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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/3/06 |
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Reprinted from: Green Bay Press-Gazette April 2, 2006 Regents' visit puts UWGB in spotlight School will showcase its ties to community By Kelly McBride
But more than that, officials say, it's a chance for both the university and larger community to demonstrate the importance of higher education to the region as a whole.
That will be done, in part, through the presentation of Chancellor Bruce Shepard's agenda for growth during the next six years. In addition, the regents will review UWGB's Master Plan, the recently finalized document detailing future facilities plans for Green Bay's campus.
"It's a big event for any campus," Shepard said of the regents' visit. "Typically it happens every six or seven years. It's a real chance to educate a Board of Regents, almost all of whom are new."
One of the newer regents is Judy Crain of Green Bay, who began her tenure in June. Crain and her fellow regents visit other campuses, she said, but the two-day meeting gives a real sense of the university's place in a community.
"Just to be on campus, and to be on the home turf, so to speak, gives the regents a much better sense of this place and the university's presence in the community," she said. "There will be several places where presentations will be made that relate to UWGB's present and future."
Still, the campus doesn't exist in isolation, said Paul Jadin, former Green Bay mayor and current president of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Jadin will be one of several community members to speak on a panel during the meeting.
"I think it's an opportunity, certainly, for the university to sell itself, and also for the community to know how important the university is to the community," Jadin said. "We have a tremendous asset in UWGB, but it's not yet what it can be with the proper assistance from the state."
UWGB's students also will have the opportunity to showcase their campus — and their knowledge — through meetings with the regents and an academic symposium.
Nathan Petrashek, president of UWGB's Student Government Association, will be one of about two dozen student leaders to attend a social dinner with the visiting regents. Petrashek is looking forward to discussing Shepard's growth proposal, campus safety and other issues, he said.
Although UWGB officials will present the campus Master Plan to the board, regent approval for the plan is not necessary. As for Shepard's growth agenda — which would increase enrollment from 5,500 to 7,500 during the next six years — funding depends in part on what the regents decide in the next budget cycle.
For now, UWGB is looking forward to the payoff from more than a year of preparations, said Steve Swan, assistant chancellor for university advancement. The regents' visit is important for the campus and the surrounding area, he added.
"People of this region are stepping forward to help try to convince the regents and ... eventually the Legislature that the future of our region depends on growing our university," Swan said. "The community involvement is absolutely critical."
About the regents
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