UW-Oshkosh Magazine, Spring - Liberal Education Initiative

university 

of 

wisconsin 

MAGAZINE 

S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 

liberal education 

and america’s promise: 

Connecting to the community.

O 

UW OSHKOSH MAGAZINE 

contents 

V O L U M E 5 • N U M B E R 1 • S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 

A Publication for UW Oshkosh Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Friends 

F E A T U R E S 

On Campus 03 

Catch up on the latest student 

and campus news, including 

a recent study that details 

UW Oshkosh’s $501-million 

economic contribution to the state. 

06 

Liberal Education in the Community 

UW Oshkosh weaves a culture of lifelong learning 

throughout the New North region. 

17 

18 

Alumni at Work 

UW Oshkosh journalism 

senior Stephanie Barnard 

reports on 1995 UW Oshkosh 

alum Jim VandeHei’s 

new media venture in 

Washington, D.C. 

People of Pride 

Franca Barricelli and John Koker share 

their talents with the community. 

Editor 

Natalie Johnson 

TITAN SPORTS 5 FOUNDATION NEWS 20 ALUMNI NEWS 22 

Chancellor Provost & Vice Chancellor Vice Chancellor Foundation President & Executive Director Director 

Richard H. Wells Vice Chancellor Administrative Services Student Affairs Executive Director of Integrated Marketing Alumni Relations 

Lane R. Earns Thomas Sonnleitner Petra M. Roter University Advancement and Communications Christine M. Gantner 

Arthur H. Rathjen Jeanette De Diemar ’88 

Art Director 

Sara A. Jolin ’94 

U n i v e r s i t y M A G A Z I N E S T A F F 

Photographer 

Dylan Stolley ’98 

Contributors 

Stephanie Barnard, Frank Church, 

Sheryl Hanson, Lori Kroening ’89, 

Heidi Heidenreich Nowicki ’92, 

Susan Nuernberg 

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Magazine is published by the office of University Relations biannually for alumni, faculty, staff and friends of UW Oshkosh. 

Send address changes to UW Oshkosh Alumni Association, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901-8691. 

Phone (920) 424-3414 or toll-free at (877) UWO-ALUM. © University of Wisconsin Board of Regents 2007. 

V i s i t U W O s h k o s h o n t h e W e b a t w w w . u w o s h . e d u 

PA G E 1 

Student Assistants 

Ryan Lovejoy, design 

Grace McMurtrie, editorial 

Printing 

Brian Klinger 

Printed by 

J.B. Kenehan, LLC

From the CHANCELLOR 

T 

his is the third issue of the 

UW Oshkosh Magazine with a 

focus on our commitment to 

liberal education, and I would like to 

conclude this tripartite series with a 

summary of what a liberal education is and 

what it is not. 

Research reveals that not all students, 

parents, alumni and business leaders share 

the same understanding. A recent study by 

the Association of American Colleges and 

Universities (AAC&U) found that while a consensus on the kind 

of learning that every student needs is emerging among CEOs of 

Fortune 500 companies, misunderstandings about liberal education 

abound among students and private employers who were not 

CEOs of major corporations. 

In the AAC&U report “Making the Case for Liberal 

Education: Responding to Challenges” (2006), author Debra 

Humphreys said that nearly all CEOs of Fortune 500 companies 

make the case for the importance of an education that empowers 

individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and that 

cultivates social responsibility and a strong sense of ethics and values. 

These learning outcomes are advanced by a liberal education. 

By contrast, the AAC&U study found that a number of 

misunderstandings cloud the perceptions held by private employers. 

Many private employers believe that a liberal education is a 

less rigorous and less focused approach to education that does not 

effectively prepare students to contribute to today’s economy. 

High school and college students also share a number of 

misunderstandings about a liberal education. The study found 

that while they were unfamiliar with the term “liberal education,” 

they associate the term with the general education component of a 

liberal education rather than with a set of learning outcomes developed 

across both general education and students’ majors. 

The study shows that both students and private employers 

associate liberal education only with the humanities or the arts or 

with liberal arts colleges alone, and that many do not believe that 

it includes the study of scientific, technical or business-related 

disciplines. The findings also reveal that both groups were willing 

to embrace the concept of a liberal education as defined. 

We need to address these common challenges and misunderstandings. 

Our students are likely to change jobs and even careers several 

times over the course of their lives. If they pursue too narrow an 

undergraduate education, they will be unprepared for change. 

The broad knowledge and skills provided by a liberal education 

also must be developed for all college students in their majors and 

not just in the courses that satisfy general education requirements. 

A liberal education introduces students to multiple perspectives 

and develops their independent, critical judgment. It exposes them 

to a wide array of ideas and teaches them how to evaluate those 

ideas. The introduction to new perspectives often leads students 

to question preexisting ideas and beliefs. This is precisely why it is 

an ideal education to prepare students to function in a diverse and 

rapidly changing work environment. 

In noted sociologist Cedric Herring’s 2006 study “Does 

Diversity Pay: Racial Composition of Firms and the Business 

Case for Diversity,” he found that diversity is associated with 

tangible benefits in business, such as higher sales revenue, larger 

customer base, more market share and greater relative profitability. 

In addition to contributing to the economy, a liberally educated 

person is a benefit to the community and larger society. 

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PA G E 2 

We hope you have enjoyed the articles in this series on “Liberal 

Education and America’s Promise.” The first in spring 2006 featured 

stories about a liberal education as a defining characteristic of 

our College of Letters and Science. The second in fall 2006 focused 

on the high value we place on the broad-based, liberal education 

that the students majoring in professional studies receive. 

My contribution to this current issue is to help define what a 

liberal education is and what it is not. As the stories in this issue 

illustrate, nothing better benefits our community and society or 

better equips students to face the challenges of the future than a 

liberal education. 

Sincerely, 

Richard H. Wells 

UW Oshkosh Named 

Founding Member of 

National Energy Panel 

In the fall, UW Oshkosh was named 

a founding member of the Higher 

Education Steering Committee of the American 

Council on Renewable Energy—one of only 25 

institutions nationwide so honored as a leader in 

promoting renewable energy. UW Oshkosh joined 

universities including Cornell, Duke and Carnegie 

Mellon. 

Magazine To Accept 

Letters To the Editor 

H 

ave a comment, suggestion 

or opinion We want to 

hear from you. UW Oshkosh 

Magazine is accepting letters to the 

editor for publication beginning in 

fall 2007. The editors reserve the 

right to condense and edit all 

submissions. Letters (including 

name and contact information) must be submitted 

no later than July 2, 2007, for the fall issue, in care of 

Natalie Johnson, 237 Dempsey 

Hall, 800 Algoma Boulevard, 

Oshkosh, WI, 54901-8614, 

or johnsonn@uwosh.edu. 

On the Cover 

Community teams paddled to the 

finish during the first Oshkosh 

Community Dragonboat Race 

and Festival as part of Fall Fest on 

the Fox festivities last September. 

Watch for information about the 

2007 races, scheduled for Sept. 22. 

O 


on 

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT 

UW OSHKOSH 

campus 

Campus Impact Hits $501 million 

According to an updated study 

by NorthStar Economics Inc., 

the total UW Oshkosh economic 

contribution in 2005-2006 to 

the state was $501 million. 

The campus was responsible for 

creating about 9,100 jobs, paying 

$37.5 million in tax revenue and 

giving $4 million in time to local 

charities; an economic impact 

increase of 16 percent since 2002. 

For more information, visit www. 

uwoshedu/marketingprofile/2006. 

‘Black Thursday’ Inspires Study, Major 

Black Thursday took place Nov. 21, 1968, when black 

students made their demands heard as they took over 

the office of President Roger Guiles. The event is the 

inspiration for both an African American studies minor 

and as a major oral history project. English faculty member 

Norlisha Crawford is leading the effort to enhance 

student understanding of the lives of 

African Americans by reviving the 

minor. Fellow faculty member 

Stephen Kercher, history, is leading 

the oral history project known as 

“Black Thursday Remembered.” 

If you were involved or affected 

by these events, call (920) 424-2289 

to take part. 

Chancellor Heads Task Force 

UW Oshkosh Chancellor Richard H. Wells was 

appointed chair of the Task Force on Campus Engagement 

for the Voluntary System of Accountability 

Project. The panel is one of seven that will develop a 

voluntary assessment program to help public higher 

education better serve the nation. 

PA G E A3 

Global MBA Approved 

A one-of-a-kind global master’s degree in business 

administration has been approved by the UW System 

Board of Regents. Students from India and Germany 

will work alongside UW Oshkosh students through 

interactive online classes. Students also will have the 

opportunity to observe businesses in the three countries 

first-hand. Dean of Business Michael Rebstock, of 

the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, 

Germany; E. Alan Hartman, UW Oshkosh College 

of Business dean; and Director D. Nagabrahmam, 

T.A. Pai Management Institute, India, signed the 

letter of agreement to create the Global MBA Program. 

De Diemar, ’88, Leads 

Integrated Marketing Strategy 

Jeanette De Diemar, ’88, a marketing and communications 

leader with international experience in the 

private sector, higher education and government, has 

been named executive director of integrated marketing 

and communications at UW Oshkosh. 

Since 2001, De Diemar served as the business 

marketing director for @Wales, the Welsh Assembly 

Government’s business acceleration program devoted 

to growing the Welsh digital media sector. De Diemar 

holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from Kansas 

State University. Her post-graduate research examined 

the relationship between the military and the media, and 

the role of media relations during crises. 

“We can be proud of the quality and distinctiveness 

of UW Oshkosh, but it’s our responsibility to enhance 

two-way communication so the public knows what we 

have to offer and we know what our 

citizens want and need from us,” 

said Chancellor Richard H. Wells. 

“With 18 years of leadership in integrated 

marketing, Dr. De Diemar 

will help us revamp and combine 

our decentralized communications 

and marketing efforts.”

Sustainability Team First in System 

Chancellor Richard H. Wells and Provost Lane 

Earns formally announced the appointment of the 

UW Oshkosh Sustainability Team. The panel has 

been charged to devise a plan to promote environmental 

responsibility on campus. 

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O 


titan sports 

FOR TITAN SCHEDULES, VISIT 

www.titans.uwosh.edu 

Gala Highlights Kalinoski Premiere 

Award-winning playwright Richard Kalinoski unveiled 

his newest play, A Crooked Man, in a gala performance 

in February at the UW Oshkosh Fredric March 

Theatre. At the reception, 

guests had the 

chance to meet 

director Roseann 

Sheridan as well as 

the performers who 

included Broadway 

actor Danton Stone. 

MBA Students in Top 5% Nationally 

UW Oshkosh business graduate students scored in the 

95th percentile among national participants in the 2006 

Educational Testing Service field exam. This is the 

second year in a row that UW Oshkosh students have 

ranked in the top 5 percent nationally on the exam. 

Rec and Wellness Center Takes Shape 

Construction of the new, $21-million Student 

Recreation and Wellness Center is well underway. 

The 104,000-square-foot facility, expected to open 

in fall 2007, will include five multipurpose rooms, three 

basketball courts, a three-lane walking/jogging track, 

two golf simulators and a 14,000-square-foot cardio 

room. 

Artist Designs Coin 

Art professor Richard Masters’ 

design was chosen for the 2007 commemorative 

coin, marking the 50th anniversary 

of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High 

School. It is the second design by Masters selected for 

coins created by the U.S. Mint. Masters also designed 

Nebraska’s new Chimney Rock quarter minted last spring. 

Soon, a second UW Oshkosh artist will help the 

U.S. Mint design coins and medals. Oshkosh native 

Mark Kuettner is one of four student designers chosen 

by the U.S. Mint for its expanded Artistic Infusion 

Program (AIP) “to enrich and invigorate the design of 

coins and medals.” 

With the latest AIP appointments—including 

master, associate and student designers—two of the 

program’s 18 artists are from UW Oshkosh. 

“It was a major competition, and I was proud 

of myself just for entering it,” said Kuettner, an 

Oshkosh North graduate who has returned to school 

part-time and expects to graduate with an art degree 

in December 2007. 

Design Team Wins Midwest Award 

A UW Oshkosh team won a design award in the 

“Best Viewbook” category in December at the Council 

for Advancement and Support of Education District V 

Awards Program in Chicago. 

The honor—one of two Silver awards in the 

category—was for a creative viewbook, “Brains and 

Brawn: The Strength of a 

Business Degree,” for students 

considering a business degree. 

Creators of the awardwinning 

publication were 

Kathy Fredrickson, MBA ’99, 

Heidi Heidenreich Nowicki, 

’92, Debra Pulvermacher, 

Dylan Stolley, ’98, Dean 

Gatz and Cindy Iwata. 

Football Coach Resigns 

after Making Titan History 

W 

hen the UW Oshkosh 

Titans head football coach 

Phil Meyer announced his 

resignation in January, he left very big 

cleats to fill. 

Meyer left his position of seven 

years to become the offensive line 

coach for the University of Minnesota, 

but not before making a mark 

with the Titans. 

Meyer helped restore pride in UW Oshkosh’s NCAA 

Division III football program, after more than 30 

years of disappointing records. During the past three 

seasons, Meyer led the Titans to win 17 games, a record 

surpassed only twice in the program’s 112-year history. 

The 2005 season also marked the first winning football 

record since 1995. 

Throughout his six years as head coach, Meyer had 

the opportunity to work with defensive coordinator 

Pat Cerroni, who was named the interim head coach 

following Meyer’s announcement. A national search will 

begin this fall to fill UW Oshkosh’s permanent position. 

During his final season last fall, Meyer guided 

the Titans to a 5-5 record and finished fourth in the 

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 

a 3-4 record. 

UW Oshkosh To Host NCAA Championships 

Memorial Day Weekend 

UW Oshkosh becomes the first school to host two 

different NCAA Division III championships 

on the same weekend and just the third to host 

two different NCAA Division III championships during 

the same academic year. 

UW Oshkosh will host the NCAA Division III 

Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field 

PA G E 4 PA G E 75 

Coach Inducted into Track 

and Field Hall of Fame 

UW Oshkosh head women’s 

cross country and women’s 

track and field coach Deb 

Vercauteren was inducted into the 

U.S. Track and Field and Cross 

Country Coaches Association Hall of 

Fame. 

After more than 25 years, Vercauteren 

has decorated Titan trophy cases 

with awards, including 17 National Collegiate Athletic 

Association (NCAA) Division III titles and 36 Intercollegiate 

Athletic Conference championships. Vercauteren 

was honored for these accomplishments when she 

became the only female among 11 male coaches to be 

inducted into the association in 2006. 

Vercauteren led student athletes who earned 171 

All-America awards for outdoor track and field as well 

as 117 for indoor events. UW Oshkosh also holds three 

national titles in relay events. 

Besides coaching track and field, Vercauteren has 

served as the head women’s cross country coach at 

UW Oshkosh since 1981. That season, she nursed the 

sport from infancy and the following year, took the 

Titans to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Division 

III Championship. 

In addition to her coaching responsibilities, 

Vercauteren also serves as assistant director of athletics 

at UW Oshkosh. 

championship May 24-26 at J. J. Keller Field at Titan 

Stadium in Oshkosh and the NCAA Division III Baseball 

championship May 25-29 at Fox Cities Stadium in 

Grand Chute. 

Lawrence University will join UW Oshkosh in sponsoring 

the NCAA Division III Baseball championship. 

UW Oshkosh also will host NCAA Division III 

championships in baseball and men’s and women’s 

outdoor track and field in 2008.

Liberal Education 

in the Community 

UW Oshkosh weaves culture of lifelong learning. 

By Natalie Johnson 

In the art of weaving, colorful threads 

combine to create intricate tapestries. 

Individual fibers come together to form a 

complex whole. 

This April, UW Oshkosh students will 

learn about using traditional weaving 

techniques and hand-dyed silks to 

create contemporary works of art through 

the designs of world-renowned abstract 

artist Rebecca Bluestone. 

“Instead of applying paint to canvas, I dye 

the fibers first and then, in essence, weave 

my canvas,” Rebecca said. “My desire to 

create art has always come from an intense 

need to communicate those aspects of human 

experience that exist in the interstices, 

the space between the words.” 

The lessons learned, however, likely will 

go beyond those related to the ancient 

textile art. 

Bluestone and her classical guitaristhusband 

Robert Bluestone will be on 

campus as part of a weeklong, collaborative 

residency called Woven Harmony, 

presented by the Grand Opera House, 

the Paine Art Center and Gardens and 

UW Oshkosh. 

An exhibit on campus of Rebecca Bluestone’s 

work runs April 2–27 at the Gail 

Floether Steinhilber Art Gallery, located 

on the third floor of Reeve Memorial 

Union. The residency will culminate with 

a performance at the Grand on Friday, 

April 27, at 7:30 p.m., showcasing Robert’s 

music and Rebecca’s tapestries. 

Bluestone’s “Wisconsin” 

Paine Director Aaron Sherer said the Bluestones 

use their art practices to share how 

creativity can affect business and science as 

well as personal healing and well-being. 

This partnership exemplifies how UW 

Oshkosh goes beyond its commitment to 

educating students to weaving a strong, 

liberally educated community through collaborations, 

cultural offerings and service 

activities. 

Robert and Rebecca Bluestone 

of Woven Harmony 

page 7

Culture of collaboration 

The Woven Harmony residency builds on recent 

successful UW Oshkosh-community collaborations, 

such as Shakespeare on the Fox, the Dragon Boat 

Races during Fall Fest on the Fox and last spring’s 

weeklong visit by Tibetan monks (far right). 

Oshkosh residents well remember when 33 

life-sized, fiberglass lions roared into town in 2004 

with the Pride of Oshkosh community art project, 

garnering nearly $414,000 in support through sponsorships, 

auctions (right) and other events. 

Proceeds from the project 

benefited the Oshkosh Public 

Library, the Oshkosh Area 

Community Foundation 

for grants for the arts, 

the Paine for artist 

residencies as well 

as the UW Oshkosh 

Foundation for 

arts scholarships. 

Project chair and artist Christie Charbonneau 

Wells said the Pride of Oshkosh not only raised funds, 

but also awareness of the arts. 

“UW Oshkosh’s presence increases the concentration 

of visual and performing artists in the community,” 

she said. “The university also brings an audience 

for the arts that supports a growing downtown 

gallery scene and increasing theatrical and musical 

performances.” 

Politically Savvy 

Civic engagement is what 

UW Oshkosh and its students, 

faculty and staff are all about, 

and political science professors 

David Siemers and Jim 

Simmons live, breathe and 

advocate getting involved. 

Simmons and Siemers might 

be the most frequently quoted 

individuals about the latest 

election news—other than elected 

officials—in area newspapers 

and on local radio and television 

broadcasts. 

Their work with students—in 

classes, as interns and through 

student political organizations 

representing both major parties— 

has prepared students to move on 

to good jobs in fields ranging from 

national political journalism to 

elected politics. 

Work by both, but especially 

Siemers, played no small role in 

producing the top-ranked student 

election turnout among UW campuses 

in the past two fall elections. 

Both also work with student 

organizations to schedule speakers 

and organize events about 

candidates and issues in local, 

state and national politics. They 

get classes and interns working 

in elections, and legislative and 

government offices. 

After he came to UW Oshkosh 

in 1989, Simmons, a former 

student activist himself at the 

University of Indiana, developed 

a course to get students involved 

in research that addresses real 

environmental and energy issues 

facing the community. He still 

teaches the course. Another one 

of his courses gets students involved 

in campaign management. 

Both Siemers and Simmons 

have served as faculty advisers to 

campus Democrat and Republican 

student organizations. 

Upper level political science 

courses at UW Oshkosh engage 

students in activities or research 

in the community. 

“Students need more than a 

college degree after they graduate,” 

Simmons said. “It’s important 

that while they’re in school, 

students don’t feel they’re disconnected 

from the community or 

that life somehow doesn’t begin 

until after they graduate. They 

need to be engaged early.” 

Siemers is a member of the 

campus American Democracy 

Project (ADP) committee, created 

to promote civic and community 

engagement by faculty 

members and students. Last fall, 

an ADP grant-funded project led 

to the campus becoming one of 

80 nationwide participating in a 

nonpartisan project to register 

and turn out young voters for 

the fall election. 

Eight student interns set up 

booths at Reeve Memorial Union 

(below), spoke to countless 

classes and helped organize five 

pre-election forums on issues 

and candidates, resulting in 

a record midterm election 

student turnout. 

“Those results showed 

that students are not 

only learning at the 

university, they’re also 

developing into good 

citizens,” Siemers 

said. The campus 

student political 

science association 

received $1,250 

as one of the top 

projects of Young 

Voters Strategies. 

—Frank Church 

page 9

Liberal arts tradition 

The true meaning of a “liberal 

education” often is confused by the 

political connotations of the word 

“liberal,” said John Koker, interim 

dean of the College of Letters and 

Science. “The original meaning of a 

liberal education was about citizens 

having the freedom to pursue education 

and free their minds from ignorance.” 

(Learn more about Koker’s 

John Koker 

own pursuit of a liberally educated life on page 17.) 

Since many societal problems, such as poverty 

and racial tension, are related to ignorance and fear 

of the unknown, a liberal education leads to a broader 

perspective on the world, he said. 

Chancellor Richard H. Wells puts it this way: 

“Our graduates are highly engaged, altruistic citizens. 

They make better decisions in their lives, 

workplace, community and family and have a 

track record of being creative problem-solvers 

who come up with novel ideas that lead to useful 

solutions.” 

These well-educated students carry their new skills 

into the workplace and our global society. “There is 

a snowball effect that leads to members of the community 

challenging each other’s ideas and raising 

everyone’s quality of life,” Koker said. 

In the last decade, national supporters of liberal 

education have emphasized its importance not just for 

the individual student, but also for society as a whole, 

leading to nurturing leaders and informed citizens. 

Study Abroad Fair 

In Wisconsin and at the 

national level, liberal education 

has an ardent supporter in 

Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton 

who has said: “We see clearly 

that a liberal education is quickly 

becoming the price of admission 

to the 21st century knowledge 

economy.” 

The UW System, with 

Barbara Lawton 

UW Oshkosh at the forefront, has 

stepped up to pilot an initiative known as Liberal 

Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), 

sponsored by the Association of American 

Colleges and Universities (www.aacu.org). 

“LEAP is an ambitious national campaign to 

champion the value of a liberal education–for 

individual students and for a nation dependent 

on economic creativity and democratic vitality,” 

Lawton said. 

Provost Lane Earns recently addressed 

the national meeting of the AAC&U on LEAP 

activities at UW Oshkosh. 

On campus, the College of Letters and Science 

offers a Liberal Arts Scholarship based on an essay 

contest. This year, Courtney Christopherson, 

a junior majoring in psychology, and Ahmed Sharif 

(below), a senior majoring in economics, each won 

a $1,000 award. 

In his essay, Sharif, of Fond du Lac, discussed 

many overlapping relationships among the arts, 

humanities and science, and how studying them 

enhances both education and life. 

“As students and soon-to-be graduates, we will 

eventually land in the world of work, the world of 

politics, the world of moral issues and all the rest. 

Simply put, we are destined for the integrated process 

of the real world. The best preparation we can 

have then, also integrates many perspectives and 

experiences,” he wrote. 

Image Makers 

UW Oshkosh’s Halsey Science 

Center has been home to a geographic 

information system (GIS) 

lab for more than 10 years, but 

it’s never been bigger or busier 

than it is these days. 

One reason for that is the 

National Science Foundation 

grant in 2003 that added 20 powerful 

new computers, specialized 

printers and other state-of-the-art 

New North Map 

equipment 

to 

make the 

20-station 

lab capable 

of doing 

the latest 

cartography, 

computer 

cartography, digital image 

processing and GIS. 

But the major reason is the 

work of Urban Planning Coordinator 

Michael Burayidi, assistant 

geography professor Mamadou 

Coulibaly and others, who are 

making the lab not only the 

ideal real-world learning 

tool for career-bound 

geography students 

but also a highly 

sought-after resource 

for area 

businesses and 

communities. 

New North 

Inc., the 

organization 

leading 

the region’s 

economic development 

efforts, 

is one of 

the lab’s many 

customers. 

“The lab can literally provide us 

with a clear picture of a huge volume 

and variety of demographic 

and geographic information critical 

to a business considering whether 

or not to locate somewhere in our 

18-county region,” said New North 

Executive Director Jerry Murphy. 

Students and faculty have created 

several GIS layers on social, 

economic, transportation and other 

characteristics for New North in 

anticipation of requests by potential 

business prospects for information 

on the region. The maps 

show everything from proximity 

to other metropolitan areas and 

population densities to interstate 

highway and railroad access. 

It’s just what New North can 

use to respond quickly to requests 

from businesses looking at northeastern 

Wisconsin as the site for 

a new manufacturing plant or 

company headquarters. 

“It’s a powerful resource,” 

Murphy said. “The department 

might regret the day they went 

public with this!” 

The GIS lab also is working 

with the Center for Community 

Partnerships, an organization 

launched by the university 

in 1998 to develop community 

and business partnerships. 

Burayidi and the geography 

department don’t take on 

just any project. They look for 

projects that can be good learning 

experiences for students 

while also meeting a community 

need. 

“We are working to make 

the lab self-sustaining,” Burayidi 

said. “That’s one reason we are 

taking on projects from communities 

and businesses. It’s not 

only an outstanding professional 

learning experience for our students 

but also a resource that 

can help communities allocate 

their resources most effectively 

and businesses become more 

successful, so they can remain 

in the region and continue to 

provide jobs.” 

Other recent GIS lab 

projects include: 

• Working with the Fond du 

Lac School District to map 

school boundaries and show the 

location of minority children, 

children with disabilities, those 

on reduced lunch programs and 

more. The goal: help the district 

allocate their resources more 

efficiently. 

• Crime mapping for the 

Oshkosh Police Department 

to help determine crime “hot 

spots” so the department can 

better deploy its resources. 

With GIS layers, the department 

can literally get a picture 

of where and what types of 

crimes are committed and the 

times when they are likely to 

occur so that police can be 

assigned in a way that might 

prevent some crimes from even 

happening. 

• City of Waupaca survey 

to develop zones within the city 

so that households could be 

randomly selected for survey 

work on economic development 

options for the city to attract 

new businesses. 

• Working with several business 

prospects to identify the 

best supply and delivery routes 

for them to cut down the cost 

of doing business and increase 

production efficiency. 

• Working with several 

businesses to help analyze the 

region to identify ideal market 

areas for the location of their 

business. 


page 11

Community impact 

Beyond educating students, a recent marketing 

opportunities study detailed the university’s 

wide-ranging impact (learn more www.uwosh.edu/ 

marketingprofile/2006/). 

“UW Oshkosh is, in fact, an economic engine and 

an educational, social and cultural anchor for the 

region,” said the study’s author Dennis K. Winters, 

vice president and research director of NorthStar 

Economics Inc. 

Area business leaders agree. 

“Located in the middle of the city, 

UW Oshkosh is what makes this 

community come alive,” said 

Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce 

President John Casper. “When 

the students arrive each fall, you can 

feel the energy as they reinvigorate 

the community. I don’t think I’d ever 

want to live in a community without John Casper 

a university. And, that quality of life 

is what companies want for 

their employees, too.” 

Continuing Education instructor 

Julia Flanagan teaches mosaic 

design to Jennifer Markuam in Omro. 

String Camp 

Historically Connected 

In one quiet office on the 

third floor of Polk Library, the 

doors open to the past and make 

meaningful connections with history. 

University Archivist Joshua 

Ranger leads the way to making 

the past accessible to all. 

Ranger (far right, with secondary 

education major Johnathon 

Patzwald) is in charge of proper 

preservation of university materials, 

but his job also entails overseeing 

the region’s records located here 

from the Wisconsin Historical 

Society (WHS). UW Oshkosh acts 

as host for WHS, one of 14 such 

centers in the state. 

Hosting the historical docu- 

ments in an area research center 

(ARC) means community members, 

faculty and students can 

conduct historical research with 

original manuscripts. Learning 

takes on new meaning when one 

can hold actual artifacts. 

That’s what led assistant professor 

of history Michelle Kuhl 

to bring her students into the 

archives to conduct research on 

the civil rights movement for her 

African American history class. 

“Joshua put together an amazing 

research experience for the 

students,” Kuhl said. “He found 

roughly a dozen collections pertaining 

to civil rights activism from 

the 1950s and 1960s. My students 

were able to study first-hand 

documents of people working in 

the Deep South to register voters, 

organize laborers and engage 

in other risky endeavors to help 

smash Jim Crow.” 

The research project gave 

students a connection to the past. 

They were deeply moved by the 

experience and wrote thoughtful 

papers about the civil rights era, 

Kuhl said. 

“There is nothing that compares 

to the gee whiz reaction a 

student has when handling historical 

documents—it’s amazing,” 

Ranger said. “A typical student reaction 

is, ‘Why didn’t I know about 

this before my senior year’” 

Holding an actual letter written 

by another college student 

who traveled south to register 

people to vote is entirely different 

from reading about it in a 

book. College students typically 

would not have access to these 

kinds of historical documents. 

“What makes the ARC network 

so unique is that materials 

can be transferred from any of 

the ARCs,” Ranger said. “If you 

are a student at UW Oshkosh 

but you want to research your 

home community in Onalaska, 

we can have your hometown 

records brought to us here for 

you. The only other state that 

will do that is Missouri.” 

These records include 

numerous local government 

records that are so useful 

to family and local history 

research. Though most of the 

100,000 cubic feet of system-wide 

collection available 

through UW Oshkosh is local 

government documents, a bit 

more than 10 percent are 

considered “manuscripts”— 

including letters, diaries and 

business records. 

“We’re here to help the 

community preserve 

its memory,” 

Ranger said. 

“Everyone has a right to their 

history.” 

The prospect of working with 

original documents is further 

sweetened when examining the 

collection’s scope. Those who 

wish to research materials at an 

ARC also may tap into WHS 

resources in Madison, a collection 

that includes many national 

—even international—documents. 

Students may research areas 

that include labor histories, 

mass communication, film and 

theatre history—or, as Kuhl’s 

class did—social action movements. 

Ranger encourages people 

to explore the archives, which 

are open to everybody in the 

community. All one has to do 

is fill out an annual registration 

form to browse the computerized 

catalogs of collections. 

“History humanizes us—it 

helps us see ourselves as part 

of a great chain of being,” he 

said. “To understand that, you 

need these leavings of those 

who came before us.” 

— by Heidi Heidenreich Nowicki 

page 13

During any given week, UW Oshkosh faculty, staff 

and students may perform experimental plays, serve 

as interpreters for overseas business deals, guide 

budding violinists through first recitals, register young 

adults to vote or point out the night sky’s constellations 

to a packed Buckstaff Planetarium. 

“It all adds to the quality of life in terms of social 

responsibility, civic engagement and an appreciation 

for the arts and music,” Koker said. 

From summer camps for school-aged children to 

study tours and classes for seniors, the educational 

and cultural opportunities at UW Oshkosh cover the 

lifespan. 

Each summer, UW Oshkosh’s 

Office of Continuing 

Education and Extension 

hosts a variety of 

programs for children 

from string, choir 

and theater camps 

to the weeklong 

GOAL program 

in which middle 

school students 

build robots, 

produce their 

own radio theater 

show or even 

discover the 

science of hunting 

and fishing. 

Scientific Women 

Educators know that 

encouraging students in 

the math and science fields 

is essential to fulfill technology 

needs at home and to compete 

abroad. But what happens when 

half of the population shies away 

from science 

The UW System Women and 

Science program, located at UW 

Oshkosh, works to adjust perceptions 

that keep girls and women 

from enrolling in science and 

pursuing science-based careers. 

Program director Susie Sandrin 

has been hard at work to create 

an environment that is welcoming 

to them. 

“Traditionally, science coursework 

has been geared toward men, 

and men are more competitive 

in how they learn,” Sandrin said. 

“Women and girls, by comparison, 

tend to learn more cooperatively. 

That was one place to start.” 

Sandrin (right with local 

student) oversees both the 

Women and Science and the 

Science Outreach programs at 

UW Oshkosh. While the Science 

Outreach program offers supplemental 

science outreach to 

primarily K-8 teachers in the 

region who want to enhance their 

science preparations, the Women 

and Science program focuses on 

college-level instructors and 

professors across the state. 

Through annual conferences 

and enrichment opportunities, 

Women and Science allows the 

educators to explore and revamp 

their instructional methods. 

“This pro-development program 

helps educators improve 

their approach to welcome women 

into their fields,” she said. 

Learning doesn’t have to stop after high school 

or college, as adults get in step with contemporary 

ballroom and Latin dancing classes or get creative 

with glass fusing and mosaic tile workshops. 

For those who prefer to view art or to be entertained 

by music and theatre, the campus offers a 

real tapestry of options. Hardly a day goes by that 

Reeve Memorial Union (below) isn’t alive with new 

sights, sounds and smells. 

“It’s the one entity in the city that offers a quality 

sample of all the artistic disciplines under one roof,” 

raves Reeve’s Arts and Marketing Coordinator 

Chris Haywood. 

Simple things, like greeting 

the class in gender-neutral terms, 

make a difference. By focusing on 

the significant—learning styles— 

and the seemingly insignificant— 

such as salutations—instructors 

can create an environment that 

addresses the needs of both male 

and female students. 

“The Women and Science 

Program has helped me to think 

about student-learning first, rather 

than instructor teaching,” said 

David Howard, associate professor 

of biology, UW-La Crosse. 

“The program has helped me to 

design and incorporate teaching 

and learning methods that are 

more student-active and more 

student-centered. In addition, 

it has helped me to recognize 

unintentional bias that might 

Besides the exhibitions by student, 

regional and national artists found 

in the Steinhilber gallery (right), 

works of art hang throughout 

the modern building. Reeve also 

offers live music Thursday nights 

in the Titan Underground, poetry 

reading and stand-up comedy in 

Mi-Taza Coffeehouse and 

delectable international luncheons 

on Wednesdays. 

In February alone, diners enjoyed 

chicken fajitas for El Dia del 

Amor, pork spare ribs for Mardi 

Gras BBQ and deep-fried catfish 

and hush puppies for the Black 

History Month Creole Luncheon. 

Almost every Wednesday for 

the past year, Robin Wiedoff, of 

Neenah, and her coworkers from 

Omni Glass and Paint in Oshkosh 

have made the trip across town for 

the popular $6 lunches. “It’s really 

nice to taste foods from other parts 

of the world,” she said. 

inhibit women or minorities 

from learning.” 

Howard now uses more 

interaction in his classes. He 

incorporates in-class problems, 

personal response systems and 

an anonymous question and 

comments box at the back of 

the lecture hall, in addition to 

more out-of-class support and 

clearly defined expectations. 

Whenever possible, he works 

to empower students by letting 

them decide topics or design 

experiments. 

National Science Foundation 

research finds that once 

women are enrolled in science, 

they continue at the same level 

as men—the problem is that 

they don’t enroll in the program 

at the same rate as their male 

counterparts. By the time girls 

reach college age, they are 

convinced that they 

are not as good 

at math 

and science. 

“What is distressing is that a 

lot of people think that the work 

is done, and women can choose 

whatever they want,” Sandrin 

said. “The reality is that when 

a girl is good at science, she 

is often encouraged to go into 

nursing because of the job opportunities 

in the field.” 

Sandrin works with younger 

women—as young as middle 

school—to address the science 

achievement gap at an earlier 

age and head off problems 

before they emerge, rather than 

when it is too late. 

One program, Astronomy is 

for Girls, Too, targets middleschool 

aged girls for a program 

that makes science come alive. 

Sandrin and her staff use this 

opportunity to convince the students, 

their parents and teachers 

why girls need to be encouraged 

in science. 

“We explain to the girls that 

they do just as well as boys on 

their science scores, but that 

perceptions are that boys are 

stronger in these areas,” she 

said. 

page 15

UW Oshkosh not only encourages students to 

continue a life of learning past graduation, but also 

offers older adults opportunities to pursue new 

interests following retirement. 

With more than 300 members, the university’s 

Learning in Retirement (LIR) organization offers 

courses about everything from Asian cuisine to 

archeological findings in northeastern Wisconsin. 

College students will be jealous to know that these 

courses involve classes and instructors but no tests 

or grades. 

Astronomy is for Girls, 

Too participants 

The astronomy program is 

just a part of a larger effort to 

provide enrichment opportunities, 

said Ted Lenz, a seventhgrade 

science teacher at Winneconne 

Middle School. “The 

girls’ response to the program 

has been positive. We all felt it 

was well worth our time spent,” 

he said. 

The positive response could 

help reverse trends. When 

computer science was new, no 

stereotypes about who could be 

a computer scientist existed, 

and enrollment was about equal. 

Now, only 25 percent of students 

enrolled in computer science are 

women. 

“The reality is that information 

technology is a very family 

friendly career, but women 

shy away from it,” Sandrin 

explained. 

Sandrin has her work cut 

out for her, but she finds her 

audience—from middle-school 

aged girls to middle-aged male 

professors—receptive to her 

message. 

When Bernard Olejniczak moved to Oshkosh 

in 1997, joining LIR proved to be “a big ice breaker.” 

He has met many interesting and good friends 

through the organization and enjoys learning 

something new almost every week. 

Teaching an educational leadership class on 

campus as a College of Education and Human 

Services ad hoc faculty member also keeps 

Olejniczak busy. 

“But I’m torn sometimes,” he said, “between 

the classes I teach and the ones I want to take.” 

Spoken like a true lifelong learner. 

“I think that the Women 

and Science Program is great 

at helping faculty incorporate 

teaching and learning strategies 

that better support women and 

minorities,” Howard said. “However, 

the teaching and learning 

techniques that improve learning 

for women and minorities also 

help white males learn better, as 

well. So, the program is really 

about improving the teaching of 

science, engineering and math 

to everyone.” 

— by Heidi Heidenreich Nowicki 

Italian Interpreter 

Franca Barricelli, History Department Chair 

The worlds of faculty 

scholarship and 

regional business have 

converged in a number 

of interesting ways 

for Franca Barricelli, 

history department 

chair. 

Barricelli, whose 

specialty is Italian 

cultural history, is 

fluent in Italian and 

has tutored community members in Italian language and 

culture since the late 1990s. It was in this capacity that 

UW Oshkosh’s Center for Community Partnerships 

contacted her to serve as an Italian interpreter for an area 

business. 

The company was hosting a dozen businessmen from 

northern Italy. Since none of the visiting party spoke a 

word of English, Barricelli brought her expertise in Italian 

language and culture to unite the two groups. 

“It was a week of corporate jets, site visits, explaining 

the nuances of different business practices–a far cry from 

my daily routine at UW Oshkosh,” Barricelli said. “I 

even found myself on a quail hunt with them.” 

Her contributions helped the company expand its 

European operations in Italy. 

Barricelli’s role as one of the Fox Valley’s Italian 

experts has helped her secure the business prospects of 

others, too. 

She tutored a member of the Wisconsin Family 

Business Forum, whose interests in generational family 

activities led him to Italy. Unlike local family businesses, 

which may go back only two or three generations, 

Italian family-run companies can reach back centuries, 

providing a more time-tested model for family business 

practice. 

“Businesses recognize that we in the liberal arts can 

help provide the context for more informed decisions 

based on the integration of different cultural perspectives,” 

Barricelli said. 

Barricelli has been a fellow at the Institute for 

Research in the Humanities in Madison and a fellow 

at an N.E.H. Seminar in Cambridge, Mass. In 2004, 

she received the UW Oshkosh Distinguished Teaching 

Award. 

—Heidi Heidenreich Nowicki 

O 


People of Pride 

Liberal Artist 

John Koker, College of Letters and Science Interim Dean 

There’s nothing 

simple about John 

Koker. And there are 

no boundaries to his 

creative expression as 

math professor, dean 

and, yes, as an actor 

on stage. 

As an undergraduate 

at St. Norbert 

College, he participated 

in athletics and 

theatre while majoring in mathematics. Before his first 

play, his biggest concern was memorizing the lines. 

During the first class he taught as a new professor in 

1990 at what was then Potsdam College in New York, 

he lectured from note cards. 

Now, the lines are far less important than the creative 

development of the character in his plays. And to 

his classes, Koker brings things like cards and dice rather 

than note cards and leaves most of the talking to his 

students. 

“Theatre and mathematics are both creative fields,” 

Koker said. “The lines are just one tool an actor uses 

to develop the character. In math, you have to know 

the skills, but there’s so much more you can go on to 

through creative application of those skills.” 

That’s the essence of Koker’s work as an awardwinning 

math professor and chair at UW Oshkosh, and 

now as interim dean of the College of Letters and 

Science. He joined the UW Oshkosh math faculty in 

1991. 

“The wonderful thing about a campus with a strong 

liberal arts program like ours is that everyone gets the 

opportunity to appreciate a wide range of disciplines and 

ideas,” he said. “I think I became a better math professor 

and department chair because I was in some plays.” 

Koker won the UW System Regents Teaching 

Excellence Award last year to become the fourth 

UW Oshkosh professor to win an honor that has gone 

to only 30 UW System professors. 

In 2004, he was awarded the John McNaughton 

Rosebush Professorship for excellence in teaching, 

research and service. He also received a 2002 

UW Oshkosh Distinguished Teaching Award and 

was a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow in 1999-2000. 


PA G E 1 7

O 


O 


H 

e’s covered the 2004 presidential campaign and 

the scandal surrounding the leaked identity of 

CIA agent Valerie Plame. Jim VandeHei, an 

Oshkosh native who graduated from UW Oshkosh in 

1995, is at the top of the political heap in Washington, 

D.C. 

After six years as a national political reporter for 

the Washington Post, VandeHei is at the helm of a new 

media venture that aims to have the best coverage of 

national politics in town. 

Alumni at Work 

Politics—but not journalism—is business as usual for alum covering Capitol Hill 

James VandeHei, ’95, (left) stops to read an e-mail during the 

busy launch day of The Politico. VandeHei (above) works with 

a reporter on an article about Sen. Russ Feingold. 

For VandeHei, being a 

double major at UW Oshkosh 

was a huge benefit for his career. 

Having a minor or second major 

is especially beneficial for journalism 

graduates, because the demand 

for reporters with expertise 

in specific topic areas is high. 

He praised the journalism 

program, but it was his second 

major —political science—that 

really gave him an edge. “I never would have come (to 

Washington) if it hadn’t been for the political science 

department,” he said. 

During his time at UW Oshkosh, he applied for an 

internship with Sen. Herb Kohl. The other applicants 

were looking to get into politics themselves, but VandeHei’s 

goal was different—he wanted to write about 

politics. “I wanted to see it from the inside out,” he said. 

And he knew he was on the right track after working 

for Kohl: “I decided this was what I wanted to do,” 

he said. 

VandeHei, ’95, prepares for a TV interview. 

After graduating, he moved to the nation’s capital, 

where he worked his way up the political journalism 

ladder. A job at a small publication called New Fuels 

Report led to writing for one called Inside the New 

Congress. The rest is history: VandeHei earned his reputation 

at the political newspaper Roll Call, the Wall 

Street Journal and finally the Washington Post. 

After six years at the Post, VandeHei and his colleague 

Mark Harris began tossing around the idea of 

starting their own media venture. The concept: highquality 

political reporting, with a conversational tone 

that made it interesting for readers. 

“We started asking around, seeing if anyone might 

want to invest in this,” VandeHei said. As it turned out, 

the stars were aligned in their favor—Allbritton Communications 

was interested, and the deal was sealed “in 

about a day,” he said. 

Virtually overnight, VandeHei went straight from 

reporter to executive editor. Now, instead of spending 

all day on the phone with Capitol Hill sources, he’s running 

his own media organization. 

However, he likes being in charge; the best part is 

“hiring people I’ve always admired,” he said. 

Although media startups can be risky business, VandeHei 

thinks he made the right decision. 

“It’s such a great opportunity,” he said. “Life doesn’t 

give you many opportunities like that, and you have to 

take them as they come.” 

On its first day of publication, Jan. 23, The Politico 

was going strong. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor 

of New York City, was spotted carrying a copy, as was 

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. 

The publication itself got its 

own kind of media attention, as 

prominent bloggers and media 

critics weighed in online. 

VandeHei and his media 

director, Kim Kingsley, spent 

much of that first day loading 

and reloading drudgereport.com 

to see if any of their Web stories 

were linked. The Drudge Report 

is one of the most popular “news 

roundup” sites on the Web, and a 

link on its front page means a lot 

of extra hits on your own site. 

As it turned out, Drudge 

linked to not one, but two 

Politico articles, helping send 

an impressive 800,000 visitors 

to politico.com on that first day 

alone. 

The newspaper will publish 

three times a week when Congress 

is in session, but the main 

focus is on the Web, where reporters keep blogs, and a 

running list of “Politicos on Air” is constantly updated. 

VandeHei, Harris and other Politico reporters 

frequently appear on major news networks to weigh 

in on the day’s top Capitol Hill stories. On Jan. 23, 

they logged at least 15 television spots, including an 

appearance by VandeHei on CBS after President 

George Bush’s State of the Union address. 

Yet despite all the media attention and a nearcelebrity 

status among D.C. journalists, VandeHei 

appears to remain grounded. His office desk, while 

cluttered with piles of books written by politicians, also 

features several photos of his wife and two children— 

plus some Green Bay Packers memorabilia. And he was 

concerned about how this article would read. 

“My parents are going to read it and think I do 

nothing but work,” he laughed. 

—Stephanie Barnard 

Editor’s Note 

Stephanie Barnard, 

a UW Oshkosh senior 

majoring in journalism, is 

the managing editor of the 

student-run Advance Titan. 

She was chosen by the journalism 

department to go on 

assignment and job shadow 

Jim VandeHei, during 

January’s interim session. 

Stephanie Barnard 

PA G E 1 8 

PA G E 1 9

foundationnews 

20 


uw 


Foundation Welcomes 

Community to Campus 

The Foundation held its first community breakfast Sept. 

19 at Reeve Memorial Union. About 100 guests gathered 

to hear A Charge to Leaders, an address delivered by 

Foundation board member Craig C. Culver, CEO of Culver 

Franchising Systems Inc. 

Other speakers included then-Board Chairman Walter J. 

Scott Jr. of W. F. Coe & Associates, Foundation President 

Arthur H. Rathjen and Sarah Schettle of Oshkosh, a senior 

pre-med student majoring in chemistry and Spanish, 

who has received national recognition for her academic 

and athletic achievements. 

“The Report to the Community breakfast provided an 

outstanding opportunity to share with local leaders the 

exciting progress taking place at the Foundation and the 

University,” said John Wollner, Foundation Outreach 

Committee chairman. “We’re looking forward to making 

this an annual event.” n 

New Foundation Funds 

The Foundation is proud to announce the establishment 

of the following new funds and awards, which provide 

scholarship support, recognition of student achievements 

and enhanced departmental resources. Our appreciation 

is extended to the many donors who enrich students’ 

educational experiences and advance the standing of the 

University. 

n Accounting Faculty Scholarship is awarded to a juniorlevel 

accounting major who has completed intermediate 

accounting or cost management and shows a high level of 

achievement in academic and extra-curricular activities. 

n Accounting Student Organization Scholarship is 

granted to an accounting major who has completed intermediate 

accounting or cost management and is a member 

of an accounting student organization. Applicants must 

show a high level of achievement in academic and extracurricular 

activities. 

n Andrews Family Outstanding SCEC Service Award is 

given to a student pursuing a degree in special education. 

Applicants must demonstrate outstanding service to the 

Student Council for Exceptional Children and the special 

education department. Marlene (BS ’72, MSE ’75) and 

Charles (BS ’71) Andrews are UW Oshkosh alumni, and 

Marlene is an instructor in the College of Education and 

Human Services. 

n Beta Gamma Sigma Scholarship recognizes elite business 

students for exceptional achievement. The College 

of Business will match any funds the international honor 

society awards to UW Oshkosh students. 

give to the fund 

of your choice 

Contributions to the fund of your choice may be 

sent to the UW Oshkosh Foundation using the 

envelope included in this publication. Online 

gifts are accepted at http://www.uwosh.edu/ 

foundation/donationform.php 

n Bollom Family Scholarship, by Dan and Penny Bollom 

through the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, is 

awarded to a first-year student from Winnebago County or 

Brown County. 

n Clifton Gunderson Scholarship is awarded to a senior 

accounting major with a grade-point average of at least 

3.5. The recipient must possess outstanding qualities of 

character, scholastic ability and leadership. 

n Finance Faculty Scholarship recognizes students with 

leadership skills and academic achievement in finance 

and related business courses. 

n Library Excellence Fund provides discretionary monies 

to enhance collections and services at Forrest R. Polk 

Library. 

n Lee I. McCann Psychology Fund was established by 

McCann, psychology professor and former department 

chair and associate vice chancellor. The fund will support 

the psychology department’s facilities and programs. 

n Linda Knapp McCreery Memorial Scholarship is 

awarded through a grant from the Linda Knapp McCreery 

Memorial Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation 

to help motivated, single mothers fulfill their educational 

objectives. McCreery became sensitive to the need 

for this support through her years of work in the UW Oshkosh 

financial aid and academic advising departments. 

n Medical Technology Department Fund supports 

departmental expenses for equipment, student travel and 

other needs. 

n Northeast Wisconsin Project Management Institute 

Scholarship is awarded to an MBA student pursuing the 

project management emphasis. 

n Theatre Department Fund was created to benefit the 

UW Oshkosh theatre department. 

n Wipfli Ullrich Bertelsen Scholarship is awarded to an 

accounting major who has completed intermediate accounting 

or cost management. Applicants must show a high level 

of achievement in academic and extra-curricular activities. 

n Robert Wonders Endowment was established by the 

family of the late mathematics professor, who taught at 

UW Oshkosh from 1946 to 1992 and served as mathematics 

department chair for 21 years. He was instrumental 

in the formation of mathematics programs in elementary 

education, the MST degree program in mathematics and 

the institution of the math placement program. Wonders 

also was the first director of the student union and one of 

the first advisers to veterans returning as students. n 

Bequests Support 

Scholarship Programs 

n Doris R. Bloye of Oshkosh, who died in June 2006, 

created a scholarship for UW Oshkosh nursing students 

through her estate plans. The Doris Robbins Pletner Bloye 

Scholarship is intended to encourage nursing students 

interested in caring for seniors in long-term care facilities. 

Selection will be based on character, academic achievement 

and involvement in community service activities. 

n Dr. Margaret Jean Seay Lippert of Oshkosh died in 

January 2006. She was a former family and child psychiatrist 

as well as a volunteer missionary in Mexico. Her 

estate plans included a bequest to the David J. Lippert 

Memorial Scholarship fund, named for her late husband, 

former chair of the journalism department and founder of 

the journalism program. The scholarship is awarded to a 

student with a strong career interest in the news editorial 

side of journalism. 

n Mary E. Willey of Winneconne, who died in April 2006, 

designated a portion of her estate to establish two scholarship 

funds at the Foundation: one to support junior-level 

education students and another for students of color. 

n In recognition and appreciation 

of those who establish a 

planned gift to UW Oshkosh, 

the UW Oshkosh Foundation 

has created the Rose Legacy 

Society. If you have named the 

Foundation as a beneficiary 

of a planned gift, we would be 

happy to welcome you as a 

member of the society. Please 

call the Foundation at (920) 

424-2178 for more information. n 

Huseboe to Lead Nursing 

Advancement Efforts 

Colleen Huseboe has joined the Foundation as an 

advancement officer for the College of Nursing. She 

brings to the position more than 10 years of corporate 

sales experience, most recently with Kohler Corporation, 

as well as board-level experience with various 

fundraising organizations, including 

United Way. She received her 

bachelor’s degree in 1991 from 

Villanova University. Huseboe said, 

“I intend to use my fundraising skills 

and corporate contacts to expand 

sources of funding and goodwill for 

the many worthy projects in the 

College of Nursing.” n 

2007 foundation board 

leadership elected 

The UW Oshkosh Foundation is pleased to announce the 

officers elected to its board of directors for the 2007 term. 

CHAIRMAN 

Gregory J. Cleven, ’86 BBA 

President and Chief Executive 

Officer 

HyperX Systems LLC 

Secretary/Treasurer 

David L. Omachinski, ’74 BBA 

Executive Management Consultant 

Immediate Past Chairman 

Walter J. Scott Jr. 

W. F. Coe & Associates 

Vice Chairman 

Elizabeth A. Wyman, ’81 BBA, 

’93 MBA 

Community friend 

Chairman, Membership 

Committee 

Katherine M. Reff, ’76 BBA 


Chairman, Outreach 

Committee 

John M. Wollner, ’95 MBA 

Corporate Relations Director 

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans 

21 

foundationnews

alumninews 

22 

alumninews 

uw 

alumninews 

Alumni E-Mail Now Available 

When it comes to staying in touch with friends, nothing 

beats e-mail. Now the UW Oshkosh Alumni Association’s 

newest alumni benefit is making it easier than ever to contact 

former classmates and friends. A free e-mail account 

is available to every alum, and nearly 800 have already 

signed up. 

Accounts can be set up to forward all messages to 

another address. That means e-mail address changes 

won’t impact the delivery of e-mail, as long as the forwarding 

address is current. 

New graduates may request their 

student TitanMail messages be forwarded 

into the new alumni account. 

Sign up now! Visit http://alumni. 

uwosh.edu/ for more information or 

to request an e-mail account. 

JOIN US 

in the dells 

Join friends and fellow alumni in Wisconsin Dells 

April 20–22 at the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort. 

The UW Oshkosh Alumni Association has partnered 

with the resort to offer a special weekend just 

for alumni and friends of UW Oshkosh. Plan now 

and enjoy a special rate of $109 per night per room. 

The alumni weekend is the third annual in 

the Dells. Last year’s event drew nearly 100 

UW Oshkosh alumni and friends. 

Alumni Director 

Christine Gantner 

said the event is great 

for all ages. “This is 

a unique opportunity 

to meet your Oshkosh 

friends in a relaxing 

and fun environment, 

in which all the planning 

has been done for you,” she said. 

A reception for alumni and their guests will be 

held Saturday evening. Make reservations by calling 

(800) 867-9453 or online at www.wildernessresort. 

com/. 

Homecoming 

2006-2007 

UW Oshkosh alumni and friends celebrated 

Homecoming 2006 with a variety of fun-filled 

activities highlighting the pride of Titans everywhere. 

Grand Parade Marshal Ed Roland, ’93, and 

the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile headlined 

many events, thrilling children and adults alike. 

“After not being back on campus for more 

than 10 years, I was able to see all the great 

things that have been done on campus and talk 

to some incredible students, alumni and faculty,” 

Roland said. “It made me more proud than 

ever to be part of the alumni of UW Oshkosh.” 

Titan spirit was alive and strong as alumni 

gathered to reunite with classmates and friends, 

share memories, cheer on the home team and 

see the growth and progress that has taken 

place on campus over the years. 

Friday’s Golden Titans Luncheon, campus 

tours and Alumni Awards Dinner provided the 

perfect venues for reminiscing. Saturday’s activities 

began with breakfast at Pollock Alumni House, 

followed by the traditional Homecoming parade. 

Then the celebration moved across the river to 

pre-game tents south of the Oshkosh Sports Complex, 

where free food and entertainment enticed 

hundreds of alumni to brave the cold. 

Later, the Titan football team took on UW- 

Platteville at J. J. Keller Field in a game that was 

filled with alumni spirit. Saturday evening, the 

second annual young alumni reception and several 

fraternity and sorority reunions capped the day’s 

activities. 

Pregame event contributors included Oscar 

Mayer, Festival Foods, Subway, Wingers, Pizza 

Hut, Quiznos, UW Oshkosh Credit Union, Zion 

Lutheran Church, and Jim Miazga, ’74, president, 

Oneida Sales and Service. 

save the date 

OCT. 5–6 

homecoming 2007 

Homecoming weekend 2007 will be held 

Oct. 5-6, as the Titans take on the UW-Stout 

Blue Devils. Watch the alumni Web site for more 

information: www.homecoming.uwosh.edu/. 

Want to plan a Homecoming reunion Need 

help finding former classmates Contact the 

Alumni Relations Office by calling (877) 

UWO-ALUM or e-mail alumni@uwosh.edu. 

Tour Germany and the 

Czech Republic 

The UW Oshkosh Alumni Association will partner with 

group travel specialist GoNext to offer a trip to Germany 

and the Czech Republic Sept. 19–27. 

Travelers will experience a land of diverse, cultural 

traditions and stunning natural beauty in the heart of 

Europe, a majestic and historic region dotted with fairytale 

castles and picturesque medieval villages. 

More information is available by contacting GoNext at 

www.gonext.com/uwok/index.htm or (800) 842-9023 or 

(952) 918-8950. 

TKE reunion Planned 

during Homecoming 2007 

A reunion of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, Kappa 

Phi Chapter, will be held during Homecoming 2007, Oct. 

5–6. A planning committee met at last year’s Homecoming 

celebration. Contact Jerry Hummel at jhummel1@new. 

rr.com for details. 

Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity brothers, from left, 

Jerry Hummel, ’68 and MSE ’70; Dale Krans; ’68; 

Jim Mayer, ’69; and Gary Hanson, ’70 and MS ’76, 

gathered during Homecoming 2006 to plan the group’s 

40th anniversary celebration. 

Alumni Association 

Focuses on Chapter 

Development 

The Alumni Association Board of Directors recently 

developed materials to assist alumni in forming 

alumni chapters. An alumni chapter agreement and 

letter of intent are available online at www.uwosh. 

edu/alumni/chapters/. 

Alumni chapters may be based on geographical 

location or affinity relationships. Active alumni 

chapters already exist in the College of Business and 

the College of Education and Human Services. The 

Black Alumni Chapter hosted its first event March 2 

in Milwaukee. For more information, contact Christine 

Gantner at alumni@uwosh.edu. 

23 

alumninews

alumninews 

alumninews 

24 

alumninews 

orlando 

alumni 

Orlando alumni event 

hosted by Dorian Boyland 

Orlando area alumni and friends 

gathered Jan. 7 at the home of 

Dorian “Doe” Boyland, president 

and founder of Boyland Auto Group, 

one of the largest automobile dealers 

in the country, with nine dealerships 

in five states. 

The event began with cocktails 

and hors d’oeuvres at Boyland’s 

Mercedes-Benz of South Orlando, 

and guests were bussed to his home. 

More than 70 people enjoyed 

reminiscing over dinner and hearing 

from Chancellor Richard H. Wells 

about the new academic building, 

expanded academic programs and 

recent increases in enrollment, grants and private 

support. During the evening, guests were offered a 

helicopter ride over Boyland’s neighborhood. 

Boyland attended UW Oshkosh from 1972 to 

1976 and played both baseball and basketball before 

beginning his career in professional baseball. He was 

drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates 

in 1976 and played for seven years, including the 

1979 World Series. 

Chuck Savino, ’67, was impressed by Boyland’s 

story of growing his business to extraordinary heights 

New career services 

Offerings Available 

Alumni now have access to two new features in Titan- 

Jobs, UW Oshkosh’s powerful job bank and on-campus 

recruitment database. Users now can build a personalized 

portfolio using Folio21. Job hunters can highlight their 

work experience, customize viewing for specific employers 

and track who looks at their portfolio. Folio21 offers 25 

megabytes of storage. 

“It allows users to create a truly customized resume, 

because they can post as little or as much information as 

they want,” said Frank Holmes, alumni career adviser. 

The other new service is Going Global, which 

allows alumni and students to search more than 100,000 

resources to find employment in the United States and 

abroad. 

Dorian Boyland and his UW Oshkosh 

Coach Bob White enjoyed reminiscing 

during the Orlando alumni event. 

from very humble beginnings. “As both a graduate 

and member of the Foundation Board of Directors, it 

pleased me to experience one of our young graduates 

sharing his success with other university alumni and 

faculty,” Savino said. “Not only had Dorian revealed 

a sense of deep humility, but also acknowledged how 

the university and faculty were instrumental in assisting 

him in achieving his lifelong goals.” 

Orlando area alumni enjoyed meeting one another 

and expressed interest in future gatherings. 

All Going Global listings are updated daily. Searches 

can be both industry-specific and location-specific. The 

site highlights employment opportunities and trends and 

provides networking groups. Resume guidelines, work 

permit and visa regulations and cost of living information 

are just a few of Going Global’s other features. 

All alumni are eligible for a TitanJobs account. 

There is a one-time fee of $25. 

For general information about 

TitanJobs, visit www.uwosh.edu/ 

career/TitanJobs.php. 

To learn more about career 

services for UW Oshkosh alumni, 

contact Holmes at (920) 424-0743 

or holmes@uwosh.edu. 

Class Notes 

58 Phillip Lampert (EHS) 

recently traveled to his childhood 

home in Panama, where 

he and his wife, Helen Lampert 

(EHS), ’65, visited his former 

home and school. They live in 

Appleton. Phillip is a retired 

cartographer and Helen a 

retired teacher. 

67 Daniel Kozie (LS) is an 

otolaryngology (ears, nose and 

throat) surgeon at Surgical Associates 

NW of Auburn, Wash. 

He and his wife, Emily, live in 

Seattle, Wash. 

68 William Heins (LS), ’76 

MSE, recently retired from 

American Express Financial Advisors 

Inc. He lives in Presque 

Isle with his wife, Judith. 

69 Robert Meisel (LS) owns an 

optometry business in Lemon 

Grove, Calif. In 2003, he retired 

from the Navy Reserve. 

70 Robert Bonack (LS) 

has worked for the National 

Weather Service since 1975 

and currently is data acquisition 

program manager at the headquarters 

in Kansas City, Mo. 

Gregory Tate (EHS), MSE ’78 

and his wife, Judy Tate (EHS), 

’71, both recently retired from 

teaching in the Appleton district. 

He taught for 34 years and 

Judy for 30. 

71 Kathy (Mortwedt) Hanson 

(EHS) retired from the federal 

government as an area director 

for the Social Security Administration’s 

Chicago region. 

72 Frank Dewane (EHS) has 

been named Bishop of the 

Diocese of Venice, Fla., by 

Pope Benedict XVI. 

alumni 

highlights 

Lori (Pitzen) Doherty, 

’94 (LS) and MS ’99, is 

research coordinator for 

the World Trade Center 

Memorial Foundation. 

Her role is to coordinate 

the fundraising campaign 

and provide research on all potential 

major donors. The Memorial Plaza is 

expected to open Sept. 11, 2009. 

Doherty has a special connection to the 

project. Her husband, Rick, was a first 

responder on Sept. 11, 2001. The two 

were on their morning commute together 

and watched in horror as the towers fell. 

He rushed to the scene, and she blindly 

walked to her office several blocks away, 

Ralph Follendorf (B) is vice 

president of sales for Kell 

Container, a division of Great 

Northern Corporation. He 

and his wife, Kathleen, live in 

Colfax. 

Nannette (Meier) Hegerty, 

Milwaukee’s 19th police chief 

and the first woman to serve 

in the role, announced she will 

retire in November at the end of 

her fourth term. 

77 John Kaplinski (LS) graduated 

last year from Wartburg 

Theological Seminary in 

Dubuque, Iowa, with a master’s 

degree in divinity. Later, he was 

ordained a Lutheran minister 

in the Evangelical Lutheran 

Church in America. He serves 

Hixton Lutheran Parish in 

Hixton, Wis. 

Doherty in 

her office 

overlooking 

Ground Zero. 

78 Scott Griffith (B) is 

chief operating officer of the 

InTown Suites, a chain of 125 

extended-stay hotels. He and 

his wife, Linda, live in Fountain 

Hills, Ariz. 

79 Patricia Stuhr, MST, is 

chair of the Department of 

Art Education at Ohio State 

University. 

83 Timothy Walters (B) 

retired from the U.S. Army as 

a lieutenant colonel. He moved 

from Wiesbaden to Ansbach, 

Germany, to start a second career 

as a logistics management 

specialist with the U.S. Defense 

Logistics Agency. 

87 Jeffrey Griffith (LS) opened 

Jugular, an advertising agency, 

in New York City. 

not knowing where else to go. She could 

not confirm his safety until 6 p.m. 

This summer, foundations for the 

memorial and memorial museum will 

be laid, and both structures will be 

completed in fall 2008. Final steps 

of the project include paving the plaza 

in 2009, followed by tree planting— 

200 oak trees already have been 

purchased and tagged. 

25 

alumninews

alumninews 

alumninews 

26 

alumninews 

88 Heidi Schafhauser- 

Schmitz (LS), ’04 MSE, is a 

special education teacher at 

Green Bay East High School. 

She and her husband, James, 

live in Kaukauna. 

90 Trevy McDonald (LS) is 

a partner in a new publishing 

company, Highest Good 

Publications, home of Pocket 

Books for Your Soul. An office 

Gary Vossekuil, ’00 (LS), designed 

Appleton’s sesquicentennial lion, 

currently on display outside the Post- 

Crescent, 306 West Washington St., 

Appleton. The lion represents how the 

city of Appleton has evolved over the 

past 150 years. 

Why a lion Disney’s Lion King show, 

coming to the Performing Arts Center in 

May, coincides with the 

city’s sesquicentennial 

celebration. 

Vossekuil 

As senior marketing artist 

for Gannett Wisconsin 

Newspapers, Appleton, 

Vossekuil researched 

archive photos and 

articles at the Post- 

Crescent and Outagamie 

County Historical Society. 

His design shows city 

photos from the past 150 

years on one side of the 

lion, and present-day 

was opened in Chicago in June 

and another in North Carolina 

in October. 

Lori Richardson, MBA, joined 

Baylake Bank, Green Bay, as 

vice president of client relations. 

Lyn (Moede) Rogers (LS) was 

promoted to the rank of major 

in the U.S. Army Reserve. She 

is a G8 budget officer in the 

alumni 

highlights 

puts finishing 

touches on the 

sesquicentennial 

lion. 

84th U.S. Army Reserve Readiness 

Training Command. 

93 David (Netz) Norenberg 

(LS), ’96 MSE, is career 

services director at the State 

University of New York, Canton, 

N.Y. 

95 Michelle (Kuhn) Clark (LS) 

was recently promoted to senior 

trainer for museum operations 

with the J. Paul Getty Trust in 

Los Angeles. 

98 Jennifer Knueppel (LS) 

is marketing manager for the 

entertainment, promotions and 

radio department at Microsoft/ 

Xbox. She lives in Bellevue, 

Wash. 

D. Andrew Schultz (N) 

assumed the duties of a staff 

nurse at Oakhill Correctional 

Institution, a minimum security 

institution, in Oregon, Wis. 

College Avenue photos on the other. 

Running down the lion’s back and 

separating the two time periods is the 

Fox River, exemplifying its importance 

in the city’s development. 

“The most challenging issues I had were 

painting the images of the buildings and 

lettering,” Vossekuil said. “It took a lot of 

patience and little bit of luck.” 

Vossekuil also designed Appleton’s 

sesquicentennial logo. 

00 Jordan Dechambre- 

Childers (LS) won first place 

in the Milwaukee Press Club 

Excellence in Journalism 

Competition for best magazine 

cover design. 

01 Claudia (Diaz) Belcher 

(B) is the senior commodity 

manager for American Airlines 

in Tulsa, Okla. She and her 

husband, William, live in Broken 

Arrow, Okla. 

02 Wendi (Barinotti) Lucarelli, 

MBA, joined First National 

Bank’s Plymouth East office in 

Plymouth as a financial planner/ 

investment representative. 

Gene Schultz, MBA, is senior 

manufacturing engineer for 

Greenheck Fan Corporation. He 

is married to Kristina, and they 

live in Schofield. 

04 Rachael (Manke) Duster 

(N) is a critical care nurse at 

Gunderson Lutheran Medical 

Center in La Crosse. 

Eamon McKenna (EHS) is 

pursuing a master’s degree in 

multicultural education at UW- 

Milwaukee. He also teaches in 

the Hartland Arrowhead School 

District, and coaches crosscountry, 

track and basketball. 

Ross Mollet (LS) is a copywriter 

with ZGroup advertising Inc. in 

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

05 Angela Eiden (LS) is an 

associate market analyst for the 

Kohler Company. She currently 

lives in Milwaukee. 

06 Sarah Gietzel (EHS) is high 

school library media specialist 

in the Berlin School District. 

Colleges 

B Business 

EHS Education and 

Human Services 

LS Letters and Science 

N Nursing 

graduate degrees 

MA Master of Arts 

MS Master of Science 

MBA Master of Business 

Administration 

MSE Master of Science 

Education 

MSN Master of Science 

in Nursing 

MPA Master of Public 


MST Master of Science 

in Teaching 

Leah Kortsch (EHS) works 

for AmeriCorp in Madison, 

where she provides programs 

for middle school girls that 

promote self-esteem, equality, 

community service and other 

teen issues. 

Jason P. Mankowski (LS) is 

a microbiologist in the microbiology 

lab at Steripro Labs, 

a division of Sterigenics International, 

in Itasca, Ill. 

Alicia Nall (LS) is pursuing a 

juris doctorate and master’s 

degree in international affairs 

at Marquette University Law 

School in Milwaukee. 

Kristi Romberg, MSE, works 

at Wisconsin Dells High School 

as a special education teacher. 

She currently lives in Friendship. 

Katie Sasse (B) and (LS) is living 

in Germantown and working 

as the executive team leader of 

human resources at Target Corporation 

in Menomonee Falls. 

Passings 

20s 

Bernice (Glynn) Eichenberger 

(EHS), ’26, Plymouth, July 28, 

2006 

Della (Williams) Littig (EHS), 

’29, Seal Beach, Calif., March 

23, 2006 

Janet (Schuri) PeLong (EHS), 

’29, Rhinelander, Aug. 11, 

2005 

30s 

Sarah (Davies) Kolodzik (EHS), 

’34 and ’47, Winneconne, Feb. 

8, 2005 

Margaret (Miller) LaChapelle 

(EHS), ’31, Appleton, June 21, 

2006 

Rose (Schlegel) Mayer (EHS), 

’33, Milwaukee, Sept. 12, 2006 

Eleanor (Shea) McLaren 

(EHS), ’36 and ’37, San Antonio, 

Texas, July 29, 2006 

Evelyn (Splittgerber) Moore 

(EHS), ’37 and ’62, Omro, June 

16, 2006 

Mercedese Robinson (EHS), 

’30, Bettendorf, Iowa, April 17, 

2006 

Alice (Fellenz) Rowlands 

(EHS), ’30, Appleton, Oct. 13, 

2006 

John Temple, last year attended 

’39, Brookfield, Sept. 

10, 2006 

Dorothy (Mertz) Wright (EHS), 

’35, New London, Jan. 11, 

2007 

40s 

Julia (VanZeeland) Gloudemans 

(EHS), ’41 and ’55, 

Appleton, Aug. 27, 2006 

Janet (Gilbertson) Kriese 

(EHS), ’40, Neenah, Feb. 23, 

2006 

Richard Pollak, last year attended 

’40, Green Bay, March 

29, 2006 

submit your 

class notes 

Ellen (Martineau) Specht 

(EHS), ’42, Stevens Point, Feb. 

19, 2006 

Elsie (Gandt) Strupp (EHS), 

’47, Francis Creek, Nov. 30, 

2006 

Mary (Sensiba) Wheat (EHS), 

’42, San Diego, Calif., July 20, 

2006 

Robert Whitely (EHS), ’42, 

Appleton, August 31, 2006 

Betty (Leinweber) Wojahn 

(EHS), ’43 and ’56, Longmont, 

Colo., Jan. 20, 2006 

50s 

Arthur Chase (LS), ’54, 

Neenah, June 18, 2006 

Monica Costello (EHS), ’54 and 

’56, Malone, June 12, 2005 

Paul Haas (LS), ’57, DePere, 

Aug. 15, 2006 

James Herman (EHS), ’59, 

Green Bay, Nov. 24, 2006 

George Hightdudis (EHS), ’58, 

Oshkosh, Jan. 27, 2007 

Nancy (Edminster) Hoyman 

(EHS), ’56 and ’64, Hartford, 

March 10, 2006 

Janice (Hanley) Kinzel (EHS), 

’57, Verona, July 28, 2006 

Leon Koss (LS), ’53, Two Rivers, 

July 24, 2006 

Alan Lemery, last year attended 

’59, Fond du Lac, Dec. 8, 2006 

Arlene McCanna (EHS), ’56, 

Appleton, March 23, 2006 

Donald Peterson (EHS), ’55, 

Las Vegas, Nev., Sept. 24, 

2006 

Chester Popke (EHS), ’54, New 

London, Dec. 31, 2006 

John Rasmussen (EHS), ’51, 

Eureka, Calif., Feb. 17, 2006 

Esther (Beuscher) Reichert 

(EHS), ’53 and ’56, Taylor, April 

11, 2006 

Kathleen (Schuette) Stevens 

(EHS), ’56, Madison, Aug. 20, 

2006 

Submit your class notes using the online form at 

www.uwosh.edu/alumni/current_affairs/yournews.php 

Paul Stevenson, last year attended 

’51, Mesa, Ariz., Jan. 

6, 2007 

Lucille Teesch (EHS), ’54, 

Jackson, Oct. 14, 2006 

Henrietta Thiessen (EHS), ’50, 


Ralph Wilfert (EHS), ’54, Sheboygan, 

Nov. 24, 2006 

60s 

Hilda Campen, MSE ’67, Canton, 

Mo., Jan. 18, 2007 

Howard Eggleston (LS), ’69 

and (EHS) ’72, Waterford, June 

28, 2006 

Luanne (Tienor) Fischer (EHS), 

’68, Wheaton, Ill., Aug. 6, 2006 

Joseph Garon (EHS), ’68, 

Marinette, Oct. 13, 2006 

John Gauslin (LS), ’67 and 

MSE ’85, Appleton, Nov. 20, 

2006 

Etrel Haedt (EHS), ’66, 

Oshkosh, Nov. 28, 2006 

Elroy Harmelink (LS), ’69, 

Athens, Ga., June 27, 2006 

Clement Art Huberty (EHS), 

’60, Lena, July 26, 2006 

Virginia (Juedes) Huffman 

(EHS), ’65, Appleton, Jan. 2, 

2007 

Allen Kath (LS), ’68, Shorewood, 

Ill., Dec. 29, 2005 

27 

alumninews

alumninews 

28 

alumninews 

Sibyl Marcks (EHS), ’67, Shiocton, 

July 29, 2006 

Elizabeth McConochie (EHS), 

’63, Cambria, Jan. 18, 2007 

Toni (Schmirler) Reetz (EHS), 

’63, Appleton, Sept. 5, 2006 

Thomas Schultz (LS), ’67, 

Neenah, Dec. 20, 2006 

Phyllis (Foxgrover) Slattery 

(EHS), ’63, Kaukauna, Sept. 

13, 2006 

Lyal Theune (EHS), ’65, Kohler, 

Dec. 9, 2006 

James Tomczyk (EHS), ’62 

and MSE ’77, Neenah, Sept. 

2, 2006 

70s 

Barbara Bermingham, MSE 

’70, Oshkosh, Dec. 2, 2006 

Pamela Brown (LS), ’71, Berlin, 

Jan. 2, 2007 

Lynn Candlish (N), ’76, Knoxville, 

Tenn., Jan. 28, 2006 

Diane Dobberke (B), ’74, 

Appleton, May 27, 2006 

Orwin Draeger (EHS), ’72, 

Scandinavia, Wis., Oct. 28, 

2006 

Peggy (Wandtke) Fietzer (LS), 

’73, New London, Aug. 13, 

2006 

Dennis Fletcher (B), ’77, 

Oshkosh, Dec. 5, 2006 

Lydia Goehring (LS), ’76, 

Green Bay, Dec. 31, 2006 

Ronald Johnson (LS), ’73, 

Neenah, Oct. 3, 2006 

Louise Maciejewski, MA ’74, 

Mayville, Oct. 4, 2006 

Kenneth Martens (B), ’73, 

Green Valley, Ariz., Dec. 8, 

2006 

Gerald Meyer (B), ’72, Schaumburg, 

Ill., Aug. 26, 2006 

Mary Milne (LS), ’78, LaCrosse, 

Jan. 5, 2007 

Jill (Kerwin) Poliak (EHS), ’77, 

Mukwonago, Feb. 10, 2005 

Carolyn Regner (LS), ’72 and 

MBA ’76, Middleton, July 13, 

2006 

Roy Schauer (MSE), ’70, Angel 

Fire, N.M., July 29, 2006 

Delores Spice (EHS), ’71, 


James Stafford (LS), ’71, Fond 

du Lac, Sept. 6, 2006 

Susan Tesker (EHS), ’77 and 

(LS), ’80, Stuart, Fla., Sept. 13, 

2006 

Irving Voyer, MBA ’74, Oshkosh, 

Dec. 26, 2006 

Gary Wick (EHS), ’73, Princeton, 

Sept. 5, 2006 

80s 

Marshall Asfoor (LS), ’81, 

La Crosse, Dec. 18, 2006 

Jill (Grabow) Capelle (EHS), 

’84 and MSE ’95, Plymouth, 

Nov. 26, 2006 

Milo Cushman (LS), ’83, 

Oshkosh, Dec. 31, 2006 

eNEWS, the Alumni Office’s electronic newsletter, is 

mailed to more than 21,000 alumni every three weeks. 

Visit www.uwosh.edu/alumni/enews/public_html/ 

Mark Dorschner (B), ’83, 

Franklin, Aug. 9, 2006 

Mary Geiss, MSE ’89, Merrill, 

Oct. 14, 2006 

Colleen Ireland (LS), ’88, 

Neenah, Sept. 29, 2006 

Todd Jeanquart (LS), ’87, 

Appleton, Oct. 31, 2006 

Janice Larson, MSN ’85, 

Appleton, Sept. 20, 2006 

Peter Quinn (LS), ’85, Racine, 

Aug. 1, 2006 

Linda Savides (LS), ’86, 

Gresham, Nov. 21, 2006 

Darrell Webb (LS), ’80, 

Bluffton, S.C., Nov. 9, 2006 

90s 

Kristina Bigler (LS), ’94, 

Verona, June 25, 2006 

Tammy Geurden (LS), ’93, 

Reno, Nev., Sept. 1, 2006 

Steven Laux (B), ’93, Neenah, 

Jan. 25, 2007 

Amy Main (LS), ’92, Milwaukee, 

Jan. 22, 2007 

Gordon Norlin, MBA ’92, Wautoma, 

Feb. 27, 2006 

Danny Shears (LS), ’90 and 

MSE ’92, Oshkosh, April 7, 

2006 

00s 

Jason Daul (LS), ’03, Neenah, 

Oct. 1, 2006 

John Wanta (B), ’00, Green 

Bay, Jan. 8, 2007 

President 

Michelle (Janik) Hammett ’81 

HRMS Profile Systems Lead 

Corporate Human Resources Team 

Bemis Corporation 

Vice President 

Traci (Hanson) Raether 

’87 and MSN ’95 


Quality and Organization Development 

Evergreen Retirement Community 

Secretary 

Steve Buss ’86 

Executive Director, 

Young Eagles Program 

Experimental Aircraft Association 

Treasurer 

Jim Rath ’76 

Account Executive 

Wisconsin Public Service 

Richard Bidwell ’70 

Retired clergy 

Jean (Gorr) Caudle ’34 and ’38 

Retired faculty 

UW Oshkosh College of Education 

and Human Services 

Liz Gesicki ’92 


John Giesfeldt ’84 

Public Relations Manager 

Directions Incorporated 

Kay Hansen ’68 and MST ’79 

Retired educator 

Neenah Middle School 

Peter Hansen ’68 

Retired educator 

Winneconne High School 

Gini Hendrickson ’98 

Attorney 

Epiphany Law, LLC 

Frank Holmes ’94 and MSE ’01 

Academic Adviser 

UW Oshkosh Student Support 

Services 

Marie (Garczynski) Keefe ’79 

Sales professional 

Former Faculty 

and Friends 

Shyam Bhatia, geography, 

1966-1991, died July 19, 2006 

Ernest Gloyd, math, 1968- 

1993, died Jan. 17, 2007 

William Thompson, history, 

1956-1964, died Jan. 13, 2007 

UW OSHKOSH 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Board of Directors 

2007 

Jessica King ’98 

Attorney 

Steinhilber, Swanson, Mares, 

Marone & McDermott 

Tom LaFontaine ’72 and 

MSE Guidance ’82 

Educator 

Berlin High School 

Ronald Langacker ’93 


EP-Direct Printing 

Melanie (Harring) Marine ’98 and 

MPA ’00 

Lecturer 

UW Oshkosh Reading Study Center 

Jean (Goodwin) Nelson ’49 

Retired 

UW Oshkosh Alumni Director 

Ronald Schreier ’68 and MSE 

Guidance ’70 

Vice Principal 

Appleton West High School 

Alumni Ambassador 

Representatives 

Justin Latham ’99 

Marketing Manager 

Appleton Performance Packaging 

American Plastics Co. 

John Schorse ’82 

Financial Planner 

Ziblut Financial Network 

Faculty/Staff 

Representatives 

Ben Arbaugh 

Associate Professor of Business 


UW Oshkosh College of Business 

Ted Balser 

Director 

UW Oshkosh Career Services 

Mike Cowling 

Associate Professor of Journalism 

UW Oshkosh College of Letters and 

Science 

Student Alumni 

Ambassador representative 

Lindsay Geurts 

UW Oshkosh student, business 

major 

Every year, UW Oshkosh relies on 

the generosity of its alumni, 

parents, friends, students, faculty 

and staff to provide unrestricted dollars 

for University strategic priorities and 

areas of greatest need. The Alumni Fund 

generates much-needed funds for 

scholarships, college and departmental 

initiatives, athletic programs, special 

events and community-building activities 

like Homecoming, Earth Charter, Fall Fest 

and more. 

UW Oshkosh Foundation 

842 Algoma Blvd. 

Oshkosh, WI 54901 

(920) 424-2178 

www.uwosh.edu/foundation

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and Online Bookstore 

University Books and More is the only bookstore owned 

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Oshkosh, Wisconsin

UW-Oshkosh Magazine, Spring - Liberal Education Initiative

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