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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: 5/29/08 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
May 11, 2008 Schools, businesses try to develop, keep talent Efforts today embrace more postsecondary options By Kelly McBride
And while the so-called "brain drain" here may not be as severe as elsewhere in the state and nation, officials say giving young people reasons to stay — or return — before they hit college should remain a priority.
"We have a large percentage of our population who have not gone on to baccalaureate education," said University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard. "The businesses in the area, the enterprises all want to have talented and well-trained employees. We have a real resource here but we have to encourage these young people."
Efforts to do so include area colleges and businesses reaching out to schools to talk about career development and aspirations for postsecondary education. A big part of that, particularly in recent years, has been the effort to recruit so-called first-generation college students; that is, those for whom neither parent went to college.
The tenor of the talk also has shifted, from encouraging students to attend four-year colleges to urging them to explore the best postsecondary option for their potential career. Proponents say partnerships between local postsecondary schools — be they two- or four-year — are aimed at ensuring students have myriad options for preparing for their future.
"I think we know that kids are going to have to have some education beyond high school," said Nancy Schopf, vice president of education and leadership for the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. "But the thing is, we always were promoting four years. ... and I think we've turned some kids off because of that. ... We just want kids to look at options — that there are other roads to success."
'enriching experiences'
Tapping into the area's pool of talented young people — whether they attend college here or elsewhere — should involve a community approach to navigating those roads, educators say.
That includes efforts like UWGB's Phuture Phoenix program, which seeks to boost college aspirations for students from lower-income schools, beginning in fifth grade.
The program is designed in part as a pipeline to the university's growth agenda. But more than that, it's about supporting an educated work force and future community leaders — no matter where students attend school, said Cyndie Shepard, Phuture Phoenix director and wife of Bruce Shepard.
"I don't care," she said. "Get them in there, get them excited about doing something they're interested in."
Reaching out to diverse populations is an important component, educators say, as employers tout the value of a diverse work force.
"Employers are looking for a diverse work staff, not just in terms of ethnicity but ... all the different forms that exist," said John Grant, manager of academic advising, recruitment and career services at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. "That diversity provides enriching experiences for all employees."
Toward that end, NWTC holds several events aimed at engaging minority students or potential students and explaining their options for postsecondary education, be it at NWTC or elsewhere.
'i just wanted to stay'
Concerns about the brain drain issue in the Green Bay area differ from those elsewhere in the state and country, Bruce Shepard said.
UWGB doesn't experience a large-scale flight of college graduates — more than 70 percent of its graduates stay within a 50-mile radius of Green Bay, while nearly 90 percent stay in Wisconsin — but struggles exist in the area of "brain gain," that is, bringing talented young people in, Bruce Shepard said.
He hopes the school's growth agenda — which seeks to grow the university from 6,100 to 7,500 students — will be a key part of the solution.
Encouraging young people to explore career options early also is part of the picture, Schopf said. Partners in Education, a program of the chamber, has helped facilitate and encourage the local use of the online WISCareers program, which helps youths track career options.
Partners in Education hopes to build awareness for young people, especially about area career and job options that may not be on their radar.
For Drew Kopitzke, those options include remaining local — for now. The soon-to-be UWGB alum from Elkhart Lake is sticking around for several reasons — his girlfriend, new job and desire to stay out of the big city among them.
"A lot of my contemporaries are kind of staying around the city for awhile," he said. "In the whole scheme of things, I just wanted to stay here."
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