{"id":13592,"date":"2026-05-27T10:08:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13592"},"modified":"2026-05-27T10:08:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:08:23","slug":"building-civic-leaders-how-uw-green-bay-students-are-driving-real-change-across-northeast-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/building-civic-leaders-how-uw-green-bay-students-are-driving-real-change-across-northeast-wisconsin\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Civic Leaders: How UW-Green Bay students are driving real change across Northeast Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At UW-Green Bay, civic leadership\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0talked\u00a0about,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0practiced. This spring, that practice reached new momentum with a $75,000, two-year grant from\u202fHerb Kohl Philanthropies,\u00a0strengthening the university\u2019s\u202fCivic Scholars Leadership Program<\/a>\u202fand expanding opportunities for students to lead meaningful change across Northeast Wisconsin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investment signals confidence in what UW-Green Bay already does best: pairing\u202ffuture\u2011focused\u00a0academics,\u202fholistic student support, and\u202fstrong community partnerships\u202fto help\u00a0students rise.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis grant couldn\u2019t be more aligned with the heart of Civic Scholars,\u201d said\u202fAshley Heath, director of UW-Green Bay\u2019s Center for Civic Engagement\u00a0and assistant teaching professor in Public and Environmental Affairs. \u201cWe\u00a0weren\u2019t adjusting our mission to fit a funding opportunity. Herb Kohl Philanthropies was specifically looking to support civic dialogue and democratic engagement\u2014and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0exactly what our students are doing every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Learning to Leading\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Started in the Fall of 2019 by UW-Green Bay faculty David Coury, Ashley Heath and Alison Staudinger, the Civic Scholars Leadership Program is open to students from any major and designed as a two\u2011semester experience. In the fall, students participate in immersive site visits with local organizations and civic leaders across the region\u2014from nonprofit directors and city officials to community advocates working on housing, food security and health access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many students, those experiences are eye\u2011opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went to high school in a really small town, so I didn\u2019t get exposure to the kinds of opportunities you have in a city,\u201d said Kira Schwaller, current UW-Green Bay Civic Scholar majoring in Environmental Policy and Planning. \u201cBeing part of Civic Scholars showed me different ways I can volunteer, engage with the community and actually be an active member of a larger place.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"four
Members of the Civic Scholars program interview leadership from House of Hope in Green Bay. Photo submitted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rather than passive observation, students are encouraged to ask questions, reflect deeply and connect what they\u2019re seeing to their own values and career goals. One hallmark of the program is a student\u2011selected \u201cwild card\u201d visit\u2014researched and chosen by the cohort\u2014which reinforces student leadership and curiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re really developing is civic identity,\u201d said\u202fKatia\u00a0Levintova, UW-Green Bay\u00a0professor and chair of Political\u00a0Science and\u00a0Democracy and Justice Studies. \u201cStudents begin to see themselves as people who belong in civic spaces\u2014as leaders,\u00a0collaborators\u00a0and community members. Civic Scholars gives them the soil to discover what they care deeply about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning Insight into Action: The Community Impact Practicum\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the spring, Civic Scholars move from learning to doing through the\u202fCommunity Impact Practicum, a cohort\u2011based applied learning model. Instead of individual internships, students work together on hands\u2011on projects for a single nonprofit partner\u2014amplifying impact while preserving the power of the cohort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis model allows students to stay connected as a group while making a tangible difference,\u201d Heath said. \u201cTheir leadership really emerges when they\u2019re solving real problems together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s practicum partner is\u202fHouse of Hope, a Green Bay nonprofit that serves individuals experiencing homelessness. Seventeen Civic Scholars are contributing real work that directly strengthens the organization, from organizing a community hygiene drive to improving volunteer systems, reorganizing storage spaces, supporting garden projects and producing media storytelling for outreach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just there helping reorganize the tool room,\u201d said Cooper Laper, UW-Green Bay Civic Scholar and Political Science major. \u201cIt might sound small, but it felt really good to help with a need they specifically expressed. You can see how even small projects make a big difference.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photos below from Dan Moore, University Photographer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Laper shared how the experience bridged academic learning and civic purpose. \u201cI\u2019m interested in law, and through Civic Scholars I\u2019ve worked with more disenfranchised groups and learned about the barriers they\u2019re facing. That\u2019s really shaped the kind of law I want to practice and the people I want to help.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real Learning. Real Impact.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

House of Hope leaders say the partnership has been transformative\u2014not just because of the work completed, but because of the presence and commitment students bring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe students have been incredible,\u201d said\u202fLiz Krumwiede, community engagement coordinator at House of Hope. \u201cWhat they\u2019re doing doesn\u2019t just support our work\u2014it makes our shelter better and takes work off our plates.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students often express how impactful it is to build relationships with people whose experiences feel close to their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen students realize many of the people we serve are their same age, it really hits,\u201d Krumwiede said. \u201cIt builds empathy and awareness in a way you just can\u2019t teach in a classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That impact is mutual\u2014and long\u2011lasting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese students are highly capable young people,\u201d said\u202fBeth Hudak, director of community engagement at House of Hope. \u201cThey\u2019re ready to lead. Opportunities like this help shape who they become\u2014and they\u2019re the same people who will be sustaining our nonprofits and communities 20 years from now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding Access and Student Leadership\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Herb Kohl Philanthropies grant allows UW\u2013Green Bay to expand Civic Scholars thoughtfully and equitably. Funding will support transportation stipends for community visits, new peer mentor roles, a leadership retreat and continued investment in\u202fCivics Week\u2014a student\u2011designed and student\u2011led series focused on civic dialogue and democratic engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTransportation can be a real barrier,\u201d Heath said. \u201cRemoving that barrier means more students can participate fully\u2014and when they do, they thrive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students, Civic Scholars isn\u2019t just about volunteering\u2014it\u2019s about belonging, leadership and growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s shown me there are so many different ways to engage with your community,\u201d said Laper, who will graduate in May of this year. \u201cIt helped me realize my skills can actually be applied in a meaningful way to help people\u2014and that\u2019s the kind of career I want.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building the Future\u2014Together\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Through the Civic Scholars Leadership Program, UW\u2013Green Bay is building civic leaders who are confident, capable and deeply connected to Northeast Wisconsin. These students are defining their futures and strengthening the region along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by Kristin Bouchard (This story was written with the help of AI.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/news.uwgb.edu\/phlash\/news\/05\/06\/building-civic-leaders-how-uw-green-bay-students-are-driving-real-change-across-northeast-wisconsin\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At UW-Green Bay, civic leadership\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0talked\u00a0about,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0practiced. This spring, that practice reached new momentum with a $75,000, two-year grant from\u202fHerb Kohl Philanthropies,\u00a0strengthening the university\u2019s\u202fCivic Scholars Leadership Program\u202fand expanding opportunities for students to lead meaningful change across Northeast Wisconsin.\u00a0 The investment signals confidence in what UW-Green Bay already does best: pairing\u202ffuture\u2011focused\u00a0academics,\u202fholistic student support, and\u202fstrong community partnerships\u202fto help\u00a0students rise.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13593,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[111],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13592","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-green-bay","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13592"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}