The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh launched its 150th year of excellence in higher education in northeastern Wisconsin on Sept. 7, with an Opening Day convocation at the Culver Family Welcome Center on the Oshkosh campus.

The event included the presentation of 2021 faculty and staff awards.UWO Chancellor Andrew Leavitt said the annual ceremony allows the campus community a moment to reflect on and honor excellence in “educating students, lifting communities and adding to the knowledge of the world around us.”

John McNaughton Rosebush Professorship Distinguished Teaching Award

• Chad Cotti, Oshkosh Corporation endowed professor and economics department chair, is well-respected for excellence in the scholarship of risky behaviors and public policy.
• Phan Hong-Lishner, a clinical psychologist, focusses on the study of mindfulness and its treatment for children and adults with severe psychopathology.

Edward M. Penson Distinguished Teaching Award

• Jennifer Basler, associate nursing professor, is a critical care nurse who has been guiding and inspiring UWO students since 2003.
• Sarah DeArmond, professor and department chair of management and humans resources, helps students understand the practice of human resource management as a service to both employers and employees.
• Bailey Hermann, associate professor of leadership, literacy and social foundations, teaches courses in adolescent literacy, literacy engagement and literacy leadership and conducts research in literacy pedagogy and educator professional development.

Barbara G. Sniffen Faculty Governance Service Award

• Druscilla Scribner, political science professor, has led the Faculty Senate as well as efforts to develop the Global Scholar Program and the Team Fellows program to support student athletes.

Outstanding Service Awards

• Jennifer Buelow Fischer, undergraduate program director in the College of Business, led a team of faculty and staff that developed a new career readiness course sequence for all undergraduate business students.
• Chrissy Lambie, assistant director of Career and Professional Development, developed an administrative process to help award $340,000 in tuition grants to qualified nursing and other healthcare students who provided COVID-19 support and vaccinations.
• Rich Marshall, College of Letters and Science internship coordinator in Career and Professional Development, also serves as a career adviser, industry specialist and instructor.
• Julie Meyer, transfer coordinator in the Registrar’s Office, has been involved in numerous projects related to UW System and University-wide changes, including the merging of student information systems and the launch of Transferology.
• Jessica Spanbauer, director of the Center for Academic Resources, is committed to student success and an active member of the Navigate Leadership team and the Retention Committee.

Outstanding Performance Awards

• Mary Chapin, financial specialist with the University Studies Program and the Advance-Titan, works to help support the education and well-being of students.
• Fran Holzmann, campus administrative specialist with the Fond du Lac campus, has been active in shared governance as the University staff representative on the Fond du Lac steering and professional development committees.

LGBTQIA+ Ally Award

• Thomas Fischer, professor of special and early childhood education, serves on the Ally March Committee and the LGBTQ+ Education and Advocacy Council and as a trainer in the SAFE program, which aims to make UWO a safer and more welcoming place.

Queer and Trans Faculty Staff Award

• Samantha Larson, assistant professor of public administration, is an activist scholar who incorporates race, class, gender and LGBTQ+ equity into every facet of her research, teaching and service.

Inclusive Excellence Award

• John Dobyns, operational and outreach director for the Cooperative Academic Partnership Program (CAPP), has worked to expand CAPP throughout Wisconsin and into northern Illinois to increase access to concurrent enrollment for thousands of students.

Edward M Penson Faculty Awards

• Scott Beyer, professor of finance and business law, serves as the executive director of the Center for Insurance and Risk Management and the Center for Banking and conducts research in investments, political and monetary policy and risk management.
• Jennifer Considine, associate professor and chair of communication studies, seeks to create spaces that foster connection and engagement and enjoys seeing students find their voice and advocate for themselves and their communities.
• Heather Englund, associate professor and research and evaluation director in the College of Nursing, has secured nearly $4 million in funding to develop a treatment program at Milwaukee County House of Corrections for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder.
• Margaret Hostetler, associate professor and chair of the English department, has a passion for historical linguistics and relishes the complexities of navigating a large department.
• Michelle Pietrzak, assistant professor of human kinetics and health education on the Fox Cities campus, shares UWO’s commitment to equity, most recently through her service with the COVID response team and the first- and second-year students’ success workshop.