Congratulations to Those Recognized at the 2024 Convocation

Photos courtesy of Dan Moore, University Photographer

At the 2024 Convocation, a number of faculty and staff were recognized with a named professorship and through the UW-Green Bay Founders Association awards. Congratulations to all who were nominated! The recipients are as follows:

Barbara Hauxhurst Cofrin Professorship of Natural Sciences

Named professorships are created through private gifts that support study and research by individual tenured or full professor faculty members who have outstanding records of scholarly accomplishment. This year we are awarding the Hauxhurst Cofrin Professorship of Natural Sciences. The Barbara Hauxhurst Cofrin Professorship of Natural Sciences was established in 1985 by Dr. David and Mary Ann Cofrin in memory of his sister-in-law. Barbara Hauxhurst Cofrin was a devoted mother of six, an accomplished sportswoman, an active participant in her community, including serving on the local school board. The award recognizes and gives support for a full professor who has demonstrated a productive commitment to scholarship and/or outreach and whose work exemplifies the spirit and mission of UW-Green Bay. The Cofrin Professorship is specified for a professor in the natural sciences. 

Professor John Luczaj will receive the Hauxhurst Cofrin Professorship of Natural Sciences. Prof. Luczaj has shown outstanding scholarship and outreach activities, developed strong community-based partnerships, and provided high impact research experiences for our undergraduate and graduate students. Please join me in congratulating Professor Luczaj. 

The Awards for Excellence program was created to honor the outstanding work of UW-Green Bay faculty and staff members, based on a cumulative record of sustained excellence, rather than a single noteworthy achievement.  

Academic Support Award for Excellence

This award recognizes a member of the academic staff based on exemplary commitment to their work, shows innovation/creativity, activities are valuable to the institution, helpful to a range of people in a number of different ways; willingness to give additional time to [their] work and/or other people; and amount of energy devoted to on campus and off campus activities [for the academic community]

The nominee for this award has worked both on the Green Bay and Marinette campus for some two decades with programs that contribute to recruitment and retention of students. They have been involved in a number of international programs that serve both students and faculty. Their efforts has enabled our university to host International Exchange Students who are partially funded by the US Government. The nominator noted their work with international students covers just about everything one can imagine: academic advising and registration oversight of health insurance, registration for housing, organizing campus and events, and much more. They helped organize and run our Study Abroad program from 2005 – 2018, helping to create five new semester-long and summer study abroad opportunities for students. We offer our congratulations to the recipient of this year’s Academic Staff Award for Excellence – Krysti Aoki.

University Staff Award for Excellence

This award offers recognition to members of the university staff whose activities, accomplishments, and service within the institution and the community are most deserving of acknowledgement by the University. Other criteria include, but are not limited to, exemplary commitment to their work, innovation and creativity, initiation of activities valuable to the institution and/or to a range of people in a number of different ways, positive interaction with peers, students, faculty, and staff at UW-Green Bay and/or the community; sustained level of excellence in commitment and attitude.

The nominee for the University Staff Award for Excellence is described as focused, with impeccable attention to details, and an invaluable team member. They are an alumna of UWGB, and their pride in the university is always on display. They have worked at the university more ten years, and has served in various roles across campus. They work directly with student employees, taking a mentor role in helping them navigate both their student jobs and their academic goals – and stays in touch them after graduation. As a staff member, she is always trying to find a better way to streamline process and procedures but never at the cost of work quality or student service. She has served on the University Staff Committee and took the lead role in planning and executing the University Staff retreat from 2022 and 2023. We offer our congratulations to the recipient of this year’s University Staff Award — Sara Chaloupka

Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship

The Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship recognizes a member of the faculty for excellence in scholarship based on quality, number and impact of articles and books published; performances, exhibits, residences, commissions, workshops and/or conference presentations; the nominee’s reputation within the academic community, the interdisciplinary excellence of their work, the capacity to integrate their scholarship with other activities.

This nominee has been described as a consummate scholar and an absolute pillar of their profession. Their work has been performed across the country by many professional groups, and they have taken home awards in national competitions. They are steeped in the traditions of her art, with a deep understanding of their profession and its role in the larger community. while being comfortable pushing into new areas of areas of sound. Their scores for silent films are particularly compelling, and demonstrate a willingness to reach beyond the traditional concert experience. Their best known project so far – highly received in the university community and beyond, is the musical score for wind ensemble and choir to accompany the silent film Metropolis. We offer our congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship — Michelle McQuade Dewhirst

Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching

The Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching is based on evaluation forms from courses over a sustained period, evidence of teaching innovations and/or writing assignments, number of independent studies and honors projects. Additional criteria include their teaching style, enthusiasm, relevance of teaching, and interest shown in students.

The nominator for this award has said that they have never seen anyone more dedicated and passionate to teaching and helping her students learn and grow (both professionally and individually). They go way, way out of their way to create high-impact experiences in the classroom. Because of the high-impact experiences their students are very highly engaged. One student wrote: “We couldn’t wait to attend [their] class because it was exciting. They always kept us on our toes and knew we were learning technical skills that would benefit us in various of ways outside of college.” The nominator notes that they are able to connect with students at a level that most faculty can only dream of reaching. Another student wrote: “Because of (their) teaching styles and personality, I know they have impacted me positively in the classroom and for my career. I have a personal connection and I feel as if [they are] a great mentor to me as I continue to go through my college endeavor.” Before we had professional advisors, they regularly spent 15 hours or more per week on advising students because they believed the students needed that guidance and direction. We offer our congratulations to the winner of this year’s University Award for Excellence in Teaching – Diane Murphy

University Award for Excellence in Institutional Development

This award recognizes the importance, and range of committees or activities that serve the institution on either the local or system wide level. Leadership qualities, knowledge of issues, capacity of encourage and motivate other (collegiality). Other criteria include but are not limited to the level of institutional commitment, attitude, and character.

The nominee for the University Award for Excellence in Institutional Development has worked at the Sheboygan and Green Bay campus for more than a decade. They are described as an outstanding educator, colleague, mentor and leader in a variety of positions on both campuses – and as having always maintained her composure and responded to comments and concerns from university faculty with patience, intelligence, and thoughtfulness. [Not always easy to do this!] They have served as a leader in the General Education Revision Working Group that has transformed our curriculum. They have taught courses in an served as cochair of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. We offer our congratulations to the recipient of this year’s University Award for Excellence in Institutional Development – Valerie Murrenus Pilmaier

University Award for Excellence in Community Outreach

This award recognizes a person or group who functions as a liaison between the University and the community (could include media); participates in volunteer work, clubs, service organizations, advisory boards, foundations; organizes forums or community programs; makes regular presentations to the public. Other criteria include but are not limited to chairing community groups, community based grants, linking their professional work to applied settings.

The nominee for this award has been proactive in fundraising and grant writing and served on the Board of Directors for area organizations. They have been instrumental in the award of substantial scholarship awards and fostered educational opportunities for the broader Green Bay community. They have developed a support network for staff working with low-income and first-generation students to help them to navigate high school and prepare for college. They have played an important role in fostering diversity and supporting under-represented students at UW-Green Bay, and has served as a guide to current students and alumni as mentor, contributing to their success and personal development. They have served as advisor for student groups, organized panels and other activities as the Multicultural Student Success Manager in the Multicultural Resource Center. We offer our congratulations to the recipient of this year’s University Award for Outreach – Cindy Johnson

The University Award for Excellence in Collaborative Achievement

The University Award for Collaborative Achievement recognizes a member of the academic staff based on exemplary commitment to their work, shows innovation/creativity, activities are valuable to the institution or helpful to a range of people in a number of different ways.

The core mission of this office is to support student success and retention, while cultivating welcoming spaces the encourage a more inclusive, vibrant, and engaged campus community. Their work involves developing intentional community building activities, creating student to student connections, and mentoring student leaders. Students have said that activities of this office has helped them find their sense of belonging, develop pride in the university, and build skills that result in increased resiliency, retention, and persistence. We are pleased to offer our congratulations to the recipient of this year’s award for Collaborative Achievement to the staff of the SEC Student Engagement Center (formerly known as the Office of Students, and not to be confused with the Southeastern Conference.)

Congratulations!