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One class I just had to stop in on. Along with many great classes in the
fine arts, this ballet course is drawing enthusiastic students and long
waiting lists and is taught by a faculty member I particularly like to see
enjoying her twin loves of dance and of teaching: Prof. Cyndie Shepard. • I visited the residence halls where, a few days earlier, we had joined two hundred other UWGB volunteers in helping with freshman move-in. Now, all the students are back and it’s easy to see why these quality residence halls are an important reason we attract and retain such good students. Three new residence halls in three years have made a difference. With 2,000 residents, we’re a more residential campus. That’s only a partial list of observations, but you get the picture. It reminded me of the sentiments expressed by Prof. Denise Scheberle of Public and Environmental Affairs, who in only a few days will be officially announced as the 2004 recipient of the UW System’s top statewide award for outstanding teaching. I sent Denise a note when I got advance word of the news. Her reply was characteristically humble, yet inspiring. “As I say to anyone who will still listen to me, I feel so fortunate to have this job and to be in this profession,” she wrote. “I can think of nothing I would rather do.” Perfect words for the start of the Fall 2004 semester... for any semester, really... and for any given day in higher education. Congratulations, again, Denise, and thank you for your dedication. Well, then. Having devoted much of this column and my Thursday morning writing time to “just wandering around,” I’ll take a more direct route to my conclusion with brief mention of additional items of interest: • Dr. Kevin Reilly’s first visit to campus as president-designate was an unqualified success. People liked him, and I think he liked us. He saw this University and its people at their best, in a pair of classy events, and his remarks at the LS dedication and Convocation about being a fan of access and regional service, along with his appreciation for “Connecting learning to life” and an expansive vision for UW-Green Bay, bode well for the future. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaTOP OF NEXT COLUMN |
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President Reilly said the UW System is primarily about developing human
potential. He said, “I firmly believe that our job as a public university
is to be Wisconsin’s premier developer of advanced human potential,
of the jobs that employ that potential, and of the flourishing communities
that sustain it.” That’s a wonderful description, and a lofty
calling. He went on to second a strong call I had uttered before introducing
Dr. Reilly; namely, the need to grow UW-Green Bay as an essential part of
the agenda for helping lead a critical region in transition. • Having identified diversity as a priority—in the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students—it is encouraging to see that fall 2004 enrollment shows 318 students of color compared to 305 last fall, and 66 new minority freshmen compared to 56 last fall. Small steps, but in the right direction. • We will cut ribbons at Tom Haevers Hall and the Tom Maki Living Learning Center on Sept. 8, and at the UW-Green Bay Downtown Learning Center at Washington Commons on Sept. 16. You are all invited. • I’ve always suspected our overall headcount and FTE understate actual activity on campus. This fall’s headcount of 5,416 students translates to a record full-time-equivalent number of 4,678. We’re maxed out, and then some. Those numbers, however, don’t reflect additional individuals who register later for spring and summer courses, or for special, for-credit programs that don’t feed the formula. I’m told by Debbie Furlong in Institutional Research that a more accurate annual estimate of “total number served” would approach 7,300. • Plan to hear more in coming weeks about plans: the Academic Affairs Planning Committee and its “Confront, Control, Create” approach; the campus master plan; an updated emergency-response plan; the Capital Campaign plans and Phoenix Sports Center progress; and others. Prepare to be surprised (if you’re the sort skeptical of seemingly endless planning) when tangible action results. My next “Chancellor’s FYI” to faculty, staff and stakeholders of UW-Green Bay will be Oct. 1. If you’d like to talk before then, I’m again scheduling weekly walk-in office hours in CL 810, and I always respond to e-mail at shepardb@uwgb.edu. Let’s keep the conversation going. In many ways, many respects, these are great days at UW-Green Bay. Thank you for contributing to our success,  Bruce |
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