Category: Faculty Focus

Canonball Podcasts

Imagine being a fly on the wall, listening to your professors sitting around a table at a restaurant, relaxing, discussing their mission as writers, instructors, and people, just like you and I, that share a common passion for UWGB.

In Episode 25, Dr. Rebecca Meacham discusses her creative process, how she has been working on her Peshtigo Fire novel for years and it’s “like having a child. My children have grown up since I’ve been working on this.” She also talks about her novel research—how it has been difficult, yet rewarding.

Meacham continues her guest spot in Episode 26, with what inspires her (Mad magazine books, Toni Morrison, and Sarah Silverman’s ban from a major network). Enjoy the sarcasm, irony, and humor, but also appreciate the insights that these guests so willingly share. Recent episodes also include:  Episode 7: (LIVE): Dr. Seuss (w/ Dr. Rebecca Nesvet and Dr. Alise Coen); Episode 21: Canonical Board Games (w/ Dr. Juli Case and Dr. Chris McCallister Williams); and Episode 20: Bet Me and More for the World of Romance-landia (w/Dr. Jessica Van Slooten).

Check out all UWGB Canonball podcast episodes on Soundcloud. 

A Tribute to Dr. Sarah Schuetze

 

We all remember. Our anxiety, our shoulders tense and hearts racing, as Dr. Schuetze introduced herself on the first day of class. We froze as she read the syllabus and her exacting rules: All correspondence must be addressed to Doctor Schuetze, no grammatical errors, and no “OMGs.” 

OMG, what had we gotten ourselves into?   

Then she transformed. She strolled around like she was taking a walk in the park.

“Now let’s share,” she said, inviting us in. “Who is your celebrity crush?”   

And we smiled. Like magic, our shoulders relaxed; we settled in our seats. For this class and every class, Dr. Schuetze began with random questions; she went around the room, encouraging all of us to share, listening to our responses, and then asking intense follow–up questions. Everyone, even the shy students, participated. We enjoyed the comradery; we smirked at some of the smart-ass responses. And we laughed—a lot. 

Our beloved professor, Dr. Sarah Schuetze, died on January 10, 2021, and, from the shock, remorse, and sadness expressed from the students that knew her, she left an impression on all our hearts that we will gladly carry with us for the rest of our lives. Her warmth, her knowledge, her challenging assignments, and yes, especially her discipline, helped us build a rock-solid academic foundation, handed us a compass that will guide us through the rough patches of any career we choose.  

Dr. Schuetze’s academic background was impressive. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2015, her MA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 2007, and her MFA from the University of Michigan in 2002. She also received a National Endowment for the Huminites Fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. She published in top-tier journals on early American and nineteenth-century literature, historic diseases, race and racism, embodiment, and material culture.  

For students, her credentials have given us goals to reach for, but her degrees and awards are not what we will miss about her; they are not what stirs up our sadness when we remember her. We will remember how she encouraged us to come to her, to ask her any question. She pushed us, challenged us, and forced us to dig deep, to always question our textbooks, professors, peers, and ourselves. When we became discouraged, we could count on her to lift us up. She refused to let us fail.  

We will remember how her questions hurt our brain—I am not kidding, our brains throbbed—as we tried to respond to what I can only describe as her “Socratic/Metaphysical/Mind-blowing” questions about Hamlet. We will remember her smile and that she frequently called on that student sitting in the back corner, texting. 

We will remember the day she walked into class with a box—just an ordinary cardboard box. No one took notice until, about mid-way through the period, we heard crying. Squeaking? Dr. Schuetze stopped the lecture to introduce us to her adopted baby raccoons: REAL. WARM-BLOODED. MAMMAL. RACCOONS! Our heads tilted. She smiled—that sarcastic smile we all loved about her—and said, “You can all come up and meet  them after class but don’t publicize that I brought them; I’m not sure if the college would approve.”   

But we approved because, yes, we definitely learned about literary topics in her classes, but we also learned that liberal education, especially literature, is exciting;  that when we let down our guard, when we ask thought-provoking questions, and when we challenge our classmates, we learn about ourselves. A priceless gift we can never thank her enough for.   

But we will anyhow, with all the respect she asked of us, and more: Doctor Schuetze, we thank you for everything. We will carry your lessons forward.   

Please join us on March 21, 2021, at 8:00pm for the Dr. Schuetze Memorial. For more information, click on the following link:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJql_co_TlayLAbEx0rWmzX1DqNV-EBFgPY8rRbpnh1X0c8A/viewform

 

 

 

 

Faculty Focus: Associate Prof. Valerie Murrenus Pilmaier Interview

Associate Prof. Valerie Murrenus Pilmaier (English) at UW-Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus has won the prestigious 2018 Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award. Only three winners are chosen on an annual basis. Funded by an endowment from Alliant Energy, these $3,000 awards are given to extraordinary teachers at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW Colleges. Learn more about the Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award.

The UW-Green Bay English Department is honored to feature Dr. Pilmaier on our blog. We got the chance to speak with Dr. Pilmaier about her big win, teaching and, of course, the subject of English.

First, some background on Dr. Pilmaier:

A native of Menomonee Falls, she went on to attend UW-Oshkosh, where she double-majored in English and International Studies and minored in German. She went to Marquette University for her M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature, with a specialty in Irish and British Studies, trauma theory and the novel. 

On to the questions:

Q: First of all, congratulations on winning the Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award. What does it mean to you to win this award?

Dr. Pilmaier: I cried when I got the email that I was one of the three chosen. The Underkofler is an extremely prestigious teaching award and requires that your application materials are vetted by colleagues from all over the state who are exceptional teachers. The competition is stiff, and it is an incredible honor to even be in the running for the award, much less win it. For me, this award signifies the amount of support that I have received from my family, friends, mentors, colleagues, and institution throughout my entire academic career as well as the amazing students that I have had the opportunity to teach and learn from because, without them, there is no way that I would be the teacher that I am today. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow Scholar twice, and both years were transformative for my pedagogy in terms of first becoming more student-centered (for the first year that I attended in 2012-2013) and then in 2017-2018, engaging with my institution-wide colleagues on utilizing student-based research (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) to enhance the student experience in my classes. I am hooked on SOTL research and have been incorporating it into my courses since 2010, and this award helps to confirm for me that what I have been doing with my students is making a positive impact on them. Honestly, this award means everything. My research interests are varied, but all center on gender equity issues: using rape culture to teach rhetorical analysis in the composition classroom, gender disparities in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and teaching gender equity using the plays of George Bernard Shaw.

Q: How long have you been teaching at UW-Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus? What do you like the most about teaching at this school?

Dr. Pilmaier: As stated above, I started here in 2009. Our campus was formerly a campus in the UW Colleges, which is an institution dedicated to the first two years of college, with the intent of getting students to their Associate of Arts and Sciences degree or transfer to a four-year school. As an institution of access, we have a high percentage of First-Generation students (always at least 65%), non-traditional students, ELL (English Language Learners) and developmental students. I absolutely love this group of students because a majority come in wondering if they are college material, and we have the ability to help them understand that they are exactly where they need to be. We can mentor them and help them on their path, but ultimately, we help them to see that they are the force behind their own success. It is a privilege to work with this population of students.

Q: Why did you decide to enter the teaching profession?

Dr. Pilmaier: I always wanted to be a teacher. My favorite thing to “play” at home was school, and I did that even through sixth grade (I was a nerd, I will admit it). I then had multiple teachers through high school and college who encouraged me to go into teaching, but I freaked when I heard stories from friends at Oshkosh who had to spend semesters taking classes where you had to design bulletin boards. I knew that was not for me. I didn’t even consider college teaching until one of my professors suggested that I take the GRE and apply to grad school. It blew my mind that I, the daughter of factory workers, could possibly do that. When I was awarded my TA-ship at Marquette, it was my opportunity to see if teaching was for me, and it was a perfect fit from the beginning. I can’t imagine a better job and I feel lucky every single day to do this.

Q: What kinds of teaching strategies do you use in your classes?

Dr. Pilmaier: I’m taken with Freire’s liberation method of education, so everything is problem-posing and student-centered. I want my students to understand that they have a voice, that voice is important, and it can affect social change. It is my job to ensure that they have the skill-sets that they need in order to effectively convey their ideas to their intended audience to make those messages clear, but they do all of the hard work. I get to enjoy the process. J. In literature, I get to help students understand the conventions of the discipline, see how literature speaks to the human experience, and show them how literature can be transformative in their lives. Could anyone have a better job than I do? I doubt it.

Q: Lastly, what do you enjoy the most about teaching the subject of English in particular?

Dr. Pilmaier: Wow, what don’t I enjoy about teaching composition and literature? There is an energy that comes from a discussion of ideas, and every day I learn something essential from my students. Of course I am biased, but I believe that I teach the most important discipline that students can learn because I help them to take ideas in their head, refine those ideas through research, shape those ideas through the skill-sets I can teach them, and watch them grow their confidence as global citizens as they present those ideas to a global community. I’m incredibly blessed to be able to do this every day. I must have done something incredible in a past life to deserve this life.

Once again, congratulations Dr. Pilmaier on winning this prestigious teaching award!