Lakeland named finalist in 2026 BizTimes Nonprofit Excellence Awards
Lakeland University is a finalist in BizTimes Media’s 2026 Nonprofit Excellence Awards.
The awards are designed to shine a light on the community impact of southeastern Wisconsin nonprofits and salute the work of for-profit organizations, executives and professionals donating their time, talent and treasure to community causes.
Lakeland is one of four finalists in the Innovation in Education category.
Finalists will be recognized at an awards event on Thursday, July 23, at Milwaukee’s Italian Community Center.
Dozens of nominations were submitted for the program this year, and 38 finalists were named in 10 different categories. An overall winner in each category will be announced at the event.
Lakeland is being recognized for its Cooperative Education program, which allows students of any major to earn up to 25 percent of their academic credit working in full- or part-time jobs at Co-Op partner companies.
Lakeland is the only school in the Midwest offering students an opportunity to earn a full year of academic credit for their work experience and academic reflection with Lakeland faculty.
The work complements the learning students receive in traditional classrooms. For the 2025-26 academic year, Lakeland students had almost 300 work experiences with 120 individual employers.
“Co-Op connects young talent with meaningful career opportunities while strengthening their sense of belonging within the community,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “By fostering professional pathways and personal ties, the program can increase the likelihood that young talent will choose to build their futures locally.
“Our Co-Op program removes barriers many students have to earn a college degree. Co-Op allows students to pay down their tuition with the wages they earn, thereby reducing post-graduation debt. It also provides a pathway for students to complete their four-year degree in less than four years.”
From the program’s start in the fall of 2018, Lakeland students have worked in more than 3,500 placements earning nearly 12,500 academic credits and working more than 668,000 hours. That’s an average of more than 35,000 hours per semester, and LU students have earned $10 million in wages.
This spring, Lakeland expanded the program and now offers academic credit for work experience completed through Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program. Students can earn three credits for cooperative education for prior learning earned through YA, or up to nine if they enroll at Lakeland as a degree-seeking student. The initial three credits can be used at any college/university, provided that the school will accept the credits.
Last fall, Lakeland was named co-winner of the prestigious 2025 Economic Driver of the Year Award by the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation. The Co-Op program was a central factor in Lakeland earning the award.
A complete list of finalists and categories can be found at www.biztimes.com/npawards.
To register to attend the Nonprofit Excellence Award Ceremony, visit www.biztimes.com/npawards.
