Center for Research and Evaluation Services

University of Wisconsin-Superior campus and surrounding area.

About

The UW-Superior Center for Research and Evaluation Services provides critical resources for local businesses, nonprofits and public institutions across Lake Superior’s southern shore and beyond. The center is revenue-neutral, with all fees for service ensuring the center’s operations.

UW-Superior, located in northern Wisconsin, is uniquely situated to provide education, workforce and economic support for the surrounding community – which we call our “Anchor of the North” initiative. The UW-Superior Center for Research and Evaluation Services exemplifies this mission by providing the community and region with high quality research services. The Center utilizes the research skills and expertise of UW-Superior faculty and staff to support local businesses, non-profits and community organizations in their work to benefit the community.

To provide targeted support to meet our client’s needs, our services are broken into several categories:

Research services include both primary and secondary data collection and analysis. Examples include:

  • Surveys of internal and external client stakeholders
  • Focus groups
  • Market analysis
  • Data collection and analyses for grant submissions
  • Data-informed recommendations may be requested by the client and provided as part of this research service.

Program assessment and evaluation includes formal review and analysis of specific programming for clients. Examples of methodological approaches may include:

  • Lean process examination
  • Data evaluation and analysis of outcomes
  • Surveys of program recipients
  • Data-informed recommendations may be requested by the client and provided in the assessment or evaluation

The research center offers process facilitation for community organizations, providing unbiased leadership and direction for pivotal meetings and projects and includes:

  • Determining available and needed data
  • Refining project scope and prioritization
  • Facilitating meetings between key stakeholders

The lack of this type of service in rural areas hinders the flow of dollars to non-metro places and Tribal Nations, essentially creating an even bigger divide between urban and rural places and limiting access to resources for smaller communities. Having experts in our region to call upon for support with data, assessments and evaluations will increase competitiveness when seeking funding and help us tell a better story of the impact being made in our communities.

Jason Hollinday, Fond du Lac Planning Division Director

Small communities on the South Shore, North Shore or in the North Woods in general often face the same challenges as larger communities. But we don’t always have the connections, experience or capacity to take on these challenges intelligently or effectively. UW-Superior’s Social Science Research Center has the potential to help us get started and headed in the right direction.

 

Michael Kuchta, Town Administrator, La Pointe (Madeline Island)

Meet the Researchers

Laurel Lee Eaton
Admin Asst Director
Daniela Mansbach
Professor
Emily Neumann
Inst Res & Sponsored Prgms Dir
Alisa Von Hagel
Professor


Contact Us

To submit a research project request, receive an estimate or for more information, please email research@uwsuper.edu