The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare bid farewell to two longtime faculty members this academic year. Stan Stojkovic, professor and former dean, retired in January 2024. Jeanne Wagner, clinical professor and director of the social work field program, retired at the end of May 2024.
Stojkovic, now professor emeritus, served UWM for 40 years. He was dean of the school from 2004-2020. Prior to becoming dean, he served as associate dean, taught criminal justice courses, and coordinated the school’s criminal justice program.
Throughout his career, Stojkovic worked closely with law enforcement and corrections officials. He is a nationally known expert in criminal justice administration, prisoner reintegration and theories of justice. His articles, publications and media commentary helped students and the public understand complex criminal justice issues.
Stojkovic has written or co-authored several books and was an article referee for numerous criminal justice publications. He served as associate editor of The Prison Journal: An International Forum of Incarceration and Alternative Sanctions.
In 2007, he received a $5.8 million grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy to serve as fiduciary agent for Milwaukee High Intensity Drug Traffic Area.
In addition to teaching, research and writing, Stojkovic was a consultant and expert witness, evaluated correctional-based programs for public and private agencies, served as a standards trainer for the Peace Officer Standards and Training in California, and was co-coordinator of the Leadership Institute at the California Department of Corrections and California State University from 1994-2004.
Stojkovic joined UWM in 1983. He earned his doctorate in social science and his master’s degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and an associate degree in police science from Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).
Jeanne Wagner, clinical professor of social work, joined the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare in 2005, most recently serving as the director of the Social Work Field Program. She is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive clinical, management, and administrative experience. Prior to her role at UWM, Wagner worked in a variety of social service settings, including child welfare, adoption (domestic and international), mental health, intellectual disabilities, geriatrics, and private practice.
In addition to directing the field program, she taught courses in social work and developed and presented continuing education programs. Topics for these programs included social work ethics and boundaries, leadership and supervision, case management, documentation, confidentiality, adoption competency, and safety in the field.
Wagner was a trainer and co-director for the Training for Adoption Competency curriculum through the Center for Adoption Support and Education. She was involved with the Youth Oriented Substance Abuse and Trauma Counseling Program funded through HERSA from 2014-2017, as well as the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment program funded by SAMHSA from 2013-2016. She served in the role of ombuds through the Office of Conflict Resolution for many years.
Wagner earned her master’s in social work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her bachelor’s in social work at Morehead State University in Kentucky. She serves on the NASW-WI Board of Directors and is president of the Wisconsin Council on Social Work Education.