To highlight the La Follette School’s Fall 2025 Eat & Greet networking series, we are featuring alumni with impressive careers in their respective fields. Last week, students and alumni came together to explore career possibilities in higher ed during our final Eat & Greet of the semester.
“The Wisconsin Idea may have started with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but all the Universities of Wisconsin campuses followed that ethos in their unique and different ways,” explained Tim Casper (MA ’99), who serves as executive vice president of Madison Area Technical College. “I went to La Follette and learned more about the Wisconsin Idea.” More than 25 years later, Casper says this guiding philosophy that “education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom” remains important to him and his work in higher education.
Casper’s accomplished career in higher education began during his time at La Follette as a graduate assistant at the Universities of Wisconsin System in the state government relations office. “The foundational skills that you get as a La Follette student, you apply specifically, narrowly, and more deeply, like I did at the beginning of my career,” Casper says. Upon graduation, he used those skills to secure a position in the Chancellor’s Office at UW–Madison, this time working on federal government relations before later leaving to serve as a policy analyst in Governor Doyle’s administration.
After almost 10 years in state government and the private sector, Casper returned to higher education. Casper felt well equipped for the rigors of policy work across different sectors. “I think, clearly, my experience at La Follette prepared me well for a career in public policy and public affairs,” Casper says.
However, he was excited to return to higher education not only because it’s a rewarding career path, but also because he believes it embodies the Wisconsin Idea. “We have to think about how we are meeting the needs of our communities, municipalities, and also the communities that exist in municipal boundaries,” Casper says. “We provide continued education opportunities, college education in high school, custom training education to certain groups, and English language learning classes. All of that is aligned with the Wisconsin Idea of broadly serving the communities in the state.”
To spotlight a variety of employment opportunities in higher education, La Follette, supported by the Ascendium Education Group, hosted a Higher Education Eat & Greet on November 14 at the Fluno Center. A career panel shared current higher ed professionals’ experiences in the field and highlighted opportunities for students to get involved or consider new careers. Panelists include Christina Klawitter (ELPA PhD ’07), Jess Lathrop (MPA ’98), and Sylvia Ramirez (MPA ’11, ELPA ’23).
The Wisconsin Idea—bringing the benefits of education beyond the classroom—is central to the La Follette School’s mission. In this spirit, La Follette continues to expand the popular Eat & Greet networking series launched in spring 2024. These gatherings are dedicated to connecting current students with policy experts working in related fields. In addition to the Higher Education Eat & Greet, La Follette hosted a Local Government Eat & Greet last month and a State Capitol Eat & Greet in September.
– Story by MPA student Grace Florence