ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – UW-Green Bay is finding creative ways to introduce college to younger students in Northeast Wisconsin.
UWGB invited local schools, kindergarten through eighth grade, for its Education Day to watch the men’s basketball game at no cost at the Resch Center Monday morning.
Kids got a glimpse of what their future could look like.
“Its never too early to start the conversation about college, how often are you asking the little ones in your life all the way up to that middle and high school, you know, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And a big piece of that conversation that often times is missing is: how do you get there?” says Visit Manager & Marketing Assistant for UWGB Office of Admissions, Meagan Manders.
Manders says enrollment for fall semester at UWGB is slightly down, but they are expecting an increase for spring. She tells FOX 11 events like these help.
“To get students home and talking to their parents or guardians that they’re with about what they saw today and what that means.”
Franklin Middle School Associate Principal Heather Zelzer had all her students in attendance and says it’s important not to wait too long to prepare for college.
“The habits that students start to create in middle school, as much as they think they’ll go away when they get to high school, it’s really important to build those positive habits now.”
Manders agrees.
“When we have that conversation early it can alleviate some of that pressure for students who then are coming into high school, all the sudden and we are saying ‘You have to do this, you have to do that.”
Fifth grade teacher Jacob Tess says he feels it is important for students to know college is an option at a young age; he also brings it up in the classroom regularly.
“Every chance I get, absolutely — I think it’s important that they know that they have the tools to be successful.”
Tess says it’s also important to know they have a local option.
“This will be something that they don’t forget for years to come, so the opportunity for them to possibly go to UW-Green Bay after seeing a little bit about what they can offer, I 100% agree that this will be a significant opportunity for several of our students.”
The event itself had a large turnout.
“We have 3,875 RSVPs from kids, plus another 500 adults and teachers and chaperones that came in… We want to build lifelong Phoenix fans, and I think this was a big way to do it,” says UWGB Associate Athletic Director for External Operations, Sean Daniels.
There was a total of 17 local schools at Monday’s game.
Aside from general enrollment, UWGB saw several increases fall semester: a 16% increase in the Hispanic and Latinx population, a 7% increase in local students and a roughly 1% increase in first-generation students.
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