When Larry L. Weyers ran Wisconsin Public Service Corp., the regional utility was among the first companies to earn the UW Regents’ Partnership Award for its work with UW-Green Bay.
As CEO and president of WPS and later Integrys Energy Group, Weyers helped power University initiatives including the construction of Mary Ann Cofrin Hall as a national showcase for energy-efficient technology. WPS organized an annual “Solar Olympics” for local high schools and sponsored a solar research station on campus, and supported faculty and student research.
On a personal level, Weyers’ commitment to education led to involvement with Partners in Education, which the University supported and which was in some ways a model for the Institute for Learning Partnership.
He and his wife, Lois, have been philanthropic supporters, as well. From the Phuture Phoenix pre-college program to the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts, their interests have spanned a range of University activities and offerings.
Recently, the couple made a major pledge in support of the revitalization of the Weidner Center and the objective of increasing the number of both local and touring productions.
“UW-Green Bay is a tremendous asset for this community, providing quality education at a reasonable cost” Larry Weyers says. “The Weidner Center is icing on the cake. Both deserve and need our support.”
Larry and Lois, a retired school teacher, are particularly big fans of Phuture Phoenix. The program began in 2003 and has since served roughly 11,000 school children from elementary schools with significant low-income populations. Phuture Phoenix encourages local fifth-graders by providing campus tours and follow-up programming, pairing them with college-age mentors, and motivating them to graduate from high school and pursue higher education.
The WPS Foundation made a major gift to underwrite dozens of $1,000 Larry L. Weyers Phuture Phoenix Scholarships upon his retirement in 2010, benefitting students who started as Phuture Phoenix fifth-graders. The first of those freshmen started arriving in 2010.