
UW-Green Bay Offers First Nations Studies for Professionals Certificate
UW-Green Bay is offering a new certificate program for First Nations Professionals, designed to expand awareness and understanding of the history, culture and tribal sovereignty of Native American Nations in Wisconsin. The certificate was designed in partnership with the UW-Green Bay Social Work Professional Programs.
Sessions start in March 2025 and take place in-person at UW-Green Bay’s main campus in Green Bay. Participants learn in a context of culture and practice consistent with First Nations’ values. Experiential teaching methods will reflect tribal oral tradition, Elder epistemology and participatory learning.
“This certificate is reoffered after hiatus because participants continue to report its value to personal and professional growth,” said Joan Groessl, UW-Green Bay director of Social Work Professional Programs. “The social work program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay aims to develop professional growth opportunities with an emphasis on social change, challenging oppression and vital social action consistent with the University’s emphasis on inclusivity.”
Registering for certificate sessions may also satisfy Act 31 requirements for educators, education professionals and social workers working in the school system. Act 31 legislation was passed in 1989 in response to significant tensions surrounding Ojibwe spearfishing rights, which had led to violent protests known as the “Walleye Wars.” These conflicts highlighted a widespread lack of understanding about Native American treaty rights and sovereignty among the general public…