“These are major changes we’re making,” said Debbie Gray-Patton, assistant director of the First-Year Experience (FYE). “There are so many people who this is really impacting.”

Incoming students now experience smaller class sizes, themed classes and the exploration of “signature questions” that get them thinking about the world around them and how it connects with their studies.

“The hallmark of the program is our focus on first-year students and increasing student retention,” assistant political science professor Tracy Slagter said.

First-year students often arrive on campus with butterflies, worries and questions, wondering if they’ll fit in, if they’ll succeed and if they will be able to form relationships. The USP directly addresses these concerns and takes into consideration the modern college student.

During their first semester, students will be enrolled in their first Quest class, capped at 25 freshmen students. The small class replaces the freshmen pit classes, which often are intimidating and don’t allow first-year students to develop initial connections with their professors and other students.

With a variety of Quest I classes available, students can pick topics that vary from the geography of coffee to the origin of pirates. These are subjects that UWO senior and peer mentor Joe Infusino-Braun, of De Forest, believes are sure to lure students in.

“This is how they’re redefining general education… These are the topics that are going to interest people, they’re going to have this initial hook,” Braun said.

During this first set of classes, students also will have the benefit of learning from others who have “been there, done that” through the guidance of a trained peer mentor. Gray-Patton has played a major role in integrating the USP into the University and hiring dedicated students to help make incoming first-year students’ transition easier.

The team of students is made up of 15 ambassadors and 72 peer mentors. The ambassadors’ original role was to educate themselves about the USP in order to spread the word to faculty members and students about the program. These ambassadors also were hired to help hire and train a group of peer mentors and, now that the program has begun, also act as peer mentors themselves.

The peer mentors sit in on the students’ Quest I classes once a week in order to make themselves readily available to students and to make better connections.

Senior Austin Pippin, of Racine, believes that his role as a peer mentor is integral for first-year students who are often hesitant about approaching a professor with questions they may have.

“I can be a medium from the students to the professor or give students the resources they need,” he said.

Pippin was able to see the positive results of the USP within the first week of classes, when he was approached by a first-year student and asked for advice about scheduling classes, joining clubs and becoming more involved.

Junior and lead student ambassador Molly Merrill, of Oshkosh, said that peer mentors can help the first-year students adapt to a new lifestyle.

“The peer mentors are there to help students get acclimated with the University, to understand what the Math Lab is, or what the Center for Academic Resources does for you,” Merrill said. “We tell them to go to Titan Nights, because as a freshman you may be a little scared, you’re out of your element, you’re not really sure what everything is all about.”

These resources were developed to help freshmen students succeed in their first year and throughout their college careers.

“I think they should understand campus resources and know that it’s not a bad student who goes to seek out campus resources, but that the best students are going to go,” Slagter said.

Gaining knowledge about campus resources in addition to developing a connection with the campus itself are both important aspects of a first-year student’s success at UWO, and the USP addresses both of these through the help of the peer mentors. Peer mentors are vital to the development of first-year students and provide them with the personal connection of someone who has already experienced what UWO has to offer.

The peer mentors help guide first-year students through USP with the intention of providing students with the resources they need to be successful and the skills they will need throughout life as they pursue their dream careers.

“Undoubtedly, these connections will enhance their time here at UW Oshkosh and perhaps carry into their futures,” said peer mentor and UWO senior Sarah Kofler, of Prentice. “Students are responding to the program with excitement– they understand how these connections will provide them with the best education possible.”

As UWO begins the journey of “out with the old and in with the new,” first-year students are already reaping the benefits of the USP.

“They’re engaged and they’re talking to each other and they’re making friends,” Merrill said. “They know each other and they’re getting involved.”

The most rewarding part for Kofler has been watching the students enter their class for the first time. “They are eager to find out more about the USP, are eager to get to know each other and eager to embark on this educational experience,” she said.

Waving the USP off on its maiden voyage, Gray-Patton, Slagter and the ambassadors and peer mentors are looking forward to seeing the positive effects it has on UWO students and their future success.

“To quote my old supervisor, former Dean of Students Jim Chitwood, ‘We want to make sure first-year students are becoming second-year students.’ Really, that’s the bottom line; getting them what they need to be successful and stick around and feel like this is where they belong,” Gray-Patton said.

What is your greatest success?

“While I feel I have been very fortunate to have success in many areas of my life, I have to play the “Mom Card” and narrow down my greatest success to be my two little girls. I’ve never met two individuals with such warm hearts yet so spunky and strong. “ — Jamie Ceman ’00, Engage Managing Editor

“I have no degree – no academy award – no important title….but what I do have and what I think my greatest success is, is simply having a quiet reputation for honesty, servanthood, hard work and an anchor for my soul!” — Linda Cotton, Engage Contributor

“One memory I have of a grand success from elementary school sticks with me to this day. I was beyond thrilled to play the lead role in Charlotte’s Web. I adored scampering about the stage as that beautiful and wise spider: “The autumn days grow short and cold; / It’s Christmas time again. / Then snows of winter slowly melt. / The day grows short, / And then… / He turns the seasons around, / And so she changes… her gown: / Mother Earth… and Father Time. How very special are we… / For just a moment… to be… / Part of life’s… eternal… rhyme.” — Natalie Johnson, Engage Editor

“Raising five children.” — Shawn Hansen, Engage Web Developer

“Graduating with no student debt.” — Tim Holdsworth, Engage contribuitor

“I would have to say my greatest success would be maintaining decent grades in school while working two part-time jobs to help pay for school.” — Jacob Browning, UW Oshkosh student photographer, Engage Contributor

“At this stage of my life, my greatest success comes in the form of serving my community. I wasn’t born in Oshkosh, I wasn’t raised or schooled here. Yet, this community has given me so much—jobs, opportunities, my husband, some of the world’s greatest friends—and I can’t help but feel success in giving back to it. Giving of my time and talents by serving on a slew of committees and boards—the ones most near and dear to my heart include my roles with the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Oshkosh United Way, Growing Oshkosh and the UW Oshkosh Women’s Center—is important to me. Community service—service you give without expectation—makes me feel successful. “ — Mandy Potts, Engage Content Editor

Check out photos from the program’s historic first week.

Check out a photo gallery that tracks progress on construction of the Welcome Center. And watch a live webcam of the project.

Learn more about project.

In June, the Association of American Colleges and Universities touted UWO’s innovative program as the lead case study in its new publication “Ensuring Quality and Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale.”

UWO is highlighted in the publication as one of five campuses across the nation that is “providing high-impact practices more pervasively and systematically.”

The publication features the relationship between high-impact practices and first- and second-year retention rates as well as graduation rates. It also offers advice about how to ensure that all students experience multiple high-impact practices.

These practices, such as study abroad, undergraduate research, cornerstone projects, community service and learning communities, are not new to the student experience at UWO. They had been incorporated into courses on a small-scale for decades.

“There were lots of pockets of excellence, but no collaboration around best-practice teaching,” USP Director Lori Carrell said.

What’s different with USP is that UW Oshkosh’s curriculum for first- and second-year students will be “rich in high-impact practices for all students,” she explained.

The USP is a one-of-a-kind general education program that ignites intellectual curiosity, introduces students to the opportunities of university life and is the gateway to a 21st century college education.

The Prudent Question is One Half of Wisdom

–Sir Francis Bacon

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh philosophy professor Laurence Carlin, who specializes in the history of modern philosophy and science, shares his thoughts about human nature and the quest for knowledge throughout history.

Have we always been a “questioning” people? How far back does this trait originate?
It is difficult to say precisely when this trait started to manifest itself, but as far as we can tell, humans have always been curious questioners. This is clear, for example, when we consider the ancient Greeks. But this human tendency to question surely predates even the ancient Greeks. I think it is fair to say that our tendency to question things and pursue knowledge is one of the qualities that makes us human. The ability to question leads us to create things, to engage one another’s perspective and to do many other things that we typically understand as human endeavors.

Who have been some of the great thinkers in terms of “questioning” how the world works?
There have been many great thinkers in the past who knew what kinds of questions to ask. Isaac Newton, for example, was a great thinker who asked (and answered) a number of questions about the behavior of objects in our universe. Immanuel Kant was a great thinker who asked important questions about how human beings should treat each other, questions about what underlies our judgments about moral and immoral actions. The questions these thinkers asked have furthered our understanding of the world in dramatic ways.

But if there is one question that has stood the test of time, it is perhaps the most fundamental theological question: Is there a god? Almost all of the best thinkers from the past have wrestled with this question, and of course, many engage it today. This is perhaps not surprising since the answer has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of ourselves, our origin and our place in the world.

What is the value in questioning? Do you have to find an answer for it to be valuable?
I believe there is tremendous value in the questioning itself. It forces one to embrace multiple perspectives, to evaluate one’s own beliefs in light of the evidence and to appreciate the complexity of the world and the complexity of the issues we face.

 I reject completely the idea that we need to find firm answers in order for these big questions to be valuable. Regardless of whether we arrive at firm answers, the process of questioning makes us better critical thinkers and more sympathetic to viewpoints that differ from our own. It also provides a deeper understanding of the world by an examination of the potential answers. In doing this, we are often forced to reevaluate our own beliefs and desires–the very things that we use to confront our experiences and the very things that make us the persons we are. It is the process of questioning, I think, that is valuable, since it promotes a deeper understanding of ourselves, the world and our place in the world.

If you could develop an undergraduate class, what topic would you focus on?

“Relevant Web development skills.” – Shawn Hansen, Senior Web Programmer

“I’d design a class called “The Pitch.” It’s a communications/entrepreneurial-emphasis course that challenges teams of students to work collaboratively using convention and multimedia tools to sell a product, service or concept. A panel of faculty members not connected to the teaching of the course would be the end-of-the-semester raters of the final presentations. The goal: Hone students’ writing, speaking, storytelling and team-building talents. These are the kinds of fundamental skills everybody has to use to thrive these days, no matter what their discipline or industry.” – Alex Hummel, Director of News Services and Public Relations

“I never thought I was remotely interested in history until I took my first history of science course at UW-Madison. Suddenly, when combined with one of my favorite topics, history was relevant and, to my surprise, fascinating. I loved learning about how people throughout the ages explained the physical world as well as medical phenomenon. I would suggest developing history classes that allow students to view history through whatever lens most captures their attention … journalism, sports, cooking, etc.” – Natalie Johnson, Alumni Communications Manager

“I would develop a class on information literacy. The ability to find, evaluate and synthesize information to solve a problem is crucial, not only for academics and the workplace, but really for modern life.  Now, this class actually meets every day in Polk Library, at any number of our service desks and instruction sessions, but I would like it to be structured, comprehensive…and required.”  –Joshua Ranger, University Archivist and Communications Librarian

“If I developed an undergraduate class, the class would be about designing for clients and practical design knowledge. It would focus on real-world experience and pair students up as designers and clients. The class would teach students about practical design knowledge–working as part of a project team, practical program knowledge, sending files to a printer, handling tough feedback and designing for someone other than yourself. It would help get students ready for an internship and first job.” – Donna Mleziva, Graphic Designer

“I would develop a math-type class for journalists who intend to be reporters. City and school district budgets, committee spreadsheets and nonprofit funding structures  as they relate to fundraising and allocations are not easy to navigate your way through as a trained writer and creative-type.  Relevant math classes (not just regular math classes) would have been very beneficial to me.” –Mandy Potts, Engage Content Editor

“Integrating rich media and 3D modeling in explanatory journalism with a practical and cognitive approach.” – Doug Sundin, Photographer/videographer

Access–to food and opportunities–is something very important to Kat McCard.

With that, McCard doesn’t sit around and wait for opportunities–to do, change, create and grow things–to come to her. Instead, she puts herself out there and makes it happen, which is exactly how she got an internship for the spring semester.

McCard is a nontraditional student at UW Oshkosh; she’s a 27-year-old mother of two who let her passion drive an internship with Growing Oshkosh, a startup, nonprofit urban farm located in downtown Oshkosh.

“Access to quality food is a real problem for low-income families,” McCard said. “So, I got involved with Growing Oshkosh.”

Plus, McCard  said, it means a lot to her to be involved with an organization founded by a group of women. Growing Oshkosh was started by UW Oshkosh alumna Dani Stolley ’97 with strong support from three other founding females, who also are board members.

Through her internship, McCard works on many aspects of Growing Oshkosh. She’s at the forefront of organizing volunteers, website content development, social networking initiatives, traditional outreach and more.

“Kat has had an immediate impact on our growing organization. Before the semester even started, she began making connections to the Women’s Studies program, as well as with the Veterans Resource Center on campus. She’s an amazing asset to Growing Oshkosh, and her connection to campus programs and resources is invaluable.” Stolley said.

McCard, a veteran herself, also is deeply involved with the Veterans Resource Center at UW Oshkosh; she’s also the secretary of the Student Veterans Association on campus. Still, she finds time to put in about 15 hours per week with Growing Oshkosh.

“I want to be able to show other women, other moms, that healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive or out of reach,” McCard said. “Low cost and local food exists, you just have to know where to find it.”

Growing Oshkosh, still in the beginning phases of sowing and food production, currently offers a limited selection of vegetables and herbs. This summer, a booth at the Oshkosh Farmers Market will offer a larger selection to the community at reasonable prices.

Read more alumni and student profiles.

One program in particular helps UWO alumni achieve professional success—the Master in Public Administration (MPA) program.

“The MPA program’s goal is to create exceptional leaders in public service organizations and communities by helping students gain advanced knowledge and top-notch training—a goal that is more than often achieved, said Karen King, public administration department chair

The careers of MPA grads Joe Krebsbach of Sturgeon Bay, ’11, and David Sakrison of Ripon, ’88, have gotten a boost from the program.

“In 1990, I was hired as the editor of two failing aircraft magazines,” Sakrison said. “The managerial and promotional skills I learned in the MPA program helped me to double the paid circulation, triple renewal rates and put the magazines on very profitable footing in less than four years.”

Sakrison said for the next 18 years, he built a successful career working for businesses, non-profit organizations and healthcare companies, to list a few.

“It was an excellent program,” Sakrison said. “Along with the knowledge and skills I acquired, Stephen Hintz and the MPA program gave me a much greater sense of confidence in my own abilities and potential.”

Kresbach found similar success in his career after earning his MPA degree. He recently was appointed the director of Door County’s Department of Human Services.

“I feel much more prepared for the work I am doing,” Kresbach said. “I also feel confident that the MPA (program) has expanded my options significantly. I continue to use the things that I learned in the program on a daily basis.”

The program has received similar accolades from other graduates, such as Corinne Mc Farlane ‘11, of Green Bay, area administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

“My experience with UW Oshkosh’s MPA program has been incredible,” she said. “I’ve been working in the field of public administration for 17 years, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job. Participating in the MPA program, however, has been eye-opening. It has dramatically broadened by perspective and challenged me to rethink my approach to leadership.”

According to King, roughly 65 to 75 graduate students enroll in the program each year.

“Students from other programs, such as nursing, social work and business administration, also attend our classes,” she said.

King said students often are taught through small, interactive weekend classes, in which they gain the ability to direct their own learning and strengthen their skills. The program also synthesizes coursework with employment experience and is committed to providing professional education to qualified students.

“An MPA degree provides graduates with the opportunity to move into more advanced managerial roles in their public serving organizations,” King said. “Program graduates go on to be successful leaders and lifelong learners.”

The proof lies in the success of UWO alumni who’ve expressed their gratitude toward what they’ve gained from the MPA program.

“The knowledge and skills that I learned in the MPA program gave me a solid foundation and opened countless doors and opportunities to me,” Sakrison said. “I owe much to the MPA program and its instructors.”

Learn more about UW Oshkosh’s MPA program.