The construction cranes that whirl above the western edge of Verona have been a fixture for years, building a campus that is a testament to the growth and success of Epic — the leading medical-records software firm. Epic, which began in a basement in 1979 with one employee, now has more than 9,600 employees on its sprawling, state-of-the-art campus. Its software is so widely used that Epic covers 187 million Americans.
As Epic has grown, so have its ties to UW–Madison. Epic recognizes the value of having a major research university in its own backyard. “We feel incredibly lucky to be located near the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where there’s a strong workforce pipeline,” says Molly Stiffler ’11, an Epic corporate recruiter and a 2011 graduate of UW–Madison’s College of Letters & Science.
About 1,400 UW alumni work at Epic, and the company hires more graduates from UW–Madison than from any other school. “UW graduates arrive at Epic with a solid educational foundation that allows them to make a valuable impact early on,” Stiffler says.
“We feel incredibly lucky to be located near the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where there’s a strong workforce pipeline.”
The private company, which logged $2.5 billion in revenue in 2016, was founded by CEO Judy Faulkner MS’67, who earned her master’s degree in computer science in 1967 at UW–Madison.
The company’s partnerships with UW–Madison enrich both the firm and the university and help to expand knowledge. Epic sponsors numerous student groups and events each year and supports schools and departments across campus, including the Department of Computer Science and the American Family Children’s Hospital.
The company recently endowed three computer-science faculty positions focusing on software development, application design, and user experience. “Computer scientists will be needed in almost every industry, and there is a significant shortage,” Faulkner said in announcing Epic’s investment. “Through this gift, the UW–Madison computer science faculty will educate more computer scientists to help fill current and future needs.”
The relationship between Epic and UW–Madison has helped feed the success that keeps those cranes spinning, Epic products innovating, and students learning. “Epic’s future,” Stiffler says, “is dependent on continuing to grow strong employees and UW graduates into the next generation of leaders.”
Thank you, Dane County, for Epic and its leadership in medical records software and recognition of the importance of higher education as the company continues to grow and enrich Wisconsin’s economy.
