Nicolet College and UW-Green Bay made it official this week: the two colleges now provide Nicolet College students with a pathway to complete a four-year degree from UW-Green Bay without having to leave Nicolet College. The baccalaureate program is available to students in any of Nicolet's associate or an applied degree programs.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday, May 20, by the chancellor of UW-Green Bay, Bruce Shepard. Also attending the ceremony were Jan Thornton, the associate provost of adult access and outreach at UW-Green Bay, and William Ganfield Laatsch, vice-chancellor of UW-Green Bay.
Nicolet College President Adrian Lorbetske said, “Nicolet has been successful with its applied degrees, but this is the next step, offering people a way to the baccalaureate. Not only will this be an opportunity for people who have already earned credits through an associate or applied program, but for those starting their post-high school education.
"There has been a lot of focus on the adult learners," he continued, "but this provides additional opportunities for high school students seeking a path to completing the bachelor’s degree.”
Shepard said, “This program is a way to deliver a baccalaureate program to those who are for whatever reason—job or family—place-bound. It’s a smart use of taxpayer dollars.”
The idea originally came from Julie Holt of Rhinelander, a UW-Green Bay student in the adult degree program. She wrote a letter to Kevin Riley, the president of the University of Wisconsin System, asking if there was some way to help a person like herself get a bachelor’s degree at the state tuition rate and without having to relocate. The letter was forwarded to Shepard and was instrumental in leading to the agreement. “Thank you, Julie, for your accomplishment,” Shepard said to Holt, who was present for the ceremony.
Similarities abound between Nicolet College and UW-Green Bay, Shepard noted. “They are two of the most naturally beautiful campuses in the state system, and both were started about the same time, with the purpose of providing a nontraditional approach to meet the educational needs of their areas.”
Shepard added, “I’m very proud of the fact that 64 percent of our students come from families where neither the mother or father have a college degree.” He noted that 75 percent of the students graduating from UW-Green Bay stay in northern Wisconsin, and 90 percent stay in Wisconsin, “so this of a great return on the taxpayer’s dollar.”
Nicolet College Board Chairman Bob Martini said, “It’s been a goal for a long time for Nicolet College, which serves a six-county area, to provide access to a bachelors degree right here. Many in our area have difficulty getting to other UW-campuses. This is a cheaper, better way to provide the opportunity through education to transform people’s lives.”
Martini said state aid “has dropped dramatically for technical colleges like Nicolet. It used to provide one-third of our budget. As it dropped, the residents have had to pick up the slack. This is a way to offset the sting of higher property taxes. Residents can get a four-year degree right here.”
Thornton projected an initial enrollment of 35 students for the new four-year program. “We’ll take as many students as we can get,” she said. “Census figures show there are 25,000 people in the seven counties area with a prior college credit or an associate degree. We figure we can get 30 to 50 students or more on a regular basis.”
Two degrees will be offered, she said: a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of applied studies. Both will be majors in an interdisciplinary field, with areas of emphasis, such as management, business or communications.
Dianne Lazear, the dean of instruction at Nicolet College, noted that Nicolet has transfer agreements with every school in the state and a variety of applied career associate degree arrangements. “This contract provides a baccalaureate degree for students who want to remain at Nicolet, at the state tuition cost. There are four-year online degrees offered from other schools, but they are more expensive,” she said.
The cost for the four-year degree program through UW-Green Bay, Thornton said, will be $745 per three-credit course on Nicolet College’s campus and $604 per three credits via the Internet.
One on-campus course will be offered this coming fall, Thornton said, in biology. “We’ll be looking to identify Nicolet College teachers who are interested in teaching UW-Green Bay courses. Our first teacher is a UW-Green Bay professor who lives in Minocqua.”
Shepard said, “This is a test program. We dream big. We’re all about access—finding whatever works.”
