College of
Letters and Science
The College-at-the-Core
UW-Stevens Point College of Letters and Science ● Annual Report 2012-13
Annual
Report
2012-13
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences,
Mathematics and Computing
The Humanities
1
MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS
College of Letters and Science
Mission
Statement
The College of Letters and
Science mission is to serve
the region, the state, and the
world through…
Letter from the Dean.................................................................................................................3
Teaching and Mentoring Excellence.....................................................................................4
Curricular Highlights:.................................................................................................................5
Department Highlights.............................................................................................................6
●● Academic excellence
that fosters students’
career preparation,
professional expertise, civic
responsibility, personal
development, and global
adaptability
Internationalization and Inclusive Excellence......................................................................8
●● Research and learning that
generate new knowledge
and new insights, which
through their application,
promote economic
development, community
well-being, personal
fulfillment, and lifelong
learning
Funding for Research, Scholarship and Teaching.............................................................. 14
●● Dedication to the public
good through leadership
and service grounded in
the foundational ideals of
liberal education, robust
academic majors, a
vibrant general education
program, and an
overarching embrace of
academic and personal
integrity
●● Adherence to the Principles
of Excellence established
for Liberal Education and
America’s Promise (LEAP)
by the Association of
American Colleges and
Universities.
2
Contents
College Outreach and Community Programs.....................................................................9
Stimulating the Economy....................................................................................................... 12
Faculty and Student Collaboration...................................................................................... 14
Promotions and Retirements.................................................................................................. 15
Partnership for Thriving Communities................................................................................... 16
COLS Goals for 2013-14........................................................................................................... 17
COLS Development................................................................................................................. 18
COLS Organizational Chart................................................................................................... 18
COLS Majors, Minors and Facilities....................................................................................... 19
COLS by the numbers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
13 Departments
12 Centers and Affiliations
27 majors
44 minors
167 tenure-line faculty
80 academic staff
20 classified staff
• More than 1,000 courses taught in 2012-13
• 134,858 Student Credit Hours
• More than 4,900 students enrolled in COLS
majors
On the cover (clockwise from the top): Model UN delegation at the Egyptian mission
(Social Sciences); DNA research in Biology (Natural Sciences, Mathematics and
Computing); Reading literature on the shores of Lake Joanis (The Humanities).
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
Letter from the Dean
What makes us special?
The 2012-13 academic year has been challenging, interesting and downright fun! In all we do, our promotion of a liberal arts and
sciences education emphasizes: the liberation of the mind, the opening of the senses, and the expansion of the creative possibilities of
the human condition. At UW-Stevens Point, and particularly within the College-at-the-Core, we deliver a well-rounded fundamental
education for our next generation of leaders. Also, we will carefully examine our approaches, our technologies, and our very mode of
educational delivery, to make our educational value available to a broader array of rapidly changing student needs and demography.
This is a challenge we take very seriously at UW-Stevens Point, and the faculty and staff members, and administration of this college
work actively in pursuit of this mission. We are opening a deeper discussion of the value of a fundamental liberal arts education with
the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and its Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative. We
have identified the intellectual virtues of humility and courage we want our students to have upon graduation. We are gaining national
attention within this context, and through our newly developed
General Education Program, we affirm our role in providing what
constitutes an intellectual core in the foundations, investigations
and integration of knowledge. We provide every student with
cultural, environmental, historical and science awareness
culminated by capstone experiences and a commitment to an
interdisciplinary perspective. This analysis is helping us close the
circle on what makes us special; we are the fundamental core of
intellectual pursuits at UW-Stevens Point.
I take great pride in presenting this annual report, and
acknowledge the people who run the college day-to-day, weekby-week, and semester-by-semester without missing a beat in
excellence, service and efficiency. We are all public employees
in our “day jobs” as one might say. Spending just one or two days shadowing our faculty and staff, seeing what they do for our students
to meet their academic, personal, emotional and professional needs, makes me proud to call myself a servant-leader for the College of
Letters and Science, and more importantly, for the university. We have made great strides in promoting the public/private partnerships
that are being encouraged and scrutinized by our stakeholders and form the foundation for this report. From aquaponics to health care
mapping, environmental ethics and history, medical and health pre-professional education, and environmental ethics, our diversity of
offerings is our greatest strength. By offering less commonly taught languages through collaborations with other colleges, and in so many
cultural and natural science contexts, we are the intellectual and economic hub of the Stevens Point and Central Wisconsin economy.
With a new view of distance education and taking a lead role in improving and enhancing our distance courses, we address a new
cohort of students who might historically have been overlooked by the traditional four-year residential undergraduate college.
This report is dedicated to the staff, faculty and administrators who run the units of this college. Without them, we could not meet
our goals. As usual, I could not do the work required as dean without the valuable time
and effort of my staff. Dean’s Assistant Patricia Kleman and LTE Office Assistant Dawn
Haynes deserve special thanks for the efficiency and friendliness they bring to the
dean’s office. Associate Dean Todd Good, Assistant Dean Dona Warren, and our former
Development Director Julie Smith, all bring an expectation of excellence to this office.
Computer Support Team Leader Alan Bond, and Technical Support Specialists Robert
Fix and Aaron Schaufenbuel ensure our technology is in top shape. And of course Mark
Williams, Dean’s Assistant for Advancement and Marketing, for giving us the public
face most of our stakeholders remember and for his help in pulling this report together.
None of our units in the college could function without our incredible administrative
department associates, academic and classified staff, and student advisers. I am
grateful for their contribution to our student’s success at UW-Stevens Point and beyond.
“...we will carefully examine our
approaches, our technologies, and our
very mode of educational delivery, to
make our educational value available to
a broader array of the rapidly changing
student needs and demography. ”
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Cirmo
Dean, College of Letters and Science
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
COLS Dean Chris Cirmo
College of Letters and Science
3
TEACHING AND MENTORING EXCELLENCE
Teaching and Mentoring Excellence
The College of
Letters and Science
continued its long
standing tradition of
exceptional teaching
in 2012-13 with awards,
events and initiatives
that enhanced our
fundamental mission
and celebrate faculty
recognized for
teaching excellence.
University Excellence
in Teaching Awards
were presented to Karin Dean Chris Cirmo presents John Blakeman (Political
Bodensteiner (Biology),
Science) with the Eugene Katz Distinguished Faculty
Jason D’Acchioli
Award
(Chemistry), Christian
Diehm (Philosophy) and
Jeana Magyar-Moe (Psychology). These
● Elizabeth Graham (Biology)Academic
awards were chosen by a jury of faculty
Staff Spirit of Community Service Award
peers and represent the highest teaching
● Patricia Kleman (COLS Dean’s office)
honor bestowed by UW-Stevens Point.
Classified Employee Outstanding Work
The Eugene Katz Distinguished Faculty
Performance Award
Award, offered in honor of distinguished
performance in teaching, scholarship and Sabbaticals
service, was awarded this year to John
● Tobias Barske (Foreign Languages)
Blakeman (Political Science). The Justus
● Diane Caporale (Biology)
F. and Barbara J. Paul Award, offered
● Patricia Gott (English)
in support of a faculty sabbatical, was
● Alice Keefe (Philosophy)
awarded this year to Richard Ruppel
● Eric Singsaas (Biology)
(Foreign Languages).
Fellowships
Other College/University Awards
● Theresa Kaminski (History) UW System
● Elia Armacanqui-Tipacti (Foreign
Institute for Research in the Humanities
Languages) University Scholar Award
Fellowship
● David Chan (Philosophy) University
● Katherine Moran (History) Fulbright
Scholar Award
Award
● Beverley David (Foreign Languages)
University Service Award
Doug Moore
(university
photographer) was
recognized with an
award from Nikon
for his image of
a Turritella agate
specimen.
4
Department Chairs
We also recognize the leadership
brought to our college by dedicated
department chairs who, with little
compensation or recognition, run the dayto-day efforts and initiatives that are the
lifeblood of the college. Our department
chairs include: Christopher Yahnke
(Biology), Paul Hladky (Chemistry), Robert
Dollinger (Computing and New Media
Technologies), Michael Williams (English),
Richard Ruppel (Foreign Languages),
David Ozsvath (Geography and Geology),
Nancy LoPatin-Lummis (History), Cynthia
McCabe (Mathematical Sciences), David
Chan (Philosophy), Michael Veum (Physics
and Astronomy), John Blakeman (Political
Science), Craig Wendorf (Psychology) and
Robert Enright (Sociology and Social Work).
Unit and Center Directors
In addition to our academic
departments, our center directors serve a
special function in assisting our academic
mission, fostering interdisciplinary
interactions, and focusing our outreach
activities. Our directors include: Randy
Olson (Allen F. Blocher Planetarium and
Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory), Andrew Felt
(Center for Athletic Scheduling), Edward
Miller and Robert Wolensky (Center for
the Small City), Keith Rice (GIS Center),
Ray Reser (Museum of Natural History),
Christopher Hartleb and Matthew Rogge
(Northern Aquaculture Demonstration
Facility), Dona Warren (Wisconsin
Association for Critical Thinking) and Paul
Fowler (Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable
Technology).
UWSP First-Year Seminar (FYS)COLS
faculty create small 3-credit seminars
for first-year students to address their
specific needs. Participants in First-Year
Seminar sections included:
● Mary Bowman (English)
● Cheryl Brickner (English)
● Todd Good (American Studies))
● Edwin Herman (Mathematical Sci)
● Thomas Leek (Foreign Languages)
● Arnold Lelis (History)
● Nancy Lopatin-Lummis (History)
● Shanny Luft (Philosophy)
● Jeana Magyar-Moe (Psychology)
● Camarin Porter (History)
● Linda Schubert (History)
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
CURRICULAR HIGHLIGHTS
Curricular Highlights
All departments reorganized their
majors and minors to meet the new
General Education Program (GEP)
requirements, including redefining the
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
degrees at the department level.
Enrollment goals and challenges were
addressed with the hiring of the new
Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment
Management James Barrett. A top priority
was to define and strategically plan for
non-biology major needs in the other
sciences and within the human health
programs in the College of Professional
Studies. The plan calls for right sizing
the Department of Biology by adjusting
enrollment to offer students more handson mentoring. With any planned strategic
change in the population of biology
majors, we expect to grow other areas
in the sciences including biochemistry,
computer information systems (CIS),
chemistry, and geography and geology.
Psychology is approaching a ceiling on
its enrollments, and the social work major
and all pre-professional medical and
health-related preparation programs
will receive special scrutiny for growth.
The growth in biochemistry is reflective
of its value as a pre-medical, pre-dental,
pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary and
pre-optometry preparation program.
Chemistry and biology have an excellent
record of placing students into graduate
programs, with the College of Letters
and Science consistently ranked as the
top doctoral-preparatory institution in
the natural sciences in the UW System for
students outside of UW-Madison.
UW-Stevens Point places the second
highest number and the highest
percentage of students into doctoral
programs in the STEM fields. New
curricular programs include a
College of Letters and Science
collaborative degree program in
health information and management
technology (HIMT), which will formally
accept its first group of students in the
fall of 2014. The office of Continuing
Education, under COLS liaison Julie
Hellweg, assisted in the implementation of
the HIMT collaborative degree program,
with three other UW System partners.
In English, a biomedical writing minor
was approved, and the GIS certificate
program is being offered as a UWStevens Point contribution to the new
UW Flexible Option. Two major areas of
enrollment growth include psychology
and computer information systems,
possibly driven by the growth in mental
health fields and the renaissance of
computing language programs and
business needs around the country. The
new social work major has also seen very
steep growth in enrollments, and along
with a new emphasis in community and
engagement issues on campus, should
prove to strengthen our commitment to
that goal in coming years. The social
work program passed its third benchmark
towards accreditation by the Council on
Social Work Education (CSWE). Continuing
Education implemented the first Principles
of Aquaponics course in cooperation
with Nelson and Pade, Inc., a partner in
the private sector. Continuing Education
also assisted the college in offering 95
courses with 895 total registrants, and
assisted in generating more than $200,000
in revenue to be shared with college
departments and units.
All departments prepared status
reports for each of their majors,
emphasizing that we cannot afford to
be “everything to everyone,” particularly
in the face of real and substantial state
funding reductions. This year we began
work on academic program prioritization,
something needed at the college and
university levels. Growth areas likely will
include:
• English as a second language (Foreign
Languages)
• Spanish (Foreign Languages)
• Human services concentration
(Psychology)
• Social work (Sociology and Social
Work)
• Biochemistry (Chemistry and Biology)
• GIS and cartography (Geography and
Geology)
• Mathematics with an actuarial
emphasis (Mathematical Sciences)
• Environmental and medical ethics
(Philosophy)
• International studies (History)
• Biomedical writing minor (English)•
Computer information systems
(Computing and New Media
Technologies)
In addition, with pre-design and
preliminary approval for construction of
the new science building, and with an
emphasis on the Healthy Communities
Initiative, the college plans a major
effort to place UW-Stevens Point at the
forefront of natural science education
within the UW System, the region and the
nation. We expect continued growth in
these programs, major donor initiatives,
and new cooperation on educational
programs with major area health care
providers. In all cases, work with the new
AVC for Enrollment Management and
the Office of Admissions is sorely needed,
and we look to those offices for assistance
in planning for these strategic curricular
moves.
5
DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Department Highlights
The Natural Sciences, Mathematics and
Computing
The Department of Chemistry
has done excellent work in keeping
their curriculum at the cutting
edge by cooperating with and
maintaining certification with the
American Chemical Society (ACS).
The department is very active in
its outreach and engagement
programs with continuing its chemistry
demonstrations, an alumni newsletter,
a chemistry/biochemistry information
night and the chemistry colloquium
series. There is interest in developing
an astronomy minor in the Department
of Physics and Astronomy. This is
particularly relevant in light of a
$100K donation from Arthur and Jane
Pejsa for the continuing updating
of the newly named Arthur J. Pejsa
Observatory. Within the Department
of Geography and Geology, the
GIS Center has become a hive of
activity for majors across campus,
with new initiatives within the UW
Flexible Option, a new GIS certificate,
and work with local municipalities.
Spatial technology will likely be an
important area of emphasis for many
other majors across campus. The
Department of Computing and New
Media Technologies has worked with
The Humanities
The Department of English initiated
new minors in creative writing and
professional writing, and developed
Continuing Education, UW-Extension and a new biomedical writing minor. The
three other UW System campuses in the
department is also continuing work on
development of the new collaborative
the Common Text Project in freshman
online curriculum in health information
English, which has proven popular
and management technology (HIMT).
with students and faculty alike. The
Articulation agreements with Mid State
collaborative language program in
Technical College in Stevens Point were
the Department of Foreign Languages
initiated this year toward bringing more
is thriving with offerings in Chinese,
opportunity to a working and non
Russian, Japanese and Arabic. The
traditional student audience. In the
program is bolstered by our retention
Department of Mathematical Sciences,
of Fulbright teaching assistants. In
the new math tutoring laboratory opened addition, the department is initiating
in Collins Classroom Center room 302
a certificate program of four or five
this fall to enhance student learning. This
courses to assist students in marketing
lab gives the department and college
their skills in less commonly taught,
the opportunity to apply for national
but strategic, languages. The diverse
distinction in the area of remedial math
offerings in Foreign Languages enrich
tutoring, encouraging larger external
our international and global culture
grants to support undergraduate
while providing sound fundamentals
quantitative skills enhancement. The
in our regional heritage languages of
department has been a leader in the
French and German. The Department
development of online options for
of History has designed online courses
their students, in both remedial and
in History 101 and 102. The philosophy
advanced classes in mathematics. The
major in the Department of Philosophy
Department of Biology underwent a
has experienced strong enrollment,
number of curricular changes including
and the department serves both the
the establishment of a new course to
health science major in CPS and all
address communications in the major,
CNR students in required offerings in
and, in concert with the new office of
environmental and medical ethics.
Enrollment Management, is undergoing
Other programs contribute to the
a review of its major enrollments and its
teaching excellence mission of the
service course offerings to other majors
college, including the international
across campus.
studies major, the independently
planned major (IPM), and the women’s
and gender studies minor. International
studies has seen explosive growth
in the recent past, and the new
interdisciplinary requirement in the
general education program, we expect
to see continued expansion.
Aquaponics partnership with Nelson and Pade, Inc. in Montello, Wis.
6
The Social Sciences
The Council on Social Work
Education (CSWE) Commission on
Accreditation visited the Department
of Sociology and Social Work again
and granted the program third-year
candidacy, with work continuing
on the major’s CSWE benchmark IV
documents. This recommendation
allows our social work graduates to
receive advance standing from
UW-Madison for completion of the
masters in social work (MSW) in one
year rather than two. In addition, the
department is working closely with the
collaborative degree program (CDP)
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
in offering courses in social work and
social policy on selected UW College
campuses. The Department of Political
Science had another banner year with
its Model UN program for its majors, and
tenured its first woman faculty member
in the 40-year history of the department.
The Department of Psychology has
seen growth in its major enrollments
over the past four years. Laboratory
and office space is being renovated to
accommodate the new animal room,
and the old research laboratories are
being updated to accommodate student
workers and more comfortable working
conditions for new faculty.
aquaponics. The aquaculture minor is
advising concerns and the role of online
the only undergraduate aquaculture
and distance education in the student’s
education program in the state and is
curricula. This committee is opening
one of only a select few in the country.
channels of communications that did
Christopher Hartleb collaborated on and not exist in the past, and is demystifying
again offered a unique online/hybrid
the role of the dean in student affairs.
aquaponics course at UW-Stevens Point
The Academy of Letters and Science
through a public/private partnership
is working with new by-laws, a new
with Nelson & Pade, Inc. of Montello,
membership structure and has developed
Wisconsin. The college and University
its first endowment, giving the academy
Foundation became the home of the
the ability to fund its annual Academy
International Aquaponics Society this past Evening awards ceremony. The academy
year, with the first annual International
advises the dean on issues of importance
Aquaponics Society Conference held in
to the community and region, sponsors a
April, with more than 150 international
series of awards for students and faculty,
attendees. This program is poised for
and hosts the annual Academy Evening,
growth and the college is working with
an academic and engagement highlight
Other Units and Centers
the Vice-Chancellor for Advancement
of the academic year for the college.
Our liaison for Continuing Education, and the new Economic Development
The leadership of Frederick “Fritz” Wenzel
Julie Hellweg, continues to work
Director to bring aquaponics as a
as president for the past two years has
with departments on offerings for
specialty center to the UW-Stevens Point
brought great rewards, and we owe him
nontraditional students, and to assist
campus. This development is a signature a debt of gratitude for his dedication to
us in experimental curricula, outreach
program for the college, and holds great UW-Stevens Point.
and community education. Continuing
promise for the future in both curricular
Education also enhanced opportunities
and public/private partnership models.
Academy of Letters and
for students through their work with the
The dean’s office takes the advice
Science Executive Committee
HIMT collaborative degree, the ESL/
of internal and external advisory
Bilingual certificate program, and through councils very seriously. Our dean’s
● Frederick Wenzel (President)
sponsorship of our inclusive excellence
faculty advisory council is made up of a
● C. Marvin Lang (Vice President)
(IE) initiatives. Overall, Continuing
faculty representative from each of the
● John Finn (Executive committee)
Education allowed more than 1,000
college’s thirteen departments and meets
● Steven Nieland (Executive
additional student registrations in creditonce per month with topics of interest
committee)
bearing classes within the college.
in teaching, service and scholarship.
● David Thiel (Executive committee)
The Collaborative Degree Program
The valuable advice from this group
● Christopher Cirmo (Dean)
(CDP), coordinated by Todd Good, is
includes suggestions on the promotion of
● Jennifer Collins (Social Sciences)
a model of cooperation between the
grantsmanship for our faculty, and how
● Jason D’Acchioli (Natural
UW Colleges and UW-Stevens Point.
the college and departments review
Sciences)
The CDP contributes to opportunities
and encourage service activities. This
● Thomas Leek (Humanities)
made available to place- and timeyear, the council
bound students in collaboration with
completely
UW-Marathon County (Wausau), UWrewrote the
Marshfield/Wood County, UW-Fond du
mission statement
Lac, UW-Fox Valley (Menasha), and
and charter for
UW-Marinette. This year, 18 courses were
the council, with
offered in nine disciplines, enrolling 275
new expectations
students with 12 students completing
and charge to
their bachelor’s degrees in American
the committee.
studies. POLYED Center Director John
The dean’s
Droske met with POLYED committees
student advisory
and subcommittees in Philadelphia
council consists
for a series of meetings to introduce
of nominated
macromolecular science/polymeric
student
materials into foundational courses in
representatives
organic chemistry.
from each
The Northern Aquaculture
department, and
Demonstration Facility (NADF) staff
meets monthly
has had a banner year, offering the
to discuss issues
Academy of Letters and Science President Frederick Wenzel
aquaculture minor that is administrated
from a student’s
presents Jesha Holcomb-LaMarche with a student award at
through the Department of Biology,
perspective.
the Academy Evening.
through many grants it has obtained,
Topics this
and in its latest expansion into
year included
College of Letters and Science
7
INTERNATIONALIZATION AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE
Internationalization and
Inclusive Excellence
hands-on workshops and presentations.
College of Letters and Science
faculty, UW-Stevens Point students and
professional women from around the
state share their expertise and love of
science during this event, which is highly
The college conforms to all practices
• Diversity and College Access
acclaimed by the schools involved.
promoted by the Equity and Affirmative
• Multicultural Events
Faculty members in the natural and social
Action office (EAA) to ensure we have
• Multicultural Student Organizations
sciences also contributed to sessions for
made our best efforts in promoting
• Non traditional Student Services
STEM Career Day, which involves middle
our departments and colleges to
• University Hosts
school boys, with direct assistance and
underrepresented minorities (URM) as
• University Library Diversity Resources
requests made by local and regional
federally defined. As part of the review
• Women’s and Gender Studies Program
schools to include
process, our EAA director meets with
• Diversity Readings List
a separate session for boys of middle
each department or position search
The college makes a point of
school age.
committee to cover legal questions
identifying its URM faculty and staff,
The Department of English
and suggest ways we can increase our
giving them the opportunity to meet
demonstrates commitment to the
minority pools of candidates and our
with the dean and their chair about
promotion of internationalization
retention of those candidates once they
climate issues, and consulting with the
through continued diversity in its core
are at UW-Stevens Point. We use as a
Climate Study and Equity Scorecard
requirements for the major by offering
guide the Inclusive Excellence Strategic
Committee to contribute what they can
courses in ethnic literature, American
Plan to: a) increase recruitment and
to that discussion. Each of our search
Indian literature, African and black
retention of diverse faculty/staff, and b)
committees has an affirmative action
literature, and Chicana/Chicano
retain our diverse faculty/staff at a higher representative whose job it is to ensure
literature. The department also offers
rate. We make every effort to reach out
that during the recruitment and hiring
a course in gay and lesbian literature,
to our women and minority faculty in
of the candidate, all EAA guidelines are
and periodically, a graduate seminar
the first and second semester they are
closely followed and documented.
on literature and diversity of sexual
at our university. The dean meets with
The College of Letters and Science
experience. English faculty member
each new faculty member to discuss their prides itself in its commitment to assisting
Dejan Kuzmanovic has been the
progress, comfort and ways the dean’s
students in developing broad global
UW-Stevens Point representative to
office and their department can assist
and personal views involving social and
the UW System inclusivity initiative for
them in becoming a part of the university international issues and engendering
LGBTQ since 2005 and was nominated
community. This is an active process
sensitivity to different cultural philosophies
for the UW System PB Poorman Award
and involves the dean’s assistant in
and lifestyles. We have engaged in
for outstanding achievement. Matthew
scheduling meetings with all new faculty
activities to enhance Inclusive Excellence
Davis continues to serve as co-editor for
and staff hired by the college. We also
(defined as a concerted effort to build
an online discussion forum with nearly
encourage and promote the activities of
diversity, equity, inclusion and excellence)
1,100 participants from more than 30
the following organizations in building a
in all of our programs, teaching, research
different countries, in collaboration with
climate of acceptance:
and service. Two very successful annual
the Center for the Study of Citizenship at
• Faculty and Staff Gay-Straight Alliance events include the Women and Science
Wayne State University. Barbara Dixson
• Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Day and the STEM (Science, Technology,
of English continues to lead the UWSP
Engineering and
Connections Project, now in its sixth year,
Mathematics)
bringing together students in the
Career Day.
UW-Stevens Point English education
Both events are
program and students from Adams
coordinated by
Friendship and Green Bay East high
our Continuing
schools, The program was expanded
Education
this year to include students from
liaison Julie
Milwaukee Vincent, Hortonville, and
Hellweg with
Madison LaFollette high schools. The
support from
Lincoln Hills Poetry Project expanded
the dean’s
its outreach to female inmates at the
office. Women
Lincoln Hills Juvenile Detention Facility,
and Science
and in tandem with the program for
Day is designed
male students, published dual magazines
for seventh
for both student groups. This program
and eighth
was advised by faculty member David
grade girls with
Roloff. In preparing our students for a
more than 400
global society, the Department of Foreign
students from
Students at the Model UN in New York.
Languages is a natural center for global
around the state
citizenship and internationalization
participating in
8
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
COLLEGE OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
activities with its collaborative language
program engaging diverse instructors in
Chinese, Arabic, Japanese and Russian.
The faculty in this department work
closely with the International Programs
office and in leading study abroad trips
to France, Germany, Mexico and Spain.
The Department of History reemphasized
its mission of housing the International
Studies program. Anju Reejhsinghani
developed a Cuban winterim program
with students traveling to Cuba during the
winter of 2013. Several of our faculty have
attended workshops and other training in
Inclusive Excellence, and both Lisa Theo
and Ismaila Odogba (Geography and
Geology) have been members of the
Equity and Affirmative Action Committee.
During this past year, the Department
of Geography and Geology student
organization (GeoClub) devoted space
on their bulletin board to the promotion
of the campus chapter of Minorities
in Agriculture, Natural Resources and
related Sciences (MANRRS).
Additional highlights
● Jennifer Collins (Political Science),
Elia Tipacti-Armacanqui (Foreign
Languages) and Anju Reeshsinghani
(History) delivered the second year of
the interdisciplinary Latin American/
Caribbean Speaker Series with a lecture
on human rights in Peru by Jo-Marie
Burt of George Mason University, and a
presentation performance on reggae
music with Larry McDonald.
● Beverley David (Foreign Languages)
sponsored the visit of Argentinian scholar
Alicia Partnoy of Loyola-Marymount
University, who spoke about the
“disappeared” in that country to a large
audience in April 2013.
● Jeanna Magyar-Moe (Psychology)
continued to represent the college on the
inclusive excellence leadership team, and
gave a keynote address at the Teaching
and Learning Conference held at the
university in January.
● Valerie Barske has brought a Japanese
perspective to the Department of History
with her East Asian activities and interests,
and acted as assistant coordinator of
International Studies.
● The UW-Stevens Point Model UN Club
did their annual trip to New York, with the
club winning several Model UN Awards.
● Elizabeth Wabindato (Political Science)
developed a Native American tribal
government course that combined
classroom time at UW-Stevens Point with
College of Letters and Science
a practicum/internship with the Red Cliff
Band of Lake Superior Chipppewa.
● The new social work curriculum
includes a significant component on
Native American Social Work, including
courses on Native American culture.
● The Northern Aquaculture
Demonstration Facility (NADF) is located
on land leased from the Red Cliff Band
of Lake Superior Chippewa and state
financial support is provided through tribal
gaming revenue. The NADF frequently
hosts visiting aquaculturists from tribal
hatchery programs and collaborates with
other Native American tribes on applied
research and demonstration projects. The
chancellor, vice chancellor for business
and finance, and the dean met with the
Red Cliff Tribal Council in February in
Red Cliff to begin discussions on greater
collaboration in sharing aquaculture
teaching and research.
College
Outreach
and
Community
Programs
The College of Letters and Science
has a long tradition of community
outreach and public relations
advancement with the city of Stevens
Point, Portage County, the region and
the nation. Indeed, it is difficult to think
of Stevens Point without UW-Stevens
Point coming to mind. It is part of the
fabric of our local society and is directly
or indirectly involved in many local and
regional activities. The COLS Community
Lecture Series was popular again this year
with presentations from the faculty about
their research and other community
interests. The series is held monthly in
The Pinery Room at the Portage County
Public Library. This year we featured
faculty members Keith Rice (Geography
and Geology), Dennis Riley (Political
Science), Neil Prendergast (History),
Devinder Sandhu (Biology), Justin Rueb
(Psychology), David Snyder (Chemistry)
and Amy Boelk (Sociology and Social
Work). These seminars introduce our
community to the expertise present in
their community, and are an outreach
and engagement practice. This effort is
critical if we are to communicate clearly
the value of a liberal arts and science
education, as reflected in the expertise of
the practitioners of our craft…our faculty!
The COLS Faculty Forum, an internal series
of lectures on research and educational
topics of interest to the university
community, featured Kathleen Lamb
(Sociology and Social Work), Jonathan
Duarte (Mathematical Sciences), Beverley
David (Foreign Languages), Michael
Zach (Chemistry) and Antonio Valle de
Anton, Elia Tipacti-Armacanqui and Vera
Klekovkina (Foreign Languages). The
college presented a total of 136 outreach
programs, participated in 168 community
service activities, and presented 74
outreach non credit programs for the
public.
At the heart of our college outreach
activities are its many institutes and
centers, which act as interdisciplinary
foci for work between the departments,
community and other organizations.
The UWSP Museum of Natural History
contributed to the college’s outreach
mission under the guidance of director
Ray Reser, who has been tireless in
updating the exhibit section in the
Learning Resources Center, installing
new lighting, posters and display
descriptions. Most importantly, he has
led the effort in strategic planning
and eventual full accreditation by the
American Association of Museums
(AAM) Museum Assessment Program
(MAP). A second visitation by AAM
representatives occurred in March, with
positive results. The museum is one of
the most extensive in the state, and
certainly the most extensive on a college
campus, with scientific curators in the
scientific collection areas of archaeology,
herpetology, ornithology, entomology,
ichthyology, paleontology, geology,
mammalogy, parasitology and botany.
The museum held its annual Collection
Crawl in March, with hundreds of school
children and parents involved in visiting
the various curator collections throughout
the science buildings on campus. The
museum is becoming the centerpiece
for community outreach in the sciences,
and, in combination with the Allen F.
Blocher Planetarium, and the Arthur J.
Pejsa Observatory, reach some 13,000
community visitors annually. There are
9
COLLEGE OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
plans for a unification of some programs
climate, and develops programming
partner in the construction of a new
that would ensure that elementary school with a network of partners within the
education/outreach/dormitory facility.
children can do a one-stop visit of our
North-Central U.S. region through applied
The Center for the Small City with
facilities.
research, demonstration, outreach,
co-directors Edward Miller and Robert
The Geographic Information Systems extension and educational programs.
Wolensky, organizes conferences,
(GIS) center is an instructional and
Co-directors Christopher Hartleb and
colloquia, seminars and workshops
research facility dedicated to conducting Matthew Rogge, both of Biology, have
on relevant topics for the university
and disseminating cutting edge GIS
positioned the facility as a leader in
community, local government officials,
projects. It offers a variety of learning
new and exciting fish culture work and
community leaders and the general
pathways for UW-Stevens Point traditional demonstration. The NADF sponsored
public. This year, the center organized its
students, post-graduates, students
undergraduate student internships at
19th conference on a theme resonating
pursuing a GIS certificate, and students
the Red Cliff facility, and at private and
with the Healthy Communities Initiative.
seeking continuing education credits
state/federal fish hatcheries. It has also
The conference titled “Providing
and is headed by director Keith Rice and sponsored interns from the Red Cliff
Health Care to Small Cities and Rural
education specialist Douglas Miskowiak.
Nation. The interns have presented
Communities” was held April 17-18 and
The center issued the first
was attended by some
certificate in its one-year
100 small city and rural
GIS program with seven
health care providers and
professional certificate
many students from the
tracks offered in a variety
university. An evening
of disciplines including
gathering of health care
applications for the
providers and university
forestry industry and
executives highlighted
municipal governments.
the conference, with
Online asynchronous
Chancellor Bernie
GIS workshops were
Patterson, Academy
further developed
of Letters and Science
for non traditional
President Frederick “Fritz”
students and current GIS
Wetzel and Dean Chris
professionals, including
Cirmo giving opening
a farmland preservation
remarks. The Wisconsin
and policy planning
Institute for Sustainable
workshop. Additionally,
Technology (WIST) is a
a new GIS Center
joint center under COLS
GIS students record timber stand characteristics into their mobile
funding proposal was
and CNR and run by
GIS field computers.
agreed upon and a new
Institute Director Paul
revenue self sufficiency
Fowler. WIST provides
model implemented.
research, education and
Most GIS Center outreach initiatives and
results at university, state, regional and
services to improve Wisconsin’s longcourses have been redirected to the
national research conferences, and
term environment and economy through
Collaborative Degree Program (CDP) for
reports are available to the aquaculture
collaboration of educators, students and
students seeking a GIS certificate and/or
community on the NADF website. NADF
researchers. Ongoing activities have
spatial analysis minor. In addition, work
Facilities Director Gregory Fischer
included biofuels research to culminate
commenced on a new collaborative
continued Northern Wisconsin outreach
in development of a bio-refinery process.
graduate degree certification program
efforts by launching an aquaponics
WIST also provides laboratory services
with UW-Madison, and the GIS program
demonstration lab with Bayfield middle
including a suite of analytical, research
is scheduled to be the only UW-Stevens
school, hosting talks with a UW-Stevens
and development services to the
Point program to align a certificate
Point Alumni Association event and an
paper industry. WIST had a number of
or degree program with the new UW
Ashland community science group. He
personnel changes this year, including
Flexible Option. This new cooperative
also teamed with the Red Cliff volunteers a new Director of Analytical Services
agreement is scheduled to begin
to clean and vacuum seal arctic char
and the retention of a post-doctoral
offering the GIS certificate to practicing
donated to non profit food pantries in
scientist for the biofuels initiative. The
professionals in the fall of 2014, as cohort
Red Cliff, Ashland, Washburn and Lac
college also cooperated with the College
two of the unique state-initiated program. du Flambeau. Our campus leadership
of Professional Studies in hosting on
In addition, we hope to solidify and
met with the Red Cliff tribal council in
campus a variety of presentations for
strengthen our cooperative programs with February to answer questions and discuss the Northcentral Area Health Education
the Marshfield Clinic.
issues of how the NADF can become
Center (NCAHEC) in its Health Careers
The Northern Aquaculture
more responsive to tribal needs and
Camp in June.
Demonstration Facility (NADF) promotes
opportunities. Additional discussions have
and advances the development of
ensued on joint signage on the facility
Department Outreach Activities
commercial aquaculture in a northern
and street, and on ways to potentially
Each department in the College
10
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
COLLEGE OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
of Letters and Science creates unique
activities in serving our communities. The
following is a short list highlighting some of
those activities.
● Biology – The Wisplants website
(http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/), hosted by
the Department of Biology, is one of the
most visited university websites. It allows
anyone to search for information on
plants and contact our staff if they have
further questions. As of October 2012,
approximately 10,000 specimens had
been data based, resized and posted.
Through a special arrangement with
the herbarium at UW-Madison, this site is
being transferred to the UW-Stevens Point
biology website thanks to cooperative
efforts with original curator Merel Black,
and faculty members Emmett Judziewicz
and Virginia Freire, and COLS Senior
Technical Support Leader Alan Bond.
Sol Sepsenwol is the coordinator of the
UWSP Winter (Premedical/PA) Clinic/
St Preceptorship at Marshfield Clinic,
Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Lakeland Center
Marshfield Clinic in Minoqua, and the
Prevea. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay.
Devinder Sandhu continues his soybean
research that has economic importance
in our state and beyond. Justin Sipiorski,
in conjunction with ichthyology students
and the Aquarium Science Society
of Stevens Point (IASSSP), oversee the
maintenance of several public aquaria,
most notably those in the Portage County
Public Library lobby and the UW-Stevens
Point Schmeeckle Reserve Visitors Center.
● Chemistry – The Chemistry
Colloquium Series sponsors seminars
given by invited speakers on selected
Friday afternoons. The department has
developed a strong relationship with
Orthomolecular Products and James
Lawrence continues to collaborate with
research scientists at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn. The department hosts
a career night with panelists speaking to
current students about opportunities in
the chemical and biochemical sciences.
In addition, Robin Tanke organized
National Chemistry Week activities for
the Boys and Girls Clubs, Jason D’Acchioli
presented a seminar for the Science
Extravaganza at Stevens Point Area
Senior High (SPASH) and James Lawrence
presented a hands-on activity for the
NCAHEC Health Career Camp.
● Computing and New Media
Technologies – The department
continues to actively partner with
local businesses and non profits in their
College of Letters and Science
CNMT 480 capstone course where
teams of 3-4 students, under the
supervision of a faculty mentor, work
closely with organizations to analyze
technology needs, design code, and
implement solutions - all at no cost to
the organization. The department is also
cooperating with UW-Marathon County
and Portage County schools attempting
to bring new focus on computer science
through involvement of high school
computer science teachers’ summer
camp hosted at UW-Stevens Point.
Wausau and Stevens Point area schools,
as well as UW-Marathon County, are
continuing these discussions.
● English – The department sponsors
a variety of outreach and community
projects including; Cornerstone Press,
High School Writers’ Workshop and the
UWSP Connections Project. Patricia
Dyjak has been active in organizing
and promoting public poetry readings
at a variety of venues for different
audiences and Elizabeth Felt organized
a youth writing group, Youth Writers’ of
Stevens Point. Michael Williams, chair, is
a member of the Governor’s Council on
Autism, a parent representative on the
Portage County Family Services Board,
and is a member of the Stevens Point Area
School District Autism committee. Barney
Street and Rising Voices are two other
highly successful outreach programs in
the department. Dan Dieterich also led
a one-hour session on Writing Effective
Resumes for the MANNRS program.
● Foreign Languages – Tobias Barske
continues to coordinate work with
German majors who serve at Bannach
Elementary School in Stevens Point in
an effort to introduce local students to
a heritage language at an early age.
Thomas Leek organized the German
Pronunciation Contest for High School
Students of German, and Vera Klekovkina
presented “Making a Case for French” for
high school teachers at a conference at
the French House in Madison. She also
organized the “Francofoule,” a French
coffee clutch to the French speaking
public at the Coffee Studio in Stevens
Point.
● History – Edgar Francis presented,
“Introduction to Islam and the Middle
East,” at Saint John the Evangelist
Episcopal Church in Wisconsin Rapids,
and “Allies, Enemies, or a Little of Each?
Pakistan’s Foreign Relations with India,
Afghanistan and the U.S.” as part of the
LIFE Program. Neil Prendergast presented
“Raising the Thanksgiving Turkey: Nature,
History, Culture,” at COLS Community
Lecture Series and “To die in the Gilded
Age” for the LIFE Program. Rob Harper
serves on the planning committee for
Wisconsin History Symposium and Nancy
LoPatin-Lummis served on the Stevens
Point Area School District Committee
for restructuring the Annual and Daily
Schedule.
● Mathematical Sciences – The
Central Wisconsin Mathematics League,
through the generous corporate
sponsorship of Sentry Insurance, Liberty
Mutual Middle Market Insurance, and
Travel Guard Insurance, continues to be a
recruitment activity for UW-Stevens Point
and a service to high school students
from all over Central Wisconsin. This
year, eight members of the department
have organized, written and graded
Children and community members visit scientifiic collections on campus during the
Museum of Natural History Collection Crawl.
11
STIMULATING THE ECONOMY
contest examinations for high school
students. Approximately 600 high school
students have visited our campus three
times during this past year to take the
examinations.
● Philosophy – David Chan was
interviewed on WPCN radio about his
book Beyond Just War, in December.
Also, Christian Diehm hosted guest
speaker Kekek Jason Stark for a public
presentation as part of “Wolf Week” in
November. Tori Jennings continued her
work on Hmong culture with local Hmong
communities in a public presentation
and workshop on backyard chickens
and urban agriculture at the Local Food
Fair held at SPASH in February. She
also presented this topic, as part of an
ongoing development of a documentary
film, for the HASEEAC Conference in
February. Shanny Luft was honored in
being chosen to present the University
Evening in October.
● Physics and Astronomy –The
Allen F. Blocher Planetarium and the
newly named Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory,
presented programs to more than 11,000
visitors, including university classes, school
groups, community groups, and public
programs.
● Political Science – The department
continues to partner with local
government agencies through its
internship program. They placed interns
in the mayors’ offices in Stevens Point and
Wisconsin Rapids, the District Attorney’s
Office, the Public Defender’s Office,
and other agencies. John Blakeman
continues to serve on the Board of
Directors of Justiceworks, and Brad
Mapes-Martins serves on the Portage
County Bike Path Commission.
● Sociology and Social Work – Amy
Boelk serves on the Healthy Communities
Advisory Committee and Dorothy
De Boer attended the Wisconsin Campus
Compact meeting in Madison. Alton
“Sonny” Smart serves as a tribal judge
and is called upon as an expert witness
in child welfare cases. and other tribal
issues, and as a sub-committee member
on the Wisconsin Tribal Judges Association
for state/tribal judges training. Dorothy
De Boer edits the annual department
newsletter and is a member of the county
advisory board of Portage and Wood
counties of the National Association for
the Mentally Ill Portage /Wood County
Advisory Board. Robert Enright serves on
the Town of Hull Plan Commission.
12
Stimulating the Economy
The College of Letters and Science
at the conference. Marketing efforts
takes pride in its ability to stimulate
included the creation of a television spot
local and regional economies through
highlighting aquaponics at
research, teaching and service. Our
UW-Stevens Point, sponsorship of the
activities, faculty, centers and institutes all weather segment on Channel 7 the
play a role in stimulating the economic
week of the conference, and a National
engine of the region. We consider
Public Radio interview on aquaponics. As
ourselves a braintrust of the Central
work has continued on the development
Wisconsin region, and work diligently to
of aquaponics as a new area of
assist our private and public partners in
collaboration, the COLS dean’s office,
furthering their
and the office
economic success.
of Continuing
The Northern
Education have
Aquaculture
been busy with
Demonstration
establishing one of
Facility (NADF)
the first aquaponcs
attracted some
curricula in the
$800K in external
country. The
grants in the
Department
past few years,
of Biology and
most of which
Nelson and
is used for the
Pade Inc. jointly
enhancement of
offered the two
the state’s growing
credit principles
aquaculture
of aquaponics
industry.
and the three
Aquaculture
credit Introduction
produced $14.1
to aquaponics
million in fish and
courses, and in
minnow sales in the
May, the dean
state of Wisconsin,
attended the
contributing $21
capstone day
Continuing Education course in
million in total
of the threeaquaponics concludes with participants
economic activity.
credit course at
creating a simulated business
In conjunction
the Nelson and
with the Wisconsin
Pade Inc. facility
Department of
in Montello,
Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, along with Regent Tim Higgins. The
faculty/staff at NADF have developed an continued partnership of UW-Stevens
online fish-health certificate program for
Point with Nelson and Pade, Inc., and
producers. Over the past three years the
now the International Aquaponics
NADF staff has presented aquaculture
Society, will prove productive and
lessons to many high schools in northern
economically viable as our economy
Wisconsin region and sponsored tribal
moves more toward sustainable
and non-tribal interns. Based on a grant
agricultural practices. The GIS Center is
from the National Sea Grant program,
moving ahead on projects to stimulate
and in collaboration with the UWSP GIS
economic growth and support fledgling
Center, work continues on developing
business and government offices in
a GIS-based analysis of aquaculture
spatial management technologies.
development in Wisconsin. Continuing
Douglas Miskowiak is a certified ESRI
Education coordinated the International
(Environmental Systems Research Institute)
Aquaponics Society Conference on the
instructor for teaching introductory
UW-Stevens Point campus June 19 – 21,
workshops in ArcGIS. GIS Center
2013. There were 144 participants with
personnel developed a business model
representation from nine countries. All
for long-term credit and non credit fee
participants of the conference became
structures to now be offered through
founding members of the International
the Collaborative Degree Program. The
Aquaponics Society which was launched center continued work on the WIST grant,
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
STIMULATING THE ECONOMY
“UWSP Student and Employee Sustainable
Transportation Costs: Assessment,
Awareness, and Decision Support.” A
student survey and implementation of
Web and app-based carbon-footprint
transportation model will begin in the fall
semester of 2013. In the Mammogram
Pre-Diagnosis Protocol grant project,
results and associated poster maps
were delivered to Marshfield Clinic. This
involved conducting a proximity analysis
showing the relationship between
patients and health care facilities. A
collaboration between our GIS Center
and Marshfield Clinic has resulted in a
paper published in The American Journal
of Roentgenology to further investigate
emerging geographic patterns related to
human health.
The office of Continuing Education
and the college, in collaboration with
the Department of Sociology and
Social Work, offered two professional
development workshops for social work
practitioners and students. The fall
workshop was “Getting to know the
LGBTQ Community,” and the spring 2013
workshop was “Buddhist Perspectives
of Care at the End-of-Life.” Both were
offered as either a university credit class
or a noncredit workshop for continuing
education units and drew attention from
the community for the college. The
“Microbiology for Brewers” Workshop
was brought forward by biology faculty
Terese Barta, and was developed and
offered in September, January and June.
Feedback was very positive and has
attracted participants from as far away
as Chicago. Our Department of Foreign
Languages faculty train students in many
languages who secure jobs in Wisconsin
companies that have global connections.
Recently, The Noel Group hired a number
of our majors in French, German and
Spanish, and Lands’ End is also hiring
fluent speakers of Spanish. The English as
a Second Language Program (ESL) has
grown significantly under Tobias Barske,
who now advises some 75 ESL-minors. This
program is important to many in-service
teachers who need mandated training
in ESL. Michael Zach of the Department
of Chemistry continues to collaborate
with scientists from Argonne National
Laboratory, and his joint appointment
with Argonne allows him access to
their equipment and facilities. Our
initiatives in the strategic growth area of
nanotechnology are spearheaded by
Michael. His work with WiSys in partnering
College of Letters and Science
with private companies is a model of
in the county and region, and those
the kind of entrepreneurship we are
faculty in the Mathematical Sciences
encouraging of our faculty and units. He
involved with the actuarial minor are
is also developing a special Electroplate
continually contacted by insurance
and Lift Lithography Nanowire Education companies and other businesses for
Outreach Kit for local schools, which
student internships and expertise. The
should prove to be a significant
college sees this as a potential growth
technological magnet for potential
area in the quantitative sciences. As
students interested in UW-Stevens Point for our social work major continues to work
cutting-edge technologies education.
toward full accreditation by the Council
The Department of CNMT cooperates on Social Work Education, we continue
with many partners including the Paper
to refine and expand the field education
Science Foundation Inc., Portage County aspect. Our social service professional
Humane Society, Sentry Insurance,
partners give their time and energy to
Marshfield Clinic, Stevens Point Rotary
mentor and guide developing social
Club, the Association of Professional
workers. As their capstone experience,
Communication Consultants, Northern
social work students gain valuable
Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, knowledge, skill and experience.
The Noel Group, Engineers & Scientists
Students must spend at least 400 hours
of Milwaukee, Eastbay, Collaborative
within an approved organization, and
Consulting of Wausau, and Ministry Health they also complete additional work in
Care. The CNMT program is undergoing
the required field seminar. Twenty-three
major personnel changes, and the
students completed their social work
need for students with both a computer
field education in the last year (fall 2012,
coding background, and the ability
spring and summer 2013) and collectively
to understand interfaces and media
provided more than 13,000 hours of
technologies, is proving to be invaluable
service in communities throughout
to local employers who are seeking
Central and Eastern Wisconsin. The
continuing education and advancement Applied Sociology Field Placement
for their employees. We are initiating
program provides internship experiences
a major effort to track students and
in a vast array of organizations in Central
make computer science courses
Wisconsin and beyond, including the
available to junior high and high schools
Department of Corrections, CAP Services,
throughout Central Wisconsin, an effort in the Stevens Point Police Department,
cooperation with UW-Marathon County
and the Aging and Disabilities Resource
and Mid-State Technical College. The
Center.
Department of English
has established a strong
relationship with the
professional/science/
technical writing unit
at the Marshfield Clinic
in its establishment of
the biomedical writing
minor. The Department
of Geography and
Geology has partnered
with the North Central
Regional Planning
Commission for
internship opportunities
for their students.
Many faculty within
our Department of
Psychology participate
in or practice as clinical
psychologist in the
area, contributing to
Chemistry students visit Argonne National
the economy and
Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois with Associate
to the brain trust
Professor Michael Zach.
on mental health
13
FACULTY AND STUDENT COLLABORATION/ FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND TEACHING
Faculty and Student Collaboration
The College of Letters and Science
promotes and supports an interactive and
intellectual atmosphere between faculty
and students as our primary objective.
The college takes great pride in having
a long history of placing its students into
graduate school, industry, business and
public sector positions. The currency
we use to measure our success is the
student/faculty relationship. This faceto-face relationship is being challenged
by distance and online educational
alternatives, but our students continue to
testify that “getting to know” a professor
makes all the difference. Often this is
based on the strong bond developed
between student and faculty member
during a scholarly project or during an
internship with a local business or agency.
Our faculty are considered teacher/
scholars, in that their role as experts
informs their teaching, and in turn makes
us the public brain trust we often refer to.
Our faculty submit many peer-reviewed
research papers, presentations at
conferences, and sponsor and mentor our
students in public projects and internships.
Within the college, the total number of
peer-reviewed papers, successful grant
proposals, reports and conference
presentations is quite large, with each
department having as a cornerstone the
expectation of such scholarly pursuit. In
2012-13, the scholarship activities of our
faculty included some very impressive
numbers:
• 142 professional publications
• 416 conference and seminar
presentations
• 176 scholarly writings and unpublished
manuscripts
• 13 formal clinics presented
• 396 total memberships in professional
societies
• 188 professional conferences attended
by faculty and students
• 54 professional panels (23 having our
faculty as chair of the panel)
Scholarly activity takes many forms,
from the traditional peer-reviewed
publication, to presentations at regional
and national meetings, to book reviews,
to the receipt of competitive grant
awards, to book authorship, to chapters
in books. To expect scholarship for its
own sake is valuable, as we are in fact
a community of scholars. But to use it
to inform our teaching and mentoring
is our greatest calling. In fact, it is an
expectation that when our faculty obtain
extramural funding for projects, there
Student making an oral presentation to a large audience at the COLS Undergraduate
Research Symposium.
14
be a clear and strong link to involving
students in the completion of their work.
The faculty in our college received a total
of ten honors for their scholarship, a very
high number for a college of this size.
The strong link encouraged between
students and faculty is most evident
during the College of Letters and Science
Undergraduate Research Symposium,
chaired again this year by Assistant
Dean Dona Warren. This year’s event
had 36 oral and 65 poster presentations.
The excitement generated by this event
is profound, as students and faculty
actively engage in communicating how
a question first arises in their class and is
then put into practice in the profession.
Special recognition is due to students
who attended the annual Posters in
the Rotunda held in Madison with three
students from our college being honored
at this event. At the event, legislators
have an opportunity to witness the work
created by our students and their faculty
mentors by meeting them at their posters.
This public engagement is invaluable
in fostering public awareness, and in
exposing students to the political realities
of the educational workplace.
Funding for
Research,
Scholarship
and
Teaching
During Fiscal Year 2012-13, faculty,
staff and students in the College of
Letters and Science applied for many
internal, external and UW System grants.
Programs like the Student Research
Fund, UPDC grants, Wisconsin Teaching
Fellows, and Research in the Humanities
received requests of $137,852, and were
awarded $88,296. Our own internal
award programs, including the COLS
Enhancement Grants, COLS Faculty
Development Fund, COLS mini-grants and
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND TEACHING / PROMOTIONS AND RETIREMENTS
the Undergraduate Education Initiative
(UEI) grants awarded $96,559.04 to faculty
in the college to assist them in student
centered activities. In addition, our faculty
submitted proposals to many different
local, regional and national funding
agencies including the National Science
Foundation, the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Sea Grant Institute,
and the Air Force Office of Scientific
Research.
Centers, departments and individual
faculty members within COLS submitted a
total of 143 internal, external and
UW System grant proposals, with a total
monetary request of $2,256,544. Of those,
a total of 94 were accepted for a total of
$684,799 in awards.
● Gregory Fischer (NADF) UW● Andrea Knapp (Mathematics)
Milwaukee, $15,000
● Tim Krause (CNMT)
● Brian Hale (History) Research in the
● Angela Lowery (Psychology)
Humanities, $10,000
● David Roloff (English)
● Christopher Hartleb (Biology) Michigan
● Michael Simmers (Mathematics)
State University, $26,676
● Qiang Sun (Biology)
● William Lawlor (English) Research in the ● Christopher Verzani (Physics)
Humanities, $10,000
● Lee Willis (History)
● Wade Mahon (English) Wisconsin
Teaching Scholars, $4,954
Promotion from Associate Professor to
● Ismaila Odogba (Geography and
Full Professor
Geology) Wisconsin Teaching Fellows,
● Elia Armacanqui-Tipacti (Foreign
$5,236
Languages)
● Eric Singsaas (Biology) C5-6
● Karl Ryavec (Geography and
Technologies, $111,589
Geology)
● Michael Zach (Chemistry) WiSys
● Chris Yahnke (Biology)
Technology Foundation and ARG/
WiTAG, $24,218
Academic Staff promotions
● Gayle Huglen (CDP)
● Jo Immel (Mathematics)
● Ann Kiefer (Mathematics)
● Pat Zellmer (Biology)
Promotions
and
Retirements
Grants awarded in 2012-13 have
given our faculty, staff and students the
opportunity to explore many novel and
interesting topics with notable resources
obtained to study advanced materials
of fuel cells (Michael Zach / Chemistry),
smart patient mobile monitoring and care
systems (Anthony Ellertson and Trudi Miller
/ CNMT), fish transport stress (Christopher
Hartleb / Biology), fermentation systems
Promotion from Assistant Professor to
for isoprene production (Eric Singsaas
Associate Professor
/ Biology), and the development of
● Karin Bodensteiner (Biology)
alternative synthetic routes to complex
● Jennifer Collins (Political Science)
structures (Nathan Bowling / Chemistry).
● Edgar Francis (History)
Examples of notable
extramural grant awards
obtained by our faculty this
year are shown in the following
list. The list is not exhaustive but
highlights a variety of grants
awarded this year:
● Brian Barringer (Biology)
Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, $3,400
● Valerie Barske (History)
Research in the Humanities,
$10,000
● Karin Bodensteiner (Biology)
Wisconsin Teaching Scholars,
$5,079
● Nathan Bowling (Chemistry)
National Science Foundation,
$248,228
● Matthew Davis (English)
Research in the Humanities,
$10,000
● Anthony Ellertson and
Trudi Miller (CNMT) WiSys
Technology Foundation and
ARG/WiTAG, $53,927
College of Letters and Science
Retirements
● James Brummer (Chemistry)
● Richard Crowther (Biology)
● Mark Treuden (Mathematics)
● Michael Treuden (Mathematics)
● Jianwei Wang (Political Science)
Students present their posters at the COLS Undergraduate Research Symposium.
15
PARTNERSHIP FOR THRIVING COMMUNITIES
Partnership for Thriving Communities
With last year’s successful
introduction of the University Strategic
Plan, and the development of related
goals, the departments and centers
within the College of Letters and
Science have embarked on the mission
of defining the tactical initiatives each
unit accomplishes to fulfill the goals
of the plan. As part of the university’s
strategic planning exercise, Chancellor
Bernie Patterson charged the deans
and vice chancellors with determining
a set of initiatives which, would define
our place in the community and region,
and give us goals to fulfill the mission
of the strategic plan. Provost Greg
Summers was instrumental in developing
the Partnership for Thriving Communities
under which we defined four pillars or
action items.
Our initial push to fulfill this partnership
began with the Healthy Communities
Initiative, under which the College of
Letters and Science and the COLS dean’s
office are playing a major role. From initial
discussions with the Marshfield Clinic, to
meetings with the business community,
health care providers and community
leaders, the plan is to position UWStevens Point as a leading educator and
facilitator in the delivery of health care to
high needs areas like rural communities,
Native American tribes and the large
Partnership for Thriving Communities Initiative
16
local Hmong population. The college
will play a critical role, as it offers most of
the majors needed for pre-health care
educational preparation. In combination
with the plans being finalized for the new
science building, and in establishing
working relationships with medical and
health care education institutions (such
as the Marshfield Clinic and the Medical
College of Wisconsin), we look forward
to enhanced visibility for UW-Stevens
Point.
Plans for the new science building
are moving forward with approval and
enumeration by the Division of State
Facilities (DSF) putting the new science
building at UW-Stevens Point as
the #1 priority of the UW System.
Our university participated
in state building commission
hearings to marshal the project
forward as a priority within
the state budget. UW-Stevens
Point will soon have the most
admired and modern science
facility in the UW System. With
plans for a four story state-ofthe-art structure to be designed
around LEED Gold standards,
and to have a significant
science-on-display aspect,
our college is excited about
these prospects. This facility
will put UW-Stevens Point at the
forefront of education in the
natural sciences and in health
care education in the region
and the state. We thank Carl
Rasmussen (Director of Facilities
Planning) for his leadership in this
project, and Chancellor Bernie
Patterson and Vice Chancellor
Greg Diemer for attending the
state meetings with the dean.
In addition, we have positioned
ourselves well in the initiative by
holding a special conference
on health care delivery to small
cities and rural communities, in
April 2013. This was sponsored
by the Center for the Small City
with funding from Delta Dental
and Ministry Medical.
With last year’s successful introduction of the University Strategic Plan, and the development of related goals, the
departments and centers within the College of Letters and Science have embarked on the mission of defining the tactical
initiatives each unit accomplishes to fulfill the goals of the plan. A retreat in the fall of 2011 was devoted to the
development of these initiatives, with each unit working to finalize their specific contributions to be displayed as part of the
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
COLS GOALS FOR 2013-14
COLS Goals for 2013-14
With the completion of a very
Specifically, we wish to create a set
successful year in most aspects of our
of academic prioritizations within
mission, the college embarks on a new
our college, to assist us in the best
year with a range of ideas to promote
allocation of our resources.
and further build excellence into all
● Work with DSF to move forward on
of our programs. We plan to focus our
architectural planning for the new
energies on the following areas:
Science Building. With pre-design
● Work with the Associate Vice
and enumeration completed, we
Chancellor for Enrollment
will move forward with selection of
Management to create a strategic
a design-firm toward program and
operational plan in admissions,
site development.
department student demography,
and curricula in prioritizing our
For more information about the
academic programs. This effort will
UW-Stevens Point College of Letters
be initially focused on the natural
and Science visit: www.uwsp.edu/cols
sciences, especially the biology
Chancellor Bernie Patterson
program, which offers a majority of
the service courses needed
by other natural sciences,
health care curricula,
and natural resources.
We focused our efforts
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Strategic Plan
this year on challenges
with biology enrollment
in service courses. Next
year we will focus on right
sizing this stellar program
Mission
Advance
Enhance
Develop and
Respect
and
new growth areas
Through
the on
discovery,
dissemination
and
application
Learning
Living
Leverage
and
identified within the college
of knowledge, UW-Stevens Point
(See
Collegegrowth,
Curricular
stimulates
intellectual
Resources
Advance
• Create and enhance
• Create a culture of
provides
a liberal education, and
Highlights).
an environment for all
student success
prepares students for a diverse
Our Legacy
Lead theworld.
university in the
• Facilitate and
that is conducive to
and ●
sustainable
encourage
access
to
learning and individual
• Increase
implementation of the
• Engage and expand
university resources
development
opportunities for
new General Education
our community
through development
learning
ValuePlan through the full
through outreach and
of
long-term
•
Provide
a
campus
- Student-centered environment
collaboration
partnerships
culture that encourages
• Cultivate an
implementation
the
- Critical
thinking, creativityof
and
engagement,
inclusive
and
lifelong
learning
program in the fall of
• Honor and perpetuate
• Make the most effective
responsibility, respect
- Professional preparation
ecologically
our institutional story
2013. We
will workand
with the
use of human and
- Community
involvement
and inclusivity
responsible world
outreach
physical resources
view among all
Associate Vice Chancellor
- Ecological stewardship
• Develop sustainable
constituents
and the Director of
• Evaluate university
relationships between
General Education in these
operations, policies
the university and its
and culture to
Visioninitiatives. We need to foster
partners–local, state,
UW-Stevens Point will be
encourage and
regional, national and
more
buy-in
from
faculty
recognized for its preparation
support collaboration,
global
andand
encourage
additional
of students
development
innovation and
of citizens
who will
local,
entrepreneurship
sections
ofaffect
the First-Year
regional and global affairs, and
Seminar.
engage
with the concerns of the
world.
● Work with the Office of
Academic Affairs to clarify
the role of the College
of Letters and Science in
implementing the strategic
plan, and to support
UW-Stevens
Point positions
Strategicand
Plan
additional
www.uwsp.edu/strategicplan
initiatives within the Healthy
Communities Initiative.
A Plan to Organize Our Work
Strategic Themes and Goals
College of Letters and Science
17
COLS DEVELOPMENT / ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
COLS Development
College of Letters and Science
scholarship and program funds with the
UW-Stevens Point Foundation grew this
fiscal year compared to last fiscal year.
For 2012-13 the total of these funds was
$2,766,579.93 compared to $2,674,007.50
for 2011-12. Thanks to our generous donors,
the College of Letters and Science was
able to award nearly 150
scholarships totaling over
$60,000.
There have been many
generous gifts made to
the College of Letters and
Science over the past year.
Some of the highlights include:
• A new fund was establishing
in Biology called the
International Aquaponics
Society Fund.
• A $75,000 gift was made
to support the William C.
and Esther Hansen Memorial
Scholarship (Chemistry /
Physics and Astronomy).
• A $100,000 gift was made
by Arthur and Jane Pejsa to
support the newly named
Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory.
On Oct. 29, 2012,
Arthur Pejsa and his wife Jane Pejsa
were joined by family, friends, faculty,
staff, and community leaders this past
spring to celebrate the dedication of
the Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory. Pejsa
grew up in Custer, Wis. and began his
collegiate career in Stevens Point in 1940.
He left college to serve as a B-29 pilot in
WWII and survived thirty combat missions
over Japan.
After the war, he returned to finish
his degree and remarkably taught
two courses in mathematics as an
undergraduate student. He graduated at
the top of the Class of 1947, with a degree
in mathematics with minors
in physics and history. Pejsa’s
storied career as a pioneering
aerospace physicist included
work on the Apollo and Space
Shuttle missions while working
at Honeywell. Prior to his work
at Honeywell, he taught both
mathematics and physics at
the U.S. Naval Academy.
He is considered one of
the foremost ballistics experts
in the country and is an
accomplished author. The
Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory
is located on the roof of the
Science Building and is open
to the public for viewing during
the school year.
Arthur Pejsa is flanked by a display of his historic
calculations while receiving a plaque at the dedication
College of Letters and Science (COLS)
Organizational Chart – Summer 2013
COLS Organizational Chart
Director of
Continuing Ed
Vice-Chancellor
for Advacement
Dean
College of
Letters and Science
COLS Continuing
Ed Program Mgr
Dean's Assistant
University Services
Associate (LTE)
18
Dean's Assistant
for Advancement
& Marketing
Assistant Dean
Curriculum and
Student Affairs
COLS Director of
Development
Associate Dean
College Support
Team Leader
Senior Tech
Support Specialist
Center & Institute
Directors
Senior Tech
Support Specialist
Department
Chairs
Collaborative
Degree Program
Coordinator
Collaborative
Degree Program
Advisor
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT
COLS MAJORS, MINORS AND FACILITIES
COLS Majors, Minors and Facilities
Biology
Chair – Christopher Yahnke
ADA – Jackie Engum
■ ● Biology
● Aquaculture/Fish Culture
● Museum Techniques
Chemistry
Chair – Paul Hladky
ADA – Cristina Altobelli
■ ● Chemistry
■ Chemistry, ACS certified
Computing and New Media
Technologies
Chair – Robert Dollinger
ADA – Jenny Wierzba
■ ● Computer Information Systems
■ ● Web and Digital Media Development
English
Chair – Michael Williams
ADA – Kim Siclovan
■ ● English
● Biomedical Writing
● Creative Writing
● Professional Writing
Foreign Languages
Chair – Richard Ruppel
ADA – Donna Gear
■ ● French
■ ● German
■ ● Spanish
● English as a Second Language
Geography and Geology
Chair – David Ozsvath
ADA – Mary Clare Sorenson
■ ● Geography
■ Geoscience
● Environmental Geography
● Geographic Information Systems and
Spatial Analysis
● Geology
History
Chair – Nancy LoPatin-Lummis
ADA – Janis Swinford
■ ● History
Philosophy
Chair – David Chan
ADA – Sue Wojciechowski
■ ● Philosophy
● Anthropology
● Religious Studies
Physics and Astronomy
Chair – Mick Veum
ADA – Nancy Stokosa
■ ● Physics
Political Science
Chair – John Blakeman
ADA – Catherine Ligman
■ ● Political Science
■ ● Public Administration and Policy
Analysis
Psychology
Chair – Craig Wendorf
ADA – Kay Hackett
■ ● Psychology
Sociology and Social Work
Chair – Robert Enright
ADA – Pam Olson
■ ● Sociology
■ Social Work
● Gerontology
Interdisciplinary Programs
■ ● American Studies
■ Biochemistry
● Comparative Literature
● Earth Science
● Environmental Studies
● Ethnobotany
■ Individually Planned Major
■ ● International Studies
● Native American Studies
■ Natural Science
● Natural Science Broad-field
● Natural Science Broad-field (Edu.)
● Peace Studies
● Small City Analysis
■ ● Social Science
■ ● Social Science Broad-field
● Women’s and Gender Studies
Pre-Professional Studies
○ Pre-Chiropractic
○ Pre-Dental
○ Pre-Engineering
○ Pre-Law
○ Pre-Medical
○ Pre-Mortuary
○ Pre-Optometry
○ Pre-Pharmacy
○ Pre-Veterinary
○ Pre-Physician’s Assistant
Outreach Centers and Facilities
○ Allen F. Blocher Planetarium
○ Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory
○ Center for Athletic Scheduling
○ Center for the Small City
○ Collaborative Degree Program
○ Community Research Center
○ Geographic Information System
(GIS) Center
○ Museum of Natural History
○ National Information Center for
Polymer Education (POLYED)
○ Northern Aquaculture
Demonstration Facility (NADF)
○ Wisconsin Association for Critical
Thinking (WACT)
○ Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable
Technology (WIST)
Master of Science in Teaching
○ Biology
○ English
○ English (reading certification)
○ History
○ Mathematics
ADA = Academic Department
Associate
■ = Major
● = Minor
Mathematical Sciences
Chair – Cindy McCabe
ADA – Jenny Wierzba
■ ● Mathematics
● Mathematics, Applied
College of Letters and Science
19
Understanding Core Emotions in Abstract Dance: A Pilot Study
(Psychology)
Characterizing the Dynamics of a Microscopic Mechanical
Oscillator in an Ultra-high Vaccum Environment
(Physics and Astronomy)
Student research
showcased
at Symposium
Wagering Ethically?: The Proper Foundation to Build On
(Philosophy)
Collaborative research between students and faculty members at the University of WisconsinStevens Point was presented at the 14th annual College of Letters and Science Undergraduate
Research Symposium on April 26, 2013. More than 100 research posters and presentations
from students representing ten departments within the college were featured. Research subjects
included measuring forces in the natural sciences, the psychology of dance in social sciences and
how worldviews are formed in the humanities.
College of Letters and Science
130 Collins Classroom Center
Stevens Point, W. 54481
715-346-4224 phone
715-346-4213 fax
cols@uwsp.edu
www.uwsp.edu/cols
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT