Alumni Spotlight: Jim Kramer ’79, ‘90

As a “double alum,” Jim Kramer ’79, ’90 is a proud supporter of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and its mission. He received his undergraduate degree in business administration and returned later to earn his MBA.

As a student, Jim enjoyed playing basketball in between classes, networking with other students, and building relationships with his professors. He felt that the smaller class sizes at Parkside contributed to his success, as it facilitated a more personal connection with professors and improved his learning experience.

Jim credits Professor Jim Polczynski of the Business Administration department with guiding him down his educational path. “He took me under his wing and steered me,” Jim says. “I was going to be an accountant and then I realized I didn’t like numbers. I liked the people side of it, and he helped steer me in that direction as my advisor.”

Jim’s interest in the people side of business led him to work for a number of companies—from a small start-up to an international corporation—in the Racine area for many years. Along the way, he came back to UW-Parkside for a master of business administration degree.

Jim has stayed connected with UW-Parkside through athletics and serving on the UW-Parkside Alumni Association board. He was an announcer for Ranger men’s and women’s basketball games for a number of years. Even though he and his wife, Julie, recently moved to Arizona following their retirements, Jim continues to stay involved as a board member for the UW-Parkside Foundation and led March 2022 activities to engage other alumni in Arizona. And of course, he continues to cheer on Ranger Athletics through their live-streamed games.

Jim and Julie are committed to giving back to scholarships and other programs at UW-Parkside.

“I got an opportunity, so I can try to help create opportunities for other people. The expenses of going to college now are much higher than when I graduated debt-free—that doesn’t happen very often anymore. Any support we can get to students will help them. Seeing what’s been happening here—the growth of the school and the facilities upgrades—makes me feel like it’s all worthwhile.”