GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – For a sixth straight year, enrollment is up at UW-Green Bay. Only four of the UW system’s other 26 campuses saw their numbers jump.
Of the 8,098 students at UW-Green Bay, each one has a reason they picked this quiet campus to try to earn a degree.
“It’s close to home, so I can always go home when I want to,” said Elsa Coronoa, a junior at UW-Green Bay.
“I like the Green Bay area,” said Joseph Hamilton, a junior at UW-Green Bay. “It also kind of fit my interest with the majors that they offer here.”
Enrollment is up 9.7% compared to last year at UWGB. The next highest in the UW system was Parkside and Madison at 2%.
Michael Alexander, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW-Green Bay, tells FOX 11.
“First of all, I think we’re really connected to the community and understanding what degrees, what programs they want to see us deliver.”
Alexander says the key to sustaining growth is knowing what’s needed next.
“I think it’s important for regional comprehensive universities to be nimble, so what’s an important degree today may have less demand tomorrow.”
There is a concern across the country about future college enrollment. That’s because in 2008 when the financial crisis hit, people stopped having as many children. The impact is expected to start reaching college campuses in 2025.
“It’s true that the 18 to 25-year-old population will decrease at about that time, however, that is assuming we only focus on educating the 18 to 25-year-old population,” said Alexander. “We’re looking at education as a lifelong pursuit.”
School leaders also expect enrollment to jump next year. Six new graduate programs will start, along with a bachelor-of-science in the nursing program.
It isn’t all positive news for enrollment under the UWGB name.
Two years ago, the UW campuses at Manitowoc, Marinette, and Sheboygan joined on with the UW-Green Bay name. Those schools all saw double-digit decreases in enrollment this year, similar to all the other satellite campuses across the UW-System.
