Welcome from Chancellor Katherine P. Frank
Thank you for visiting the website of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. I hope you agree with me that this is a special place.
There are many factors that go into making UW-Stout unique in Wisconsin. We are the only officially designated polytechnic university in the state, meaning that we blend applied learning, programs that have a career focus, and collaboration with external stakeholders to ensure our graduates are ready to excel in their professions immediately upon graduation. That approach to learning and how we do business is why we have a 99.4% employment rate for our new graduates. Our history also includes winning the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, implementing our eStout laptop program, and fostering partnerships with business and industry, all accomplished in modern facilities with up-to-date curriculum.
If you are a prospective student or family member, please look at our impressive array of majors. Also please review our new Blue Devil First-Year Student Scholarship program that is helping freshmen and sophomores pay for their education. After spending some time with us, I’m convinced you will realize this is the best place in Wisconsin to get a degree that will lead to that all-important first job and prepare you for a long and fulfilling career.
About Katherine P. Frank
Katherine P. Frank became the eighth chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, after a distinguished career as an administrator and faculty member.
Before her appointment as chancellor, Chancellor Frank served from 2016 in two roles at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., as Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Life and Vice President of Academic Innovation. She also held the rank of Professor of English.
From summer 2014 until spring 2016, she was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Kentucky University. Frank served as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Indiana University East, Chair of English and Foreign Languages at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and a faculty member and administrator of programs involving student writing, faculty professional development, and student success.
Chancellor Frank, the first female leader of UW-Stout, grew up in Colorado and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. She has master’s and doctorate degrees in English from the University of Washington, Seattle. Frank’s research interests include Romantic and Victorian English Literature, rhetoric and composition, the scholarship of teaching, and academic leadership.
“I am delighted to join UW-Stout,” Chancellor Frank said. “Throughout the search process, I became increasingly impressed by the high-quality work and creative thinking exhibited by faculty, staff, and students at UW-Stout, as well as the strong, reciprocal relationships among the university, community, and regional partners. Everyone demonstrated dedication to the university and exhibited true focus on ensuring student success.
“As beautifully stated by one alumna, ‘Stout is where you need to be.’ I could not agree more and am honored to join this exceptional community of educators, learners, partners, and friends.”
“Dr. Frank has demonstrated throughout her academic career that she is a strategic, dynamic leader,” said UW System President Ray Cross. “She handles challenges extremely well. Her visionary perspective on the future of UW-Stout will serve the institution and the state of Wisconsin very well.”
Chancellor Frank and her husband, Joe Dvorsky, live in Menomonie with their three rescue cats. She is an outdoor activities enthusiast, including running, road cycling and mountain biking, and has a love of animals, travel, and adventure.
