For the City Times

STEVENS POINT — A collaboration among several northcentral Wisconsin businesses resulted in a contribution of $75,000 to help more students complete bachelor’s degrees in Information Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The Central Wisconsin Information Technology Alliance (CWITA) includes numerous regional partners, who contributed to the cost of a Computer Information Systems faculty position. The goal is to expand class offerings so students can complete Computing and New Media Technologies programs sooner to meet a high demand for these graduates.

“This support will allow the department to add an assistant professor and increase the number of students who finish Computer Information Systems (CIS) and other majors in our department,” said Tim Krause, chair and associate professor of Computing and New Media Technologies. ”We expect to be able to enroll an additional 75 students in our programs and grow over time, thanks to the generous support of these partners who identified a need and stepped up to help us address it.”

CWITA partners who donated leadership gifts are Sentry Insurance, Skyward, E.O. Johnson, Heartland Farms, Footlocker/Eastbay and Delta Dental.

“As an active member in the Central Wisconsin Information Technology Alliance, we recognized the need to further develop the number of skilled IT resources in Central Wisconsin,” said Jeff Lutgen, vice president of technology and chief risk officer for Delta Dental of Wisconsin. “Technology plays an increasing role in our daily lives as well as Delta Dental’s business. We’re glad to support UW-Stevens Point and their focus on Computer Information Systems.”

UW-Stevens Point has begun the search for an additional CNMT faculty member for the upcoming academic year.