Founders Association History

The Founders Association was created in 1973 by a group of community leaders to help raise annual funds in support of scholarships and academic programs. The recently established University had few alumni to call upon for help, so it looked to the community for support. Since that time, the Founders Association has grown to include nearly 2,000 employees, alumni and community members who support the academic mission of the University philanthropically each year.

Individuals contributing to the Community Campaign, Alumni Annual Campaign or Faculty and Staff Campaign are considered members and are able to enjoy the benefits of giving. One of the most meaningful benefits, is helping make the campus a better place for students. To become a Founders member visit ways to give and make a gift in support of UW-Green Bay.

Excerpt from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: From the Beginning by Betty Brown

"Without the community's involvement in philanthropy, we would have been dead in the water...
It's remarkable, because we were not a particularly popular campus for many, many years. Our curriculum was not well received locally; people were not happy with some things the administration had done. Yet 10 years after we opened our doors, these people were contributing very generously. And that's remarkable."

- Associate Chancellor Donald Harden in a 1991 interview

"From the beginning, the University was a creation of its community…
…Small wonder, then, that early in the history of the enterprise University officials would turn to the community for financial support of projects outside the budget. "

Brown, B. (2000). University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: From the Beginning. In Brown, B. Chapter 15 1982-Fall 1984 (p.159)