Visit to Green Bay

Greetings Colleagues,

The Board of Regents met last week in Green Bay.   Highlights include presentations from UW-Green Bay personnel on their university’s focus on interdisciplinarity  and sustainability.  UW-Parkside presented its academic plan.  Of particular note was the presentation by Mark Nook, Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs on how UW campuses were addressing issues of transferring students and academic credit.  This general topic is one which always arouses the interest of legislators, board members, and communities, and will be examined as part of the charge of the legislative Task Force on Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities.  The Board of Regents anticipates appointing its own task force to examine roles and responsibilities of the Board as the scope of campus flexibilities changes.  For you Packers fan, the reception on Thursday evening was held at Lambeau Field.  I have now been initiated formally into Wisconsin football culture, lore, and the Lambeau Leap.

This weekend on campus was Fall-a-Palooza (Family Weekend).   Friday night, I managed to pop over to the YU to see parents and students register for the weekend, and I remained to hear the a capella group, Ball in the House.  (They were fabulous!)  There was a myriad of related events on Saturday.  It was nice to talk to ‘Jacket parents who, themselves, had attended UW-Superior.  Buzz was a big hit in the photo booth at the carnival.  Large thanks to all of you in the Campus Life office who helped to make the occasion such a great event!  In particular, thank you to the students and student organizations who staffed many of the events.

Tomorrow, the results of the Climate Study will be presented in the YU Great Room from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.!  The study, conducted during Spring, 2011, afforded all students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to provide input about diversity, inclusion, and equity at UW-Superior.  Now is the time for all of us to come together to hear the results and ask questions of Dr. Sue Rankin, Senior Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.  Dr. Rankin conducted the survey and has analyzed our results.  Please come to the forum and join in the effort to make UW-Superior a more welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.

It was another busy week for our Yellowjacket athletes.  The volleyball team picked up its first conference win of the season over UW-River Falls in front of a great crowd at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.  Last night, the men’s soccer team won an extremely exciting match with St. Scholastica in the first “Border Battle” of the season; 1-0 in double overtime.  Between these two games,  the 2011 Caps for Cancer event closed out with soccer team members offering up their hair (yes, they were shorn to just short of smooth) in support of those who are under treatment for cancer.  Junior runner, Scott Behling finished fourth at the Pine Hill Invitational.  This weekend, the Yellowjackets will host the 2011 Stinger Classic.  Come out and help cheer the ‘Jackets to victory!

On a personal note, I have the honor of entertaining “Flat Stanley” who visits me courtesy of my niece from Georgia.  To learn more about the Flat Stanley project, you can visit http://www.flatstanley.com/.  He and I will be walking around campus and community to capture some photos as mementos of his trip to UW-Superior and Superior, WI.

Have a Superior Week!

Renee