The UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts (PSOA) begins the 2024-2025 academic year with a new leader. Associate Professor Steve Wetzel officially assumed the role of Interim Head of School for PSOA on July 1, 2024.
A respected educator and accomplished artist, Steve Wetzel has a notable portfolio of more than a dozen experimental and observational documentaries and has published two short volumes of essays with the Green Gallery Press. His work explores ethnography, the social construction of reality, and the portrayal of everyday life, earning him admiration within the academic community.
Wetzel has been an integral part of the Peck School of the Arts community since his arrival to UWM in 1998.
During his tenure, Wetzel has held various key positions including Department Chair (Film, Video, Animation & New Genres), Director of Undergraduate Studies, and most recently, Director of Academic Affairs for the Peck School of the Arts. Additionally, he served as PSOA’s Interim Associate Dean during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Wetzel steps into the school’s top leadership role during a growth period marked by strong enrollments and vibrant community partnerships across its five departments: Art & Design; Dance; Film, Video, Animation & New Genres; Music; and Theatre.
Since July of 2023, the Peck School of the Arts is aligned with the School of Architecture & Urban Planning under the College of the Arts & Architecture, which formed as part of UWM’s 2030 Action Plan.
Wetzel’s leadership is characterized by his dedication to the arts and his enthusiasm for fostering the talents of UWM’s students and faculty. His appointment signals forward progress and sustained momentum for the school amidst ongoing changes and challenges in the higher education landscape.
Wetzel earned an MFA in painting from the University of Chicago in 1998 and an MFA in film and video from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2000.