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Housing and Residence Life

Mission and History

Aerial of Housing Community

Our vision is what we ultimately hope to accomplish. It’s our reason for being. It’s why we exist. More specifically, the vision of our Residence Life program is:

  •  To serve as an extension of UW Green Bay’s mission to educate, and to contribute to the recruitment, development, and retention of students

 Our mission is what we do, how we do it, and for whom. More specifically, the mission of our Residence Life program is:

  • To provide safe, affordable, conveniently-located, and well-maintained housing for students
  • To develop and maintain a high quality of student life on campus through delivery of community development activities, educational programs, and leadership-involvement opportunities
  • To provide student-centered services which meet or exceed student expectations before, during, and after living on campus
  • To provide a seamless living-learning experience by incorporating student development and learning theories, and regular assessment to guide our programs, policies, and practices

History of Development of Student Housing at UW-Green Bay

The beginning of student housing on campus began with the construction of the Bay Apartments (University Village) beginning in 1970 by Inland Steel Development Corporation, formerly known as Public Facilities Associates, Inc. of Madison Wisconsin.  Financing was provided through a loan from a local banking institution. David Carly, of Madision, Wisconsin was a principal investor of Inland Steel and was active in state politics, having run for governor in 1966 and 1978.  He was later appointed to the UW Board of Regents by former governor Patrick Lucey.

This housing provided nine two-story buildings housing 63 students in each building which contains 17 apartment units, offering two-bedroom, four-student apartments with nine efficiency-style apartments and nine one-bedroom/two-student units for 567 students.

In 1980, the Bay Apartments were purchased by the State of Wisconsin and UW-Green Bay through federal HUD (Housing and Urban Development in 1980.

The Development of Campus Housing

The planning, development, and construction of housing on the UW-Green Bay campus was anything but typical. Building housing required the organization of a non-profit corporation UVHI (University Village Housing Incorporated) in order to secure bonds for construction (approximately $35M), provides the facilities, and is responsible for debt service and insurance expenses.

The university is responsible for marketing, contracting, staffing, overall operations, maintaining, and staffing the facilities.   

Milestone Dates in Campus Housing Development                            

1965 UW Board of Regents Approves a Charter to Establish UW-Green Bay
1970 Private Development of nine apartment-style buildings housing 63 students in each building for a total for 567 students
1980 UW-Green Bay secures federal HUD funding to purchase  the privately owned nine-building apartment complex, apartments buildings numbered 101-109
1984 A limited-purpose corporation is founded called University Village Housing Incorporated (UVHI).  A plot of 39 acres is deeded to the corporation by the University of Wisconsin Foundation for the purpose of constructing additional housing on campus.
1984 First UVHI board members are Bob Schaefer, Ed Thompson, Roy Downham, John Robishaw, Donald Long, James Temp, Rodney DeSpirito, Court Condon, and Keith Pamperin
1985-1989 Ten residence halls housing 60 students each are constructed in Phases I, II, and III. 
1987 Construction of the Community Center and Residence Life Office
1994 Roy Downham Hall, a 194-student facility with common student areas such as a study lounge, music practice room, and large programming room, and smaller gathering areas.
1997 John Robishaw Hall, an apartment-style building housing 112 students in 5-student, 4-student, 3-student, and 2-student apartments
1998 Donald Harden Hall, an apartment-style building with the same design as John Robishaw Hall opens and housing an additional 112 students.
2001 The 1984 cooperative agreement is amended to extend another 30 years commencing July 1, 2001, allowing the University sole and exclusive use of the UVHI-owned facilities until 2031 at which time, the University has an exclusive option to purchase the UVHI properties for the amount of the total outstanding mortgage on the properties.
2002-2004 Three additional apartment-style buildings, housing 122 students each offer 4-bedroom/4-student apartments with spacious kitchens, living rooms, and private bathrooms.  These buildings are dedicated in the names of Ed Thompson, Richard Liebl, and Tom Haevers Halls
2005-2010 A comprehensive capital improvement plan is launched to maintain and enhance aging buildings which included roof, carpeting, siding, flooring, plumbing/bathroom fixtures,  new furniture, and wireless internet access.
2010 A concrete and steel building is constructed to provide housing to 126 students in four bedroom/four student apartments, with central air conditioning, heating, programming facilities, and wireless internet access.
Present UW-Green Bay now houses over 2100 students, over 70% of the freshmen class and 40% of the overall student body.

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