UW-Green Bay to host Chancellor’s Veteran Reception, other events to honor vets
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will kick off a week of events celebrating campus and community veterans with the annual Chancellor’s Veteran Reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 in Phoenix Room B of the University Union on campus, 2420 Nicolet Drive.
The annual Veterans Day event is held to recognize all campus and community veterans, as well as individuals currently serving in the military. This year’s reception will feature UW-Green Bay student Major Gena Selby, who will speak about her experiences as commander of C Company in the Ashwaubenon-based 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion. Selby is working toward her second bachelor’s degree at UW-Green Bay, majoring in Art and Arts Management. Chancellor Gary L. Miller also will speak, and he and Selby will present certificates of appreciation to student members of the military who are present. Refreshments and a social will follow.
“The annual Chancellor’s Veteran Reception allows us to pause and remember the contributions and sacrifices of those who have served,” said Elaina Koltz, UW-Green Bay veteran services adviser. “This event offers the chance to express, in a very real and meaningful way, the gratitude we feel year-round.”
UW-Green Bay has 368 individuals receiving veteran benefits, including 108 dependent spouses and children. That number is expected to increase to more than 400 by the end of the academic year, Koltz said. Twenty of those receiving benefits are currently in the National Guard and Reserve. UW-Green Bay’s Vets 4 Vets student club has about 15 active members.
For six years running, UW-Green Bay has been named a Military Friendly School, an honor bestowed by Victory Media Inc. that recognizes the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that do the most to embrace military service members and spouses as students, and to ensure their success on campus. Last winter, the University dedicated the At Ease Veteran and Service Member Lounge in Mary Ann Cofrin (MAC) Hall.
Additional veterans week events are as follows:
Veteran Open House, 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, At Ease Veteran and Service Member Student Lounge, MAC Hall 124. Attendees can visit with local veteran services representatives from the Wisconsin Job Center, Green Bay Vet Center, Green Bay VA Health Care Center, Brown County Veterans Service Office and Green Bay Center for Veteran Issues. Refreshments will be served.
Veteran Appreciation Day, 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, Resch Center, Green Bay. UW-Green Bay Athletics invites all veterans in the community to attend the Phoenix men’s basketball game at no cost. There will be a special recognition of those in the community who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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