Fall 06 (pdf) - University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Being a school system superintendent
isn’t easy. Students, parents,
staff, taxpayers and the media make
managing conflict a regular
part of Fond du Lac School
District Administrator Greg
Maass’ job.
But he continues to show
up at work every day because
leadership is where his heart is.
When he sees people grow
personally and professionally,
he knows he has done his job. Greg Maass
The teachers, administrators
and support staff, Maass, ’75, said,
are the reason his district recently ranked
in the top 15 of 2,800 school districts
nationwide.
“I think there are reasons why some
schools succeed and some fail,” he said. “It’s all about
the people who work here. They have high standards
and expect a lot from our students, and our students
deliver.”
Like Maass, many of Fond du Lac’s teachers got their
start at UW Oshkosh. Physical education teacher Gail
(Bradley) Cameron, ’83, recently returned from the
2006 USA Jump Rope Championship at Disney’s Wide
World of Sports with five top 10 awards. Cameron’s
18-member Fond du Lac Wizards, the only Wisconsin
team, has competed regionally and nationally for the
past three years. Helping coach the team is another UW
Oshkosh alumna, Diane (Zedler) Looker, ’75.
Cameron formed jump rope clubs in the Fond du
Lac schools because she recognized a need for an easy,
inexpensive activity that could include every student.
She had no idea how popular it would become.
Only 13 students participated the first year, 1994.
Today, seven of nine Fond du Lac elementary schools
have a jump rope club. “Some of the Wizards have been
with me since second grade,” she said.
Cameron credits recently retired UWO physical
education instructor Shirley White for inspiring her.
“Shirley treats everyone with kindness and fairness
every day,” she said. “I try to be like her.”
A commitment to the futures of young people led
middle school teacher Gordon Olson, ’93, to pursue a
career in education.
“I recognized it is a profession where you can make
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Alumni at work
uw oshkosh alums committed to education in fond du Lac.
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a big difference in people’s
lives,” he said.
Olson is respected
throughout the district
for his work in alternative
education programs
for students who have not
been successful in the traditional
educational setting.
Olson, who is pursuing
a doctorate in cultural
foundations of education
at UW-Milwaukee, is
married to another UW
Oshkosh education alum,
Judy (Freimuth) Olson,
’84, MSE ’89. She works
in the district as a program
support teacher for students
with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
James Gryzwa, ’72, MS ’78, who served in various
teaching and administrative roles throughout his 33-year
career in the district, witnessed first-hand the powerful
machine behind the district’s tremendous success.
“The district has acknowledged and empowered
teachers to be leaders and partners in the educational
process,” he said.
Another UWO alum, Marian (Lomurro) Sheridan,
’76, works as a nurse for the Fond du Lac district.
She spent much of her career in public health,
earning statewide accolades for her efforts to increase
smoke-free environments. A few years ago, she joined
the school district as coordinator of School Health and
Safety.
And what a few years it’s been. Sheridan developed
the Fond du Lac TeenScreen program, which helps
identify youth at risk for depression, suicide and other
mental health issues. Every ninth grader in the district
has the opportunity to participate in the assessment. Last
year, Sheridan accepted the National Model TeenScreen
Award from Columbia University.
Sheridan also won the 2005 UW Oshkosh College
of Nursing’s Nightingale Award, which recognizes
nurses who excel in the nursing practice.
“UW Oshkosh offered the opportunity to be
involved in many community initiatives,” she said.
That set the foundation for my commitment to public
health.” —Sheryl Hanson
Gail Cameron coaches jump rope team
member Madeline Finn of Fond du Lac.
publications
Michael Ford, professor, reading education, coauthored with Michael Opitz,
University of Northern Colorado, “Assessment Can Be Friendly” in The
Reading Teacher, May 2006. Also coauthored with Michael Opitz and Matthew
Zabaracki, Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers, published by
Heinemann, Sept. 2006.
Martin Gruberg, professor, political science, wrote “Participation by Women
in the 2005 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting” in PS:
Political Science & Politics, Jan. 2006.
Alan Lareau, associate professor,
foreign languages and literatures, coproduced
an audio CD with Gerhard
Zeyen, Fünf Minuten Weltgeschichte:
Kabaretchansons von und mit Curt
Bry—Von Werner Fincks ‘Katakombe’
zum Exilkabarett 1932-1965 on the
Bear Family Records label, Germany,
2006. Also wrote, “Großstadträume,
Großstadtreime: Die Kabarettrevuen
von Friedrich Hollaender, 1926-1967”
in Street Scene: Der urbane Raum im
Musiktheater des 20. Jahrhunderts, Stefan
Weiss and Jürgen Schebera (eds.),
published by Waxmann, 2006.
Daniel Lehrman, associate professor, geology, coauthored with J. L. Payne,
of Stanford University, Jiayong Wei of the Guizhou Bureau of Geology and
Mineral Resources in China, and A.H. Knoll, of Harvard, “Recovery from the
End-Permian Extinction in South China” in Palaios, Jan. 2006.
Ava McCall, professor, curriculum and instruction, wrote, “Enriching State
Studies: Examples from Experienced Teachers” in Social Studies and the Young
Learner, Feb. 2006.
Susan McFadden, professor, psychology, wrote, “Creating and Sustaining
Selfhood: Autobiographical Memories from Early Childhood Through Old
Age” in The Gerontologist, winter 2005. Also wrote a chapter for Handbook of
the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Raymond Paloutzian and Crystal Park
(eds.), published by Guilford, New York, N.Y., 2006.
Arthur Pontynen, professor, art, wrote, For the
Love of Beauty: Art, History and the Moral Foundations
of Aesthetic Judgment, published by Transaction
Publishers, New Brunswick, N.J./London,
2006.
Todd Sandrin, assistant professor, biology
and microbiology, coauthored “Influence of a
Nonaqueous Phase Liquid on Biodegradation of
Phenanthrene,” in Biodegradation, 2006.
James Simmons, professor and chair, political
science, wrote in association with Routeledge, “If
it Weren’t for Those Nader Voters We Wouldn’t
Be in This Mess” in New Political Science, June
2006. Coauthored chapter with Benjamin Page,
Northwestern University, “Education for the
Poor” in At Issue: Is Poverty a Serious Threat? M. Munoz (ed.), published by
Thomson Gale, 2006. Wrote “Transitional Regime,” in Governing the Small
City, E. Miller and R. Wolensky (eds.), published by Foundation Press, 2005.
Robert Stelzer, assistant professor, biology and microbiology, coauthored with
Gene Likens, Institute of the Ecosystem Studies, “The Effects of Sampling
Frequency on Estimates of Dissolved Silica Export by Streams: The Role of
Hydrological Variability and Concentration-Discharge Relationships” in Water
Resources Research, spring 2006.
Wendy Strauch-Nelson, assistant professor, art, wrote, “Art Education in the
Marketplace” in Art Education: The Journal of the National Art Education Association,
March 2006.
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faculty & staff
AcHieveMents
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Awards and Honors
Lynn Brandt, student services coordinator, Center for New Learning, was
elected secretary of the Northeast Wisconsin Consortium for Adult Education,
July 2006.
Karina Cutler-Lake, assistant professor, art, won a Dr. Toy Smart Play/Smart
Toy Award from the Institute For Childhood Resources, San Francisco, Calif.,
April 2006 for the design of Europe and Asia GeoPuzzles geographical puzzles
for children. She also designed the Africa GeoPuzzle for GeoToys/GeoPuzzles,
June 2006.
Michael Ford, professor, reading education, selected host for “Behind the Lesson”
for the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Public Television
Series for the Professional Development of Teachers. The series will be the
companion piece to a new children series called “Into the Book,” 2006.
Timothy Gleason, assistant professor, journalism, was awarded Top Faculty
Paper from the Central States Communication Association, Indianapolis, Ind.,
April 2006.
Richard Masters, associate professor, art, was awarded third place for his piece
“Intersections” at “Backroads & Boulevards,” a national juried exhibition at the
Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, Va., Oct. 2005.
James Paulson, professor, chemistry, was appointed as the external assessor
for the Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University,
Muscat, Oman, June 2006.
Beth Richards, Center for New Learning, was elected chair-elect of the Northeast
Wisconsin Consortium on Adult Education, July 2006.
Leona Whitman, director, Living Healthy Community Clinic, was appointed
to Coordinated Community Response Team, Christine Ann Center, Oshkosh,
April, 2006.
Patrick Wilkinson, director, Polk Library, was elected to the executive committee
for Members Council of the Online Library Computer Center, June
2006.
presentations
Joyce Andrews, professor, music, performed with pianist Beverly Hassel, “British
Composer Alison Bauld and Shakespeare’s Women” at the International
Congress of the International Alliance of Women in Music, at the Florida
International University, Miami, Fla. May 2006.
Michael Ford, professor, reading education, presented “The Intersection of
Technology and Instruction in Multimedia Approaches for Teaching Reading
in Elementary Classrooms: Views from Both Sides of the Ocean,” “When
Pop Culture, Technology and Teachable Moments Collide: Implications for
Classroom Practices in Reading Programs” and “Using Nonfiction for Guided
Reading” to the International Reading Association, Chicago, spring 2006. Also
presented “Best Practices in Reading and Writing Programs: What We Can
Learn from Exemplary Teachers” to the North and South Dakota Association of
Elementary School Principals Mid-Winter Convention, Mandan N.D., winter
2006; and “Making Out with Frogs: Finding the Bridge Over the Troubled
Waters of No Child Left Behind” to the Wisconsin State Reading Association,
Milwaukee, winter 2006.