UW-Green Bay prepares for record-setting freshman class

GREEN BAY — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is anticipating a record-setting freshman class when the fall 2009 semester begins Thursday, Sept. 3.

Preliminary numbers show the 2009-10 freshman class has 1,056 students enrolled, 21 more than the previous record set in 1998, and 36 more than last year’s freshman class.

A final tally of all enrolled students will not be made official until the week of Sept. 13.

“These early totals show that UW-Green Bay is, and continues to be, a destination for students from Green Bay, Northeastern Wisconsin, the state and beyond,” UW-Green Bay Chancellor Thomas Harden said. “We welcome this record class and wish them luck as they start their collegiate careers with us.”

Some of the increase is attributable to Growth Agenda Phase I funding supported in the state’s 2007-09 budget.

Another factor was the decision to keep open the application period for new freshmen and transfer students from an 11-county area surrounding campus until mid-August, weeks after the open application period had passed. More than 170 students (66 new freshmen and 110 transfer students) applied to UW-Green Bay during the extended application period. This year, UW-Green Bay has enrolled 453 students from the 11-county area, an increase of 51 students from the start of the 2008 academic year.

“With the economic downturn, we knew some students’ educational plans might have changed,” said Admissions Director Pam Harvey-Jacobs. “We wanted to be an available option for those students, and the number of applicants we had show we filled a need.”

The record freshman class brings with it a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and an average ACT test score of 22.4.

Women make up 63 percent of new freshmen. The class is also more diverse than it has been in years past, with 94 multicultural students (9 percent) enrolled.

“Having a diverse student body will certainly enrich our students’ experience at UW-Green Bay,” Harden said. “It’s important for people of varied cultures and backgrounds to work together and learn together. That’s happening more and more at UW-Green Bay, and we’re proud to see that.”

Freshman class by the numbers:

· Freshman applications received: 3,562

· Number offered admission: 2,484

· Average GPA: 3.25

· Perfect 4.0 GPA: 19

· Average ACT score: 22.4

· Freshmen from minority backgrounds: 90 (9 percent)

· Freshmen of American Indian heritage: 15

· American Indian tribes or bands represented: Blackfoot, Catawba, Chippewa, Lac Courte Oreilles, Menominee, Oneida, Red Cliff and Sioux

· Freshmen from Brown County schools: 217 (19 percent)

· Freshmen from the NEW North Region (including Brown County): 563

· 64 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties are represented

· States represented: 13 (including Wisconsin, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia)

· Countries represented: Freshmen are coming from the United States, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Exchange students are coming from Germany, the Netherlands, France and Denmark.

· Preble High School has the most incoming freshmen with 46 students, followed by 29 students from Bay Port High School

· 12 new freshmen are military veterans

· 81 new freshmen are student athletes for the Phoenix teams — 49 women and 32 men

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