Peruse the accomplishments of the 29 staff and faculty members being honored at this year’s fall awards ceremony, and you’ll find yourself thinking the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is in good hands.
The winners are people doing groundbreaking research, putting in extra effort to make sure students get an exceptional education and tackling tough challenges head-on.
Their hard work was honored by Chancellor Mark Mone at an Oct. 5 ceremony at the Union.
UWM Faculty Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
Sukanya Banerjee, associate professor, Department of English
Sukanya Banerjee has been teaching at UWM since 2001 in such areas as 19th-century British literature and postcolonial studies.
How can you tell that students like the way Banerjee teaches? A look at student surveys makes it obvious: Banerjee taught four undergraduate courses in 2014, resulting in 61 student evaluations. In response to the prompt to comment on Banerjee’s weak points, not a single student listed one.
“This is an extraordinary result, one I have not seen in over 20 years of reading evaluations,” said Gwynne Kennedy, associate professor of English.
Instead, the students wrote descriptions such as “awesome,” “superb,” “amazing” and “one of my favorite professors.” Indeed, one student said, “Hire more people like her.”
One of Banerjee’s students, Cara Roloff, called her an inspiration.
“What I find most admirable about Banerjee is not only her ability to show students that they are crucial and necessary within the classroom, but her endless motivation to show students that they are more significant than they believe themselves to be in all aspects of life.”
Jasmine Benyamin, assistant professor, Department of Architecture
Jasmine Benyamin has been teaching in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning only since 2012 but has quickly made a mark.
A 2015 graduate, Andrew Cesarz, wrote about how he sought out classes taught by Benyamin “because they dependably proved to be outstanding learning experiences.”
Cesarz and other students praised the way she fostered class discussions, calling them “dynamic” and leading toward academic growth. And when she delivers corrections, it’s always constructive and leads to greater knowledge.
Jacqueline Nguyen, assistant professor, Department of Educational Psychology
Jacqueline Nguyen has taught learning and human development courses at UWM since 2012. Besides teaching key courses, she’s helped renovate and restructure the curriculum in ways that have helped students. She has worked with colleagues both at UWM and at partner universities to make sure her classes align with the learning goals of different undergraduate programs. She developed a course on positive psychology that debuted in fall 2015 and has already become a high-interest course across campus.
One former student, Rosalind Elliott, now a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh, praised Nguyen’s lively classroom discussions and her passion for teaching students.
“Dr. Nguyen’s passion and excitement as a teacher and mentor was one of my primary motivators for the academic path I am now pursuing.”
Arijit Sen, associate professor, Department of Architecture
Arijit Sen is known in the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning as someone who forges ties with the community. He established and runs the summertime BLC Field School, which puts undergraduate students together with doctoral candidates, faculty and community members to investigate issues in a neighborhood.
He also teaches the Washington Park Studio, in which students work with communities that are underserved by design professionals and beset by inadequate infrastructure. The students interview members of the community and suggest proposals to enhance the neighborhood.
His efforts, former student Anna Grosch pointed out, highlight the importance of going beyond the technical aspects of architecture to explore how humans are affected.
“Dr. Sen is enormously committed to his teaching and its enormous potential to inspire, empower and enrich the lives of individual people within our community,” Grosch said. “I personally have benefited from working with Dr. Sen and sincerely hope that his efforts as a teacher will be rewarded.”
Erica Young, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Erica Young is known as an “unsung hero” in her department, as one nominator said. She’s able to connect and inspire students in the classroom and lab, whether teaching introductory biology courses or high-level plant physiology courses.
Her deep concern for students and teaching excellence is known well. That’s reflected in the consistently high scores she receives on student evaluations – and those scores are high not because the course is easy, but because of her passion for teaching.
“She was great,” one student said on an evaluation. “She went out of her way to meet with me on a weekly basis and help me to better understand the material. Couldn’t have asked for a better professor. You can tell she cares a lot about her students’ success!”
UWM Faculty Distinguished University Service Award
Kyle Swanson, professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Kyle Swanson is not one to shy away from a difficult challenge. Seeing a need, he dove into reforming developmental instruction in mathematics, and the result “has been nothing short of remarkable,” according to nominator William Keith, an English professor. “In some cases his reforms doubled or tripled the number of students graduating to college mathematics in a single term.”
And he helped UWM tackle some very difficult budget questions. His work to create models of what would happen in various budget cut scenarios provided data where none had existed and led to better decisions.
Brian Troyer, director of undergraduate admissions, notes that Swanson has made a habit of over-and-above contributions since joining UWM in 1997.
“Over this past year in particular, his talents and expertise have been called upon in numerous capacities; this is likely due to his positive attitude, commitment to institutional success and (perhaps most importantly) his willingness to tackle the most difficult and important issues our campus is being confronted with,” Troyer wrote in his nomination.
UWM Faculty Distinguished Public Service Award
Kathryn Zalewski, associate professor, College of Health Sciences
Kathryn Zalewski was hired in 2006 to found and direct the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at UWM. In a short time, the program has gone from being unranked to being placed among the top third of all similar programs in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Colleague Ron Cisler, dean and professor in the College of Health Sciences, notes that Zalewski’s work in the community includes serving on the Milwaukee County Commission for Persons with Disability. She and her students work with the Milwaukee County Transit System, assessing people for eligibility for the county’s paratransit service, Transit Plus, and are developing the first known standardized assessment process for paratransit programs, which is becoming a model for other communities.
“Dr. Zalewski has served the public, both locally and nationally, in the past year in more ways than we can fit in this letter,” wrote two of her students, Lauren Bauer and Brittni Swanson.
And Zalewski inspires students. On the first day of a research course she teaches, she asked if anyone would pursue a career in research. No one raised a hand. But a couple semesters later, six students traveled to a national physical therapy conference to present their research.
Office of Research/UWM Foundation Research Award
Han Joo Lee, associate professor, Department of Psychology
Han Joo Lee examines the underlying cognitive processes of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive conditions using experimental psychopathology approaches.
In both his basic research and clinical work, he has identified novel research questions that have advanced the field and have the potential to help many people suffering from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive conditions. He has found that socially anxious people can effectively reduce the symptoms of anxiety depending on how they respond to certain negative facial expressions.
“This is a truly groundbreaking finding that should prompt the field to more broadly consider attentional problems in anxiety and how to treat them,” writes W. Hobart Davies, Psychology Department chair. “Dr. Lee is one of very few researchers investigating this important attentional avoidance process in anxiety.”
Lee has also developed a computerized intervention for individuals with OCD-spectrum problems, and it’s designed to improve the ability to stop unwanted or problematic behaviors. Lee’s work in this area earned him a UWM Research Foundation Catalyst Grant in 2013.
Lee has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed papers, including 33 since he arrived at UWM in 2009. Also since 2009, he has been awarded seven grants as PI or Co-PI, totaling $978,431, including a recent National Institute of Health R21 Research Grant Award to continue his work on computer-based interventions for OCD and hair-pulling.
Blain Neufeld, associate professor, Department of Philosophy
Blain Neufeld is providing a renewed and expansive vision of political liberalism – a prominent theory of justice and legitimacy founded on ideals of liberty and equality. He challenges the conventional notion that its founding principle is toleration, arguing instead that political liberalism is founded on a principle of civic respect. He expands political liberalism beyond its traditional limits through his scholarship on the family and gender equality.
With his deep understanding of public policy, Neufeld illustrates the real-world relevance of political liberalism in areas such as civic education and foreign policy.
UWM Philosophy Department chair William Bristow writes that “Neufeld’s outstanding work on civic respect among citizens in a liberal society reorients our conception of the foundations of political liberalism.”
Simone Chambers, professor of political science at the University of California-Irvine, said that Neufeld’s forthcoming book on civic education will be “a major contribution to contemporary analytic political theory.”
Neufeld is a Center for International Education Global Studies Fellow this year, and a past fellow of the Center for 21st Century Studies. His past awards include a Spencer Foundation research grant, a Graduate School Research Committee Award, and multiple Faculty of Arts & Humanities Travel Awards.
Margaret Noodin, academic program director, Electa Quinney Institute
Margaret Noodin studies indigenous and American Indian literature, culture and sociolinguistics, and she has worked tirelessly to preserve the ancient language of the Anishinaabe, a group of culturally related peoples of Canada and the United States that includes the Odawa, Potawatomi and Ojibwe.
Her highly regarded 2014 book, “Bawaajimo: A Dialect of Dreams in Anishinaabe Language and Literature,” is an analysis of four Anishinaabe authors that combines literary criticism, sociolinguistics, native studies, and poetics to introduce what Noodin calls an Anishinaabe way of reading. Her original works include “Weweni: Poems in Anishinaabemowin and English,” which features poems she wrote in the Anishinaabe language and their English translations.
“Very few scholars in the U.S. and Canada have both the language skills and the literary training to undertake such a project,” said Jill Doerfler, who directs American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
In addition to serving as the director of the Electa Quinney Institute, Noodin is also president of the Studies in American Indian Literatures Association and vice president of the MLA Division of Language Change.
Ramin Pashaie, associate professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
Ramin Pashaie, a core member of the bioengineering-oriented faculty at UWM, works on hybrid instrumentation to study brain-blood communication. He received a federal grant in 2015 to develop technology to help researchers understand how information processing and blood flow are intertwined. Learning details of such processes is the first step to understanding the circuitry of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or atherosclerosis.
Pashaie is a collaborative researcher who has initiated research projects with other UWM departments as well as UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin. His collaborative projects with local industry include development of a new generation of multiphoton microscopy systems and building high-throughput DNA sequencing instrumentation.
Justin Williams, Vilas Distinguished Achievement professor at UW-Madison, notes the high regard in the field for Pashaie’s research program and calls him “the consummate academician, thinking about big problems with deep intellectual rigor,” and admires his “very ‘can-do’ attitude.”
Pashaie has published 26 papers in high-quality journals of bioengineering and bio-optics, including Nature Communications, Nature Neuroscience, and the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.
Chia Youyee Vang, associate professor, Department of History
Chia Youyee Vang is a leading historical scholar on the Hmong diaspora, especially in the Midwestern and U.S. context. Her early research explored the region near her home and led to her 2008 book, “Hmong in Minnesota.”
Her 2010 book, “Hmong America: Reconstructing Community in Diaspora,” which explores a broader population, is highly acclaimed. Hmong Studies Journal editor Mark Pfeifer calls the book “a seminal monograph within Hmong American studies and the most comprehensive account to date of contemporary Hmong American history within any academic work.”
Former research collaborator Monica Trieu, an assistant professor at Purdue University, writes that Vang “taught me that one could simultaneously be a productive academic, while also giving back to the community,” and admires “the genuine care and commitment that she possesses for her research subjects/community.”
A Hmong American who arrived in the United States from Laos in 1980 at age 9, Vang joined UWM in 2006 as an instructor in the UWM Department of History while finishing her doctorate. She joined the faculty in 2006 and earned tenure in 2011.
Dazhong Zhao, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Dazhong (Dave) Zhao studies plant development – specifically microRNAs, an abundant but fairly recently discovered class of small RNAs that regulate gene expression. Zhao is exploring the roles microRNAs play in plant cell determination and, more recently, the hormonal signaling that stimulates plant reproduction.
“Monumental” is how Keiko Torii, distinguished professor of biology at the University of Washington, describes Zhao’s 2008 article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
His recent work on hormonal signaling and plant reproduction “will have broad impact, not only among people who study plants, but also on how these mechanisms operate in animals, including humans,” said R. David Heathcote, chair of UWM’s Biological Sciences Department.
Zhao also conducts applied research, evidenced by his 2016 Catalyst Grant from the Bradley Foundation, whose awards support work in areas at UWM deemed to have strong commercialization potential. The project’s goal is to create switchgrass that can turn its fertility on or off, helping in the production of biomass without posing a risk to natural crops.
Zhao was the 2007 Milwaukee recipient of the Shaw Scientist Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
UWM Research Foundation Senior Faculty Research Award
Janis Eells, professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Janis Eells has an internationally recognized research program directed at understanding how cell mitochondria regulate the processes of aging and degeneration in the retina.
From 2004 to 2009, she held a Wisconsin Distinguished Professorship, an honor bestowed by the UW System to recognize researchers whose work had the potential to boost Wisconsin’s economy and who were nationally recognized in their field.
Eells research has brought in more than $2 million from sources such as the National Institutes of Health, Foundation Fighting Blindness and American Heart Association. Her collaborative research endeavors have totaled more than $15 million.
She also has taken her knowledge outside the university, advising pharmaceutical firms such as Alcon Laboratories; medical facilities such as the Dean Clinic; and firms that make near-infrared light devices used for healing wounds, including LumiThera Inc. Her expertise in toxicology has been sought by organizations, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization.
Mark McBride, professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Most bacteria move around with a whip-like flagellum that propels them in a way that’s similar to an outboard motor. Mark McBride has made seminal contributions in the study of how bacteria move when they don’t have a flagellum.
He developed tools to study the genes of a specific bacterium that glides over surfaces. Using these, McBride has uncovered the mechanism of its motility and, in the process, discovered a new type of protein secretion system in bacteria.
His tools are now in high demand because many bacteria that move in this fashion are part of the human microbiome that inhabits our gut, and are therefore critical for human health.
McBride also collaborates with scientists at the USDA at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences to study the gliding bacteria that cause a disease common in fish raised in aquaculture.
“Many laboratories now build research on his discoveries,” said Tâm Mignot of Aix Marseille University in France.
UWM Academic Staff Outstanding Performance & Service Award
Dylan Barth, instrumentation innovator/lecturer, Learning Technology Center
Dylan Barth has been a learning technology consultant at UWM since 2011, and has demonstrated initiative, innovation and dedication to his profession.
Nicole Weber, also a learning technology consultant at UWM, describes Barth as a mentor, collaborator and leader.
“As new employees come into CETL (the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), they undoubtedly benefit from his tutelage, dependability and consistent approach. He knows that the unit can only be successful if everyone works together to achieve goals and serve the campus community.”
Diane Reddy, a professor at UWM and CETL director, said Barth has contributed to the growth of the center since his arrival.
“Dylan’s work has been instrumental to achieving the academic success and deep learning demonstrated by U-Pace students at UWM, and especially at the 40 universities that have adopted the approach.”
Bonnie Halvorsen, outreach and project director, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare
Bonnie Halvorsen has been outreach director and grant project director at UWM since 2006, contributing in the form of committee work, networking and complex collaboration.
Stan Stojkovic, dean and professor at the UWM Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, describes Bonnie’s contributions as “immense.”
“There are very few people on campus who have committed their efforts toward the betterment of UWM more so than Ms. Halvorsen. She is very active in the Milwaukee community, the state of Wisconsin and the world.”
Halvorsen has worked closely with Growing Power, a nonprofit organization focused on providing equal access to healthy food in all communities. Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power, has seen Halvorsen’s contributions first-hand.
“She tirelessly promotes UW-Milwaukee’s dedication to public health, nutrition, urban renewal, sustainability and social justice values in the community,” Allen said.
Nancy Nelson, clinical associate professor, assistant dean, College of Health Sciences
Nancy Nelson joined UWM as a clinical associate professor in 1998 and has served as assistant dean of the College of Health Sciences Outreach Office since 2009. Nominators wrote that her work has been critical to the success of the college.
As assistant dean, she has found numerous efficiencies and has held faculty to appropriately high standards. Not insignificantly, her outreach work has generated significant recognition and revenue.
Her work on the Wisconsin Hand Experience, an annual continuing education opportunity, is called stellar.
“She is the brains behind the conference and draws very little attention to herself or her selfless contributions,” said Virginia Stoffel, associate professor and president of the American Occupational Therapy Association. “As a leader, Nancy brings people together and creates a dedicated team, and welcomes diversity of thought and talent. She is dedicated and hard-working, and sees possibilities instead of barriers.”
UWM Academic Staff Outstanding Teaching Award
Casey O’Brien, senior lecturer, Women’s & Gender Studies
Casey O’Brien has taught many of the core courses in Women’s & Gender Studies since joining UWM in 2008. She has become an invaluable member of the department, according to Andrea C. Westlund, associate professor of philosophy and Women’s & Gender Studies chair.
“She is, quite simply, a brilliant teacher and outstanding colleague,” Westlund said. “The emphasis Casey places on critical reading, writing and research skills in all the courses she teaches has greatly improved our students’ preparedness for upper-division Women’s & Gender Studies coursework. But perhaps even more importantly, she has an uncommon talent for inspiring students to engage with the course materials in ways that are meaningful in the broader context of their lives.”
Her students agree, consistently giving her high marks on evaluations. For Krista Grensavitch, a lecturer in the Department of History, she’s been a mentor.
“I can personally attest to Casey’s effectiveness as an instructor and her commitment to innovative content delivery and curricular development,” Grensavitch wrote. “I can think of a no more committed, innovative, deserving and personally inspirational individual to receive this honor.”
Ally of the Year Award
Kari Dawson, assistant director for business administration, University Housing
Kari Dawson delves into the often-difficult and complex task of getting students matched with the housing they prefer and with the roommates they prefer. And she ensures that all university housing residents feel like they are part of the larger residence hall community.
She leads UWM’s effort at inclusive housing, which ensures that students who self-select and self-identify as gender nonconforming or who have other cultural or identity considerations are treated well, making university life better and more comfortable. UWM was the first in the UW System to implement an inclusive housing policy.
“Kari’s leadership regarding the Inclusive Housing policy cannot be overstated,” said nominator Kelly Haag, director of University Housing. “Kari has used her role as the Assistant Director for University Housing-Business Administration to ensure that all residents feel like they are a part of the residence hall community.”
Joanne Lazirko Award for Excellence in Teaching with Technology
Debra Siebert, senior lecturer, Department of English
Nominators praised Debra Siebert’s use of UWM’s active learning classrooms to help teach writing. In the right hands, active learning classrooms, which use moveable furniture and extensive media infrastructure, can help stimulate student interaction. In Siebert’s hands, students often work in pods around a common screen, which fosters more interest in each other’s work, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of pride in their work. The result – increased student engagement, especially for the high-attrition population of first-year entry-level students.
She’s shared the results of her work with colleagues, and as a result, the English Department has added five active learning classrooms for fall 2016. Siebert mentors the additional instructors in the best use of the classrooms.
Despite teaching the often-stressful writing courses required for most majors, Siebert receives terrific evaluations from students.
“Ms. Siebert has the best student retention rate in our program and has been integral to our efforts to improve retention rates for our Basic Writing students,” said nominator Christopher Lyons, English 102 coordinator. “In reviewing her evaluations from the last two years, I had trouble finding any example that was less than stellar. Her students regularly write that she is always available, actively engaged and one of the best teachers they have had at UWM.”
UWM University Staff Outstanding Service Award
Frieda Abosovski, custodian
In the Peck School of the Arts, things get messy. Paint spills, clay splatters and chalk dust gets everywhere. Not what visitors coming to performances want to see.
Fortunately, Frieda Abosovski is on the job. She keeps the place spotless.
Peck employees, students and those attending performances benefit from her detail-oriented hard work. Lobbies sparkle and workplace areas are cleaner than ever before. Several nominators noted how she consistently exceeds what’s required.
“Frieda goes above and beyond in terms of maintaining and constantly improving the service provided to the students, faculty and community,” wrote nominator Josie Osborne, director of the First Year program and a lecturer at Peck. “She takes pride in work well done and encourages others to do the same.”
Karen Kilps, IS Systems development services specialist, University Information Technology Services
Karen Kilps deals with one of the more important issues at UWM – getting financial aid to students. And when the UW System created the Flex Option for students, that created a host of difficulties in delivering that aid.
Standard financial aid software can’t deal with the very different model that the Flex Option provides. Since UWM was the first institution to launch with UW Extension, there were no models to follow. Kilps worked with programmers and team members to create the programming necessary to deliver financial aid to this new population. It was a big job, one that’s on the forefront nationally, and she did it on top of her regular duties.
“Karen is a standout working with UW Extension programmers and functional team members,” wrote nominator Laura Kite, assistant dean for student affairs at UW Extension. “She has provided leadership, analysis and completed more testing than you can imagine.”
Cindy Pharm, academic department specialist, Department of Exceptional Education
Cindy Pharm is affectionately known in the Department of Exceptional Education as its “mother hen.” She is its “go-to” person – when you need an answer, go to Cindy. She handles payroll, scheduling and reserving classrooms, manages front office student workers and takes care of a thousand other tasks.
In late 2015, Pharm was diagnosed with cancer. She had major surgery and was out on medical leave for several weeks. But even while dealing with treatment and recovery, she called the office every few days. A list of questions greeted every call.
“I believe that you don’t truly appreciate a person until you experience what it would be like without them there,” wrote nominator and colleague Brian Barnes. “We had that experience this past year, and boy do we appreciate Cindy now that she is back.”
Carla Sagert, IS comprehensive services specialist, Human Resources
Carla Sagert manages the huge amount of data in the human resources data system. UWM’s budget crunch hit her from two directions – she picked up duties when her department lost an employee position that wasn’t replaced, and lots of requests for data landed on her doorstep as decision-makers sought answers.
Many times, the answers required accessing separate systems that don’t work together, but she makes it work. As her supervisor notes, these are difficult requests.
“As the institution has come under increased budgetary pressure, the need for analytical data to help guide decision-making is ever expanding,” wrote Timothy Danielson, associate vice chancellor of human resources. “The volume complexity and nuanced nature of ad hoc data requests has increased immeasurably over the last year. Carla has consistently come through.”
All this work required her to put in many extra hours. But more than one nominator noted her positive attitude and professionalism despite the challenges.
Ernest Spaights Plaza Honorees
Phillip A. Clark, chief of police, 1990-2004
Phillip Clark served as UWM’s police chief for 14 years before retiring in 2004. In that time, he was firmly committed to ensuring the safety of everyone on campus and greatly increased the diversity of the force.
Donald Melkus, vice chancellor emeritus, notes that when he appointed Clark as police chief, the force had one female officer and no minority officers. Within two years, several were added to the force. The moves had great effect.
“The culture of the department changed dramatically,” Melkus said. “It went from one of strictly law enforcement to one of law enforcement and service to the university.”
The first black police chief at UWM, Clark was well known for recruiting and encouraging people of color to enter law enforcement and for his civic involvement with such groups as the YMCA, Men of Tomorrow, Restorative Justice, and food pantries at Mount Zion Baptist Church and the Church of Good Hope.
And his work made UWM safer. During his tenure, he got defibrillators in all UWM police squad cars, helped develop the campus criminal background check program, supported the self-defense program on campus and advocated community policing.
Rhonda Jean Voigt Montgomery, professor emeritus, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, 2003-2014
Rhonda Montgomery’s accomplishments and reputation for her work in gerontology extend far beyond the bounds of the UWM campus. Her work addressing the issues faced by people who care for the elderly and infirm is respected internationally.
As someone who is “one of the most prolific scholars in the history of the school,” as one nominator said, Montgomery has authored and co-authored dozens of books, scholarly manuscripts and other published works. Her works have been cited more than 800 times in scientific literature.
As a crowning achievement, she developed a comprehensive caregiver assessment process, the first of its kind. Called TCARE, Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral, it is being used around the world.
“For most scholars, the pinnacle of their careers occurs when they provide a lasting impact on the quality of the communities they serve,” wrote one nominator, Stan Stojkovic, dean of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. “Professor Montgomery is the premier social scientist known in the world of caregiving, a growing and important segment of health care providers who address the needs of older Americans.”
Beyond her achievements in her field, one nominator noted her impact on colleagues through her mentorship.
“Dr. Montgomery is, and continues to be, tireless in her ambition to develop innovative excellence in those that surround her,” wrote nominator Scott Strath, director of the Center for Aging and Translational Research, adding that she is “an exceptional leader and mentor.”
Erika Sander, associate professor emeritus, College of Health Sciences, 1970-2008
Erika Sander taught many classes in kinesiology during her 38 years at UWM, but she also made her mark on the university by serving in numerous administrative and governance roles.
She served on the Faculty Senate and had multiple terms on the University Committee. At various times, she served as department chair, interim dean, assistant vice chancellor and interim director of human resources. She also served on multiple search committees for provosts and deans.
Sander mentored numerous faculty members and was a tireless booster of women’s athletics at UWM.
“She has shaped this institution through her tireless and selfless work in faculty governance, her administrative roles, her mentoring of faculty and her support for students,” said nominator Kristian O’Connor, associate professor of biomechanics in the Department of Kinesiology. “There are very few people who have had the lasting impact on UWM like Erika Sander, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
Welford Sanders, assistant professor, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, 2001-2015
Welford Sanders is a man deeply committed to the community. His contributions have left a lasting mark.
His vision and hard work have been crucial to the development in the area around Martin Luther King Drive and North Avenue. In part due to his work, the area has attracted more than $40 million in investment over the past 15 years. That development has created homes, businesses and jobs, all crucial to making a neighborhood thrive.
Sanders’ influence is felt at UWM as well. He introduced generations of students to the best ways to handle urban revitalization, and many of those students are now in position to make those things happen. And he made sure that public service became a critical factor in the work of faculty at UWM.
“Welford’s effort as a bridge and a connector always demonstrated his high regard for UWM, even as he could (and would) speak candidly about our shortcomings — especially our shortcomings as a university and as a department in engaging communities in need as consistently and deeply as his own work did,” wrote Nancy Frank, chair of the Department of Urban Planning. “He made tremendous personal sacrifices to assist communities that could not, on their own, engage the services of a planner. He brought deep knowledge and experience and was a constant innovator.”
