MEDIA ADVISORY: UW-Green Bay hosts Inaugural First-Gen Impact Awards Ceremony Wednesday, November 8, at 6 p.m. at University Union
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2023
Green Bay, WI — As part of National First-Generation Student Celebration Day, a day that’s dedicated to students who are among the first generation in their family to attend college, UW-Green Bay will host its inaugural First Gen Impact Awards Ceremony as part of the campus’ weeklong celebration. UW-Green Bay was the first campus from the Universities of Wisconsin to be recognized as a First Gen Forward campus.
The event – co-hosted by First Gen Student Success Collaborative and the First Gen Phoenix student organization – will recognize faculty, staff, students and programs that are making a positive impact on the lives and academic success of UW-Green Bay’s first-generation college students. Five awards will be presented at the ceremony, which will also feature remarks from UW-Green Bay Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kate Burns, student speaker Monica Garcia and 2012 UW-Green Bay Commencement speaker Stephanie Fries, now an associate professor at Presbyterian College and a first-generation student advocate.
First generation students are an underpinning for success at the university and across the region. Fall 2023 enrollment data shows that 44% of all UW-Green Bay students consider themselves a first generation student, representing a 4.4% growth compared to last year. With more than 70% of alumni living and working in northeast Wisconsin, first generation students are imperative to filling workforce gaps and strengthening the region’s economic vitality.
The First Gen Impact Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 8 at 6 p.m. in the Phoenix Rooms, located within University Union.
Please RSVP your attendance to Kristin Bouchard, bouchark@uwgb.edu. Additionally, we’re happy to arrange interviews with award recipients and speakers on how UW-Green Bay is continuously working to improve the outcomes and experiences of First-Generation college students, and how this positively impacts the region.
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Established in 1965, UW-Green Bay is a public institution serving 9,616 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students and 80,000 continuing education learners each year. We educate students from pre-college through retirement and offer 200+ degrees, programs and certificates. UW-Green Bay graduates are resilient, inclusive, sustaining and engaged members of their communities, ready to rise to fearlessly face challenges, solve problems and embrace diverse ideas and people. With four campus locations, the University welcomes students from every corner of the world. UW-Green Bay was the fastest-growing UW school in Wisconsin for six consecutive years. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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