Dear UW-Green Bay Students,
Our society is in need of healing. People ask me all the time why they should attend a university beyond improving their prospects for employment. To me, a big part of the answer is to learn how to have difficult discussions, how to respect opinions different from your own, how to expand your view of the world, and how to affect change in your communities. I want you to lead that change. As the next generation to come of age, you uniquely have the ability to help heal us.
I am personally distraught by the shooting of Jacob Blake. We must fix the underlying problem of inequity to stop the violence we are seeing throughout our society. Without that, we will continue to see tragedies occur, we will continue to grow apart, and our communities will fracture. As we resume classes this fall, I urge you to actively listen to each other, speak your mind, make a positive difference, and rely on us as a university for support. My hope for the future is in your ability as students to use your education to help us solve the problems that plague us.
As your university, we are here for you and we want all of your voices to be heard. My thoughts are with Jacob Blake, his family, and the community of Kenosha.
Best,
Michael Alexander
Chancellor