This semester we are elevating our Professional Fridays to new heights. And we love to go big, but in this case, we went REAL big: we went all the way to Wisconsin!

We kicked off the semester with our first out-of-state site visit. One day simply couldn’t contain all the opportunities, so a select group of NMI students and faculty jetted off for a long weekend.

The adventure began with a visit to Raven Software. Based out of Madison, Raven is a market-leading and award-winning video game developer best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. There, we had the opportunity to delve into the wonders of their motion capture stage, take a studio tour, and engage in panel discussions with a variety of designers and developers.

The following day, we embarked on a journey to Epic Systems, a healthcare software company relied on by more than 78% of patients in the United States. With a sprawling fantasyland-inspired campus, our day was filled with jaw-dropping facility tours, hands-on user testing, and plenty of networking opportunities. It was extra special to spend time with Megan Gaffney and Kate Sims, New Media Certificate alumnae who now work with Epic.

Our Wisconsin adventure concluded with a jam-packed Saturday, complete with Badger and Bulldog football, a tour of the Wisconsin capital building, and more.

We want to extend a huge thank you to our generous donor, Armistead Whitney, whose support made this unforgettable trip possible. Rest assured, our next out-of-state expedition is already in the works. But in the meantime, we’ve got some remarkable in-state site visits on the horizon!

If you have any site visit ideas, reach out to Dayne Young. The sky’s the limit!