Aaron  Brower

Aaron Brower held numerous senior leadership positions within UW-Madison and across UW System, most recently as founding Executive Director of UW Extended Campus and Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs in UW System. In addition to his Emeritus title, Professor Brower currently is a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellent in Undergraduate Education, and Strategic Advisor to the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA).

Throughout his career, Professor Brower created, evaluated, and led educational programs and organizations that provide novel formats and experiences to students who most need education, and that are financially sustainable for campuses. He has won national recognition for innovations aimed at traditional, residential students (residential and nonresidential learning communities and other integrative learning programs) and for technology-forward and competency-based programs aimed at online working adults.

Recent work focuses on higher education in the streaming world (New Models of Higher Education: Unbundled, Rebundled, Customized, DIY; winner of the 2023 Philip E. Frandson Award for Literature). Based on enrollment patterns, people build personalized higher education and training paths throughout their lives by unbundling and rebundling for-credit programs with workforce trainings and other noncredit certifications. Professor Brower’s work showcases these patterns as a productive approach to lifelong learning and workforce development.