Future of Education event set for Oct. 11 at UWO’s welcome center

 

 

 

A thoughtful discussion about the future of education in America with former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Marquette University scholar Howard Fuller will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

The free event, presented by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership in partnership with UWO, is open to the public and will be held at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the Oshkosh campus, 625 Pearl Ave.

“We appreciate the Thompson Center’s efforts to partner with UWO and other UW System institutions and give their surrounding communities and regions free, front-row opportunities to see and hear nation leaders on topics shaping policy and driving our American conversations,” UWO Chancellor Andy Leavitt said.

DeVos is a leading advocate for educational freedom for students of all ages, having served as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education from 2017 to 2021.

For more than three decades, she has been pursued public policy reforms that allow all students the freedom, flexibility, resources and support that they need to choose where, when and how they learn. Her advocacy has helped create new educational choices for K-12 students in more than 25 states and the District of Columbia and expanded post-high school education options for students and adult learners alike.

DeVos also is an accomplished business leader. She served as chair of the Windquest Group, a privately held investment and management firm based in Michigan. She is the former chair of the American Federation for Children, the Philanthropy Roundtable and the Michigan Republican Party.

Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education. In June 2020, he retired from Marquette University where he is now a distinguished professor emeritus.

Immediately before his appointment at Marquette, Fuller served as the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools for four years. He became nationally known for his unending support for fundamental educational reform. His memoir, No Struggle No Progress, was published in 2014.

Fuller serves on the boards of the Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy and Milwaukee Charter School Advocates. He also is a member of the Charter School Hall of Fame of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the Athletic Hall of Fame at Carroll University and the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The Oct. 11 event will be moderated by Gerard Randall, managing partner of the Lazarus Group and a member of the Thompson Center’s public leadership board. He is the executive director of the Milwaukee Education Partnership, which aims to enhance the quality of teaching learning in Milwaukee Pubic Schools.

UW Oshkosh is home to 9,703 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students on three campuses. With more than 250 majors, minors and certificate programs, UW Oshkosh offers one of the largest program arrays in Wisconsin. Student success is at the heart of UW Oshkosh. Students benefit from personalized support with small class sizes, a wealth of academic and personal support services, and personalized career and academic advising. Oshkosh is ranked as the No. 1 best college town and the No. 4 most livable small city in the United States, and students benefit from entertainment, employment and recreation of a thriving community. With a strong research focus and national ranking in sustainability, Titans demonstrate on a daily basis what students can do to change the world. Learn more at uwosh.edu.