The University of Wisconsin-Superior welcomed members of the UW System Board of Regents to campus on Wednesday, September 13. UW System Board of Regents last visited UW-Superior in 2019 and prior to that in 2012.

“We are so pleased to host eight regents and show them all the exciting things happening at UW-Superior,” said Chancellor Renée Wachter. “We truly had a Superior Day.”

During the first portion of the visit, Board of Regent members were able to learn about the Superior Plan and its goals which include adding to the UW-Superior experience by increasing student access to rewarding academic, athletic and recreation facilities. The plan will also help meet regional needs of the Superior community; breathing new life into the expanding University District of Belknap Street, which already serves as a main thoroughfare in the city. Regents toured areas of campus where the proposed developments would take place.

“If successful, the project will further create a campus that is attractive to current and future students, enhancing their curricular and out-of-classroom experiences, while simultaneously responding to external community and regional needs,” said Jenice Meyer, senior government and external relations officer at UW-Superior.

Regents presented the UW System Regent Business Partnership Award to Essentia Health. Accepting the award for Essentia Health was Dr. William Heegaard, President East Essentia; Tammy Kritzer, Sr. VP of Regional Operations and Primary Care – East Market; and Kim Pearson, administrator. The UW System Regents Business Partnership Award recognizes businesses that positively affect Wisconsin through their generosity and collaboration with universities throughout the UW System.

“Essentia has been a long-standing partner with UW-Superior’s Athletic Department for sports medicine services,” said Board of Regents President Karen Walsh. “Their services have provided exceptional support to UW-Superior’s 19 competitive athletic teams and thousands of student athletes over the last decade. In Essentia’s Cardiac Rehab and Community Education Services Departments, student interns have been invited to learn alongside professional staff in a perfect setting for UW-Superior students to build experience for their future careers.”

The regents also visited the Entrepreneur Center and New Business Hub and concluded with a tour of the Lake Superior Research Institute’s Montreal Pier ballast water research facility. Lake Superior Research Institute manages and operates North America’s only freshwater ballast water treatment technology incubator facility. This facility provides the private sector with objective, third-party research on technologies that prevent ballast water introductions of invasive species in the Great Lakes and other Great Waters.