fall 2015
COLORFUL
HISTORY,
EXCITING
FUTURE
School of Art and Design
celebrates 50 years with
an eye on the next 50
NEWS FOR UW-STOUT ALUMNI, FACULTY, STAFF AND FRIENDS
Inspiring Innovation. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/alumni
10
3
S TA F F
Mark Parsons
Vice Chancellor, University
Advancement and Marketing
Juliet Fox ’92
Director, Stout Alumni Association
Fall 2015 • University of Wisconsin-Stout
Doug Mell
Executive Director of Communications
and External Relations
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR
2
8
Bob Meyer reflects on his first
year
ON CAMPUS
3
4
5
6
6
7
8
8
9
9
Harvey Hall project underway
New academic programs for
the fall
Graduates share stories about
college experiences, what’s next
City buses get a lift from students
with new graphics, slogan
New Leadership Development
Institute led by alumnus
17
Students mentor kids at South
Dakota tribal school
University preparing to host 2016
Science Olympiad
New provost and vice chancellor
for Academic and Student Affairs
State budget update
UW-Stout approaching 125 years
Amy Luethmers
Director of Marketing
A L U M N I N E W S C O N T.
16
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
Business administration alumna
opens specialty store in Eau Claire
John Ewald ‘14
Graphic Designer, University Marketing
Alumna is owner of company
providing healthy food options
Stephanie LaBair
Sr. Graphic Designer, University
Marketing
Illustrator’s comic book expected
to be turned into movie
Hannah Flom
Communications Specialist, University
Communications
Letter turned into job offer, career
as executive with Goodyear
Layne Pitt ’81
Director, Sports Information
All in the families — UW-Stout
style
Alumni Spotlight
Co-owner of Knock uses passion
for design to breed success
Wave of alumni success
25
Alumni Association Update
AT H L E T I C S
Hall of Fame inductees and spring
sports update
COVER STORY
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18
The School of Art and Design
celebrates 50 years
YEAR IN REVIEW
14
Best photos of 2014-2015
A D VA N C E M E N T U P D AT E
32
32
Mark Parsons gives an update on
the Foundation
S H A R E YO U R N E W S
We’d love to hear from you,
and your fellow alumni would
too! Drop us a line about your
promotion, a reunion, or just to
reminisce.
STOUT TRADITIONS
Your Alumni Association is
interested in learning what
traditions were part of your
days on campus. Were there
bonfires after the hockey
games; did you have weekly
dances; what event(s) did
your fraternity or sorority hold
each year? As you think back
to those events, please share
them with us.
EMAIL
Generous support for science
alumni@uwstout.edu
MAIL
BACK COVER
ALUMNI NEWS
16
Jennifer Rudiger ’94
Development Program Manager, Stout
University Foundation
Brett Roseman
University Photographer
A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N &
CLASS NOTES
30
Jerry Poling
Assistant Director, University
Communications
Major general returns to
campus for first time since 1984
34
Flashback to past homecomings
Stout Alumni Association
Louis Smith Tainter House
320 South Broadway
Menomonie, WI 54751
ONLINE
Share your news or ideas at
www.uwstout.edu/alumni
facebook.com/stoutalumni
twitter.com/stoutalumni
tinyurl.com/stoutalumni
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Message from the Chancellor
BOB MEYER
Has it really been a year since I accepted the position of chancellor at my alma mater
and moved into my office in the Administration Building? The calendar tells me it has
been a year, but it sure has flown by.
This is my first official message to alumni in our printed Outlook magazine, and I want
everyone to know just how much I have enjoyed this year as chancellor. You get to do a
lot of different activities as chancellor and get invited to a variety of functions, but as a
fellow alumnus I place a special value on the time I have spent with alumni.
Your support is valued
Our Alumni Association does a great job of keeping connected with our graduate base,
given that we have alumni all over the globe. I believe we can do even more to engage
alumni in helping UW-Stout through these incredibly difficult financial times.
We need you to help us tell our story to the officials in Madison and Washington, D.C.,
who may not see the total value of what our institution has meant to you and to the
businesses and industries where you work, or to the enterprises you’ve created.
Elected officials know what they will hear from me or others from campus when we
meet with them. Messages from alumni who are their constituents have much more
impact on these representatives. We will be increasing our efforts to better engage our
alumni base in advocacy efforts.
We have been fortunate to set record enrollments recently, even as the number of
high school graduates has declined in the Midwest. Our enrollment for fall 2015 looks
steady again, with a very large freshman class. Thank you to our alumni who help us
grow our enrollment. Keep them coming!
Alumni can help our Admissions Office by ensuring that the high school students they talk
to are aware of the unique programs we offer, the 97 percent job placement rate for recent
graduates and the applied learning model that has been so successful over the years.
Finally, we value alumni input about ways UW-Stout can continue to improve. We need
alumni to serve on program advisory councils; get involved in the Alumni Association;
attend alumni functions and interact with other graduates; and provide feedback to me
and other administrators when they get the chance. We highly value your opinions, and
they can help us improve.
Chancellor Bob Meyer’s first year on campus
included: top, his inauguration April 2 at the Memorial Student Center; center, reading to children
at the campus Child and Family Study Center;
and bottom, taking the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The inauguration was covered in the
spring e-Outlook; find it online at
https://t.e2ma.net/message/51qwl/xrd97d.
A bigger, better homecoming celebration
I would be remiss if I did not encourage all alumni to return Oct. 2-3 for homecoming.
A committee has developed an incredible series of events. The Alumni Association is
adding events, the parade is coming back, and an alumni celebration is being planned
for downtown.
Some final details have yet to be worked out, but a great deal of information already is
available at www.uwstout.edu/homecoming.
Harvey Hall Project
On schedule for 2016 opening
The largest, most expensive and longest building renovation
project in UW-Stout history is nearing the halfway point.
Work is on schedule at Harvey Hall, with completion expected
in late spring 2016. A grand reopening is planned for fall 2016,
the building’s 100th anniversary and the university’s 125th.
These improvements are helping us prepare for the big celebration in 2016, which is
our 125th anniversary.
“Harvey Hall is an integral part of UW-Stout and its history,”
said Chancellor Bob Meyer. “We all look forward to enjoying a
renovated Harvey Hall for many years to come.”
So, yes, it has been a great year and a challenging one as well. The support we have
received from our alumni has been tremendous, and I am excited to build on the
successes we already have enjoyed.
Four classrooms are scheduled to reopen for the spring 2016
semester, according to Zenon Smolarek, assistant Physical Plant
director who is overseeing the project.
The building has been closed since January 2014, when the
project began with asbestos removal.
2
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
Harvey Hall is the largest academic building on campus. The
$28 million project is a top-to-bottom renovation including
remodeled classrooms and offices; historically correct 9½-foothigh windows; and the addition of a first-floor food and lounge
area.
The location of classrooms and offices are being reversed, with
classrooms moving down to the first two floors and offices to the
third and fourth floors. The historic Cal Peters mural above the
south entrance will remain, and two other large Peters paintings
that have been in Micheels Hall and Applied Arts will be returned
to Harvey Hall.
Harvey Hall originally was named the Home Economics Building.
It was renamed in 1952 in honor of Lorenzo Dow Harvey, the
school’s first president from 1908 to 1922.
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ON CAMPUS
DIPLOMAS AND JOBS IN HAND
Graduates share stories about college experiences, what’s next
The careers of 1,311 students were launched in early May during commencement
ceremonies at Johnson Fieldhouse. UW-Stout’s 97.1 percent employment rate means
most of those graduates went right into the workforce. Here are two of those stories:
Michelle Schlung
Antioch, Ill.
B.S. Apparel Design
and Development
What stands out about your college experience?
Studying abroad my sophomore year at the London
College of Fashion. Then, interning at Kohl’s Corp. in New
York City over the summer. Last, becoming
president of Silhouettes Fashion Show on campus.
What’s next? I will be starting at Kohl’s Corp. in New York
City as an assistant technical designer.
Two new undergraduate programs and one new graduate program begin with the 2015 fall semester
Digital Marketing
Technology
Mechanical
Engineering
Construction
Management
The UW System Board of Regents in early
June approved the Bachelor of Science
program, which will be delivered online.
UW-Stout’s fourth engineering degree,
a Bachelor of Science, was approved in
April. The university already offered 82
percent of the required engineering
curriculum through its computer,
manufacturing and plastics engineering
programs. UW-Stout also offers a popular
engineering technology program.
The Master of Science program in the
Graduate School, previously approved
by the Board of Regents, will feature
online delivery of courses to allow
working professionals to remain
employed while earning their degree.
A partnership between UW-Stout and
Thomson Reuters in the Twin Cities,
initiated by alumnus Craig Yolitz, played
a pivotal role in developing the major.
Thomson Reuters helped develop the
curriculum and provided classroom
instructors for the Web technology minor
and will continue to do so for the new
major. The company also established the
Thomson Reuters Web Development Program
Fund at Stout University Foundation.
National and state reports have indicated
that demand for mechanical engineers
will increase over the next decade. A UW
System report said that in northwest
Wisconsin 597 mechanical engineers
were needed, and the supply was 97.
The program is designed for
undergraduate construction majors
who have at least five years of
experience in the industry.
BY THE NUMBERS
STUDENT ENROLLMENT
9,371
Why did you choose UW-Stout? I really liked the size of
the campus and friendliness of the town. Apparel design
and development is a great program and really focuses on
technical design, which is what I was looking for.
What are the biggest challenges you faced? The biggest
challenge was finding enough time to put into projects.
There were a lot of nights without sleep, but everyone in
the program was in it together, which made it fun.
Three new academic programs offered this fall
U W - S TO U T
Why did you choose UW-Stout? I enjoyed the fact that
computer engineering was a hybrid program, which
offered experience in both computer science and
electronics.
What are the biggest challenges you faced? There’s
an immense amount of material to learn in just four
years. One of my biggest challenges was developing
the mindset and balance to get through my studies
while still having a decent college experience.
Ben Wichmann
Oshkosh
B.S. Computer Engineering
17: 1
S T U D E N T / FAC U LT Y R AT I O
24 STUDENTS
AVERAGE LECTURE CLASS
18 STUDENTS
AVERAGE LABORATORY SECTIONS
48
21
MAJORS
MAJORS
UNDERGRAD
3
ADVANCED
G R A D UAT E
MAJORS
GRADUATE
OVE R
50
MINORS
What stands out about your college experience? I
worked with three great companies: TTM Technologies,
Kennedy Space Center and Silicon Graphics, while still
being able to graduate on time.
What’s next? I have accepted a job with Lockheed
Martin as a research engineer. I will be working with
NASA’s Human Research Program, at the Lyndon B.
Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
150+
RECOGNIZED STUDENT
O R G A N I Z AT I O N S
4
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
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ON CAMPUS
Brand New Ride
City buses get a lift from students with new graphics and slogan
Each year students in a senior-level
practicum class take on projects for
nonprofits, campus clients and alumni.
Conklin asked the class, taught by retired
Professor Jim Tenorio, for help.
The rest was easy. “I just went to two
meetings. It was a turnkey project. They
did everything,” Conklin said.
UW-Stout students Melissa Cross, left, and Kelsy-Ann Hayes apply graphics on a Dunn County Transit bus.
Since it was founded in 2010, Dunn
County Transit — Menomonie’s public bus
service — has had plain white vehicles
with very little signage.
Partly because of that lack of visible
branding, some residents have been
reluctant to hop on the bus because they
didn’t know that the vehicles coming
down the road and stopping at the corner
were for them.
“With the general public, it’s been a hard
sell,” said Kent Conklin, Dunn County
Transit director.
Conklin didn’t have to travel far to solve
his problem. In fact, the solution was
right on one of the bus routes. He
connected with UW-Stout and its
cross-media graphics management
undergraduate program.
In late April the new-look buses hit the
streets with highly visible, colorful graphics
and a catchy new slogan, Enroute: Driving
Community Together. Buses are clearly
defined for customers as a “Stout Route”
or “Community Route.”
Led by project manager Kelsy-Ann Hayes,
students designed graphics that feature
the UW-Stout Clock Tower, Mabel
Tainter Center for the Arts, Wilson Park
bandshell, city railroad bridge over the
Red Cedar River and farm and bike trail
scenes.
Hayes created the imagery on software,
the team produced the large-format
graphics — up to 17 feet long — in a
printing lab and put them on the buses.
Discovering Potential
Leadership Development
Institute on campus led by alumnus
businesses, industry and nonprofit
organizations.
For nearly 125 years, UW-Stout has
taken pride in developing leaders —
graduates prepared to take on professional
challenges and help change the world.
Institute programming features
Leadership Academy Phase I and
Phase II. In addition, LDI delivers
leadership development through:
The Leadership Development Institute,
is being offered through the university’s
Discovery Center. LDI is focused on helping
graduates and others make the leap from
good to great leaders.
The institute draws from campuswide
leadership development resources to
provide comprehensive and premier
leadership development products and
programs and services to graduates,
6
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
• Customized programs for
organizations
• CEO peer councils
• One-on-one coaching
• Professional leadership development
certification
• Organization culture development
• Skill-building seminars
• Business ethics programs
The academy is led
by UW-Stout alumnus
and former professor
Charlie Krueger, ’BS
68, MS ’69, founder
and director of the
academy and
consultant for LDI;
and Kari Dahl, a
Charlie Krueger
nationally recognized
development consultant and former
People, Process, Culture chair at
UW-Stout.
To learn more about upcoming
programs, go to the Leadership
Development Institute website,
www.uwstout.edu/LDI.
PROJECT
ENEMY SWIM
Students give and receive while mentoring kids at South Dakota tribal school
M
anny Melendrez and Autumn Paulson are Native
Americans, but they’re from small towns in
Wisconsin and didn’t grow up in tribal communities.
They, along with 12 UW-Stout classmates, saw a different side
of tribal life in late May during an early summer course called
Native American Service Learning Project. Students traveled to
Waubay, S.D., where they spent 11 days with Dakotah children at
Enemy Swim Day School, a rural Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribal
school on the Lake Traverse Reservation. The reservation is in
northeastern South Dakota and extends into North Dakota.
The goal of the project was to help educate children about the
value of staying in school, at least through high school, and
how to cope with issues on the reservation that become
roadblocks — alcohol, drugs, teenage pregnancy, dropping
out of high school, suicide and poverty.
The course was led by Crystal Aschenbrener, an assistant
professor of social work in the social science department.
UW-Stout student Autumn Paulson,
right, shares a hug with an Enemy
Swim student.
The UW-Stout students included a mix of majors, with most
having a social work focus. “Day by day, our students break
things down and build that relationship. By the end it’s a pretty
powerful thing,” Aschenbrener said.
The college students led educational activities, ate meals with
the children and rode the bus with them.
“We knew deep down there are problems at home they have to
go through, and going to school and seeing us made their day
100 times better,” said Paulson, who is part Oneida. “It was a
really hard thing to say goodbye. All 14 college students were
crying. I didn’t expect it to be as amazing as it was.”
Melendrez, a member of the Crow tribe, partially grew up in
Oakland, Calif., and has family members who live on a reservation
in Montana. He understood the issues at Enemy Swim. “I felt
happy knowing we came in here and made a big difference,”
Melendrez said. “They made a big difference with us too.”
UW-Stout students on a tour of the Lake Traverse Reservation with Danny Seaboy,
right, the reservation cultural teacher and leader. The group is standing in South
Dakota, and in the background are North Dakota and Minnesota.
UW-Stout students, from left, are
Olivia Coroneos, Noelle Metoxen
and Mary Kate Mahmood.
F A LF LA L2L0 2
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51 5 7 7
ON CAMPUS
National Spotlight
University to host 2016 Science Olympiad National Tournament May 18-21
The countdown is on for the Science
Olympiad National Tournament to be held
May 18-21, 2016, at UW-Stout.
More than 7,000 people, including 2,400
competitors, from 50 states will travel
to Menomonie for one of the premier
science competitions in the U.S.
The event features middle and high
school students competing in science
and engineering events related to
STEM careers.
“This competition will
reinforce the growing
reputation that UW-Stout
has in the science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics fields,”
said Chancellor Bob
Meyer. “Landing this event
Forrest Schultz
is a testament to the
quality of our faculty and staff who work in
those fields.”
The director of the national tounament is
Forrest Schultz, a chemistry professor.
“It is an incredible honor to host this
prestigious tournament at UW-Stout. It is
a perfect match with our mission to
prepare students for a STEM-intensive
global marketplace. We are looking
forward to working with our industry
partners, students and a broad array of
academic programs across campus to
make this event a showcase of
Wisconsin and UW-Stout,” Schultz said.
Schultz is the state tournament director
and president of Wisconsin Science
Olympiad. UW-Stout also will host the
state tournament April 1-2, about six
weeks before the national event.
National officials were impressed with
UW-Stout’s science facilities and, more
importantly, how they’re used. “There’s
an applied nature to the Science Olympiad
events, and that’s what the national
tournament officials want to experience
at UW-Stout,” Schultz said.
Along with UW-Stout and Stout University
Foundation, major sponsors include
Xcel Energy and 3M. Sponsorship
opportunities are available. Learn more
at www.scienceolympiad2016.org or
contact Stout University Foundation.
Guilfoile begins
work as new
provost and
vice chancellor
Patrick Guilfoile is
the new provost
and vice chancellor
for Academic and
Student Affairs at
UW-Stout.
Chancellor Bob
Meyer, who
announced the
appointment April
Patrick Guilfoile
30, said Guilfoile
has “the right educational background,
academic experience and higher
education vision to help guide
UW-Stout in this complex and
challenging environment.”
Guilfoile began work July 1. He
replaced Jackie Weissenburger, who
served as interim provost and vice
chancellor since Jan. 1, 2013.
Guilfoile has been at Bemidji State
since 1994, rising through the ranks
from biology professor to chair of the
biology department.
He served as associate dean from
2007 to 2009, when he became
associate vice president for
Academic Affairs. (cont. on next page)
“UW-Stout’s polytechnic focus puts the
institution in a very strong position to
deal with many of the challenges currently
facing higher education,” Guilfoile said.
He has a bachelor’s degree from Northland
College, a master’s degree from UW-Eau
Claire and a doctorate from UW-Madison.
He was a postdoctoral fellow at the
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research at Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
Patrick Guilfoile, left, meets with Chancellor Bob Meyer.
Budget Impact
UW-Stout to face tough budget cuts in the next two years
The 2015-17 state budget for higher
education presents an unprecedented
challenge for Chancellor Bob Meyer and
the rest of the campus.
Following months of debate, the
Legislature during the summer adopted
a two-year spending plan that cuts the
amount of state aid for UW-Stout by more
than $5.3 million a year, while imposing
another two-year freeze in undergraduate
tuition.
This is the largest state aid cut in the
university’s history, part of a $250 million
cut to the UW System during the
biennium.
To guide decision-makers in addressing
a cut of this size, the Strategic Planning
Group adopted five budget reduction
principles. They were:
• Protect the integrity and quality of
instruction as defined by our
accrediting bodies
• Make data-informed budget decisions
• To the degree possible, ensure that
budget decisions complement FOCUS
2020 goals and maintain sufficient
flexibility to respond to emergencies
• Make budget reductions that are
strategic and not across the board
• Ensure the process is transparent and
considers all possible options, while
seeking input from all campus
constituencies
A subcommittee of the Strategic Planning
Group then reviewed more than 800
suggestions sent in via a website on
ways to address the budget situation.
The subcommittee’s work was presented
in a report.
That report was used by Meyer and his
Cabinet to arrive at a series of decisions
aimed at balancing UW-Stout’s 2015-16
budget. “It’s important to emphasize that
these reductions were not taken ‘across
the board’ and are a result of a great
deal of input from a number of groups
and sources — with the goal of being
strategic and true to the budget
reduction principles established by the
Strategic Planning Group,” Meyer said
in the memo.
Some major issues remain to be
decided, Meyer said, including reducing
the number of colleges from four to
three and implementing changes in
instructional workload/class sizes.
More information is available at the
UW-Stout state budget website,
www.uwstout.edu/statebudget.
Plans underway to celebrate
UW-Stout’s 125th anniversary in 2016
YEARS
125
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UUWW- S- ST TOOUUT T OOU UL TOLOOKO K
UW-Stout is making plans to celebrate its
quasquicentennial — 125th anniversary.
degree programs around the turn of
the century.
The university’s rich history dates to
Jan. 5, 1891, when it opened as Stout
Manual Training School for high school
students in the city’s public schools.
The school, founded by James Huff Stout,
began offering its first postsecondary
Several events are in the works for
celebrations, including the fall 2016
grand reopening of Harvey Hall and
the 125 years at Stout Homecoming
and Summit, the latter scheduled
Oct. 7-8, 2016.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
E S TA B L I S H E D 1 8 9 1
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COVER STORY
43-year-old home in the Applied Arts Building, which they share
with several other departments. “We’re maxed out. It’s a great
problem to have because we are successful. We have a
top-notch facility, but we can’t push for growth and new
opportunities. We’re holding enrollment steady,” she said.
Long-range plans, depending on the success of fundraising
efforts through an upcoming Stout University Foundation campaign,
would include renovated and possibly expanded facilities.
“We have to rethink what higher education learning spaces will
need to be in 10 to 15 years,” she said. “If we can rethink our
space we can deliver a more effective experience for students.”
CREATIVE
MISSION
UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design,
born as the art department in the
mid-1960s, has grown into the largest
program in the UW System. Celebrating
its 50th anniversary this fall, it’s poised for
even more opportunities and success.
If a piece of art were to be created that represented the whole
of UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design in 2015, it might look
something like this:
RICH, COLORFUL HISTORY
Much like a treasured piece of art, the school was founded
during a moment of 1960’s inspiration and took shape through
trial and error and copious amounts of hard work.
The “artist” was William “Bud” Micheels. He became Stout
State president in 1961 and was leading an effort during his
first few years to expand the number of majors.
An early 1930s Stout Institute alumnus who previously taught
at the University of Minnesota, Micheels envisioned art as a
way to develop a more well-rounded curriculum and as a perfect
addition to Stout State’s applied learning environment.
Orazio Fumagalli right
and center background
Special events are scheduled the week of Oct. 12-17,
culminating with two full days of events Friday and Saturday, Oct.
16-17. Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/artdes/anniversary.
Tamara Brantmeier, director of the school, is
excited about the opportunity to show alumni,
UW-Stout and beyond how art and design are
thriving and are at the core of the university’s
mission and, with additional momentum, how
art and design can continue to expand and be
integrated across campus.
Nearly 1,000 students — the largest art program in the UW System
— fully engaged in learning about and doing creative work,
faculty at their sides, filling the Applied Arts Building, Micheels
Hall and Furlong Gallery to overflowing. An amalgam of oil, acrylic,
chalk and watercolor; ceramics, wood, pottery, metals and
textiles; and various typefaces, sculptures, products, prints and
patterns along with video and animated characters and spaces.
Tamara Brantmeier
In other words this breathtaking, fantastical creation would be a
microcosm of the student and faculty skills and talent at work at
UW-Stout and the broad range of tools available for modern art
and design.
The creativity, history and promise that make up the School of
Art and Design entering the 2015-16 academic year will be
celebrated in October to mark 50 years of innovation.
10
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
The theme for the celebration will be Reflect,
Cultivate, Imagine. “We’ll be celebrating 50 years and envisioning
the next 50 years,” Brantmeier said.
Students will display their work, lead tours and be involved in
many other ways. “We really want students to be front and
center during the celebration,” Brantmeier said.
After a half-century of growth, the programs have outgrown their
Plus, history was on his side. Drawing classes always had been
offered at the school, dating to its opening in 1891 as Stout
Manual Training School. For decades, however, art classes were
part of the home economics and industrial education majors
and not a separate program of study.
Micheels hired an assistant, John Furlong, in 1963 and gave
him the task of starting an art department. Furlong, in turn,
hired Orazio Fumagalli, director of the Tweed Art Gallery at
University of Minnesota-Duluth, to lead the department.
In 1965 Stout State began offering its first bachelor’s
programs in art — studio art and art education.
Micheels’ decision caused some consternation on the
conservative campus. John Enger, who arrived in the late 1960s
as the University Relations assistant director, said the art
department “was considered by some as foreign to the culture
of Stout. This was the ’60s, when long hair and different kinds
of clothing became the image of the art community. These ‘new’
people were viewed as different and incongruent to the industrial
arts and home economics culture,” he said.
Not long after arriving on campus, a longtime faculty member
approached Fumagalli and said, “Well, I understand you have come
here to change the whole place,” Fumagalli recalled years later.
Fumagalli, to some degree, was there to shift the culture to the
left. He purposely grew his hair long and wore it in a ponytail,
along with lace collars on his shirts, to let others know “where
“IF YOU HAVE
TO MAKE A
STATEMENT,
YOU HAVE
TO MAKE A
STATEMENT.
I BRING A
GREAT DEAL
OF PASSION
TO LIFE.”
- Orazio Fumagalli
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COVER STORY
1903
Drawing taught in
new domestic
science and
manual training
teacher programs
1891
Stout Manual
Training School
founded; drawing
taught to city
public school
students
1965
UW-Stout begins
offering B.S.
programs in studio
art and art
education
1894
Kate Murphy
hired as first art
director
1972
Applied Arts Building, $3.5
million, opens
I stood, which was with the freedom of the individual to get
dressed any way he pleased. I expected a stir.”
Fumagalli, nicknamed “Roger,” was born in Italy, the son and
grandson of artists, but grew up in New York. He wasn’t afraid to
express his opinions and lead with authority and often did so in
a flamboyant and occasionally abrasive way. He died in 2004.
“He was a high-powered individual,” said Susan Hunt, a former
faculty member.
Until the Applied Arts Building opened in 1972, the art
department didn’t have a permanent home. During a period
when Stout State was changing rapidly, the department
operated on the fringes of campus. Offices and studios included
a small building on the site of the current heating plant, in an
old church, abandoned homes, a former downtown department
store and former beer outlet, as well as Harvey Hall, Bowman
Hall and old Ray Hall.
Enrollment in the two majors was just 50 in 1970 but shot up to
368 a decade later.
Rob Price joined the faculty in 1970, with a focus on teaching
printmaking, although he taught a variety of courses. One of the
keys to art enrollment growth was engaged faculty, he said.
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
Number of art
majors: 368
Number of art
Majors: 50
Bachelor of Science degrees in
art approved by UW System
12
1990
1974
Industrial design
concentration
added
Multimedia design
concentration
added
2000
Number of art majors: 750
Number of art
majors: 598
Interior design
concentration
added
1980
1998
Graphic design
concentration
added
1978
1970
1964
1982
2010
1989
Accreditation
by the National
Association of
Schools of Art and
Design, B.S. art
degrees become
Bachelor of Fine
Arts degrees
“We were all given studio space throughout town. That’s what
made our program so special — we were all alive in the
profession. The students knew we were teaching from the
basis of professional expertise,” said Price, who retired in 2000.
“We were young and excited. You could just feel it.”
Students often would visit professors in the professors’ studios
and watch them work, Price said.
Another strength of UW-Stout’s art programs have been and
continue to be a requirement that students, even in design, take
studio art courses as a foundation. “If they can draw, it means
they can see,” Price said. “The studio art core here is vital.”
Hunt joined the faculty in 1978 and started the graphic design
concentration in 1982, back when personal computers were
just arriving on campus and slowly being integrated into the new
design courses. She agrees that studio art makes a better art
or design student.
“Critical thinking is the very essence of studio art — what you
did and why you did it. It’s one of the things that make our
students more desirable because they have that crossover
thinking,” Hunt said.
Hunt, who retired in 2014, says UW-Stout’s art programs
Number of art
majors: 912
1996
1996
1999
Applied Arts
Building renovated
Micheels Hall and
Micheels
Hall Gallery,
and Furlong
Furlong
$7
Gallery,
$7
million,
open
million, open
are successful because the graduates are successful.
“Ninety-five percent of our students are still in art decades
after they graduate. Success isn’t how many people enroll
but how many people leave here and get jobs.” she said.
Hunt was department chair from 2002 to 2009.
Fumagalli remained art department chair until 1978 and
retired in 1986. He was followed as chair by Jim McCormick,
Gene Bloedorn, Charlie Wimmer, Ron Verdon, Hunt and
Verdon again, leading up to Brantmeier.
In 2011, the School of Art and Design was created. In 2012
four new majors were created from the concentrations, and
the Master of Fine Arts in design, the first terminal degree
in school history, was offered.
Graduates from the art and design programs at UW-Stout
have gone on to become highly successful in many fields
around the region and across the globe.
The applied, polytechnic focus of UW-Stout’s majors
help set it apart from other art programs and schools,
Brantmeier said. “It’s an absolutely unique array of degrees.
Students’ individual creative talents here are developed
and nurtured.”
2011
School of Art and
Design created
from department
of art and design
2015
Sixth undergraduate art and design
major approved, B.F.A. in game
design and development-art
Number of art majors: approximately
950, not including about 130 art
education majors in the School of
Education
2012
B.F.A.
concentrations
become majors:
industrial design,
interior design,
graphic design and
interactive media,
and entertainment
design
School of Art and Design’s 50th
Anniversary Celebration
A half-century of art at UW-Stout will be celebrated the
week of Oct. 12-17 by the School of Art and Design.
Alumni are invited and encouraged to attend.
The main events will take place Friday and Saturday,
Oct. 16-17, including art displays, current and historical,
in Furlong Gallery and the Applied Arts Building and workshops. The celebration will culminate with a banquet and
silent auction Saturday night.
Retired professor Rob Price will teach a master class
during the week.
Details and times of events can be found on the event
website, www.uwstout.edu/artdes/anniversary.
All of the events will be open to the public.
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13
SNAPSHOTS
SNAPSHOTS
OF THE 2014/2015 SCHOOL YEAR
14
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
The past year saw UW-Stout welcome a new
chancellor, Bob Meyer, as well as a new university
photographer, Brett Roseman, who captured many
of the special events and moments seen here.
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15
ALUMNI NEWS
In Command
ALUMNA IS MAJORITY OWNER OF COMPANY THAT PROVIDES HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS
Major general returns to campus for first time since 1984
K
ent Savre has come a long way since 1984, when
he graduated from UW-Stout with a bachelor’s degree
in construction.
He returned for the first time in May for another ceremony but under
much different circumstances. Savre was guest speaker at the Army
ROTC Northwoods Battalion spring commissioning ceremony, at
which eight cadets became officers. At the time he was a brigadier
general but has since been promoted to major general.
Last spring Savre was named commanding general of Fort
Leonard Wood, Mo., and the Maneuver Support Center of
Excellence. Previously, he was commanding general for the Army
Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division, overseeing a budget
of $5 billion and 3,500 people; director of the Office of the Chief
of Engineers in the Pentagon; and a brigade commander in the
Iraq War.
A native of Edina, Minn., he enjoyed being back on campus for
the special occasion. “I’m excited to return to the alma mater for
the first time for this event. I have been able to see what a huge
impact our young officers have on the security of our nation.
Young men and women willing to raise their right hand and serve
Kent Savre, back center, talks with UW-Stout
ROTC officials and cadets at the spring commissioning ceremony.
as leaders in defense of our constitution and our Nation. Where
else would you want to be?” he said.
Savre, who was commissioned as an officer in 1985, competed
in football and track as an undergraduate. He went on to earn a
master’s in construction management from Arizona State and a
master’s in strategic studies from the Army War College. Learning
the principles of construction management have served him well
in his military career, he said, citing the value of “learning how
to think and the methodology of how to think for project-program
management.”
Country Midwestern
With that motivation, Ward ’91, chose UW-Stout and majored in
retail merchandising and management with a minor in economics.
Business administration alumna opens specialty store in Eau Claire mall
Amy McRoberts Styer and an example
of her store’s merchandise, below.
16
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
A
children and a small family
farm. They hope to sell some of
their farm products at the store.
The store sells country chic
apparel, accessories and home
décor. “I love everything country
and have so much fun ordering
for the store,” she said. She
describes the store as being
affordable and trendy with a
small-town, country feel.
Also since the store isn’t a
chain, she can do what she
wants. “I love being able to
be different,” she said. Her
daughter, age 13, is able to help
at the store and to contribute
ideas, Styer said. “We carry
selfie sticks because of her,” she
said. Selfie sticks hold a smart
phone in position to take a
self-portrait.
Owning the store gives her
some flexibility also, she said.
She and her husband have four
Styer grew up in Menomonie
and chose to attend UW-Stout
because she loved the campus,
my McRoberts Styer
’99 is her own boss
and loves it. In May, she
opened the store Dashingly
Country in Oakwood Mall in
Eau Claire.
W
hen Krista Ward was looking for the right
college to attend, she knew that someday
she didn’t want to only work for a
company; she wanted to own the company.
it was close to family, and her
mother, Barb McRoberts, worked
at the university for 40 years.
Styer also worked at UW-Stout
in the library as a business
manager for almost eight years.
Styer’s degree in business
administration has helped her
establish her store, she said.
Styer has a website for the store,
www.dashinglycountry.com, and
a Facebook page.
Visitors to the store are met with
new inventory weekly and the
opportunity to take a selfie with
TJ the bull.
Today, 25 years later, she is majority owner of the company
Hooray Puree, Vegetables Made Easy, which packages pureed
vegetables into BPA-free pouches. The vegetables are grown
from non-GMO vegetable seeds. BPA is an industrial chemical
that has been used since 1957 to make certain plastics.
Ward started out as a consumer of the product, which was sold
frozen, but when she learned that the company was in financial
difficulty, she became interested in it as more than just a meal
choice. She ended up purchasing the intellectual property of
the company, essentially the name and logos, and started over
by converting it to a shelf-stable product.
“I love that we are making healthy eating more convenient
and that we have introduced a way to incorporate vegetables
into virtually every aspect of the diet including snacks, meals,
smoothies, baking and desserts,” she said. She believes that
using vegetable puree is an effective way to develop palates
and get nutrition.
Hooray Puree, with six employees, makes products for
commercial-size kitchens, such as in schools, medical settings
Krista Ward is majority owner
of the company
and military facilities, and for family kitchens. Pouches are
available as small as four ounces and as large as 50 ounces.
Headquartered in Illinois, the company uses organic vegetables
for their purees and does not use additives. “What you get is
100 percent single ingredient vegetables,” the company states
on its website, hooraypuree.com. Ward, who lives in Illinois,
was born in Japan but grew up in Wisconsin.
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17
ALUMNI NEWS
Engineering success story
Letter turned into job offer, career as executive with Goodyear
T
hanks to the Web, today’s college
graduates can search with ease
for job openings. In 1986 industrial
technology graduate Dallas Olson had
to do it the old-fashioned way — with a
letter.
After graduation,
Olson had multiple
job offers but wasn’t
satisfied. He was
most interested
in the tire industry
because he had
interned and had
a Cooperative
Education experience
at the Uniroyal tire
manufacturing plant
in Eau Claire.
Mitch Gerads’ comic book expected to be
turned into movie by Paramount Pictures
T
en years into his career, it’s safe to say Mitch Gerads is a
rising star. His work has gone from cereal boxes to comics
to, potentially, the movie screen.
Gerads ’05 graduated from UW-Stout with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
and a concentration in graphic design. The Elk River, Minn.,
native began working for a graphic design firm in Minneapolis
and, as part of his work, designed cereal boxes for General Mills.
When the graphic design firm lost the General Mills account,
Gerads lost his job and made a bold decision. “I can give that
comic book thing a shot. It’s always what I wanted to do since I
was young,” he said.
His new career — in a highly competitive market as a comic book
illustrator — has been on the upswing ever since, especially
since 2012 when he began illustrating “The Activity,” written by
Nathan Edmondson, for Marvel Comics. The 16-issue, military
sci-fi thriller did extremely well in the military market in part
because of its accurate portrayal of special missions units and
its attention to detail.
“People in the military love comic books. The No. 1 thing Nathan
and I tried to do was make it as real as possible — we contacted
Navy Seals, Delta Force guys, Green Berets, Army Rangers — and
keep it as entertaining as possible,” Gerads said.
In May, “The Activity” went to another level when Paramount
Pictures gave a green light to make an action film based on the
18
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
He oversees Goodyear’s machinery
engineering, manufacturing process
engineering and facilities construction
around the world, including building new
factories and retrofitting others. “We
turn ideas into reality,” he said.
comic. A script has been written by Ken
Nolan, who wrote the script for the
blockbuster military thriller “Blackhawk
Down.”
“I’m beyond thrilled, that’s for sure,”
said Gerads, who recently moved from
Minneapolis to Phoenix.
Gerads also has illustrated “The Punisher”
for Marvel, a 20-issue series that is
wrapping up, and this fall will begin work on a new book, “The
Sheriff of Babylon,” for Vertigo Comics, part of D.C. Comics.
“The Sheriff of Babylon,” will be written by Tom King, a former
CIA officer.
Gerads is excited to be doing what he loves. “This is exactly what
my dream was. It worked out, and I’m humbled by it everyday.”
He gives UW-Stout a measure of thanks for his success. His
graphic design background has paid dividends even though he
has branched off from his major. One of Gerads’ graphic design
classmates at UW-Stout, Eliza Wheeler, has become a nationally
successful children’s book author and illustrator.
“I noticed in the industry that I had all these design skills that
straight illustrators did not have. I learned about type and seeing
things in a design sense. I get a lot of praise for my covers
because my graphic design is there,” Gerads said.
now have co-ops annually through the
Career Services office. Olson’s co-op
experience was important to his
development as a student and
professional, he said.
“A co-op experience opens your eyes
as to what type of person
you need to evolve
to. They provide clear
purpose for your
remaining coursework and
also provided valuable
career coaching that was
impactful throughout my
career,” he said.
Olson, who grew up in
northwestern Wisconsin
in Grantsburg, continued
his education while
working. He completed
a Master of Business
Administration in 1995
from Oklahoma City
University and a
master’s degree in
strategic studies in 2009
from the U.S. Army War
College in Carlisle, Pa.
He decided to
contact the firm at
the top of his wish
list — Goodyear.
He didn’t know,
Dallas Olson, 1986 UW-Stout graduate and vice president of
however, if Goodyear
global engineering for Goodyear, visits campus in 2015.
even had any
openings. On a
whim, he put a
resume in an envelope, added a 22-cent
While attending school and working
In 29 years Olson has moved 12 times
stamp and put it in the mailbox.
at Goodyear, he concurrently served a
with Goodyear. He’s lived and worked in
“I figured, ‘Why not?’ Lo and behold, they
sent a letter back and said they’d like to
interview me,” Olson said.
Olson, who had a plant engineering
concentration as part of his major, landed
the job as a staff engineer in the Goodyear
technology center at the company
headquarters in Akron, Ohio. “It turned
out to be my best offer,” he said.
Thus, with a snail mail letter he began a
highly successful career that continues
29 years later. Since 2013, he has been
vice president of global engineering for
Goodyear, which employs about 70,000
people worldwide.
Akron five times, Canada, Brazil twice and
at four U.S. plants.
He returned to UW-Stout in February
with several members of his Goodyear
engineering team to familiarize them with
UW-Stout. Goodyear also had a booth at
the spring Career Conference and plans
to return for future conferences, including
this fall. “We have identified key strategic
schools to recruit from, and UW-Stout
is one of them because of the technical
and hands-on nature of the degree
programs,” Olson said.
Olson was in UW-Stout’s co-op program
soon after it started. About 900 students
30-plus-year career in the Army National
Guard and Reserve completing two
deployments, Iraq 2004-05 and
Afghanistan 2010-11, ultimately
retiring as a colonel in 2011.
For more information on
engineering at UW-Stout,
check out page 4 for details
about the new Bachelor of
Science in mechanical engineering.
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19
ALUMNI NEWS
For the Stantons and Stafnes,
connections to the university go
back decades and cross generations
he family that studies together
stays together? So it would seem
when observing the number of
Stanton and Stafne family members who
are UW-Stout alumni and whose paths
have crossed as a result of their
connection to the university.
Jeff ’79 and Kathy Nelson Stanton ‘80
were college sweethearts who married
and can count 14 family members who
have graduated from the university.
Roberta Actor Stafne
– sister-in-law–
Roberta Actor Stafne MS
’81 worked as a retirement
career consultant for
Briarwood Consultants.
Greg Stafne
Norma Kerlin Stafne
Greg Stafne ‘76 started
at UW-Stout during the
summer of 1966, then
enlisted in the Navy that
fall. After completing his
military commitment, he
returned to UW-Stout
t0 pursue an interest in
construction engineering,
Norma Kerlin Stafne
attended and studied
biology as a prenursing
major and is a retired
registered nurse.
UW-Stout was a perfect
fit and he had no
difficulty finding a job
after graduating.
Jeff Stanton
Kathy Nelson Stanton
Find out more about Jeff and Kathy in the article
to the right.
During her time at
UW-Stout she recalls
the amount of time her
studies required.
“I lived in the science
building. My schedule
was brutal,” she said.
Jerry Stanton
Jill Werner Stanton
Jerry Stanton ’71 has fond
memories of a field trip in
a drawing class in
particular. He has
worked with several
companies, but his biggest
artistic accomplishment
was being selected by
Harley-Davidson as
an artist for its 100th
anniversary. He designed
a bronze eagle with the
H-D logo engraved in it.
Jill Werner Stanton ’72
chose UW-Stout because of
its proximity to home, and
her friends were attending.
She met Jerry Stanton
at the 1974 Homecoming
parade outside of the Silver
Dollar Bar. “We were
engaged three weeks later
and married Feb. 1, 1975.”
She completed an M.S.
degree at UW-Stout and
taught at the university for
30 years.
Lucas Stanton
– son –
Kimberly Stafne Youngberg
– daughter of Roberta–
Kimberly Stafne Youngberg ’96 is a high school
art teacher in Altoona.
Jen Stafne Rohde
– daughter –
Jen Stafne Rohde ’11, with
a degree in hospitality
and tourism, works as
a managing archivist at
the national office of the
Christian and Missionary
Alliance in Colorado
Springs.
Lindsay Stafne Stanton
– daughter –
Lindsay Stafne Stanton
’10, “The greatest memory
I took from UW-Stout is
my husband Adam.”
She teaches preschool in
Green Bay.
Adam Stanton
– son –
Adam Stanton, BS ’06,
MS ’10, “I was very happy with my experience at
UW-Stout. I found it was
relevant to the real job
field.” He works for Ariens
in Brillion, as a production manager in the
fabrication department.
Lucas Stanton ’11, “I
learned to present my
work with confidence
through peer and adviser
critiquing during class
and through exhibits I
participated in.” Lucas
works for Hampton Products in Shell Lake, and
has patented some products which are available
in stores.
Cody Stanton
– son –
Cody Stanton ’13,
“Through my entire time
at UW-Stout, I made a
huge variety of lifelong
friends and learned a
bunch,” he said. He is a
packaging engineer at
General Mills in
Minneapolis.
Andrea Krueger
– girlfriend of Cody –
Andrea Krueger ’14, Cody
Stanton’s significant
other, remembers special
times with her track team.
“My teammates became
my best friends,” she said.
Today she is a graduate
student studying
kinesiology at the
University of Minnesota.
Gary Delander
– brother-in-law –
Gary Delander ’71 was in
a fraternity for four years
and was on the wrestling
team. After graduation he
taught for 14 years and
then worked in the oilfields.
Today he sells equipment
to chemical plants and
refineries in the Houston,
Texas area. “My UW-Stout
degree was beneficial in
getting and keeping the jobs
I have had,” he said.
Sandi Sunquist Stanton
– sister-in-law –
Sandi Sunquist Stanton
MS ’80, retired school
counselor and author,
published “Max Your Mind:
The Owner’s Guide for a
Strong Brain”
in May.
“UW Stout provided the
encouragement, training
and camaraderie I needed
for my professional path,”
she said.
Jordan Lee
– nephew of Kathy –
Afton Lee Roemhild
– niece of Kathy –
’08 manufacturing
engineering
‘10 retail and merchandise
management
Greg ’76 and Norma Kerlin Stafne count
six family members, including
themselves, as alumni. They became
connected with the Stanton clan when
their youngest daughter married the
Stantons’ oldest son after meeting at
UW-Stout.
Kathy, who grew up in Knapp, chose
UW-Stout — it was close to home — and
the early childhood program because she
wanted to work with children. She is
retired after teaching kindergarten and
first grade for 16 years. Her husband,
Jeff, from Menomonie, chose
industrial education and operates a
manufacturers’ representative agency
for packaging machinery.
Each of the couple’s three sons, Adam,
Lucas and Cody, chose to attend their
parents’ alma mater.
“It always seemed like it was going to be
UW-Stout,” Adam said.
Matthew Nelson
– nephew of Kathy –
Nathan Nelson
– nephew of Kathy –
current graphic design and
interactive media major
current game design and
development major
For Lindsay Stafne Stanton, Adam’s wife,
attending the university that her parents
attended and loved wasn’t too much of a
stretch.
“When I was little my dad would bundle
my sisters and me up and take us to
UW-Stout homecoming. It was always
something we did with Dad. Later in life
when I decided I wanted to be a teacher,
Dad took me back. There was no other
place for me but UW-Stout,” she said.
She teaches preschool in Green Bay.
For the rest of the Stafne-Stanton story,
refer to the family tree.
Lindsay Stafne Stanton
20
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
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21
ALUMNI NEWS
OPENING
Busy in retirement
Carolyn Barnhart ’74 was named president of the American
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at the national
conference in June in Jacksonville, Fla. She began serving a
one-year term July 1.
Carolyn Barnhart
“It’s growth on top of growth, which is hard to do,” said Paulson.
So what’s the key to success? “Have passion for what you do, be
collaborative in the process and focus on building relationships for
the long term,” Paulson said.
As president, Barnhart, who retired from the university in 2011
after 36 years, will provide leadership and will work to advance
the goals of the association. “It is an honor to serve the
membership of AAFCS and work with the leaders in the profession,”
Barnhart said.
Barnhart taught in the food and nutrition department and in the
School of Education. In retirement, she fills in as an adjunct instructor.
Alumnus making connections
CO-OWNER OF GROWING
MINNEAPOLIS CREATIVE AGENCY
USES PASSION TO BREED SUCCESS
Craig Yolitz ’85 a vice president in the FindLaw division of
Thomson Reuters in the Twin Cities was instrumental in helping
UW-Stout develop a new major, digital marketing technology,
which will debut this fall.
Craig Yolitz
“Having the right skilled talent is critical to our future.
(Students) will graduate with current industry education that
will be of value to not only Thomson Reuters but also
companies across the region, as well as around the world,”
Yolitz said.
Unlike many retirees, alumna Sharon Balius ’62 heads to the
snowy climes during winter.
She and her husband spend part of the year skiing on the
slopes in Vail, Colo., where they bought a home in 1998. The
rest of the year she is at home in the area of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sharon Balius
In 2014, she was recruited to volunteer for the International
Ski Federation World Cup, which was held in February and
early March of 2015. Balius was one of the 2,400 volunteers
involved in slope preparation, security, spectator services and
more, for the 2015 World Cup,” she said. “It means little to
most Americans but was the center of our lives for the past
year as we prepared for it,” she said.
Of course, that’s the simple answer. It
has taken years of hard work to develop a
national client base that includes Target,
Perry Ellis, Levi’s, Ann Taylor Loft and
others; open a new Minneapolis
office with a creative environment focus,
in 2014; add an office in New York; and
oversee a staff that has grown to 60.
But it’s not work if you love it, Paulson
said. “When you love what you do you’re
happy everyday,” he said. “I love this
career, designing and creating solutions
for companies.”
Todd Paulson
Lilli Hall started Knock in 2001, and
Paulson soon joined her. Knock is thriving in part because as
leaders — in addition to sharing an office — they are aligned from
business and creative perspectives. That synergy filters down to
every employee. “Internally, we want everyone collaborating,” said
Paulson, the chief creative officer who guides the creative teams.
A partnership between UW-Stout and Thomson Reuters
played a pivotal role in development of the major.
Hitting the slopes
or several years, Todd Paulson ’91 and his business partner
have been growing their company while developing
successful brands. Their creative agency, Knock, is No. 29
on the list of the 50 fastest growing private companies in
the Twin Cities, and they’ve made the Inc. 5000 list four years in
a row. Between 2011 and 2013, their revenues nearly doubled.
“ WHEN
YOU LOVE
WHAT
YOU DO
YOU’RE
HAPPY
EVERYDAY”
Knock is a hybrid design and advertising agency but not in the
traditional sense. It’s always on the pulse of what’s next —
seeking strategic and creative opportunities that help clients get
to the next level “as opposed to being given a problem. That’s how
we’re different,” he said.
Paulson was schooled in design at UW-Stout, where he received a
Bachelor of Fine Arts with a graphic design concentration. “I had
great professors. They created a foundation for love of typography
and creative exploration, and I had an internship so I felt like my
education prepared me very well,” said Paulson, who grew up in
Bergen, Minn.
He held several Twin Cities-area jobs in graphic design and
creative work the first 10 years of his career, including Colgate
Palmolive-Softsoap, MSP Communications, Red Design
Organization and as an independent creative consultant.
In 2001 Knock was launched and Paulson took the risk to be part
of a new agency model, where his experience and love for what
he does have helped create a thriving company. “Everyone here
is passionate about doing amazing work,” he said.
Todd
Todd Paulson
Paulson
22
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
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23
ALUMNI NEWS
Wave of
alumni
success
S TO U T A L U M N I
A S S O C I AT I O N
GIVING BACK VIA THE ALUMNI BOARD
“There is a special place in my heart for UW-Stout. It shaped me as a
person—cultivated a work hard, play hard spirit. What better way to
honor the place I used to call home than to give something back?”
- Chad Jeske ‘02, president of the Stout Alumni Board of Directors
Siewert lead designer for TOP yacht
Greg Siewert ’84 is
proud of his newest
accomplishment:
Onika, winner of
the 2015 World
Superyacht Award.
Siewert, who works
for Delta Marine
Industries in the
Seattle area, was the lead designer for the
project.
“What I find engaging about yacht design
is that like industrial design it combines
so many disciplines into producing a
product,” Siewert said. “I’m humbled and
fortunate that I can hand my drawings
to highly skilled workers and they will
produce a finished piece of furniture or
stone work that exceeds anything found in
the highest-end store.”
When Siewert, with an inherent skill in
painting and drawing, started college he
didn’t know there was a rewarding career
available using his talents. Through a
friend and eventual UW-Stout roommate,
he discovered industrial design.
“The art department and professors at
UW-Stout are superb, and I spent many
illuminating late nights in the Applied
Arts building sketching, drawing, painting,
sculpting, casting and just hanging out
with fellow students, talking about ideas,
music and art,” said Siewert.
posted a job opening for a junior designer
boat builder for a company in Michigan.
Siewert got the job and has been “hooked
in the marine industry ever since,” he said.
“Yachts are the pinnacle and one of the
few remaining products we produce in this
country that demonstrate the interfusion
of art, skill and technology,” said Siewert,
who began sailing at age 10 when his
father bought a boat.
Waters ’96 is a
senior industrial
designer at KCS
international in Oconto. He was part of
the KCS team that won a Boating
magazine 2013 boat of the year award
in the Cruiser Sport Series.
24
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
- Doug Rohde ‘89, vice president of the Stout Alumni Board of Directors
S TO U T A L U M N I
G O FA R
“It is a wonderful environment for a
student to learn. I personally went from a
C student when I entered, to the dean’s
list by the time I graduated.”
A few weeks before Siewert graduated,
one of his professors, Jim McCormick,
34,613
WISCONSIN
Above: Onika, winner of the 2015 World
Superyacht Award
Smooth sailing for award-winning Waters
Nick Waters, one of
those people whose
name is associated
with what he does,
is a boat designer,
naturally.
Chad Jeske, left, president of the Stout Alumni Board of
Directors and Doug Rohde, vice president of the Stout
Alumni Board of Directors
With a BFA in industrial design “UW-Stout
prepared me by providing the principles of
good design and the outline to the design
process,” Waters said. “Good design for
me is all about the process.”
After graduating, Waters went to work as
an industrial designer for Sugar Sand
Marine in Fargo, N.D., then for Carver
Boat in Pulaski.
Since 2001 he has been at KCS
International, the parent company of
Cruisers Yachts, Cruisers Sport Series
“ UW-Stout provided a path, structure and experience that allowed my
entrepreneurial spirit to kindle, grow and thrive. The incredible journey I
have had points back to the seeds that were planted at UW-Stout. I take
great pride in this opportunity to give back and serve a passion that will
provide strong roots for past, current and future UW-Stout students and
alumni.”
and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts. He
designs new boats and modifies existing
designs.
“I love the feeling of being able to pick up
a boating magazine anywhere in the world
and see a boat or yacht that I had a large
part in designing and developing,” he
said. “There is a lot of pride and sense
of accomplishment when we finish
a new yacht knowing a
year earlier it was
just a dream.”
16,124
9,727
1,171
HALEY HESSELBERG
2,204
45 OTHER
STATES
1,140
69,471
*
ALUMNI WORLDWIDE
* Approximately 3,000 alumni have no known address.
MENTORING SUCCESS
1,409
IN 94 NATIONS
Haley Hesselberg, a student in the
marketing and business education
program, has connected with Keegan
O’Brien ‘03, a marketing coordinator
at Omni Resources, in a mentoring
capacity. Hayley states, “It was great
timing as we were able to meet up at
state DECA and talk about marketing
education, DECA and different things
related to careers as well as take our
fun picture! Keegan’s passion for his
students, their success, and his career
was inspiring and is something that I
will take forward with me into my future
career.”
Interested in being a mentor? Email
alumni@uwstout.edu
FA L L 2 0 1 5
25
CLASS NOTES
1950s
1970s
Roland Krogstad ’51 volunteers
in local schools through RSVP and
tutors oral history on the Great
Depression and World War II. RSVP,
part of the Corporation for National
and Community Service, is one of
the largest volunteer networks in
the nation for people age 55 and
over.
William Bogaard ’70 retired in
the summer of 2014 from an auto
business. Six months of the year
he lives in Florida on the beach.
Joann Marquart Goodlaxson ’57
shared a large display on the
History of Fashion for six weeks at
the Waupun Public Library in honor
of Waupun’s 175th anniversary.
She also has a grandson, Miles
Bruns, who is a sophomore at
UW-Stout.
Leo Plewa ’57 has served for four
years on the Hermantown school
board and is running again for an
additional four years.
1960s
Shirley Feuerstein Shpargel ’66
retired in Nov. 2014 from the
Greensburg-Hempfield, Pa.,
area library after 20 years of
service.
Eldon Vrieze BS ’67, MS ’84 is
enjoying retirement in Rice Lake.
A former teacher, he enjoys golf
and volunteers with nonprofits
and his church.
Larry Dombrock ’70, semiretired
since 2010, participated in Global
Outreach in January 2014 in
Uganda where he built a chicken
coop at an orphanage. In June
he was in an impoverished gypsy
community in Romania where he
built a swing set that was dedicated
to the children and staff who lost
their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary
School in Newtown, Conn.
Gary Christensen ’71 retired in
April 2014 after 31 years as a
State Farm Insurance agent in
Wautoma.
Gerald “Jerry” Sinz ’72 retired in
2014 from teaching engineering
and technology at Edgar High
School. He taught for 42 years.
Char TerBeest Kudla ’72
and her sister Mariella
TerBeest-Schladweiler ’81
started the business Helen’s
Daughters, which makes
individually crafted handbags
sold worldwide.
Sheila K. Ruhland ’78 was
named new president of Tacoma
Community College in Tacoma, Wash.
1
Michael Kornacki ’79 was appointed director of operations at the
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Mich.
1980s
Georgette Prahl Koenig ’81
was named vice chancellor of
administration and finance at
UW-Superior.
Michael W. Van Rite ’81 is
division president for Reinhart
Foodservice in Shawano and in
Marquette, Mich.
Marion Jowett Shambeau ’82
purchased Legacy Chocolate Café
in Menomonie June 1, 2014.
John Maclean ’84 is facilities
manager for Hatco Corp.,
Sturgeon Bay.
Thomas W. Armstrong ’84, president of First National Bank in Park
Falls, has been elected to the
board of directors of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Tim Sachse ’84 won the
Palm Beach County, Fla.,
Dwyer Award for Excellence
in Teaching. 1
Kent Savre ’84 is a major general
who assumed command of the
Maneuver Support Center of
Excellence and Fort Leonard
Wood, Mo.
Jill Soltau Cullen ’89 was appointed
president and chief executive officer
of Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.
2
3
1990s
Gang (Cindy) Jiang ’90 has
been working for the McDonald’s
Corporation for almost 25 years.
She recently worked as chief food
safety officer in China, returning to
the states in March.
Lynne Swenson ’94 was promoted
to the position of chief human
resources and administrative
officer at Eggers Industries, Two
Rivers.
Louis Weiher ’98 was promoted
to general manager for Carmel
Builders in Menomonee Falls.
Laurie Ann Spoor
Thompson ’94 released “Be
A Changemaker: How To Start
Something That Matters.”
The book, intended as a howto for teens and tweens on
creating positive change in their
communities, has been wellreceived. 2
2000s
4
Michael Frits ’92 has been
appointed general manager at
Springmaid Beach Resort in
Myrtle Beach, Fla.
Renee Kirscht Rascher ’93 was
named a principal of NTH, a
Minneapolis real estate and
project management firm.
Joe Niese ’02 was hired as library
director in Chippewa Falls.
Carrie WitzelCrook ’97 is
area director for
Corner Bakery
Café operated
by Neo Fourno,
Inc., Milwaukee.
Mark Dahms ’91 and wife Joyce
would like to share their family
photo. 17
Andrew Caflisch ’93 was named
principal of Armstrong Elementary
in Cottage Grove, Minn.
Ryan Lewallen ‘01 recently
became mechanical design
instructor at Chippewa Valley
Technical College in Eau
Claire. Cheryl Busse Truss ’95 is area
revenue manager for Radisson
Paper Valley Hotel/Hostmark
Hospitality,
Appleton.
Steven Seidel ’90 is CFO for
Funnels in Centennial, Colo.
Elizabeth Bongers
Verhagen ’91 works in human
resources sales for J.J. Keller
& Associates, Appleton.
Chris Sievert ’00, with more than
12 years of construction
management experience, was
promoted to project director for
Consolidated in 2013.
5
Lynn Krug
Niggemann
’97 was
named village
administratorclerk-treasurer
of Colfax.
Barry Schmidt ’02 is territory
manager for Kundinger Fluid Power,
Neenah.
Dawn Oler BS ’03, MS ’06,
Mokena Ill., has been named
Teacher of the Year by the Illinois
Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences.
Corey Niven ’05 and Michelle
Gangelhoff ‘05 would like to share
their family picture. 16
Heather Solberg
Halverson ’98
was named
shareholder at
Fafinski Mark &
Johnson, Eden
Prairie, Minn.
6
Katie Sarver-Kaveney MS ’05
recently joined the palliative care
department at HSHS Sacred Heart
Hospital, Eau Claire.
Gavin Hoesly ’06 is a systems
engineer for Sentry Insurance,
Stevens Point.
Ryan Gautreaux ’07 joined the
North Shore Investments & Trust
division as an employee benefits
associate.
David Hinrichs ’07 is an
industrial engineering
specialist for The UPS Store,
San Diego, Calif.
Ben Mrdutt ’07, of
Boyceville, was named
market manager for Equity
Cooperative Livestock Sales
Association in its Barron
market location.
Danielle Bleck Wolfgang
’07 works for Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, Colo.
Lucas Lohr ’08, Sgt. 1st
Class, Wisconsin National
Guard, has been assigned
as Platoon Sergeant for A
Company BSTB Combat
26
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
Engineers 32nd
BCT
Battalion, Red
Arrow,
Onalaska.
Nicole Aune Prom
MS ’09, Ed.S.
’11 is a school
psychologist for
Belle Plaine School
District, Belle
Plaine, Minn.
7
2010s
Ann Perrin BS ’10 is the newest
event coordinator on the Events
Team at Three Sons
Signature Cuisine in Minneapolis.
5
Catie Perl ’12 has joined the
design team at Exhibit Systems
in Milwaukee. Catie previously
worked as a designer and
educator for Discovery World at
Pier Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where
she taught design processes.
Melissa Smiley MS ’13, of
Oconomowoc, is an associate
information processing
consultant for University of
Wisconsin Colleges.
8
Colton Smith ’14 joins
Comcast Business in the Twin
Cities as the Account Executive
after completing a very successful
internship. 4
John Ewald ’14 is proud to
be working for his alma mater,
UW-Stout, as a communication
specialist in the Marketing
department.
Rachel Granzow ’15 is excited
to announce her engagement to
Jesse Thompson. 15
Marriages
Emily Halada Skahan ’06
and Scott Skahan reside in
Minneapolis, MN 7
Brad Obermuller ’07 and Chelsea
Bonner reside in Hudson, WI. 11
Jacob Murray ’10 and Rebecca
Meyer ’10 reside in Bloomington,
Minn.
Michael Nohner and Lindsey Turk
9
MS ’10 reside in Minnetonka, Minn.
Matthew Prins ’13 and Josephine
Dockstader ’14 reside in Holland, Mich.
Jason Fuller and Alexis Beachler
’15 reside in Sturgeon Bay
Carina Wilz Raddatz ’15 and
Samuel Raddatz reside in Appleton,
WI. 8
Marlee Redmann ’15 and Jacob
Hoagland reside in Merrill, WI. 10
FA L L 2 0 1 5
27
CLASS NOTES
10
Arrivals
April 11, 2014, Eagan, Minn.
Marilee Prince ’85, March 15,
2015, Chippewa Falls
Tracy Kruger Erickson ’07 and
Josh Erickson from Menomonie,
WI would like to announce their
new little boy Rhett. 13
Richard L. Sorenson ’85, Aug.
11, 2014, Lakeville, Minn.
Timothy Crowell ’86, July 12,
2014, West Bend
Mike and Rhian Paulson Hauck
’07, Stillwater, Minn., a daughter,
Charlotte Mae.
Megan Mahoney Mickelson
’07, and her husband Gregory
Mickelson had a beautiful little
girl named Hattie. 3
Nicole Woehrmann Hoffman ‘13
and her husband Lou would like
to share a picture of their
beautiful little girl Hannah Kaye.
12
Stephanie Simons Otte ’07 and
Adam Otte would like to share
their newest addition to the
family, Cora Christine. 9
Brianna Obermuller Schimek ’10
and Ryan Schimek would like
to introduce their daughter,
Quinlynn Marie. They live in
Readlyn, Iowa. 6
Ashley Calderwood ‘09 and
her husband Scott would like to
share Luna’s 1 year baby picture.
11
Vince Gandolph ’89, Aug. 7,
2013, Madison
13
2015, San Rafael, Calif.
Thomas Ortell MS ’12, March
24, 2013, Brookfield
18
Lucille Myron Phillips ’42, Sept.
29, 2014, Madison
Charles Weber ’47, Aug. 1,
2014, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Miriam TeBeest Ericksen ’48,
Jan. 9, 2015, West Allis
Sandie Bodsberg, 69, of
Boyceville, died July 7, 2014.
Sandie worked in the Admissions
Office.
Aileen Slocumb Irwin ’48, March
10, 2015, Madison
Douglas Sherman BS ’49, MS
’52, June 30, 2014, Madison
Dennis Bolstad, 89, of Menomonie, died Feb. 13, 2015. Dennis
taught psychology, philosophy
and education courses until his
retirement in May 1988.
Richard “Dick” Hogstad BS ’49,
MS ’53, Aug. 5, 2014, Eau Claire
14
Passings
James (J.) Worth Walters ’51,
Oct. 2, 2014, Moody, Ala.
Myrtle Anderson Plenke ’32,
Sept. 12, 2014, Wilton, Conn.
Lawrence “Bud” Ryder ’52, Oct.
30, 2013, Fitchburg
Henry W. Hulter ’38, Jan. 16,
Aubrey Pollock Duncan ’53, Feb.
25, 2014, Bradenton, Fla.
Warren Jensch ’73, Oct. 30, 2013,
Bayfield
Rosemary C. Kelley Lynch ’56,
Jan. 15, 2015, River Falls
Sharon Suchla ’73, Aug. 28,
2014, Winona, Minn.
Rex Peterson BS ’59, MS ’59,
Sept. 4, 2014, Pardeeville
David Drew ’74, March 23, 2014,
Crystal Lake, Ill.
Barbara Lindeman McGaughan,
BS ’63, April 14, 2015, Normal,
Ill.
Douglas Grube ’75, June 4, 2013,
St. John, Ind.
George B. Larson MS ’64, March
15, 2015, Menomonie
Joseph Breitzman ’68, Feb.19,
2014, St. Paul, Minn.
Ronald Husby MS ’68, Aug. 22,
2014, Birchwood
Harald Barry BS ’71, MS ’83,
July 3, 2014, New Richmond
Gary W. Stegall ’72, Nov. 24,
2014, Pahrump, Nev.
Christine Martin Stilling ’72, July
8, 2014, Cambridge
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
Dale A. Bertelsen, 76, of Panama City, Fla, died Feb. 13, 2015.
Dale worked as an air
conditioning technician for 24
years.
Carol Molner Aiello MS ’51, June
27, 2015, Sun City West, Ariz.
12
28
Faculty/Staff
Passings
14
Catherine E. Clark, 89, of
Menomonie, died Feb. 14, 2015.
Catherine retired from UW-Stout
in 1991.
Gerald Davis, 87, of Bloomer,
died Jan. 24, 2015. Gerald was
director of the master’s program
in guidance and counseling until
his retirement in June of 1990.
Margaret Ann James, 88, of
Madison, died Jan. 12, 2015.
She taught dietetics and home
economics education from 1961
until her retirement in January of
1990.
Timothy Western Johnson, 44,
of Chippewa Falls, died Jan. 20,
2015. He was a lecturer and
associate lecturer in operations
management on campus and for
Stout Online starting in August
2010. He also worked as an
instructional specialist from
August 2004 to May 2005.
William L. Johnston, 64, of
Menomonie, died Oct.12, 2014.
William worked in the University
Library from February 2003
until his retirement as a senior
academic librarian in July of
2013.
Richard “Dick” Lowery, 71, of
Menomonie, died Sept.15, 2014.
Richard worked in undergraduate
admissions and as director of
the Graduate School until his
15
retirement in 2002.
Bruce Pamperin, 64, of Menomonie, died Feb. 25, 2015. Bruce
was a professor in social sciences
from 1983 to his retirement in
2012.
Matthew W. Reneson, 97, of
Menomonie, died Dec. 2, 2014.
Matthew taught in the math and
physics department from 1949
until his retirement in 1982.
Lydia Rutkowski, 90, of
Menomonie, died Jan. 1, 2015.
Lydia taught in the social science
department until her retirement in
1995.
Edward Schmidt, 89, of Menomonie, died April 16, 2015. Edward
worked in custodial services until
his retirement in 1990.
18
17
Kay L. Schnur, 56, of Merrillan,
died Nov. 19, 2014. Kay worked
as the computer program
supervisor in the IT department.
Harriet Shervey, 93, of
Menomonie, died July 1, 2014
at Mayo Clinic Health System
in Eau Claire. Harriet worked in
Student Health Services until her
retirement in 1982.
16
Alison Close Sorenson ’75, July 4,
2014, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Cynthia Kent Frohnauer ’76, May
29, 2014, Amery
Charlene Edwards Medenwald MS
’78, Dec. 16, 2014, Madison
Daniel N. Smith MS ‘78, April 5,
2014, Cooks Valley
Maddeline M. Schuldes EDS ’79,
March 2, 2015, Delavan
Jeff Weis ’79, April 27, 2013,
Milwaukee
Patricia Conway Karnopp ’80,
FA L L 2 0 1 5
29
ATHLETICS
Women’s golf
Led by Allison Van Heuklom and Rachel Hernandez, the WIAC champion
Blue Devils finished ninth at the national tournament in Florida, improving
on their 18th place finish two years ago.
REFLECTION OF
Van Heuklom, the No. 4 player, paced UW-Stout with a 34th-place finish,
while freshman Hernandez, the No. 5 player, placed 37th.
Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes five
inductees; ceremony Oct. 24
Brittany McNett-Emmerich and Mariah Chesley earned all-Central
Region honors, while McNett-Emmerich, WIAC player of the year, was
an honorable mention All-America selection.
Track and field
The track and field teams sent 10 women and six men to the national
championships, with Austin Zett finishing second in the discus and Paul
Van Grinsven second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Patrick Jenkins collected his sixth career track All-America award, finishing
fifth in the 5,000-meter run.
As a team, the men took 11th place in the nation.
Meagan Ward wrapped up her career by placing eighth in the heptathlon,
her fourth multievent All-America award.
In conference action, Ward won the women’s heptathlon title; Zett won
the discus with a school-record toss; Jenkins successfully defended his
5,000-meter title; freshman Christian Lucchesi won the pole vault.
During the season, Laurisa Titterud broke the 17-year-old school record in
the 800-meter and anchored the 4x400 relay team that reached the finals
of the national meet.
Softball
The Blue Devils advanced to the WIAC tournament, where they knocked
off second-seeded UW-Whitewater in the opening contest before being
eliminated.
Women’s golf, men’s
track and field teams
fare well on NCAA
Division III national
stage
The Blue Devils finished the season 16-27, including 7-9 in the WIAC.
The 2014-15 athletics season at UW-Stout ended
on a national note with the women’s golf team
competing at the NCAA Division III championship
and the men’s and women’s track teams sending
16 athletes to the national meet.
At the annual end-of-the-season Senior Honors Night, 90 seniors were
recognized for their careers.
30
UW-STOUT OUTLOOK
Taylor Workman, whose name is littered throughout the offensive categories
of the school record book, was a WIAC honorable mention selection.
Baseball
Hayden Bowe earned his spot as ace of the Blue Devils’ pitching staff.
Posting a 4-4 overall record and 3.20 earned-run average, Bowe earned
first-team All-WIAC honors.
The Blue Devils finished 17-22, including 5-19 in the WIAC.
Senior Honors Night
Titterud was female athlete of the year and Jenkins male athlete of the year.
GREATNESS
Five former UW-Stout athletes will be
inducted into the UW-Stout Athletic Hall
of Fame, Saturday, Oct. 24.
Volleyball player Tanille Zenner Hartwig,
basketball and track and field standout
Laura Verdegan Knudsen, basketball
players Erin Churchill Konsela and Lindsey
Erichsen Olsen and track standout Mike
Hallingstad will be enshrined.
The class of 2015 will be honored at
halftime of the 1 p.m. UW-Stout vs.
UW-River Falls football game. The
banquet and induction will be in the
Great Hall of the UW-Stout Memorial
Student Center, beginning with a
reception at 5 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m.
and ceremony at 7 p.m. Tickets will be
available at the UW-Stout Athletic Office.
The purpose of the UW-Stout Athletic Hall
of Fame, established in 1978, is to pay
tribute and give deserved recognition
to former athletic letter-winners, coaches
and athletic personnel who have
demonstrated outstanding contributions
while on campus or since graduation and
thereby to enhance school tradition.
Mike Hallingstad, 1994-97
A major cog in the fastest relay teams in UW-Stout track and
field history, Mike Hallingstad’s career can stand on its own
individually. An eight-time conference champion and seven-time
All-American, Hallingstad qualified individually for the national
meet in the open 400-meter dash, finishing fifth outdoors in 1997.
Tanille Zenner Hartwig, 2002-04
A two-time AVCA All-American middle hitter, Hartwig was the
2002 AVCA Freshman of the Year. Despite injuries throughout
her career, she was a two-time first team All-WIAC selection and
earned team MVP honors all three years of her career. Hartwig
is first in the UW-Stout record book in block assists (345),
second in hitting percentage (.309) and fourth in kills (1247).
Laura Verdegan Knudsen, 2001-05
A 12-time track All-American, Knudsen won the 2004 NCAA
indoor triple jump, was the 2005 USTCA female athlete of the
year, won 10 WIAC individual titles and held or was part of nine
school track records and two WIAC records. As adept on the
basketball court as the track, she was a two-time All-WIAC
selection and three-time All-WIAC defensive pick. A dietetics
major, Knudsen was the WIAC Scholar-Athlete for indoor track,
outdoor track and basketball and was a two-time first team
Academic All-American selection.
Erin Churchill Konsela, 2001-05
A three-year starter and four-year player who led the women’s
basketball team during some of the program’s most successful
years, Konsela played point guard and shooting guard. A twotime All-WIAC honorable mention selection, she was a two-time
team captain and finished her career with 844 points, 383
assists and 483 rebounds. Konsela was an assistant coach
for seven years.
Lindsey Erichsen Olsen, 2001-05
Even when called upon to change positions, going from low post
to high post, Olsen continued to score for the women’s basketball
team, finishing her career with 1,181 points and ranking fifth on
the all-time scoring list. A three-time all-conference selection,
she was a two-time team captain. During her four years, the
Blue Devils won two conference titles and posted a combined
team record of 84-27. The 2004-05 team advanced to the NCAA
tournament, starting a three-year run for the program.
Earlier in the spring, UW-Stout recognized 28 senior scholar-athletes and
103 underclass scholar-athletes. Both numbers represent increases from
the previous year.
F A LF LA L2L0 2
10
5 1 5 31 31
ON
FOUNDATION
CAMPUS
ANNUAL REPORT
STOUT UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION, INC.
2014-2015
$52 MILLION $41,000
CHANCELLOR’S FUND $692,843
FOUNDATION ASSETS
FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE
“I had the good fortune to be the first in
my family to attend college. While the
transition was not easy, the great
assistance and counsel that was given
to me by several faculty members helped
get me started in the right direction
and I graduated with a degree in early
childhood education. After also receiving
my master’s degree from UW-Stout, I went
on to a long and rewarding career in my
chosen field.
DISTRIBUTED FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
AND STUDENT SUCCES
I am pleased to report to alumni, friends
and industry partners that Stout
University Foundation Inc. is strong and
growing. We had an extremely positive
year in fundraising, with record assets
exceeding $52 million as of June 30.
It was a tumultuous year in terms of
budget cuts, but the situation highlighted
the critical importance of fundraising
to increase financial support. Chancellor
Bob Meyer has challenged the
Foundation to dramatically increase
donor engagement, private fundraising
and partnership development.
The Foundation is moving aggressively
to meet this challenge in such key areas
as database management, prospect
research and donor stewardship. These
efforts will provide the basis for building
out our fundraising team, launching
targeted initiatives and exploring a
comprehensive capital campaign.
At his inauguration April 2, Meyer
highlighted the importance of such
fundraising. He worked with the
Foundation to establish the new
Chancellor’s Fund for Teaching Excellence
and Student Success. His $5,000 gift
and a matching pledge by Scott Cabot
‘78, MS ‘79, helped
inspire
alumni,
faculty, staff
and friends
to donate
more than
$41,000
to date.
We intend to make this initiative a
centerpiece of future fundraising efforts.
During 2014-15, the Foundation
achieved and/or exceeded goals on
many levels, including outright gifts in
excess of $3.5 million, a 46 percent
increase. Gifts for existing and/or new
endowments again were very strong with
more than $2 million. In addition, 18
new scholarships will further help recruit
and retain students.
Finally, I’d like to extend my sincerest
thanks to the Foundation Board of
Directors. The members provide
consistent leadership and governance
but also lead the way in philanthropy,
as exemplified by their 100 percent
participation in annual giving. Their
wisdom and commitment to UW-Stout
should give us great optimism about
what we can achieve together in the
future.
Generous
support for
science
The dedication June 16 of the Rajiv
and Swati Lall Laboratory, room 247
Jarvis Hall Science Wing, featured Rajiv
and Swati Lall of Vets Plus, company
officials, Chancellor Bob Meyer and
UW-Stout officials. A donation from the
Lalls announced earlier this year will be
used in part to update equipment
in the laboratory, while the majority of
the gift will be used to establish an
endowment to provide ongoing lab
support and maintenance. The Lalls
Hugh Denison and Mary
Ross-Denison BS '70, MS '74
My husband, Hugh, also had a successful
career. As we entered our retirement years,
we sat down to decide the ultimate
allocation of our assets. We thought
carefully about people and organizations
that made profoundly positive differences
in our lives, and UW-Stout wound up on
the top of my list. We are proud that we
have set aside a substantial gift to the
university as a token of my appreciation
for the wonderful education I received. We
take great pleasure in knowing that many
young people will benefit from our gift, and
our hope is that many other alumni will
join us in supporting this great university.”
Mary Ross Denison
Mary Ross-Denison
are owners of Vets Plus, a global
leader as a developer, manufacturer
and distributor of food and companion
animal health products and treats.
Share your passions and leave a legacy
with the students and faculty of
UW-Stout through your estate gift.
With more than 100 employees, Vets
Plus occupies over 150,000 square
feet of manufacturing, warehouse and
office space in Menomonie and Knapp
in Dunn County, Wis.
32
UUWW- S- ST TOOUUT T OOU UL TOLOOKO K
To share your passion and learn more about how you can
support the students and faculty of UW-Stout, please contact
Brenda Thompson at the Stout University Foundation at
715-232-1271, by email at thompsonbren@uwstout.edu,
or online at www.uwstout.edu/foundation
FA L L 2 0 1 5
33
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MADISON, WI
PERMIT NO. 2223
LOUIS SMITH TAINTER HOUSE
320 SOUTH BROADWAY
PO BOX 790
MENOMONIE, WI 54751
TO
PARENTS: IF THIS ISSUE IS ADDRESSED TO YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER WHO NO LONGER
LIVES AT HOME, PLEASE CALL THE ALUMNI OFFICE WITH CORRECT ADDRESS: 866-716-6685
OCTOBER 2-3,2015
Stout is bringing back its traditional homecoming
parade this year. Do you remember homecoming
dances, bonfires or snake dances?