Looking back, looking ahead: The year in review at UW-Green Bay
UW-Green Bay built on success while blazing new trails during the year, continuing to embrace a 360° of Learning approach on campus and in the community.
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It was a year of stellar academics as our award-winning faculty teamed with well-prepared students for high-profile research, hands-on learning and innovative opportunities. We welcomed our most diverse freshman class to date, and the new Phoenix GPS program is laying a foundation for collegiate success. We’ve begun and nurtured new initiatives, enhanced internship opportunities and forged partnerships, with new degrees in Engineering Technology, Nursing, Sustainable Management and Social Work leading the way. Our Adult Degree Program continued to expand its reach, and our first-ever Local Open Online Course — a LOOC, not a MOOC — offered sought-after opportunities for students and community alike.
UW-Green Bay’s renowned faculty continue to lead in the classroom, in the community and beyond. Professor Clif Ganyard earned the UW System’s top teaching award, while Professor Harvey Kaye was among those earning state and national acclaim for publications, artistry and related work. Our 360° of Learning approach continues to set UW-Green Bay apart as students embrace the value of learning from a variety of perspectives.
“It’s really opened my eyes to how taking a course in something that isn’t your emphasis or isn’t your major can still benefit you,” said student Kelsey McCormick. “It’s just — it’s irreplaceable.”
Life on campus provided numerous highlights during the year, as clubs and organizations grew in service to their members and the campus and larger communities. UW-Green Bay continued to bolster its Eco-U reputation with new earth-friendly initiatives, and celebrated diversity and international friendship through the campus Common Theme and numerous additional avenues. Service to the community was paramount, with the Campus Kitchens Project and other initiatives highlighting this critical aspect of life at UW-Green Bay.
“It’s not just the courses that you took,” said Associate Prof. Christopher Martin. “It’s the courses that you took and how it taught you to think about the world and explore the world, and explore relationships with different people and solve problems along the way.”
The arts gave us plenty to celebrate, with Theatre and Dance earning regional awards for its production of Avenue Q. The revitalized Weidner Center for the Performing Arts finished another year in the black, delighting audiences with hit shows and dynamic performances. Professor Brian Sutton took his original play all the way to New York City, while closer to home the 360° Thursdays concert series, Czech/Slovak music competition, unique gallery offerings and more helped UW-Green Bay showcase its aptitude for the arts.
Our Phoenix sports teams enjoyed stellar seasons. Four teams — men’s and women’s basketball, softball and men’s tennis — earned Horizon League championships as student-athletes garnered accolades both on and off the court. Men’s basketball produced the Horizon League coach and player of the year, plus an NBA draft pick. And Athletics notched impressive academic accomplishments as student-athletes earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for the 29th consecutive semester.
UW-Green Bay is proud of its friends, supporters, and 32,000 alumni — individuals and institutions that further connect us to the community. We have enhanced our ties with the most storied franchise in professional sports, becoming the higher education partner of the Green Bay Packers just months after accepting a record Packers Foundation gift for student scholarships. Our graduates have risen to prominence here, around the country and around the world, and we celebrated all alumni with the inaugural Alumni Reunion Days events last fall.
A year of transition and opportunities at UW-Green Bay culminated in the welcome of Chancellor Gary L. Miller, who succeeded Tom Harden to become the University’s sixth leader.
Celebrating success with an eye on the future, we look forward to another great year at UW-Green Bay.
“I love UW-Green Bay,” said graduating senior Seenia Thao. “And every day, I appreciate it even more. Especially today.”
