Employee accomplishments,
new hires and promotions
IEC EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH – Teresa O'Dell, document imaging specialist - quality assurance/workflow, and Janelle Phillips, records processing specialist , are the most recent selections for the Integrated Enrollment Center (IEC) "Employee of the Month" program.
October's "Employee of the Month" was Teresa O'Dell, who was recognized for the level of customer service she provides UIU faculty, staff, students, and others. One peer nominating O'Dell said, "She is my go-on-the operations team. Anytime I am missing a file or need a little rush put on a transcript to ensure a last minute student gets registered, she is the first person I go to. She always gladly helps me find what I need and uploads documents right away so we can properly review transcripts and finish our degree plans. We all know how stressful the last week of registration is every term, there are many days Teresa keeps me sane!"
November's "Employee of the Month" is Janelle Phillips, who was recognized for the outstanding customer service she provides UIU and others. "She is always so very kind and friendly," said her nominator. "She has been able to help me with Nolij, and she is always willing to help students when they come into the IEC. It has truly been a pleasure working with her."
MICHAEL WAGNER, adjunct faculty at the UIU-Milwaukee Center, recently received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Education. His dissertation explored the degree of comfort felt by college-age students with their ability to integrate various digital technologies into their lives. Michael received his B.S. in Education from the University of Wisconson-Madison, and a Master's in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has taught various human services courses and social work certification courses at the Milwaukee Center since 2007 with extensive experience in the human services field, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker through the State of Wisconsin.
MATT HUBER, associate director of freshman admissions, Fayette campus, presented an educational session - "The importance of the ally-student realtionship for LGBTQ students," for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) at its national conference in Denver, Colo.
RANDALL THOMAS, associate professor of accounting, was recently awarded certification as a Charter Management Accountant (CGMA), a certification that is prescribed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). Thomas has maintained the more well-known CPA certification for 35 years.
RUTH ANNE SCHNECK, UIU adjunct professor of education at the Waterloo Center, recently published her third book, "The Little Garden of Knitted Coasters" for beginning knitting projects to complete in one sitting. The book is spiral-bound, full color and contains 35 patterns for creating knitted coasters through the seasons. It began as a project to help teach beginning knitters basic skills and stitches. Books are available at five stores in Iowa - Three Oaks Knits in Waterloo, University Book and Supply and Barn Happy in Cedar Falls, The Blue Heron in Decorah, and Mother of Purl in New Hampton.
The previous book written about teaching is called "When You Get Lemons, Make Fruit Punch." This book is based on Schenck's teaching experiences, but is fictionalized to explore the condition of education in the year 2048. It includes a fictional family history and a fine romance.
Previously, Schneck and her sister, Janice Abel, co-wrote a book about growing up in La Porte City, Iowa, in the 1940s. "From the Wishmore to You," also has a companion cookbook with the same title.
LARRY STOOKEY, P.E., UIU adjunct professor of science at the Wausau Center, attended the
annual meeting of the Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers (WAPT) at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville in October. Stookey is a member of the Publications and Promotions Committee of the WAPT. A luncheon session was held during which Shelly Lee of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction discussed and answered questions on the Next Generation Science Standards. These standards are having a significant impact on secondary science teacher education programs.
MARILYN SMION, UIU adjunct online instructor, along with Kim (Blum) Lowery and Toni Williams, recently published a book on social networking and life passages. "WEHT (What Ever Happened To...?)" is a wild cyber journey of three friends, born in different decades Marilyn (1950s), Kim (1960s) and Toni (1970s) - who, equipped with a computer and the internet, reconnected with long-lost friends and acquaintances around the globe. Their book is available on Amazon.com.
BRENDA ZIMMERMAN began her role as the enrollment advisor at the UIU-Mesa Center October 29. Zimmerman's background includes experience in for-profit and non-profit sectors of education. She will assist the Mesa Center with recruiting and advising.
JENNIFER JACOBS was recently hired as temporary events coordinator at the Fayette campus. Jacobs worked in the Office of Student Development from 2006-08 as the director of recreation and wellness/coordinator of clubs & organizations.
ERIK SHOGREN began working for Upper Iowa University as an information technology support specialist October 8. Shogren brings 13 years of technical experience to Upper Iowa. He will work primarily with faculty and staff diagnosing and fixing computer-related issues.
AMY BOND was recently named a student accounts coordinator in the UIU-Fayette business office. She works primarily with student accounts for the Center of Distance Education, and brings with her experience from both the Integrated Enrollment Center and Center for Distance Education.
MARISSA STICKFORT was recently hired as the administrative assistant for Ismael J. Betancourt, UIU vice president for international programs.
ANNE LANG has been hired as the administrative assistant in the Office of Career Development. She comes to UIU via the CBE Group in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she worked from 2007-12 as the administrative assistant for administration, compliance and organizational development. She was also an office support specialist at CBE from 2005-07. Lang earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from AIB College of Business in Des Moines, IA.
ALLYSSA JOSEPH was recently hired as the Director of Annual Giving. Her responsibilities include all aspects of annual fundraising at Upper Iowa University. She will be coordinating efforts relating to the phonathon, direct mail solicitation and electronic solicitation, as well as the faculty and staff giving campaign. She is a 2012 graduate of the Fayette campus.
STEFFANIE SCHOLZE, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, recently won the "Early Career Contributions to Hypnosis" award from Divsion 30: Society of Psychological Hypnosis within the American Psychological Association.
RYAN MCGEOUGH, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, was recently selected to present his research to two top paper panels at the National Communication Association's annual convention. One essay explores new media forms as loci for political argument and the role of online communities in fostering civil discourse, while a second essay studied the conflicts over publica memory at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
McGeough's dissertation, which was selected for the AFA Outstanding Dissertation Award, explores how members of various marginalized groups have sought to gain inclusion on the sacred space of American memorial sites. He analyzed German counter-monuments as well as U.S. sites such as Haymarket Square, Liberty Place, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial to see how people excluded from the original memorials on the bases of race, class or gender have gotten their histories represented at the sites.
New UIU Online instructors include:
BEV MASON, M.A. - Accounting
QUENTIN BROWN, J.D. - Business Law
GLENN DANIELS, M.S. - Quantitative Decisions in Business
KATHLEEN FLYNN, M.S. - Introduction to Environmental Science
LAURENE COLLINS, Ph.D. - Human Resources Management
JULIE SUMMERS, Ph.D. - Critical Thinking
REBECCA WISE, M.S. - Critical Thinking
JASON DERRY, M.S. - Management Information Systems
LISA BRYAN, Ph.D. - Public Administration
CAROL MAUERMANN, M.A. - Psychology
TAJUDDIN ASIF, M.A. - Accounting
BRUCE STOLTZE, J.D. - Business Law
VINCENT SCHWALBE, MBA - International Business
DAWN WILSON, D.C. - Biology of Healthful Living
ALISON THOMPSON, M.A. - Speech
KALI VANBAALE, M.F.A. - English
KARINA CHRISTENSEN, Ph.D. - Health Services Administration
MICHELLE MYERS, M.A. - Critical Thinking
MARGARET LaFACE, M.Ed. - Senior Project
SAM YOUNG, Ph.D. - Math
SHARON McKIMPSON, M.A. - Math
MARK LARSON, Ph.D. - Senior Project
MICHAEL PITTARO, MPA - Criminal Justice
ROBERT METZGER, M.A. - Criminal Justice
CAMOOSHA BELL, M.A. - Culture and Society of Spain