UW-Madison scooping ice cream, busting myths
Outreach truck brings truth, treats to events
If you’ve heard it’s next to impossible for Wisconsin kids to get into the University of Wisconsin-Madison, here’s the scoop.
And if you’re in the right place at the right time, you also may get some Babcock ice cream.
UW-Madison’s Alumni Association is on the road this summer with a retro 1957 dairy delivery truck loaded with campus-churned ice cream. It’s making scheduled stops across the state at community events like band concerts and farmers markets as part of a mythbusting #GetTheScoop outreach.
One of the biggest “myths” the alumni foundation-funded effort aims to knock down is that few Wisconsin kids get into Madison — something that creates frustration and makes the flagship campus seem elitist. The outreach aims to create positive connections with Wisconsin residents ahead of next spring’s state budget deliberations — where the rubber meets the road — and to make sure people know the facts; not just what they hear on the street. ‚
UW-Madison and other UW campuses in recent years have faced budget cuts and criticism from some Republican state lawmakers. There’s a lack of trust. Some of that comes from accounting issues within the UW System unearthed in recent years. But there’s also a sense among many residents that the
flagship campus doesn’t benefit — or even looks down on — all residents of Wisconsin, UW officials acknowledge.
Is it getting harder than it used to be for Wisconsin high school kids to get admitted to the flagship university as freshmen? Statistics suggest it isn’t. But what the statistics can’t show is how perceptions shape who applies for admission. Many kids don’t bother to apply because the school is selective; admitted students typically score between a 28 and 32 on the ACT, and a “holistic” screening occurs that looks at everything from difficulty of courses taken in high school to commitment to extra-curricular activities and essays.
Ten years ago, in 2008, 60.6% of Wisconsin high school seniors who applied for admission to UW-Madison — 5,445 of 8,986 — were offered admission. That percentage has fluctuated since then, but has not dropped below 60.6%. In 2013, it was 77.5%; in 2015, it was 67.1%, according to statistics requested by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to fact-check the university’s myth-busting.
Last fall, 72.3% of Wisconsin applicants (5,830 of 8,062) were admitted, the statistics show.
UW-Madison has guaranteed at least 3,600 seats in the freshman class for Wisconsin kids. Keep in mind that many kids offered admission don’t actually enroll.
A recent public survey by the UW Foundation suggested there’s an information gap about UW-Madison’s admissions rate, cost of a degree, time to degree and chances for job placement.
For example, 39% of those surveyed believed that less than half of Wisconsin high school seniors applying to UWMadison are admitted. Another 31% said they believed 25% or fewer get in.
“Most people aren’t paying a lot of attention to UW-Madison, particularly if it’s not near you,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank told the Journal Sentinel.
That’s why the university decided to take its message straight to the people who don’t live near Madison. The retro ice cream truck so far has distributed about 2,000 scoops of Babcock ice cream to attract interest.
Once in line, friendly workers give folks a pop quiz. They also talk about Bucky’s Tuition Promise program, which covers four years of tuition and fees for Wisconsin students whose families earn $56,000 or less.
Blank said the campaign addresses questions that are foremost on the minds of parents and their high schoolage kids: Can you get into Madison? If you do, can you afford it? How long will it take to graduate? And can you get a job in Wisconsin?
Time to complete a bachelor’s degree now averages four years and three days, statistically speaking. The average guess of those responding to the survey was 4.8 years.
By the time students graduate, more than 60% have a job offer, and another 25% enroll in graduate or professional school. Almost 80% of in-state students live and work in Wisconsin in the years after they graduate, according to UW-Madison.
The retro truck carries vanilla, chocolate, and Scooptopia — vanilla ice cream with peanut butter, caramel and fudge.
The campaign is crisscrossing the state, and will likely cover thousands of miles. In June alone, the truck stopped at events in Madison, Mineral Point, Appleton, West Bend, Neenah, Tomah and Verona.
No county fairs are booked. Instead, the effort focuses on smaller community events like farmer’s markets, town festivals and music performances.
“It is very important we message to the state and the citizens of the state the value of the UW System, the value of UW-Madison as a world-class university, and having it in the middle of the state,” Blank said.
“We are a state entity and we need to report back to the citizens on what we’re doing.
UW-Madison also will get a statewide visibility and public relations bump through a UW System restructuring that became official earlier this month. The UW-Extension — the umbrella for county agriculture agents, 4-H clubs and Master Gardener programs — is now under the leadership of UW-Madison.
That means 4-H kids will hear about UW-Madison through their club, which is under the UW-Extension umbrella.
“Extension is a statewide enterprise,” Blank said. “We will use it to talk about the value of higher education. My goal with bringing in UW-Extension is that all involved are stronger.”