Posted 2:33 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2026
Community Engaged Learning Program marks five years of impactful partnerships
Five years ago, a handful of courses at UW-La Crosse dared to try something different.
Instead of focusing learning within the walls of a classroom, instructors built assignments around real questions from real organizations in the community.
Today, that experiment — under the umbrella of UWL's Community Engaged Learning Program — has become a defining characteristic of the academic experience at UWL.
For the 2025-26 academic year, 34 courses and one program received the Community Engaged Learning (CEL) designation. Sixteen of those were new, with 14 debuting in the spring 2026 semester. Add in 20 returning courses and 30 instructors, and the numbers tell a clear story: The program is not just steady. It’s accelerating.
At its heart, the CEL Program seeks to foster collaboration through mutually beneficial partnerships, allowing students and faculty to apply their knowledge to a project in the broader community. Through the Community Idea Exchange, businesses, nonprofits and civic groups can propose projects and collaborate directly with faculty and students. During the last academic year, 1,000 students participated in a CEL designated course or program.
The results go well beyond volunteer hours.
“These Community Engaged Learning experiences are considered high-impact practices and are linked to higher student satisfaction and retention — particularly when they occur early in a student’s college career,” says Lisa Klein, director of Community Engagement at UWL.
In practice, that means students are not just studying theory. They’re collecting and analyzing data for local partners. They’re writing grants that will help communities flourish. They’re using evidence to support real recommendations.
For community organizations, it means access to university expertise and a new generation of creative problem-solvers. About 45 organizations were served in CEL courses during the 2025-26 academic year, with 97 percent reporting positive impact.
As the program has gained momentum, community partners have strengthened their support.
A three-year, $100,000 gift from Advisors Management Group (AMG) to the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation is providing resources that make it easier for faculty to develop and sustain community-based projects.
“It is hard to put into words the impact philanthropic gifts have on supporting the Community Engaged Learning Program,” Klein says. “Gifts like the one provided by AMG not only create meaningful opportunities for students to learn alongside local organizations, but also benefit those organizations by allowing them to work with bright, energetic students who bring new, creative ideas to share. These types of gifts are an investment in UWL students, Greater La Crosse Area organizations, and the faculty who value student learning and community engagement.”
For Jenna Deets, chief compliance officer at AMG, supporting CEL was a natural fit.
“When we learned of the Community Engaged Learning initiative at UWL, it really resonated with us,” Deets says. “We see experiential learning as an incredible opportunity for these students to start bridging the transition from their course work to hands on application … a kickstart of sorts into the next phase of their lives after their education is complete.”
As the program has gained momentum, community partners have strengthened their support.
A three-year, $100,000 gift from Advisors Management Group (AMG) to the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation is providing resources that make it easier for faculty to develop and sustain community-based projects.
“It is hard to put into words the impact philanthropic gifts have on supporting the Community Engaged Learning Program,” Klein says. “Gifts like the one provided by AMG not only create meaningful opportunities for students to learn alongside local organizations, but also benefit those organizations by allowing them to work with bright, energetic students who bring new, creative ideas to share. These types of gifts are an investment in UWL students, Greater La Crosse Area organizations, and the faculty who value student learning and community engagement.”
For Jenna Deets, chief compliance officer at AMG, supporting CEL was a natural fit.
“When we learned of the Community Engaged Learning initiative at UWL, it really resonated with us,” Deets says. “We see experiential learning as an incredible opportunity for these students to start bridging the transition from their course work to hands-on application … a kickstart of sorts into the next phase of their lives after their education is complete.”
Deets notes that AMG can only bring in a limited number of interns each year. Supporting UWL’s CEL Program allows the company to broaden its impact.
“Supporting a program that will help hundreds of students is very exciting,” Deets says. “We are very grateful for the opportunity to do so."
What began as a handful of community-connected courses is now a vibrant, expanding network across UWL. As part of the university’s UWL Forward strategic plan and its longstanding commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, the program continues to prepare students not just for careers, but for meaningful contributions beyond campus.
Explore the CEL courses offered at UWL.
Submit an idea to the UWL Community Idea Exchange.
Read about Community Engaged Learning success stories:
Conservation Biology students partner with community to restore crucial habitats.
Students support community projects through grant writing course.
UWL students gain firsthand experience supporting fathers in New Lisbon Correctional Facility.
Students gain real-world accounting experience through a partnership with Mid-City Steel.
Sociology students assist La Crosse County program tackling substance abuse.
UWL Recreation Management plans, facilitates Lederhosen Games at Oktoberfest.
