu/shop Items will ship or be available for pick-up in early December.
The challenge match is available to all alumni and friends. To participate, please visit uwsuper.edu/together or call 715-394-8452.
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