To enthusiastic applause in the Culver Family Welcome Center, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh community celebrated the successes and contributions of faculty and staff at an Opening Day Honors program on Sept. 6.

“This annual program and ceremony allows us to pause, reflect upon and celebrate those colleagues who serve as examples of what we all aspire to be. That is: to be in service of educating students, lifting communities and adding to the knowledge of the world around us,” UWO Chancellor Andy Leavitt said.

In addition to those highlighted below, employees recently recognized by the UW System and the Fond du Lac and Fox Cities campuses also were acknowledged during the event.

Faculty and staff marking milestone service anniversaries were honored as well, including Thomas Frantz, executive director of the UWO-Fox Cities Foundation; and David Jones, criminal justice professor, who have each served the University for 40 years.

“Your years of service are invaluable,” said Shawna Kuether, associate vice chancellor for human resources and equal opportunity and affirmative action. “I wish you all  health, reward and fulfillment in the year ahead.”

Be sure to watch throughout the year for more in-depth features about the UWO 2022-23 award winners.

Edward M. Penson Distinguished Teaching Award

• Kathy Elertson, an assistant dean and post licensure program director in the College of Nursing, encourages undergraduate and graduate nursing students to make essential connections between theory and clinical application. Her scholarly focus on stigma in healthcare highlights the need for action to address health disparities within vulnerable populations.
• Crystal Mueller has taught in the English department since 2006 as an instructional academic staff member and has served as Writing Center director on the Oshkosh campus since 2007. She has designed and taught courses on an array of subjects, from writing and Quest literature for first- and second-year students to rhetoric and theory for English majors to research methods and writing studies for graduate students.
• Dan Schmidt, a professor and former kinesiology department chair, has taught a variety of kinesiology courses in his 25 years at UW Oshkosh. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and has long been an advocate for increasing physical activity levels among students, faculty and staff.

Barbara G. Sniffen Faculty Governance Service Award

• Stacey Skoning, a special education professor, has served on 30 different department, college, University or System committees and as a College of Education and Human Services department chair for 11 years. Her current research focuses on developing new teaching methods and strategies that better support all students within the general education setting, whether they have disabilities or gifts and talents.

John McNaughton Rosebush Professorship

• Heather Englund has been a dedicated member of several University committees related to diversity, equity and inclusion. She is considered an expert in the field of marginalization of minority students in higher education and has presented her research findings both nationally and internationally.

Outstanding Performance Award

• Debra Suess has been an administrative assistant in the kinesiology department since December 2014. In recent years she has helped out in the professional counseling office, covering for a summer as they worked to hire a new department assistant; worked in the College of Nursing’s dean’s office for a summer; and worked in the physics office for two years.

Outstanding Service Award

• Missy Burgess works as the associate director for student involvement in Reeve Union, supervising the staff behind student activities and leadership on the three campuses. She also coordinates efforts for Homecoming, co-advises the Oshkosh Student Association, has chaired and served on several search and screen committees and recently served as the recorder for the Emergency Operations Committee during the University’s COVID response efforts.
• Jeanne Hiatt is the learning resources manager in the College of Nursing and manages the daily operations of the CON labs. She is responsible for helping the students use the resources available to prepare for their registered nurse licensure exam and stays in touch with students throughout their program, providing support and encouragement.
• Alicia Stuedemann, the associate director of new student and family programs, has successfully collaborated with a variety of departments to plan and execute new student programming for 1,500-plus new students. Her efforts helped carry out the highest number of sessions (56) in the history of Titan Takeoff orientation in 2021 and another successful Titan Takeoff in 2022 while also building her professional team. Stuedemann also is the co-chair of the Beyond Equity and Action committee on campus, a team fellow for swimming and diving and an advocate and mentor for many student leaders. Stuedemann seeks the best interest at heart for her peers, students and community.

LGBTQIA+ Ally Award

• Stuedemann also recognizes and acknowledges the importance of demonstrated and consistent commitment to the LGBTQIA+ University community and is committed to the success of others. She not only lives and breathes the mission of UWO, but also genuinely puts others, especially students and those individuals who traditionally have been underserved, at the center of everything she does.

Queer and Trans Faculty Staff Award

• Pamela Massey has served as the campus administrator for the Fox Cities campus since 2019, overseeing daily operations and campus-wide initiatives. She has been an important advocate for students—especially in the LGBTQ+ community—for years, including advising the LGBTQ+ student organization, helping create and coordinate SAFE training, helping create the Intersection and completing the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning workshop on best practices and curriculum building for the LGBTQ Studies Certificate.

Penson Faculty Award

• Wendy Bauer, an assistant professor and College of Nursing research and evaluation director, has taught a variety of courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs and advised Honors and doctoral students. Bauer is interested in improving health outcomes for at-risk populations with chronic respiratory diseases through environmental air quality management.
• Don Heath, an associate professor and information systems department chair, has developed and taught a variety of courses. His research program is focused on finding ways for people with visual impairments to use modern mobile technology to assist them in their academic and vocational endeavors.
• Chris Jones, an associate professor and accounting department chair, primarily teaches tax courses. His research also is in the area of taxation and focuses both on taxpayer compliance and practitioner-based articles.
• Tammy Ladwig, a faculty member in the College of Education and Human Services, brings her passion for teaching and developing teachers to her classes and in schools. She consistently builds strong learning communities and rapport that students regard as long lasting and impactful.
• Kimberly Rivers, a history professor and the University Studies Program interim director, is an instructor of courses in ancient and medieval history. She strives to show students how previous societies handled some of the same issues we struggle with today and to help students understand how history is created by historians and in popular memory.
• Angela Subulwa, international studies program director and an associate geography professor, pushes students to make critical connections between their lives and global patterns, networks, complexities and inequities. As co-adviser for the UW Oshkosh Model United Nations team, Subulwa helps students build their research, speaking, writing and leadership skills to reach consensus on some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.
• Carrie Tirel, a professor in the mathematics department, promotes universal access to higher education and student success at UW Oshkosh and throughout the state. Recently, she served on the project team for the UW System Math Initiative, was vice chair of the UW System math steering committee and co-facilitated active learning workshops for UW System math instructors that evolved into an ongoing community of practice.
• Julie Zuleger, an assistant professor, teaches classes in physical education and health education in the human kinetics and health education department. Her research interests include body image and body dysmorphia and its impact on mental health.

Photo above: Chancellor Andy Leavitt honors Alicia Stuedemann with two awards on Tuesday.

Learn more:

• Photo gallery: Opening Day Honors program
• UW Oshkosh convocation speakers emphasize the strong connections necessary for student success
• And we’re back: Students move in before start of fall semester