UW System alumni have a new reason to celebrate this week.
Monday morning, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a proclamation designating May 3-7 as “University of Wisconsin Spirit Week.” The event is sponsored by the System-wide UW Alumni Council.
The week is “an opportunity for alumni, students, members of System communities and Wisconsin citizens to celebrate campus allegiances and the many contributions the university makes to the state,” according to a System press release.
| “The impact that our grads have on the state of Wisconsin is tremendous.” –John Bachmeier Director of Alumni Relations |
The week will conclude with “UW Spirit Day” Friday. On Spirit Day, the Alumni Council encourages alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends to showcase their UW connection wherever they go by wearing their school colors, logos, buttons and stickers.
At UW-Eau Claire, the Alumni Relations office will hold a gathering at 10 a.m. on the Campus Mall, said John Bachmeier, director of alumni relations. Faculty, staff, emeriti and alumni are invited to gather for refreshments and celebrate their UW heritage and involvement, Bachmeier said.
Bachmeier said he hopes Spirit Week will raise awareness of the significant contributions made by people connected with the System.
“I think it calls attention to how many graduates there are still living and working in Wisconsin and just how important those graduates are to the state of Wisconsin,” he said.
Nearly 80 percent of graduates from System schools stay and work in Wisconsin, Bachmeier said, calling this figure impressive.
Other universities and colleges are celebrating Spirit Week in different ways. At UW-Stevens Point, Spirit Day is “piggybacking” onto the Copper Fountain Festival, which is sponsored by a campus organization called Centertainment, said Steve Zywicki, outreach coordinator for Alumni and University Relations at Stevens Point.
Zywicki said the university has invited alumni and area residents connected with the System to the festival, which will include food, drinks and free music.
Bachmeier said the Alumni Council, which is sponsoring the event, is a newly formed organization. It is comprised of all the alumni directors at System universities and colleges.
The council was formed so alumni offices could work together to promote recognition of alumni through events such as Spirit Day, Bachmeier said.
“The impact that our grads have on the state of Wisconsin is tremendous,” Bachmeier said. “That’s one of the things we want to call attention to.”
