Get to Know: Home

Chancellor: Home

UW-Green Bay: Home

What is the status of the Learning Experience?
The Chancellor said that it builds on a tradition of being on the leading edge of learning.  LE is the next step in the process.  The project is funded at one half million dollars.  The 3 Deans are making recommendations on principles he established.  Those principles will be made public.
We failed to build our case the last go round: (1) cutting enrollment and (2) didn’t tie into State needs.
The Regents and the UWS President want to help UWGB.  We will need to diversify support of funding ­ i.e. State dollars, grant dollars, and private dollars.

Facilities benchmarking didn’t receive support in the legislature ­ any thoughts?
The Chancellor replied that it’s still being talked about and will be in the budget.

There is a system wide problem ­ maintenance.  The System Budget Office is not interested in putting a DIN in the budget.  UWS Chief Business Officers have said that they will keep putting it out there until funds are made available.  Les Raduenz’s area is in bad shape and it’s not getting any better.  Maintenance staff can get higher salaries at WI technical colleges.
There is a lack of resources ­ it constricts the value we can add to the university ­ I’m involved with recruitment of classified employees, but resources aren’t there to provide support for other searches.  We should be advertising on behalf of the entire university rather than individual departments.
The Chancellor inquired as to how we educate search and screen committees.

The reply was that Ellen Olson works with key support staff.  At issue is (1) are they keeping appropriate records (2) do they realize the importance of re. check calls?  Now, it’s a labor intensive process.  Faculty searches need to shift to actually recruiting candidates.  We don’t have local delegation (only UW-Madison does) so everything we no needs to be reviewed by DOA, etc.   We need funds to support search and screen processes.
The Chancellor said that to some extent, inefficiencies of small scale.  As a long-term strategy, does it make sense to grow the university?

The reply was that with regard to food service, with our small to medium size enrollment, it’s hard to make dollars work.
The Chancellor stated that students refer to us as a suitcase campus.  They would like to see weekend programming.

I like what you’ve said about Green Bay’s university.  Keep reminding us about why it’s important to be in the community, why it’s an important value.
The Chancellor stated that we’re already doing many things the community isn’t aware of ­ it’s a marketing issue.  Universities support communities and communities support universities.

I’d like to see more hands across the table ­ i.e. send instructors to job sites.
The Chancellor mentioned that he’s getting to know leaders in the Hmong, Native American, and Hispanic communities.  As we become involved with minorities, our difficulties will increase, not decrease.
We don’t have a recruiter in the community working with minority groups.  With regard to attracting minorities for employment on campus, the Green Bay Public Schools and Brown County all pay higher wages.  They don’t apply here because they don’t need us.

American Foods and Green Bay Packaging have a large Hispanic employee population.  It’s a closed community because many are not legal.  They recruit their own family members ­ they’re getting decent jobs with a decent wage without having to look for them.
We’re not prepared for what will happen 5-10 years from now.  Now, hospitals provide services on a charity basis.  Gangs are coming in.  UWGB can work with the community ­ educate the community.
We’re looking to hire a Mail Room Supervisor ­ the wage is $9 an hour.  Who can raise a family on that?  Salaries are set through Collective Bargaining ­ they’re statewide salaries.
A climate survey was suggested.
All government agencies in the area have trouble getting minorities to apply for positions.
The Chancellor stated that he met with the NEW African American group on Saturday.  That group is there to help us.  They have issues, but they want to help.
There is a budget problem with regard to building reserves for construction.  The legislators are now eyeballing those dollars.  We’re planning and our reserves are growing, but approval to move forward has not yet been received.  Systemwide, the balance has gone up.  Once the dollars are taken away, we don’t get them back.
The Chancellor stated that it’s OK to build reserves ­ we need to do that.  It is legitimate for us to be held accountable. 
It would be helpful to split Union from Sports Center dollars.
The Chancellor stated that we’re moving forward with planning and need to be sure on what we want before any hiring is done.  Of the $28 - $30 million dollar project, students have committed half, approx. $7 and a half million from the State, and we need to raise $7 and a half million.  He’s hopeful that in the next biennium, we’ll get authorization from the legislature for $7 and a half million.  We’d begin in 2003-05 and end in 2005-07.

Early on, with regard to the Learning Experience, there was talk to make UWGB a public/private St. Norbert's of Green Bay.  How is that perceived in the community?
The Chancellor said that he’s put two models out there ­ a public/private vs providing access.  The community wants us to reach out and serve the community.  They want us to retain our excellence ­ wonderful programs and facilities.  He hasn’t heard anyone on campus say that we should become a “public private.”
If there’s any hint of elitism, we’re dead.  That doesn’t play well in Green Bay.

This is a small community.  If any mistakes are made on campus, it gets out into the community.  We’d appreciate your support should that happen.
The Chancellor replied that overall, this is an outstanding university.  If foul ups occur ­ and they will ­ we need to admit it and correct it.  We need to be responsive and customer-service oriented.

With no classes after 2 p.m. on Fridays, light offerings of summer classes, it’s very difficult to keep students on campus ­ that gets to student life issues.  I hear from the community that the only time they can take courses is in the summer and they ask me why they’re not offered.  It gets to utilization of facilities.  If any legislator walked around here 8 a.m. on Mondays or 2 p.m. on Fridays or on Saturday, there’s no one here.  Grade schools are heavily used until about midnight most nights of the week.  The housing demand during summer camps has gone down.  There are no UWGB students in housing during the summer.  I’d like to see conferences or parents of students staying on campus.