UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY l SPRING/SUMMER 2018 GAME ON! Research helps students compete (and win!) in the marketplace. Partnership 2.0: Ready for Download Friends of UW-Green Bay, It is a fascinating time for higher education. In states like partners and innovators Dick Resch and the Wisconsin Wisconsin and areas like Brown County that are projected Public Service (WPS) Foundation. These donors, along with to grow over the next decade, the stakes have never been many others and Brown County government, demonstrate higher. To play a role in bringing university and community what community-university partnerships can accomplish. together in ways not seen before is truly the opportunity of a lifetime, and UW-Green Bay leadership, faculty and staff are We are also reimagining higher education with the rising to the occasion. restructuring effort that is taking place across the state of Wisconsin. The state’s public two-year colleges—an As higher education continues to be redefined, so does the important gateway to the future for 13,552 students each meaning of partnership—the idea that when community and year, will be joined with four-year campuses in July of 2018, university work together in concert to take action, amazing pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission. things happen. We see the coming together of UW-Marinette, UW-Green Bay, UW-Manitowoc and UW-Sheboygan as a tremendous UW-Green Bay is energized to play a role in reawaken- opportunity to build the higher education infrastructure in key ing this concept. In the last six months alone, we’ve seen communities on the east coast of our great state. some of the most powerful examples in decades of how this revolution is capturing imaginations. Together, we are My optimism is extremely high. Business, government, discovering ways to transform both the higher education nonprofit and academic partnerships across the region landscape and the infrastructure needed to succeed in an will propel our shared success. We are rising up to meet evolving global economy. once-in-a-generation opportunities and are energized to be a part of the reinvention. The spirit of the Phoenix is with us. The need to bring an in-region resource for engineering Northeast Wisconsin, it’s time to rise! talent was finally accomplished in February when the UW System Board of Regents approved a mechanical engineer- Go Phoenix! ing program and the Richard J. Resch School of Engineer- ing at UW-Green Bay. The school will offer three in-demand engineering technology degrees and the region’s first Gary L. Miller mechanical engineering program. An effort 30 years in the Chancellor making is closer to reality through lead gifts from community INNOVATION TRANSFORMATION PLACE Spring/Summer 2018 Volume 44 • Number 2 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY ON THE COVER UW-Green Bay Psychology students Amber Collegnon and Samantha Alger research the growing field of brain games. Research is now crossing all major areas of study and is an integral part of the UW-Green Bay experience. See more on page 2. EDITORS Sue Bodilly ’87, ’04 FEATURES Janet Bonkowski 02 NOT A RESEARCH INSTITUION? WE BEG TO DIFFER Editorial assistance Surprise! All researchers aren’t curing disease and creating the next anti-gravity suit. Research Cindy Olson crosses boundaries and barriers, while students take advantage of a University well known for its Amanda Rice ’18 problem-solving capabilities. Jena Richter Landers ’13 Kari Moody ’00 04 COLLEGE OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE CONTRIBUTING It’s an education partnership unlike any in the state. UW-Green Bay and the Plymouth School WRITERS District are celebrating a 10-year collaborative partnership that has improved teaching, learning Sue Bodilly ’87, ’04 and culture. Janet Bonkowski Laura Jarosz 22 FOUR CAMPUSES, ONE UNIVERSITY Freelance Writers: Kristin Bouchard ‘93 25 2017 UW-GREEN BAY FOUNDATION IMPACT REPORT Jim Streed ‘05 Liz Carey 34 COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Prof. Lora Warner’s Government and Non-Profit students take their training to the streets, helping PHOTOGRAPHY local non-profits measure and communicate their outcomes. Dan Moore ‘00 Amanda Jo Danihel ‘18 38 COFRIN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Holly Botsford, MCW What’s the legacy of the Small Business Development Center’s counselor Chuck Brys? 1,600 CONTRIBUTING businesses touched, 11,000 hours in service, 117 businesses launched, 463 jobs created, and more. PHOTOGRAPHERS Kimberly Vlies 42 ALUMNI NEWS AND NOTES Amanda Jo Danihel ’18 BC BACK COVER DESIGNER Jon Henjum Karen Weidner ’74, daughter of Founding Chancellor Edward Weidner, donated the nostalgic button collection to the University. Inside UW-Green Bay is published by the Office of Marketing and University Communication. We welcome your comments. Email them to [email protected]; or address them to: Inside UW-Green Bay Editor, Cofrin Library Suite 820, at the street address below. For change of address, mail notification to: Inside, Cofrin Library Suite 805, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, visit Inside on the web at Green Bay, WI 54311-7001. blog.uwgb.edu/inside GAME ON! IT’S HIGH STAKES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROBLEM-SOLVERS. UW-GREEN BAY STUDENT RESEARCHERS ARE ‘ALL IN’ Hollywood has a way of framing how we helping to identify problems and invest in the partnered with UW-Green Bay Psychology should view the world. University scholarship research. Prof. Regan Gurung over the last year to and research are not immune, with most research the growing field of brain games From psychology to biology to business people seeing research as something done in and their effect on memory or cognitive administration to social sciences, research is a lab, under a microscope, by a mad scientist- performance. Their research question: Does everywhere on campuses of every size. While looking-guy resembling Doc Emmett Brown in playing games have an effect on the cognitive R1 research institutions command much of the the movie “Back to the Future.” performance of students? attention when research is discussed, mid-size Yet, spend any amount of time with today’s comprehensive universities like UW-Green Their hypothesis: Students may study endlessly academic leaders and students and you will Bay are also all in. for an exam, but what if the actions they take quickly discover that today’s research is an in the ten minutes immediately before an exam “Research conducted at institutions like entirely different game altogether, a creation can affect their exam performance? Could UW-Green Bay surprises many in that it is taking of knowledge that is vital to both the student playing games improve learning? Previous place, is high quality and it applies faculty and experience and business and community research has shown that many classrooms student expertise to address problems and transformation. are starting to incorporate game playing into questions. Both basic and applied research is their lessons to facilitate learning. But could “Research isn’t just for faculty and graduate conducted on our campus, and both are equally playing non-educational games, such as Candy students anymore,” says UW-Green Bay valuable,” Dornbush notes. Crush, affect learning? The two hypothesized Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Historically research was small-group based that students who play their own games would Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies, and done outside of curriculum. Now it’s being subsequently perform better on a quiz. Mathew Dornbush. “Research and related pulled into the curriculum and the student creative activities are now central to the “We predicted that people who played games experience. Faculty are continually asking way we educate all of our students, and it’s would be cognitively ‘warmed up’ and that’s themselves “how do I restructure classes to everywhere across the University. Students why they would perform better but that is not include the research component?” don’t come into college thinking of these what we found,” says Collegnon. “Instead, we experiences as an add-on. They expect Dornbush, himself a researcher, says found that those who scrolled through social to engage in research and to have it fully the process can be contagious. “It’s not media performed the best. Even though we integrated into their college experience.” uncommon for the passion of our faculty may not completely understand why that is to inspire our students. When it comes to true, the data still shows that playing on your For the most part, all universities operate research, faculty are more like independent phone was significant over playing games on under a similar and fairly straightforward business people. They are hustling to fund impacting performance. We believe this may definition of research: “the process of taking their passions by applying for grants that allow just be what students are used to doing before faculty, staff and student expertise and them to study and explore really interesting a test and so they were the most comfortable applying it to a problem.” and important questions. This in turn creates and therefore performed at their best.” The complexity and fast pace of today’s world opportunities for our students and benefits Not only is research like Collegnon and means there’s no shortage of problems to external partners. It’s a fascinating process.” Alger-Feser’s important for parents and go around, providing plenty of opportunities May 2018 graduate Amber Collegnon and educators who are looking to balance the use for discovery for faculty and students at UW-Green Bay senior Samantha Alger-Feser of technology at home and in the classroom, universities of all sizes. Community and agree. The two (featured on the cover) industry connections are critical, both in 2 l INSIDE UWGB Spring/Summer 2018 it’s also beneficial for student researchers and their future employers.