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Business
leaders have told us they would encourage their employees with technical
college degrees to pursue the Bachelor of Applied Studies degree. These
leaders also have said the degree would enhance their employees’ prospects
for promotion. So it’s clear that the BAS will offer new opportunities
for our region’s talent base to reach its potential. This program will be every bit as rigorous as our other academic offerings. And I fully expect it to attract students who will bring maturity, motivation and discipline to their studies. Indeed, a prominent theme in the Faculty Senate discussion of the BAS was the benefit the faculty saw for what these older students with “real world” experience would add to the educational experience of our more traditional students. Students who have transferred to us from technical colleges have a track record of strong academic performance. Their presence at UW-Green Bay also will be a plus as we work to diversify our campus community. I commend faculty members Bill Laatsch, Cliff Abbott, Regan Gurung, Andy Kersten, Anne Kok, Tim Meyer and Donna Ritch — along with Jan Thornton, associate provost for outreach and adult access — for developing such a sound program and curriculum. I also applaud the Faculty Senate for providing the level of scrutiny a new program such as this deserves. Much of the Senate’s discussion focused on the importance of addressing the educational needs of the region and of meeting those needs in nontraditional ways. The BAS degree program is consistent with efforts we and our Northeast Wisconsin Educational Resource Alliance (NEW ERA) partners have been making to expand “seamless” educational opportunities and better serve the New North region. NEW ERA is a consortium of 13 public colleges and universities dedicated to fostering partnerships to benefit the region and its 1.2 million citizens. Already, we have developed and approved numerous credit-transfer agreements involving the technical colleges and UW two- and four-year campuses. This type of collaboration is essential as we respond to the needs of the business community and the people of Northeastern Wisconsin. In fact, our BAS degree was proposed as a collaborative effort with UW-Oshkosh under the auspices of NEW ERA. Although the Green Bay and Oshkosh campuses are submitting separate requests for this new degree, the two campuses will work together to promote the programs. Expect to hear, soon, that we are sharing a presence in the Appleton area. By continuing to work with NEW ERA and with other partners in the public and private sectors, we will make substantial progress in growing our economy and tax base and enriching the quality of life in our region and state. Communities and institutions that once were at odds with each other now are working together with a regional mindset and for the benefit of the entire region. Again, I believe that we will look back on the last few years as a watershed period for our region. |
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A week to remember As I mentioned previously, I had the privilege of traveling to Connecticut for the NCAA tournament games of our UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team. Even for a program with the strong tradition ours has, this experience was special. To win a game and then to put a scare into perennial power Connecticut on what is essentially their home court is a testament to the dedication and determination of our players and coaches. I concur with the Press-Gazette headline that referred to the team’s “heart of a champion.” My hat is off to Coach Kevin Borseth and these remarkable young women. I also want to compliment the team, our cheer squad, our band and our fans for representing UW-Green Bay so well in Hartford and in front of a national television audience. One Hartford columnist wrote that fans from Green Bay “brought pride and powerful sets of lungs” to the tournament. It’s hard to imagine better ambassadors for our University and community. A personal note By now, many have heard the announcement that I have agreed to Western Michigan University’s request that I be one of the finalists for their presidency. As I noted Thursday in an e-mail to our campus, I am regularly contacted about opportunities at other institutions and, just as regularly, Cyndie and I have declined interest. We feel quite fortunate to be serving UWGB. The Western Michigan possibility, however, has aspects similar to those that attracted us to UWGB — a strong university ready to move to another level — and so it is a possibility about which we wish to learn more. Cyndie and I will visit Western Michigan in mid-April, and I think this matter will be resolved in just a few weeks. Please do understand that, even as we have decided to further explore possibilities in Kalamazoo, we remain strongly committed to our responsibilities — and our lifelong friends — in Green Bay. We continue to believe very much in a bright future for UWGB and remain fully excited about being a part of that future. Cyndie and I fully understand that any attention we receive from other institutions follows from what you have been achieving in pursuit of that vision. Our accomplishments working together are being recognized well beyond Wisconsin. The importance of those achievements today and as a foundation for the future remain as tangible as ever and as strongly attractive to Cyndie and me. Thank you, again, for all you do for Green Bay’s University of Wisconsin.  Bruce Shepard |
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