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March 5, 2024
HOWARD-SUAMICO — Thanks to a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) and the Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD), it’s possible the 470 seniors of Bay Port High School’s Class of 2024 could reconvene this fall at UWGB as freshmen.
Under the guaranteed admission program, all Bay Port High School graduates are assured a spot at the university — everyone.
“UWGB is willing to enroll/admit all graduates from Bay Port High School as early as this next year,” Mark Smith, deputy superintendent and incoming superintendent at HSSD, said.
Of course, Smith said not all will take advantage of the opportunity — as some students may already have been accepted to other colleges; others may go on to technical college or two-year community college programs; some may enter the military; and some may begin working right away.
The program, however, UWGB Chancellor Michael Alexander said, is designed for students:
Who want or need to stay close to homeWho can’t afford to or don’t wish to live in a dormWho want to work while they go to schoolWho want to continue learning after high school
“At UWGB, we have a strong open access mission where our goal is to educate anyone who wants to learn, regardless of what your experience was in high school or any challenges you’ve had along the way,” Rachele Bakic, executive director of admissions at UWGB, said.
Bakic said UWGB is committed to helping students attend higher education if they choose to.
“We desire to be that community resource for people who want to take the next step in higher education, guided by the love of learning and committed to expanding their education,” she said.
Take two
Last year, UWGB entered a similar direct-admit agreement with the Green Bay Area Public School District (GBAPS).
Bakic said the programs are slightly different, but the idea is the same: 100% of students are promised a spot at the university.
The GBAPS partnership, she said, extends to students from East, West, Preble and Southwest high schools, John Dewey Academy of Learning, Minoka-Hill and the Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation.
“When we rolled out the direct admissions initiative with Green Bay Area Public Schools, Howard-Suamico raised their hand and said ‘we’re interested, and we want to support our students this way — how can we work together?'” Bakic said. “So, it’s been in the works now for a while, but it is new in terms of rolling out the actual program and supporting the students at Bay Port.”
Rachele Bakic
Smith said Bay Port has always had a good relationship with the university, so it was only natural this partnership came about — developing from the ongoing collaboration the school district has had with UWGB, as well as with the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC).
“We partner with them in many facets of programming for students, whether it’s dual enrollment credit or opportunities for students to experience what college might be like on campus,” he said. “I think it is really an authentic discussion that evolved from both entities discussing how we can serve our students and ultimately give students opportunities that may benefit them.”
Smith said HSSD’s job as educators is to prepare students to be reflective about their future.
“Ultimately, our goal is to keep every door open for them,” he said. “If university or college is one of them, that’s great. If it’s a technical college, that’s great. If it’s a career, that’s great. If it’s military, that’s great.”
A more streamlined process
Many students, Smith said, find that the process of applying for college can be complicated and overwhelming.
“There are several steps, there are a lot of deadlines, there are a lot of details,” he said. “For families or students who haven’t experienced that in the past, it may discourage them from applying. So, that is one of the areas that we feel like is eliminated (by the guaranteed admission program).”
A simplified process, Bakic said students do have to fill out an application, but they can skip the essay portion.
UWGB, she said, will communicate with the school to obtain information about the student’s record, plus it has an admissions counselor embedded with the HSSD ready to lend a hand.
“I think a lot of students get nervous about the application itself and whether or not they will be admitted — (they think), ‘maybe I didn’t have good grades in high school or maybe I wasn’t part of enough extracurricular activities,’ and so there is the concern of will they even get in,” she said. “We want to take that barrier away and let all of those students know that we have a place for you regardless of your path to get here.”
Being an open-access institution, Bakic said UWGB wants to provide the support for students to take that next step.
“We know that higher education can be challenging, and we want to provide resources for the students in our community to take the next leap,” she said.
Smith said UWGB’s team at Bay Port will work with each student and their family who are interested in the direct-admit program.
“They would really come alongside a student or family in assessing and assisting with things like financial aid or any special circumstances, and really trying to onboard students for a successful experience,” he said.
To each their own
Smith said the partnership isn’t meantto push or pressure Bay Port students into UWGB — or any college, for that matter.
“We don’t want to have students going to college or university if it’s not aligned to their future goals,” he said.
Smith said he acknowledges that college isn’t for everybody.
Mark Smith
“We have a high percentage of students that go to technical college,” he said. “We have a high percentage of students that go right into a career (or into) the military. This is just one of many options that we believe is important for our students to have. We really believe that if we can eliminate barriers for our students who might have college on their mind, it is a win-win for our students.”
During the 2022-23 school year, the school surveyed members of the graduating Class of 2023 about their plans after graduation.
Smith said the answers varied, with many noting college as their next step:
Four-year college or university — 66%Two-year college or university — 14%Technical college — 8%Work — 7%Military service — 1%Undecided — 4%
Bakic said it’s important to provide the support that all students need.
“We know not every student is going to be at the top of their class or maybe has not had a successful four years,” she said. “Maybe they started off doing well, and something happened; we saw it with COVID-19, right? Students were doing well, and then (the pandemic) happened and then grades suffered.”
Bakic said UWGB’s Gateway to Phoenix Success (GPS) can be one resource available to first-year students.
It provides enrolled students with support and information on practical matters, such as study habits, classroom experience, time management, building relationships, campus orientation and exploring interests.
Through GPS, Bakic said, students work with a peer mentor who helps them stay on track and find tools for coping when they fall off the track.
Strong enrollment
But will there be room for everybody?
This past fall, Bakic said enrollments at UWGB surpassed 10,000 — the tally is now 10,338 students enrolled in the school’s 16-county region.
“We have had really great growth over the last several years,” she said. “We are one university with multiple locations.”
Bakic said the university offers an array of options for learning, including face to face, online or a combination of the two, and has campuses in Manitowoc and Sheboygan in addition to the Green Bay location.
She said there’s plenty of space for more students.
UWGB, Bakic said, doesn’t require students to live on campus, so students can commute and take care of other responsibilities if needed.
“We know that not every student is a traditional student anymoreÖ some of them have family obligations,” she said. “So, we are pretty fortunate that we don’t have that requirement for students to live on campus, so they can save some money there if they choose to do so.”
Universities’ direct admission pilot
Bakic said UWGB was the first college in the state to offer a guaranteed admission program — with GBAPS being the first school district to participate, and HSSD following this year.
The Universities of Wisconsin also unveiled their direct admissions program in October wherein, starting with the Class of 2025, students who opt-in are automatically applied to 10 of the state’s 13 universities.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, -Eau Claire and -La Crosse are not participating in this program.
Around 350 public high schools and 12 private schools in the state have entered into the pilot program.
Going even further, Gov. Tony Evers signed into law 2023 Wisconsin Act 95, which “establishes a guaranteed admission program to institutions in the (Universities of Wisconsin) for pupils who rank within the top 5-10% of their high school class, depending on the (Universities of Wisconsin) institution,” according to the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Michael Alexander
The law applies to high school seniors living in Wisconsin and enrolled in public, private or tribal high schools, home-based private educational programs or virtual private schools.
Those in the top 5% are guaranteed spots at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
According to Inside Higher Ed, guaranteed and direct admission programs are becoming popular because:
They simplify application processes and reduce administrative tasks associated with itIncrease enrollmentEncourage students who might not otherwise think of themselves as college materialEnhance the workforceOrganically increase diversity
Each program has its variations.
In regard to the UWGB/HSSD’s direct-admit program, additional information can be found at uwgb.edu/admissions.
