Lindsay & Les Hollingsworth from UWP Speak About the Current State and Changing Perceptions of the Value of Higher Education

Left: Lindsay Hollingsworth, Professor of Education and UWP Associate Director of the School of Education

Center: Les Hollingsworth, Professor of Marketing and Director of UWP School of Business

Right: Les and Lindsay Hollingsworth with Optimist President Terri Ellis

Dynamic husband and wife duo, Lindsay and Les Hollingsworth, spoke to the Platteville Optimist Club on January 16th, 2026, about their roles in two of UWP's pre-professional schools at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Lindsay is a proud native of Platteville and currently in her 25th year of teaching, completing six years at the elementary level and 19 years in higher education. She is passionate about training the next generation of outstanding teachers. Lindsay is a professor of education and serves as the Associate Director of the School of Education. She spoke about the teacher shortage and strategies UWP is implementing for student recruitment and retention. As an example, they are offering more dual enrollment classes where students receive high school and college credit for the same course. This allows students the opportunity to get an early sense of what a teaching career entails through class work and getting into a classroom. UWP also has a strong relationship with CESA#3 to determine future needs so programs can be adjusted accordingly. Lindsay shared that 40% of teachers exit the field in the first five years. That, along with our current teacher shortage, is proof that the pendulum has shifted.

Les is a native of Southeast Iowa and a US Army/National Guard veteran, having served eight years as a field artilleryman. He is the Director of UWP's School of Business and Professor of Marketing and shared that 25% of all college students are enrolled in a business program. Les spoke about how the university emphasizes getting students out in the field to gain practical experience and put theory into action via internships, client practices, case studies, and more. He also talked about AI, The Future of Jobs Report 2030, and how UWP is adapting by helping students build up their AI capacity and teaching them how to utilize and properly use it to attain maximum results. "Employers are requiring students to know how to use AI. Most jobs can benefit by using AI. Those that know how to use it will have a job. Those who don't may not." It creates interesting challenges and opportunities in many fields. It's all about building skill sets.

Thank you, Lindsay and Les, for all you do in your respective rolls, with students of all ages, and in our community.