FEECO recently gifted a contribution to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s new mechanical engineering program, aimed at bringing better opportunities to engineering students in the region.
The University announced the program earlier this year – their first four-year engineering degree. According to the University, engineering jobs in the region are in high demand and expected to grow.
For FEECO, the program is critical, due to the company’s interest as well as regional emphasis on manufacturing and advanced technologies.
UWGB Chancellor Gary L. Miller expressed his excitement in a press release from the University: “This is a monumental day for our community and our region, one that’s been 30 years in the making. Business leaders in this community have wanted engineering to be offered at UW-Green Bay for decades; we are now on the cusp of something very transformational for this community, our economy, and most importantly, our students, who are the workforce of the future.”
With shared interests in advanced technologies and sustainability, and in such close proximity to each other (the University and FEECO reside on the same road), FEECO has had a long-standing relationship with the University. FEECO has shown support through the years with an open-door policy to interns and students interested in getting a first-hand look at how new and advancing technology can be applied in a real-world setting.
The two entities have collaborated on projects together throughout the years and continue to look for future opportunities in which their strengths can be combined to bring about better solutions to today’s problems.
FEECO’s founding family, the Madigans, started the friendship by playing an active role in the University’s history, founding the University’s Board of Visitors and UWGB Founders Association, as well as being instrumental in the development of their Ecumenical Center. Doris Madigan, wife of FEECO founder Jim Madigan, was very passionate about higher education and revered the University, acquiring both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees there.
The engineering program will be under the newly established Richard J. Resch School of Engineering, as part of the University’s STEM Innovation Center, which broke ground in mid-September and will serve as a cornerstone of the planned Phoenix Innovation Park.
“Engineering is a part of the very fabric of our region, and we are a prime example of that. We continue to recruit and hire top talent in Engineering to keep us on the forefront of our industry. This new program will not only bring that talent closer to our door, but it will remove barriers in the area that have long held the region back,” states FEECO President and son of Jim Madigan, Dan Madigan. “It will also further strengthen our bond and partnership with the University by bringing our interests and complementary strengths that much closer together.”
Bringing greater opportunities to engineering students in the region has been a long-held objective of many in the local and surrounding business community. FEECO is proud to show its continued support for the University and the crucial work they do.