Phoenix Folks v2.0 (beta)

Ever read an article in Phoenix Folks and wonder what other parents were thinking?

Now you can share your words of wisdom on every article we post!

Ask for more info, see who's coming to an event, find a solution to a problem, boast of a recent success story....

The Phoenix Folks newsletter was created to communicate to parents of freshmen students. However, we are now trying to increase our reach and expand our connection to all parents. We are also switching from a four-times-a-year publication to an at-least-a-few-times-a-month blog.

What does this mean to you?

You will receive the info you need when you need it, not when the quarterly publication schedule dictates. Hopefully keeping you more informed and connected to campus.

We’ll send you an e-mail invitation to check out the new site when it goes live at the end of summer. What you are now looking at is a work in progress - PhoenixFolks v2.0 (beta).

If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see on the new site (format, topics, events, etc.), please don’t be shy - add a comment by clicking on the "comment" link below or send us an e-mail - parents@uwgb.edu.

Have a great summer, and please share your thoughts.

Transition to College

Starting college for most students represents a major transition. The change for some students might be considered monumental, as in moving away from home and to a whole new part of the country. For others the change may be less extreme, as starting college in their home town, but most parents and students would agree that starting college is an important transition step toward independence and adulthood.

Although students and parents generally report college to be a positive experience there are often challenges.

Here are some tips on coping with both the opportunities and challenges of the transition to college.

Tips for Students:
• Explore new interests, discover new places, and meet new people. College should involve learning outside as well as inside the classroom.
• If you are moving away from home expect to be at least a little “home sick”. The cure is time, involvement on campus and possibly talking to a campus counselor.
• Participate and prioritize, enjoy the fun of involvement but be careful not to become overwhelmed be doing too many things.
• For academics “Hit the ground running” to make sure you stay up to date with your work but also be patient with yourself. It takes time to understand the rhythm of a new academic life and for students to develop a personal learning/studying style. Over the first semester it becomes easier to understand the flow of work and realize how to accommodate different teachers' standards and course requirements.
• Never ignore a problem. Both academic and emotional challenges are most successfully managed early when small.
• Understand your personal values, they will help guide you through difficult decisions
• Use the resources available to you to solve problems, these include University staff and, of course, your family.

Tips for Parents:
• Discuss your expectations and shared values. Students will face some difficult situations and helping them think ahead about what is right or wrong for them can help
• Support the student in working through any crisis they may face, offering guidance can be great but try to let them work things out. Students will generally learn and grow best by solving their own problems. Parents know their student best however and must judge when it is time for more direct help.
• Determine appropriate expectations and guidelines and be explicit. If parents expect or want a weekly phone call, they must say so. If parents and students want to spend a particular holiday together, they should plan ahead. If parents expect to see the student’s grades, that should be made clear in advance.
• Allow for mistakes. Parents can encourage and accept the student's ability to make independent decisions. Both the college student and the parents must realize mistakes will be made along the way and the student will learn from them.

Adapted from Transition to College:
Separation and Change for Parents and Students
by Robin F. Goodman, Ph.D., updated by Anita Gurian, Ph.D.
The full text of this article is available at www.aboutourkids.org

Think Summer!

Summer school has become a popular option for many college and university students. In recent years, UW-Green Bay has expanded its summer course offerings, offering a wide range of courses from across many academic departments.

Summer school provides students with the opportunity to accelerate progress towards the degree. Some courses that are in high demand during the fall and spring semesters, are more easily enrolled during the summer session. Courses range from general education courses that will benefit students attending any college or university to upper-level courses in areas of high demand. To improve accessibility, more courses will be offered online.

UW-Green Bay's summer program, which begins May 22, offers variable sessions, providing greater flexibility for students who may also need to work during the summer months. Students will be able to choose from four, six and eight-week summer sessions. Four-week sessions run from May 22 to June 16, June 19 to July 14, and July 17 to August 11. The six-week session runs from June 19 to July 28 and the eight-week session runs from June 19 to August 11.

Students most likely to benefit from enrolling at UW-Green Bay this summer include:

* Students who graduated from high school in 2006 and are looking to get a head start on their college course work or want to see if college is a good fit for them.
* Students from the Green Bay area who attend college elsewhere but are home for the summer.
* Students who attend UW-Green Bay throughout the year and are seeking additional credits over the summer.

Summer registration started in January. Students needing financial aid should contact the Financial Aid Office at 920-465-2075 or email finaids@uwgb.edu. To be eligible for summer aid the student must enroll in a minimum of 5 credits. The summer schedule can be viewed at www.uwgb.edu/summercourses. For more information about UW-Green Bay summer courses call Academic Advising at 920-465-2362.

The Soon To Be Sophomores Speak

Your students have reached the end of their freshman year. Each and every freshman has their story to tell about their first year in college. We asked some of our freshman about their experiences and thought you might be interested in what they had to say. We first asked about the high points and the low points of the year.

High Points

The best part of my experience at UW-Green Bay has been becoming connected with other students, faculty, and the campus. Participating in activities like Phuture Phoenix and the Red Carpet Tour has given me a chance to become more familiar with the campus by sharing it with visitors!

Since I have been on the UWGB campus I have had many great experiences. One of my favorite experiences was during the first week after I arrived on campus. The chancellor held an ice cream social with all of the new freshmen and some of the ambassadors. At the ice cream social I was able to relax and have fun and made a lot of new friends.

I would have to say that my time here at UW-Green Bay has been an awesome experience. I have made a lot of new friends while living in the residence halls. I have also become involved with many activities available here on campus and I found them all very enjoyable. Currently I am in the Residence Hall and Apartment Association as I am the building representative for Byron Walter Hall. While in RHAA I have met new people and learned many things about UW-Green Bay.

Some high points about my experience at UWGB would have to be meeting new people, the challenging college courses, and becoming involved in some campus organizations such as UWGB Pep Band, PBL (Phi Beta Lamda sorority) and Phoenix Phanatics. I also enjoy the Student Rush tickets at the Weidner Center; I was able to get third row tickets to BLAST for $12!

I have been more involved and more interested in my surroundings than ever since I started here at UW-Green Bay. Although I had a rough start finding my own niche here, currently all of the people I am involved with in school activities have been absolutely wonderful. Sometimes it felt as if I was trying to jog an up-hill battle that I appeared to be losing, but it's all about having your priorities straight. I was finally able to get out of that by just joining clubs and studying. Eventually study sessions turned into Friday night dinner off campus and eventually those dinners turned into great memories!

One of the high points of my experience thus far at UW-Green Bay has been my participation in Student Senate. I feel as a senator, I am directly impacting my school and my fellow students. It is a huge responsibility, but it is very rewarding to be able to have such an impact on school policy.

Leaving home for the first time, living in a dorm, greatly helped with my maturity. I find myself more independent and responsible. I meet many new people, some being great friends. I also encountered many great professors. I never realized you could go get help in college, but it is there. Outside of classes I found many professors to be very helpful and take the time to help. My first semester was also a great high point when it came to an end. School was never easy for me, always having to try, but I did it, and I made semester honors!

Low Points

The hardest thing I've experienced at UW-Green Bay has been time management. I've really learned to appreciate using a planner and organizing my schedule.

My worst experience has been not being able to schedule some of the classes I have wanted (or needed). However, although I didn't get exactly the classes I wanted, I had the opportunity to choose other classes and found several that I really liked, so it wasn't all bad!

Some low points about my experience at UWGB would have to be walking to class in the unpredictable weather, and the transition from knowing everyone at my small high school of 250 students to the UWGB campus where I wasn't able to recognize a face in the hall at the beginning of my first semester.

One (low point) would have to be living with a random roommate and having to share practically everything.

A low point would be making the adjustment from high school to college and having to do a lot more homework.

I would have to say one low point is leaving my family and friends behind, but making new ones has helped!

I have come to realize one low point of my first year experience. I thought it was difficult to get involved. I was nervous about getting involved my first year because I didn't know what college was like or how much time I would need for my studies.

Our second question was what advice this year's freshman would give to next year's new freshman. The good advice they gave is just as relevant for you're soon to be sophomore.

The best advice I can give to freshman, or to any student on campus, is to GET INVOLVED. The best part of getting involved on campus is that you will likely meet great friends who you might not have met otherwise!

While attending UW-Green Bay I have learned the importance of becoming involved in university functions. I can only stress enough how important it is for freshman to join organizations and participate in the activities available.

Based on what I have experienced and learned from my first year at UW-Green Bay, I would advise future freshmen to stay focused on their academics. The main reason to go to college is to expand your education and that should be your top priority. It's pretty easy to become side tracked by all of the distractions surrounding you on campus or in your dorm, but you must remember to keep up with the assignments and do all of the assigned readings. You must keep yourself motivated and focused because at college you are in charge of you and don't have your parents or teachers reminding you to do your homework!

The advice I would give is to try your hardest. There is an adjustment factor of college and the classes are not the same (some easier, but most are harder) depending on your work and effort. You may not always be satisfied with an exam or paper grade but knowing you tried your best is a great feeling. Do what you can do.

Get involved and attend on campus events because you meet lots of new people and some of the programs are lots of fun! Also that you need to attend class and study hard, but also make time for friends and fun.

It's important to be very open to everybody and realize not everybody will be like you, but the more open you are the more you will hear the words "hey how are you!" on this campus and the better your college experience will be. Keep your mind open but don't just do something because somebody says it's okay. Always use your best judgment but give something new a chance in college. And most importantly when your professors say study, they are usually not kidding!

'Growth Agenda' expands opportunities for Northeastern Wisconsin

On April 6 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard unveiled "Northeastern Wisconsin's Growth Agenda," a plan that would enable UW-Green Bay to meet the demands and needs of a rapidly growing and changing region.

The proposal, announced at a meeting of the UW System Board of Regents' Business, Finance and Audit Committee, would increase UW-Green Bay's state-supported enrollment by 50 percent.

"This is not an agenda for UW-Green Bay," Shepard said. "It is UW-Green Bay's best effort to strategically support the region's agenda."

The plan, which is consistent with UW System President Kevin Reilly's vision for growth throughout the UW System, would:

* increase UW-Green Bay's enrollment to about 7,500 students from the current 5,400
* increase state funding for UW-Green Bay by $8.2 million over the next three two-year budget periods
* require one additional classroom/office building on the UW-Green Bay campus

Shepard said three factors - diversity, the economic transition taking place in Northeastern Wisconsin, and strong demand for a UW-Green Bay education - are driving the Growth Agenda.

The plan was developed in response to regional needs expressed by people throughout the region, he said.

"We were propelled by a sense of urgency as we listened to those who best understand what is happening in our region," he said.

"I have been telling every legislator, regent, UW System officer, statewide officeholder and community leader I speak with that we are creating a train wreck some years out," he said. "This campus that closes admissions early and is among the smallest in the state is building a large pipeline to our metropolitan area's multi-colored future."

Shepard noted that growing demand for a UW-Green Bay education - applications per opening have increased 50 percent in recent years - has forced the University to close applications earlier than ever before.

He attributed the strong demand in large part to UW-Green Bay's academic program which emphasizes connecting learning to life through hands-on, practical problem-solving.

"We firmly believe that, as we prepare students for careers not yet known and societal problems we are as yet unaware of, it is precisely the UW-Green Bay approach that works best," he said.