UWSP student, faculty, and staff achievement recognized
Metro Wire Staff
A student and several faculty and staff members at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point have been recognized for excellence and achievement:
Professor Emerita Joan Karlen, dance, won the 2021 Wisconsin Dance Council Lifetime Achievement Award “for a life centered on dance as a performer and educator enriching Wisconsin’s Dance Heritage.” In her honor, Dance Professor Michael Estanich, dance alumni and a current student performed her choreographed piece “Tacit” for the awards ceremony at the Oconomowoc Arts Center in November. Dance Associate Lecturer Pamela Luedke received the 2021 Wisconsin Dance Council Career Recognition Award at the ceremony.
Clinical Professor Emeritus Charlie Osborne, communication science and disorders, was presented the Frank R. Kleffner Career Award from the Wisconsin Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Association at the WSHA Fall Update in Elkhart Lake in October. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to clinical practice over a period of 20 years or more, with a significant impact on recipients of service.
Brianna Burke, a career development coordinator, was among the winners of the UW System’s 2021 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People, an annual honor given to LGBTQ+ people or their allies who have helped to create a safer and more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ people. The award celebrates the memory and legacy of Paula B. Poorman, a highly regarded faculty member at UW-Whitewater dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Kaia Fitzgerald, a musical theatre major from Minneapolis, Minn., was among the recipients of the UW System’s 2021 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award. The annual honor is given to faculty, staff, students, or community members to recognize their achievements in advancing equity and inclusion for people of color within the UW System as well as communities across the state.
Three forestry faculty and staff members received the Society of American Foresters’ Julie Peltier Award, which recognizes efforts to further inclusion or contributions of women and minorities to sustainable forest management in Wisconsin. Recipients included Haley Frater, Forestry Education and Development Initiative program manager for the Wisconsin Forestry Center; Steve Schmidt, an outreach specialist for the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education; and Melinda Vokoun, associate professor of forestry.
Troy L. Seppelt, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students, was named a Diamond Honoree by the American College Personnel Association Foundation. This recognizes dedicated individuals who care about students through programs that promote student development and success. Seppelt oversees student care, conduct, interpersonal violence prevention and response, and multiple institutional compliance areas as well as Student Health Service and Counseling.
Assistant Professor Ross Tangedal, English, has published his first book, “The Preface: American Authorship in the Twentieth Century” through Palgrave Macmillan. It is part of the publisher’s New Directions in Book History Series. In his book, Tangedal clarifies the character and purpose of prefaces in the 20th Century, examining prefaces by authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Toni Morrison. Tangedal directs the student-run Cornerstone Press on campus.