Video: UW-Green Bay Chancellor Mike Alexander welcomes the Phoenix family back to the University

In this video, UW-Green Bay Chancellor Mike Alexander expresses his gratitude to faculty and staff on all four campuses who have worked toward a responsible reopening. Thank you also to medical partner Prevea Health.

“Good morning UW-Green Bay faculty and staff. It is July 1st and we’ve begun to slowly open up our campus. I’m here this morning to help remind you of some things we can all do to make sure we keep each other safe.

As I drove in this morning it was encouraging to see a few cars parked in our public spaces, using our trails socially distanced, and enjoying the outdoor spaces we have on our beautiful campus.

I want to remind you to please park in your normal spot, but as you walk to your office make sure you stay outside. It’s also important that you go outside as much as you can whenever you’re having to walk anywhere on campus. Try not to use the tunnels, and hopefully every day for the rest of the summer looks just like today.

As much as I’d like to see all of you on campus it’s really important that as many of you as possible please continue to work from home. Please continue to use the electronic platforms that you’ve been using to be able to have meetings since march… it’s been working for us. If you need to come in, obviously it’s okay to come onto campus at this point during the hours that we’re open, but if you’re able to work from home please do so it helps for all of us to stay socially distanced and prevent an outbreak from occurring on our campus.

I want to thank all of our staff at facilities that have worked so hard to be able to allow us to open up our campus safely. I also want to encourage all of our faculty and staff to please make sure that you’re keeping your areas clean and sanitized at all times. Please be sure to read all the guidelines we sent out about how to safely open campus.

Remember that masks are required whenever you’re in public spaces walking through halls or around other people. It’s very important, and required, that we all do this for everyone else’s safety.

As a Phoenix family we’re best when we do things together. It’s vitally important right now that we all work together to make sure that we keep everything that we’re doing safe for everyone on our campus. Thank you for your attention to all these details it’s great to be able to slowly open up campus. It’ll be even better to make sure we keep everybody safe while we’re doing so.”

See the Phoenix Forward: Return to Workplace Plan.

See the Interim Building Hours and Access Policy

 

Photo of Facilities Management crew member using a chainsaw to clear a downed tree from the Cofrin Arboretum trail

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Video: UW-Green Bay’s Cofrin Memorial Arboretum Trails and outdoor spaces reopen July 1

On July 1, 2020, the six miles of Cofrin Memorial Arboretum trails encircling the Green Bay campus will reopen to the public for hiking, biking and bird-watching. The trails and all public spaces (including Shorewood Golf Course, Communiversity Park and the disk golf course) were closed in March due to the pandemic and the furloughs related to it. Thank you to Facilities Management staff for clearing trees and debris allowing for a safe reopening.

About the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum:

The Cofrin Memorial Arboretum forms a natural boundary of 290 acres encircling the UW-Green Bay campus and providing valuable habitat and ecosystems as well as access for research, field trips, wildlife viewing and recreation. The purpose of the Arboretum is to restore and preserve some of Wisconsin’s native ecological communities and to provide a place where people can enjoy and appreciate nature. Emphasis is placed on the protection, enrichment, and development of native Wisconsin plant communities and areas of special ecological significance. Forests, prairies, ponds, and creeks represent some of the major communities thriving in the Arboretum.

The Arboretum also contributes significantly to the UW-Green Bay environment, making it one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States.

Video by Sue Pischke, University Marketing & Communication

Photo of the letters GB and a large heart with a phoenix carved in the lawn at the UW-Green Bay campus.

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Video/Photos: UW-Green Bay staff member creates lawn art

A member of the Phoenix family (we have intel it is area coordinator of UW-Green Bay Residence Life, Jeff Willems) created an artistic lawn art depicting large hearts anchoring the words “UWGB Phoenix” with lawn clippings. The lawn art is located on a hill in the east housing lot.

 

Click to advance slideshow or view the album on Flickr.

UWGB Phoenix Lawn Art

– Video and photos by Sue Pischke

Photo of golf carts and the welcome sign at Shorewood Golf Course in Green Bay, WI.

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Video: Shorewood Golf Course prepares to open in July

Superintendent Nate Rusch and his grounds crew at Shorewood Golf Course, located on the Green Bay Campus, prepare the greens and fairways for golfers with an expected opening date of Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Book your tee times online or call 920-465-2118.

A golf course employee operates the lawn mower to get the fairway trimmed at Shorewood Golf Course.
Rusch trims the greens to get the golf course ready for golfers as the Shorewood Golf Course gets ready to open on the Green Bay campus.
A golf course employee operates the lawn mower to get the greens trimmed at Shorewood Golf Course.
A golf course employee cuts the rough between fairways one and nine at the Shorewood Golf Course on the Green Bay Campus.

 

Video: UW-Green Bay’s Alexandra Ritchie’s inspiring letter to campus about inclusion and equity

In this open letter to her campus colleagues, Marketing and Communications Recruitment Coordinator in UW-Green Bay’s Office of Admissions, Alexandra Ritchie expresses her personal pain over hate, stereotyping and the devastating actions leading to recent marches and protests across the nation.

She, and others, call on the UW-Green Bay campus community to seek understanding, serve as allies, and demand that as a campus, we do better, as Chancellor Alexander has requested from the four-campus community. Ritchie is working with the personnel across campus to compile a list of resources that help educate and motivate.

Her story…

Alexandra Ritchie

My first encounter with racism came in the first grade. A group of classmates staged a boycott of chocolate milk during lunches because it was “gross” like the color of my skin. I didn’t even know I was any different. Sure, by first grade those kids may have already been taught their biases from parents or other family members, but they were also born into a society that prioritizes white bodies and demotes ‘otherness’ to second-class. My otherness.

I’m tired of being tired.

Our unfair systems have deemed United States a level playing ground. In reality, Black people have been chained to the starting line, centuries behind the lead. When the shackles came off on Juneteenth we were suddenly supposed to be able to compete? The Civil Rights movement brought about change on paper, but how much change actually occurred in the hearts and minds of those in power? What systems were deconstructed and reconstructed to have us all starting in the same spot?

Systemic racism is hard to break, but it’s even harder to bear. The not-so-funny thing about racism is that the oppressed can’t always make the change; sometimes we can only demand it. After all, what oppressor listens to the oppressed? We need allies. When Black people and other persons of color ask for allies, we aren’t just asking for well-intentioned people to ask how we’re doing. We aren’t asking for people to be colorblind. We aren’t asking for a white body to be a megaphone for our anguish. We aren’t asking you to argue on Facebook with your racist uncle. All these things could help, but we’re really asking for you to educate yourself, embrace our differences, occupy the spaces that we haven’t been permitted in for over 400 years, and go to war destroying those systems that continually put a proverbial knee to our necks. If you aren’t uncomfortable, you’re doing it wrong.

Part of educating yourself is understanding your individual privilege. Privilege shouldn’t be a scary word or insult, and it’s not just for white people. Privilege doesn’t mean that you haven’t fallen on hard times. It’s an honest reflection of things to be grateful for, things that you have no control over that make your life even a fraction easier. Analyzing and accepting privilege is the first step to better understanding what systems you’re benefitting from that marginalized groups may not be. Those working in education are not only tasked with continually evaluating their own biases and privileges, but also imparting the knowledge of past generations onto the next, helping them develop critical thinking skills and inspiring a strong value system. Unfortunately, education itself, especially higher education, can also be a privilege.

So, how do we as a UW-Green Bay community fix that? Well, it starts internally, and it’s not just about not being racist. It’s about being anti-racist. We’re no longer just talking about individuals, we’re looking at the systems. Try need-based scholarships instead of merit-based. Fill courses with real-world applications for all walks of life. Provide access to resources to support all students, no matter their intersectionalities. Take care of the whole student. The whole staff. The whole faculty. Once we’ve established our internal anti-racism reform, we have to continue that trajectory into the rest of our community. And that starts with divesting from partners or companies who don’t hold the same anti-racism values as us. We can’t and won’t tolerate it.

Lord knows I don’t have all the answers, but to me, the goal should never be diversity. Diversity feels like a check box that we have to tick rather than the leveling the playing field. What I’m striving for is inclusion and equity. I want a UW-Green Bay that gives everyone a seat at the table, a voice, and the opportunity to shatter societal limitations and create the community and country that we so rightfully deserve. And we’re well on our way.

From the moment I interviewed at UW-Green Bay, I knew this place was different. The care and tenacity are unmatched. There’s a strong willingness to do what’s right, even if it’s unconventional or goes against what everyone else is doing. Every day I see the inner workings, the strides being taken and the leaders pushing the envelope. This place is unapologetically itself, and that’s just the kind of place to unleash a revolution.

Watch us rise.

 

There’s still time to register for some of UW-Green Bay’s Summer Camps!

UW-Green Bay has re-imagined Summer Camp experiences. Campers won’t just be sitting at their computers but will be active outside of scheduled virtual sessions.

Video transcript:

Hey all…….I’m Jason Mathwig…… and I am the Director of Education Outreach and Summer Camps here at UW-Green Bay.

As I am sure you all know, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, we have unfortunately cancelled our physical in-person camps this summer.

But that doesn’t mean we still can’t have some fun!

While there is no way we can replace the experience of a camp on campus, we are RE-IMAGINING SUMMER and are excited to offer families alternative virtual camps here at UW-Green Bay. 

We are offering camps in the areas of Art, LGBTQ, Health, Music and STEM.

Most of our camps range from grades 3 – 12 with a few for families and all ages.

What’s different about these virtual camps?

Our instructors have focused on making these camps interactive and hands on with activities for campers to do on their own time outside of a few scheduled virtual sessions.

We don’t want the kids to continue sitting in front of a screen all day, rather we want them to explore their passions away from the screen. While still having camp instructors and plenty of camp peers to make it a fun summer experience…..

For high school kids going into grades 10 to 12, perhaps gaining some college credit at a discounted price is more your thing. Our Summer Scholars program offers a 4-week online course through UW-Green Bay. Here you can save hundreds on tuition dollars, get a head start on college and your credits will transfer to all UW-Schools and most private or out-of-state schools.

We are still accepting registrations for all of these camps and programs.

You can learn more about all of these programs at www.uwgb.edu/camps. 

Go find what inspires you and join us this summer!

Photo of the UW-Green Bay Pep Band playing music during a Women's Basketball game in the Kress Center.

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Video: UW-Green Bay is a place where music students take it to the next level

Throughout middle and high school, Kameron Jennings knew he wanted to help kids learn and thrive in music. The junior Music Education major plays trumpet and says he has had amazing opportunities at UW-Green Bay including learning from master musicians and performing in Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Pep Band. And stepping on stage to play his trumpet at one of the Midwest’s most prolific performing arts centers—the Weidner Center for Performing Arts—just a few paces away from his classrooms and music rooms? A priceless opportunity.

Video by Sue Pischke, University Marketing and Communication

Music Program Video Transcript:

In high school, my band class was the biggest motivation for me to become a music major. I loved my band director in high school and middle school and both of them just really helped me see that I wanted to do that later in my life and they inspired me to become a music major. I chose UW-Green Bay for my education because I knew how exceptional the music program was.

There’s two-degree options so students can either get a Bachelor of Music or a Bachelor of Arts in Music which means that you can go on to be a music teacher, have a career in musical performance, or pursue a graduate study program in music.

There are many aspects I enjoy the music program one of my favorites is being able to perform complex music with high-level musicians including the professors here and since UW-Green Bay is connected to the Weidner Center a lot of times the traveling musicians will give us master classes and teach us about their art and performances. Being able to perform in the Weidner Center is such a cool experience it’s a great space and it can really help change some people’s perspective on their music that they’re performing.

In the Music Program, almost everything is hands-on learning and in Ensemble classes were always playing our instruments and rehearsing the music and then in other classroom settings such as Music Theory we’re always writing new parts and learning about new ideas and music.

I absolutely love the Music Program here at UW-Green Bay it’s provided me so many great experiences and opportunities and I’m forever grateful to be here and I just love performing my trumpet in the Weidner Center and being able to work with all the amazing professors in all the great classes. It’s all just fantastic. I’m proud to be a Phoenix because of the countless opportunities it’s presented me it’s really kick-started my musical career in education and I have so many great experiences here I know I’ll make so many more.

Video: Chancellor Alexander congratulates and challenges honors graduates

Usually there would be a gathering to celebrate honors students. This year, Chancellor Mike Alexander has a special video message for honors graduates.

“Hi, my name is Mike Alexander and I have the honor and privilege of being the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. I’m very glad to be able to greet you today, and it’s still important that we take a moment to celebrate what you’ve achieved, so I will talk just for a few minutes about what I feel is important about being an honor student.

One, it shows that you’ve been able to work really hard through your college career. You’ve been able to persevere through challenges. You’ve been able to understand the importance of what an education means for your future and you’ve put yourself in a position now to be able to use it hopefully to benefit all around you.

And that last point, I think, is the most important thing I could talk about. That graduating with honors from a university means that you have an increased responsibility to do good in the world. It’s vital that those that are that are the most prepared, that have worked the hardest, that have the skills needed to be able to move our community and our region and our world forward, use them to be able to make our community a better place.

So I want to thank you for choosing UW-Green Bay for your education. It means a lot to us to have so many bright and talented students that come to our University. You’ve achieved a lot to be in the very top percentage of all of our graduates this year and that should not be taken lightly. I encourage you to remember, as you go throughout your career, the responsibility that you carry as a UW-Green Bay graduate to follow in the footsteps of the thousands who come before you who are doing great things in the world.

So thank you again, congratulations on your achievement, please keep in touch with us at the University and let us know the good things that are happening to you, the challenges that you face and we hope that we can always be resource for you throughout your career. Best of luck and thank you again.”

Hope to see many of you on August 22 for Commencement!