As we have settled into summer, this edition of Titan magazine offers you a window to the incredible achievements of UW Oshkosh students in the last academic year.
Chancellor Andrew Leavitt
UWO continues to shine thanks, in part, to the winning ways of the Model United Nations team, as the feature story on Page 8 details. The University has been nationally known for decades thanks to the excellence in this program.
It’s a reminder that UWO’s classrooms are but one conduit to life-changing educational experiences.
Ask any of our thousands of alumni what they most cherish about their UWO experience, and chances are they will rattle off a spectrum of scholarly experiences and extracurricular activities. Model UN is just one example. Of course, there’s athletics, too (by the way, as of this printing ANOTHER trophy is in the case thanks to back-to-back national championships via UWO gymnastics).
Don’t forget about undergraduate research adventures. Greek life.
The huge menu of student recreation and intramural sports offerings. Faith organizations. Titan Thunder Marching Band. Theatre productions … The list of experiences beyond our classrooms is enormous.
Data shows students are on the lookout for these quality-of-life-and-learning experiences as they and their families explore where to invest in college. A first-year class of 2022-23 intake survey probing why students chose UWO generated some refreshing responses.
Sure, “academic offerings” and “fit and feel” of our campuses rated high. “Cost of attendance” was up there, too. But not too far down the list we find “Student Life (activities/organizations/residence life),” which 36% of students in the 2022-23 class identified as their No. 1 filter.
The diversity and richness of extracurricular experiences and the friendships and mentorships that come with them, are a big part of what successful college looks and feels like. They clearly help students shape, prepare and test themselves not just for career success but also meaningful civic contribution, cultural competency and the deeper appreciation of a vibrant life. Hats off to all of my colleagues who advise student groups and organizations and serve in Student Affairs at UWO.
I hope I hear about your UWO experiences in months to come; you can always drop me an email at leavitt@uwosh.edu. Perhaps our paths might even cross on a campus in the 2023-24 academic year. I’d love to see you. Meanwhile, please enjoy the stories in this summer edition of Titan. And thank you for continuing to support and celebrate UWO.
Chancellor Andy Leavitt
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