Dr. John Swallow, President of Carthage College, to Serve as Chair of the Higher Education Regional Alliance

MILWAUKEE (September 9, 2021) – The Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA), a collective force of 18 southeastern Wisconsin public and private, two- and four-year colleges and universities and a network of partner organizations, today announced Dr. John Swallow, president of Carthage College, has been named chair of HERA. Dr. Vicki Martin, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, has been named vice chair. Dr. Mark Mone, chancellor of UW-Milwaukee, will serve in an advisory capacity as the immediate past chair of HERA. Each position holds a two-year term.

“Colleges, universities, employers, and community organizations across southeastern Wisconsin all want the same thing: an equitable education system that produces an agile workforce equipped for the 21st century,” said Dr. Swallow. “These efforts are too important to take on alone, so I’m thrilled to channel our collective will and expertise through the Higher Education Regional Alliance.”

This unprecedented collaborative leverages HERA’s higher education institutions and partner organization’s strengths and resources to focus on closing student achievement gaps, increasing degree completion rates, enhancing institutional programs, and expanding Southeastern Wisconsin’s talent pool to meet the area’s workforce needs. To date, HERA has achieved:

• Implementing Transferology, a tool that provides information on how previously earned college credits can transfer to different institutions across HERA and nationwide, allowing students to continue their education without any additional barriers.
• Creating micro credentialing and badging programs to ensure students receive the specific skills training and education necessary to fulfill the demands of the region’s industries.
• Connecting HERA institutions’ students with the region’s employers through Handshake, a tool that quickly matches students with internships, career fairs and job opportunities based on their majors and interests.

“HERA’s work is vital to our region,” added Swallow. “With as many as 90 percent of college and university students staying in the state post-graduation, we must work together to ensure they have the training they need to drive our economy forward. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues across Southeastern Wisconsin to help bring this change and strengthen our area’s workforce.”

“Since the official launch in fall 2019, HERA has accomplished much for our region’s students, employers and the economy, but we are far from done,” said Dr. Mone. “The collaborative’s goals are too large for only one institution to solve. I’m looking forward to supporting Dr. Swallow and the rest of the collaborative in driving even greater impact.”

HERA’s higher education institutions include: Alverno College, Bryant & Stratton College, Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll University, Carthage College, Concordia University, Gateway Technical College, Herzing University, Marquette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Mount Mary University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Waukesha County Technical College and Wisconsin Lutheran College. The alliance’s partner organizations and employer consortiums also include African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee, ElevAsian, Employ Milwaukee, Full Circle Innovation, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Higher Expectations of Racine, Hispanic Collaborative Network, Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee 7 Regional Economic Development Partnership, Milwaukee Succeeds, Milwaukee Urban League and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

For more information about HERA and its collaborative, please visit: www.herawisconsin.org.

About Higher Education Regional Alliance

The Higher Education Regional Alliance (HERA) is a talent producing collaboration with 18 southeastern Wisconsin public and private, two- and four-year colleges and universities and a network of partner organizations. We are dedicated to closing achievement gaps and educating students today to become an innovative and nimble workforce that meets the needs of the region’s industries tomorrow. This challenge is too large for any one university or college to solve alone, so we are working together. We know that education impacts more than individual lives; it can change the trajectory of our entire region. For more information, please visit www.herawisconsin.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.