Editorial: Area's need for Phuture Phoenix continues

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Phuture Phoenix program is welcoming its largest-ever class of fifth-graders to campus this week, marking yet another milestone for this impressive initiative.

Co-founded in 2003 by Cyndie Shepard, wife of former UWGB Chancellor Bruce Shepard, the effort to raise college aspirations for our area's young people has evolved from a beneficial but limited partnership to a large-scale community program. Three other college campuses — Western Washington University, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and, most recently, Silver Lake College in Manitowoc — have launched their own programs modeled after this phenomenal initiative.