Glenn Grothman - CICC Member Spotlight

Wisconsin’s Sixth Congressional District is home to many independent colleges. They offer a unique college experience that varies from campus to campus, while providing quality education to students. Many of my current and former staffers attended independent colleges and speak highly of their experience.

The Sixth District is home to four independent colleges: Lakeland University, Marian University, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Ripon College. I am very familiar with each of these schools and have seen their quality teachers, students, and facilities. I am proud to represent a district that has so many first-class independent colleges that produce productive, prepared contributors to our community.

Lakeland University has partnered with Lakeshore Technical College and the Sheboygan Area School District to offer students their College Here and Now program, a dual enrollment program that allows high school students the opportunity to get their associate’s degree at the same time they graduate high school before earning a bachelor’s degree in just two years. Marian University is home to a top-notch nursing program. Concordia University is the second largest Lutheran university in the country and is meeting the growing need for pharmacists with their pharmacy school. Concordia also offers dual enrollment to high school students, allowing them to earn credits more quickly and with less student loan debt. Ripon College, the dean of Sixth District independent colleges, has had its doors open since 1861, and mixes tried-and-true methods with modern technology. I’ll also highlight Herzing University, since I represent a part of Milwaukee County, which is credited by U.S. News and World Report as having a top online program.

As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, I work every day to make sure students have the best opportunity to succeed in school. Success is not defined solely by their academic ability, either. Student loan debt is a mounting problem in this country that we need to get under control quickly. While it is going to take time to solve this problem, one thing Congress can do to prevent students from acquiring mountains of debt is to pass my bill, the Competency-Based Education (CBE) Act, which I have introduced in past Congresses and reintroduced in April 2022. This bill will provide a framework for institutions to effectively and more easily deliver competency-based programs. Competency-based programs allow students to complete coursework at their own pace, so students may be able to complete 30 hours’ worth of credits in a semester instead of 15 if they adequately show they have mastered the material, thus shortening the amount of time they will need to spend in school racking up debt. Successful CBE programs that are already in place save students thousands of dollars, allow for flexible school schedules for non-traditional learners, and deliver the same quality of results as traditional time-based education programs.