Student Fellow Series
A page within Menard Family Initiative
What have our Student Fellows been up to?
Lindsey Scheurer
Conference Research
“I explored the impact UW system universities have on the counties they reside in. To analyze the impact on the economy I compared real GDP in counties with UW universities to those the average of those without. To analyze the impacts on entrepreneurship I compared counties with UW system universities and the Wisconsin average using the four Kauffman indicators of entrepreneurship; contribution, compensation, creation, and constancy.
I found that: The average real GDP of counties with UW system main campuses are higher and more consistent than those without. The average compensation in counties with UW system main campuses is lower than the Wisconsin average. The average constancy in counties with UW system main campuses is similar to the Wisconsin average. The average contribution in counties with UW system main campuses is higher than the Wisconsin average. The average creation of new businesses in counties with UW system main campuses is lower than the Wisconsin average.”
Scott Rosendahl
Conference Research
“I researched census data, specifically the American Community Survey and the Annual Business Survey, looking for trends in minority business ownership in Wisconsin and in the United States. I found that Wisconsin has fewer small businesses on average than the rest of the country, and this discrepancy is especially large within the Asian American population.
I speculated that this trend may be due to high motivation to start businesses for Asian Americans in coastal states, bringing up the country's average. I also found that the proportion of women-owned businesses in Wisconsin is smaller than the country's average. This is not surprising, since Wisconsin has been found to have lower growth rates of women-owned businesses than other states.”
Mitchell Kocialkowski
Conference Research
"I looked into the La Crosse housing market and noted certain trends. Some of these trends included the growth of housing, average home prices, and affordability within the area as compared to other areas, such as Holmen and Onalaska. I also listed possible hindrances to the development of new real estate, such as zoning laws, historic preservation efforts, cost efficiency, government and public support, and demand for living within the city of La Crosse.
Another piece of the La Crosse housing market that I addressed was the repurposing of older buildings, which led to the question of should the La Crosse area be more focused on repurposing older buildings or on newer development? Overall, the housing market within La Crosse has many factors that define its current state and its future."
Jack Stelpflug
Conference Research
"So far, I have taken a look into whether Wisconsin provides a supportive environment for small businesses. In 2022, Wisconsin was ranked #2 in the nation for its small-business survival rate. Additionally, many cities within the state of Wisconsin have been identified as some of the best small towns to start a small business. In order to evaluate these statistics and claims, I have looked into information from Wisconsin's small business funding and support systems like the Badger Fund of Funds and the Wisconsin Economic Development Center.
Moving forward, I am to collect more data and to create a project that should answer the question: is Wisconsin a good place for small business?"
