Stories from the June 2006 Issue / page 3

A remarkable display of community support for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is stirring hope for bold new enrollment and diversity initiatives.

A proposal known as "Northeastern Wisconsin's Growth Agenda" would boost student headcount by 50 percent to meet rising demand.

"What this is really about is this region having bright young people, and having enough of them," said UW-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard.

The plan was unveiled in April during a visit of the UW Board of Regents, meeting on campus for the first time since 1999.

Officials heard Green Bay business, civic and educational leaders assert their local UW is badly undersized relative to the state's third most-populous region.

Presenters zeroed in on limited capacity as a potential roadblock to economic growth. While college grads contribute greatly to high-tech innovation, only 18 percent of this region's citizens hold bachelor's degrees, a holdover from the days when high-paying manufacturing jobs were more abundant.

"Today, if we were a state, we'd be 49th in the nation," commented Shepard.

Advocates said a larger UW-Green Bay would be well-positioned to help close the gap. They cite a booming market for transfer and adult learners, a history of serving first-generation college students (half of all current enrollees), and the fact that 75 percent of UW-Green Bay students stay local following graduation.

Another key is a cutting-edge strategy for connecting to an increasingly diverse metropolitan population. The Phuture Phoenix Program has sought to raise aspirations by matching UW-Green Bay student mentors with thousands of grade-school children, many of whom are minorities. Early results are positive.

Planners acknowledged the state budget crunch but said it is imperative to expand affordable access in Northeast Wisconsin.

"This is really the first step," Shepard said later of the Regents' favorable response. "The next step is the governor's budget this December...then, after that, the Legislature. It's still a steep hill ahead but we've made a great start."

	"I want to tell you I think your message is remarkable... because it was a clear expression of the community, and in particular the business community's need for us to invest in this university." — David Walsh, President, Board of Regents
	"I'm pledging my support for this Growth Agenda, not only my support by my help in any way I can to sell this to the Legislature." — Thomas Loftus, Regent and former state legislator

"We always understood the value of education. Years ago, it was basic education. Now, it's higher education, too...and UW-Green Bay has to be at the core." — Paul Jadin, President, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
"Our industry is in the middle of change. While there is a new economy going on, the old manufacturing needs to change, as well.... We need people and we need highly educated people. We need UWGB to grow." — Larry Ferguson CEO, Schreiber Foods, Inc.

Eleven million reasons to thank the community

Made out to "UW-Green Bay Students" from "Friends of UW-Green Bay" in the amount of $11.1 million, this oversized, ceremonial check had everyone in smiles at a spring reception.

From left, pictured here are Shane Kohl, Bob Bush, Steve Swan, Larry Weyers, Tom Olson, Judy Crain, Ginny Riopelle, Susan Finco, Rick Beverstein, Jeane Hogan, Erik Mims, Ken Bothof, Nate Petrashek, Dan Spielmann, Bob Southard, Nan Nelson, Jeremy Green, Bob Rupp, Cyndie Shepard, Kate Meeuwsen, Bruce Shepard, Sue Hammersmith, Kramer Rock, Lou LeCalsey and Mike Meeuwsen.

The reception capped private fundraising for the Kress Events Center. Student fees over the next two decades will cover roughly half the cost of the $32.5 million facility, backed by a state contribution of $7.5 million and the $11.1 million from donors. The University announced in April that a generous $1 million gift from Dr. David and Mary Ann Cofrin had pushed the drive over the top. Campaign co-chairs Tom Olson and Ginny Riopelle stand just to the left of the check and student representatives Erik Mims and Nate Petrashek.

Seven years after tragedy, newest alumna
continues to inspire

The UW-Green Bay community remembered a young woman's passion for education and civic service with posthumous recognition of Kathy Majewski as an "Honorary Alumna" at Alumni Awards Night this spring.

Majewski was a 19-year-old sophomore in fall 1999 when she was killed by an acquaintance in an apparent murder-suicide.

Her parents, Jim and Mary Lou, established a scholarship fund as a memorial. Each year, a tuition stipend allows a new graduate of Pulaski High School to follow Kathy's path to UW-Green Bay. The fund continues to grow and, at the family's urging, a second award is now made each year.

Chancellor Bruce Shepard noted Kathy's intention to major in the humanities and serve humanity as an Americorps volunteer. In presenting the alumni certificate to the family, he observed that "the Majewskis celebrate, as does the University, the reality that Kathy's ability to touch the lives of others lives on."

Several hundred of UW-Green Bay's closest friends gathered to celebrate the close of another highly successful academic and philanthropic year with the 2006 Founders Association Spring Reception at the Weidner Center.

Enjoying the moment, from left, were Julie and Jim Wall and Dawn and Robert Foeller. Julie and Dawn are members of the Founders Association's Board of Directors. The Association expects to report double-digit percentage gains in donors and dollars when the fiscal year closes on June 30.

Mark your calendars to join your friends at the
Founders Association 2006 Fall Dinner,
Thursday, November 16th, in the University Union

More campus news

Hungry deer make national headlines

The Chronicle of Higher Education, newspapers across the Midwest and even ESPNOutdoors.com thought it newsworthy this April when the University announced plans to control an out-of-control deer herd.

For the first time, UW-Green Bay joined a city-county program already in place at some suburban parks. Carefully screened archers were permitted to harvest deer at strategic sites in the Cofrin Arboretum and near the Nicolet Entrance. Deer stands were required to be a minimum of 100 yards from trails and 12 feet off the ground. (A high-angle perch ensures that if the target is not hit, the arrow goes directly into the ground.)

"Everything went really smoothly," says Assistant Chancellor Dean Rodeheaver. "I never received any complaints."

The two-week hunt resulted in 14 deer culled from a campus population estimated at about 50 animals, well past normal carrying capacity. Concerns about severe overbrowsing, deer-vehicle collisions, and elevated risk of disease motivated UW-Green Bay's participation. The Arboretum had also become something of a home base for deer raiding neighboring properties.

Officials say unfamiliarity with the campus influenced the outside media interest. A few reporters admitted picturing an urban setting, and were surprised to learn that wooded natural areas make up much of the University's 700 acres.

Slippery the black lab, Nickel the dachshund and Blue the sheltie were big dogs on campus this May.

The certified therapy animals spent time with students as just one of the stress-busting options at the University Union during final exam week. The dogs' handler, Cris (Alvarez) Lewis, a 1983 grad, normally makes the rounds at hospitals.

"Interaction with animals contributes to better physical and mental health including stress and blood pressure," says Lewis. "It's fulfilling to have left a patient's room and have doctors or nurses say that was the first time someone smiled in weeks."

Lewis (seated, above), a competitive swimmer for the Phoenix in its NAIA championship years, says she could have used a bit of pet therapy herself.

"I remember what college was like for me, and I wish we had something like this. My husband (Mark Lewis '83) gives blood, I give my dogs."

And what a beautiful, orderly mess it is! Crews are making fast work of the early stages of Kress Events Center construction, due for completion by fall 2007. A camera on the roof of the existing Phoenix Sports Center (which is, and will, remain open) tracks progress in the area that will be the main floor of the 4,000-seat facility. The Webcam refreshes every 10 seconds at www.uwgb.edu/webcam/kress/index.htm.

Interested in a UW-Green Bay license plate but not interested in the vintage Phoenix design? Well, the look is changing.

Each UW school gets a percentage of the revenue for student scholarships. The program has generated more than $6,500 in the last five years at UW-Green Bay.

The fee for the plates is the basic annual registration fee plus $15 when new non-personalized plates are issued, plus $20 per year for the designated school. The DOT Web site has information at www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/vehicles/plates/.

"Think Summer":
More courses, more online courses, and a larger selection are all reasons to check it out at www.uwgb.edu/summercourses.