Alice History

From its wholesome and pastoral beginnings following World War II to today's high-tech age of instant media access, Alice in Dairyland has grown and changed with the times.

In 1948, Alice was a beauty queen fresh out of high school. Today, she is a public relations professional at least 21 years of age with at least four years of experience or education in agriculture, public relations, communications, or related fields.
Beyond individual communication skills, the list of job requirements includes knowledge about Wisconsin's diverse agriculture and products, history, resources, and rural-urban issues. Alice is expected to work effectively with colleagues, the media, and the public.

She develops her own educational materials, speeches, and presentations. She truly needs those four years of education or experience.

In that very first year, promoters beat the bushes in rural Wisconsin looking for Alice contestants, and judges narrowed the field to 16 finalists based on photos alone. Today, the call for applicants goes to where the qualified candidates are: colleges and universities, agribusinesses, and extension offices.

The first round of the selection process is based on resumes and personal interviews. In 1952, Alice carried boxes of cheese to Hollywood stars and served samples at corner grocery stores. The 57th Alice, Betsy Francoeur, spends much of her time in over 100 classrooms teaching lessons on Wisconsin agriculture and carrying out strategic media campaigns to generate support for the industry.

The early Alice traveled nationwide with a chaperone, logging 150,000 miles a year - most of it on airplanes - and making 1,000 appearances annually. Today's Alice spends much of her time driving Wisconsin's highway and byways, accompanied only by her cellular phone. However, she continues to travel both nationally and internationally, and still logs enough miles to circle the earth.

Early Alice contests drew 500 entries. Today, a rigorous set of professional skills and qualifications narrow the field to 15-20 applicants.

The process of choosing Alice has changed substantially during the past five decades. The selection criteria that first year was simply "beauty and health, general personality, and ability to present herself and her message before large groups." By the late 1950s, the selection process began in May and culminated in August. Four "Alice princesses" were named in June, and they spent the next two months in a constant job audition until Alice was named in August.

Today, Alice in Dairyland is a marketing professional by any and all standards. If she meets all those criteria, she still has to impress a selection team during a two-day round of presentations, interviews, writing exercises, and tours. Once hired, Alice garners over a million dollars worth of free airtime and print space for Wisconsin's food, fiber, and natural resources industry. In return, she earns a salary of $40,000 plus travel and health expenses, along with valuable professional experience and contacts.