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This
year promises something extra, as UW-Green Bay will award its 20,000th diploma
to some lucky graduate. I plan to comment briefly on the significance of 20,000
individual success stories and the collective impact of those graduates on our
region and world. I might even make the point — being gift-giving season
— that education is one of society’s great gifts. Speaking of gifts, I should mention that the idea of thanking longtime friends for their generosity was an important element of last month’s Founders Association dinner. The Founders Association, celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, has a membership of some 1,300 community and campus friends who make annual financial contributions. Clearly, there’s a direct link between this group and academic quality. At our donor-recognition dinner, we highlighted these ties with a bit of show-and-tell. Our guests heard glowing testimony as to the impact of Founders' philanthropy. Current student Rachel Abhold thanked those who contribute to scholarships. Nursing home administrator and UWGB graduate Tom Lohuis described how the campus spirit of innovation finds expression in the community. Biology Prof. Robert Howe praised the Founders for their support of named professorships that put students in the field and faculty at the leading edge. I think our guests also enjoyed hearing Provost Sue Hammersmith and me describe the ways their University is on the rise. We told them how: • The campus and community have come together, some report closer than ever before, behind the shared vision of Green Bay’s University of Wisconsin, an institution built on “connections” — across disciplines via academically integrating learning, to practical real-world problem solving, and with our dynamic region — an institution that will grow to 7,500 students in order to realize the power of this vision; • We continue to be a popular choice among serious-minded students, with record demand and new-freshman quality indicators; • We’re making great progress on the facilities front with Mary Ann Cofrin Hall to be joined by a completely refurbished Laboratory Sciences Building, and growing outside sentiment for joining our students in supporting an expanded Phoenix Sports Center; aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaTOP OF NEXT COLUMN |
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• Our brand of interdisciplinary, problem-solving education is ever more
relevant. As Sue so neatly noted, to consider todays issues — identity theft,
AIDS, the Web, new brain research, to name just a few — is to know that yesterday’s
answers, yesterday’s approaches will not be sufficient. In summary, the Founders Association and others who support UW-Green Bay deserve our deepest appreciation for their counsel and support. If we had a good year in 2002, they share the credit. That was the year that was... What’s ahead for 2003? As a political scientist, I know the risks inherent in making predictions or even educated guesses. Nevertheless, I won’t go too far out on a limb if I share the following relatively safe assumptions for the new year: • Look for UW-Green Bay to continue its rise as a quality academic institution. We are making a priority of addressing advising, general education and first-year issues. We have discussions under way regarding our hopes to enhance scholarly support, and boost student-scholarship endowments to expand access and attract even more talented individuals. I believe these efforts will prove successful. • Look for alarming news out of Madison as state government deals with what is indeed an immense deficit problem. And, expect the UW, our campus included, to lead an “all fronts” effort to “Engage Wisconsin” as we seek to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. • The state’s projected fiscal deficit will affect Green Bay’s University of Wisconsin, short-term. But, expect your campus to protect quality and to keep focused on a longer-term vision that emphasizes continually improving and expanding our capacity to serve Northeastern Wisconsin. Those are some predictions. I’ll close with a resolution. It is to never forget that UW-Green Bay students and graduates are the next generation of local business and civic leaders, teachers, artists, nurses, and planners. That this University provides access to affordable public higher education and with it, life-changing opportunities for people of all ages and a foundation for economic growth in Northeastern Wisconsin. That’s a resolution to feel good about, and work to uphold. Happy holidays,  Bruce |
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