The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and
Nicolet College
in Rhinelander have formed a partnership that will make bachelor’s degrees more
accessible to place-bound working adults living in Wisconsin’s northern counties.
The two schools are piloting a new initiative that will offer UW-Green Bay
courses at Nicolet
College starting this
fall. Classes in Rhinelander, combined with online courses and, in some cases,
occasional trips to Green Bay for students, will
enable more Northwoods residents to earn a UW-Green Bay
bachelor’s degree.
“This new and wide-ranging partnership with UW-Green Bay
will give Northwoods residents the chance to earn a four-year degree without
having to move from the Northwoods,” said Nicolet College President Adrian
Lorbetske.
While having earned an associate degree will significantly increase the number
of credits that will transfer to UW-Green
Bay, it is not necessary.
“This program will be especially appropriate for graduates of Nicolet College
who have earned their associate degrees, who have work experience and who want
to turn that associate degree into a bachelor’s degree,” said Eric Craver,
program manager for UW-Green
Bay’s Adult Degree
Program. “The program also is appropriate for adults who have other prior
college credits earned from any college or university, or who are starting
fresh.”
In fall 2008, UW-Green Bay Prof. Tara Reed, a Minocqua resident, will offer a
biology course on Saturdays at Nicolet
College and use the
Internet to keep students connected between class meetings.
Plans for the future are to offer at least one course per semester at Nicolet College but, if there is demand, more than one course per semester may be offered.
“Census figures show that more than 20,000 people in the Northwoods counties
have some previous college experience, so we think there will be healthy demand
for this initiative,” Craver said.
Students with an applied or occupational associate degree can use their course
credits toward a UW-Green Bay Bachelor of Applied Studies degree. Those who
have earned associate of arts or associate of science college transfer degrees
can enroll for a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Both UW-Green Bay degrees offer an Interdisciplinary
Studies major, which allows students to choose an area of emphasis in Emergency
Management, Organizational Communication, or to create a self-directed emphasis.
Having an associate degree from Nicolet College allows participants to enter UW-Green Bay as a junior.
All courses offered through UW-Green
Bay’s Adult Degree
Program are scheduled on Saturdays or online. Many courses only meet three or
four times during a semester with students staying connected through Web-based
distance learning between class meetings.
Northeastern Wisconsin has a marked need for more bachelor’s degree holders. It has one of the lowest percentages of university graduates, per capita, in the country, Craver said.
Fewer than 25 percent of Wisconsin residents,
per capita, have a bachelor’s degree. In Oneida
County, it’s 20 percent; Vilas County
is at 17.6 percent; Lincoln 13.6 percent; and Forest County
is at 10 percent, according to census data.
“This is an effort to take a UW-Green Bay bachelor’s degree program into an
area that otherwise does not have ready access to a UW System degree,” Craver
said. “It will maximize the transferability of credits earned at a technical
college campus so students don’t have to feel like they’re starting over just
because they transfer to UW-Green
Bay.”
“With new opportunities like this partnership between Nicolet and UW-Green Bay, more Northwoods residents will have
the chance to earn bachelor’s degrees, which leads to higher personal income,
greater personal satisfaction and improved economic development for the
region,” Lorbetske said.
More information available
A free information session is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 20, in Room 202 of the University Transfer Center on the Nicolet College campus, 5364 College Drive, Rhinelander, for anyone interested in this new degree option.
For more information, or to register for the information session, call (800) 621-2313 or send an e-mail to adultdegrees@uwgb.edu. To learn more about this program visit www.uwgb.edu/adultdegrees/northwoods.