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POWERFUL PARTNERS
Brennan agreement strengthens college experience
The Mississippi River has become much more than a recreational mecca. In October, UWL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with J.F. Brennan Company to strengthen research, curriculum and the company's talent pipeline.
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The agreement gets students on the river to use technology they’ll find in the workforce — and gives them an opportunity to experience what it’s like to work for a company like Brennan.
“Our business, like any business, is fundamentally based on the ability to recruit, train and retain good people,” says Matt Binsfeld, president and CEO of Brennan. “It’s going to be a great opportunity to get the technology that we use into the hands of students.”
The new public-private partnership is engineered to expand students’ growth through experiential learning outside the classroom. Roger Haro, associate dean in the College of Science and Health, says students will benefit from real-world situations.
“They see how people engaged in these large projects have to be focused on effective communication, not just the technical skills in terms of running the instrumentation,” explains Haro. “But basically, how does one set those instruments up so that the job is effective, and the data is collected? They're working with people who have to problem-solve all the time, every day and in the work setting.”
The partnership was expanded through the initiative of Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust and the College of Science and Health, with the assistance of the La Crosse Community Foundation. In early 2022, Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust gave the La Crosse Community Foundation $430,000 to construct a new research vessel for UWL’s River Studies Center. Brennan will provide maintenance support, storage and instrumentation expertise for the new vessel.
For many years, Brennan has opened its doors to UWL students for paid internships. In return, the company is able to recruit interns as reliable, full-time employees. The MOU further expands the partnership to provide even more job-ready employees.
