Dear Colleagues,

I share with you sad news of the passing of three members of our UWM community.

Michaelann “Mickie” Germershausen
Mickie Germershausen, a former staff member at UW-Milwaukee, passed away on August 4.

Mickie began her career at UWM as a Clerical Assistant at the Norris Health Center in 1993. The following year, she transferred to the Lubar School of Business, where she worked as a Program Assistant in the Student Service Center for eight years, supporting the director and six academic advisors, providing guidance to nearly 4,000 undergraduates. Mickie’s next move was to the Chancellor’s Office, where she worked as a Program Assistant Confidential for eight years, until she retired from UWM in 2010.

Colleagues remembered Mickie as a consummate professional, who always put the student first, and would go the extra mile to meet the students’ needs. They shared that her positive attitude was contagious. There was always a smile on Mickie’s face, even during busy times; whether it was registration or the first week of classes, she’d greet each individual who called or walked up to the counter as though they were the only one in the room. She really listened and cared, and she will be missed.

For additional information, please see Mickie’s obituary online.

Megan Marie Elizabeth Haak 

Megan Haak, an alumna and former staff member at UW-Milwaukee, passed away on July 25.

Megan received her undergraduate degree from UW-Oshkosh and her MA in Sociology from UW-Milwaukee. She was a former student in the Social Foundations specialization of UWM’s Urban Education Doctoral Program and served as a graduate assistant in the Educational Policy and Community Studies Department.

Megan worked in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, as a student employee in 2013 and continuing on as a part-time staff member until 2015, supporting blended, online, and other technology-enhanced learning by providing pedagogical and technological support and consultations to instructors. Megan was also a lecturer in the Sociology Department from 2015-16 and was currently employed at the Medical College of Wisconsin as Program Manager of Graduate Medical Education.

Megan’s colleagues described her as always positive, having clear strengths in working with people, meeting students with a smile, and bringing good energy to the departments in which she worked. They shared that she will be missed by her colleagues and all of the students she helped.

For additional information, please see Megan’s obituary online.

Joan Willard Moore

Dr. Joan Moore, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology at UW-Milwaukee, passed away on August 5.

Joan received her BPhil, MA, and PhD from the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to UWM, Joan taught at the University of Chicago, as well as several universities throughout southern California. She joined the UWM Sociology Department as a professor in 1975 and was very important in shaping the department in its early days and beyond. Joan was also one of the main architects of the Urban Social Institutions interdisciplinary doctoral program, that became the current PhD and master’s programs in Urban Studies at UWM. She was recognized as a Distinguished Professor of Sociology in 1994 and retired from UWM in 1995.

Joan made important contributions to the social sciences in the areas of crime, drugs, and gangs, and published numerous articles, book chapters, and books. Two of her books, Homeboy: Gangs, Drugs, and Prison in the Barrios of Los Angeles and Going Down to the Barrio are widely respected for their insights into Mexican American gangs.

Joan’s colleagues shared that her commitment to the professional development of minority scholars, whether they were her students or colleagues, was particularly noteworthy. She served as a mentor to many Latino and African American graduate students—most of whom subsequently went on to assume academic positions or positions of leadership in public agencies. Joan’s students were strongly devoted to her, and several of her past students gathered and presented at a symposium in 2016 to honor her. The UWM Sociology Department presents an award honoring Joan—the Joan W. Moore Service Scholar Award—to senior undergraduate sociology majors who have both distinguished academic records and a history of service in the university or the wider community.

Our condolences to Mickie’s, Megan’s, and Joan’s families and to the many others whose lives they touched.

Take care,
Johannes