Academic Unit Annual Summaries

2024-2025

In FY25, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH) advanced goals from our current strategic plan. To strengthen college identity (Goal #1), CASSH continued participation in campus showcases and recruitment events emphasizing global citizenship and career-readiness as key elements in our academic programs. We hosted the 23rd Annual Recognition of Excellence acknowledging college award recipients. Hongying Xu (GCL) for teaching, Mandy Kolbe (THA) for creative activity, and Lisa Kruse (SOC/CJ) for service were faculty awardees. Hanna Dovalina (SAA) received the IAS teaching award and Jenni Pengra (CST) was recognized for outstanding staff performance. Twenty-eight undergraduates and three graduate students received department awards. Hannah Hautala (English major with GCL minors) received the John E. Magerus Award and Hleeda Vang (SAA) was honored as the outstanding graduate student. Former Professor and Dean John Magerus received the Friend of CASSH Award for more than fifty years of service and philanthropic support.  All awardees can be viewed at https://www.uwlax.edu/cassh/recognition-of-excellence/ 

Curricular innovation (Goal #3) continued with the Curriculum Review Committee approving an emphasis in Music Composition and Creation, English TESOL, a Literature and Cultural Studies concentration in the English major, the Public History certificate and a proposed Criminology major now pending Board of Regents review in Fall 2025. The college also funded 15 pilot projects exploring generative AI in curriculum allocating $50,200 through a competitive college grant program. 

To support faculty and staff (Goal #4), CASSH awarded seven sabbaticals, promoted five faculty to professor and two to associate professor, and granted tenure to five individuals. The Dean’s Office allocated $365,000 in discretionary funds for one-time purchases including music instruments, a sound mixer for Toland Theatre, a risograph printer for Art, new student lounge furniture in the Lowe Center for the Arts, and funding various other department-identified needs across the college. 

CASSH recognized two community engagement projects with college awards (Goal #5). The Hear Here North project extended public history storytelling to La Crosse’s north side and the Sociology course, “Corrections and Penology,” worked with incarcerated fathers to record audio books for their children. 

In addition to advancing strategic goals, Faculty/IAS continued strong scholarly and creative activity through publishing, or having accepted for publication, twelve books, 58 articles, and 36 book chapters, along with providing 177 presentations,112 performances or exhibits, and being awarded nine external grants totaling $467,712. Twelve individuals received external awards recognizing their work and Ryan McKelley (PSY) along with Sona Kazemi (RGSS) received the university-level Eagle Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Eight tenure-track faculty and three assistant teaching professors joined CASSH in FY25. New or interim chairs began in Art, Music, and History, and Linda Dickmeyer will return to faculty on July 1, 2025, after serving as CST Chair since 2009. Seven faculty/IAS retired after long and productive careers. 

During this past year the Sustainability and Environmental Studies program merged with the Philosophy Department. Art, English, Philosophy, and Student Affairs Administration completed the cyclical academic program reviews, and the School Psychology program achieved full re-accreditation. 

2024-2025

Our faculty were productive this year with several articles, book chapters, research reports, and book reviews and presented research at several international conferences. Faculty members continue active engagement in research in the Midwest, Egypt, Serbia, Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and the South American Andes.

Our students received several Undergraduate Research Grants and were extremely active in UWL’s Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creativity, with 10 students presenting their research, and one presented their research at Research in the Rotunda in Madison. We also had students who traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to present their research at NCUR.

Our program enrollments are strong with 95 majors and 45 minors with 8 students graduating with Honors. In Fall of 2024 we welcomed our record largest incoming major cohort of 45 students. Our overall contribution to the General Education program was strong with 37 sections of 7 different GE courses.

We conducted two successful searches this year. Dr. Heather Walder was hired as a new tenure-track Midwestern Archaeologist and Dr. Dan Osborne, a Biological Anthropologist was hired as a new Assistant Teaching Professor. These hires will ensure we can continue to offer outstanding hands-on lab-based coursework and research opportunities in archaeology, and opens up new opportunities for such work in biological and forensic anthropology.

Notable leadership roles for our faculty include Director of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, American Research Center in Egypt Board Member, Wisconsin Archaeological Survey Board Secretary, Center for Hmong Studies, and SOYUZ Post-Communist Cultural Studies Secretary.

Finally, Dr. Anderson and Provost Morgan traveled to Egypt to formalize an exchange agreement between Ain Shams University in Cairo and our department. Dr. Her visited Vietnam and Laos in May 2025 to plan a Study Abroad Program and he began discussions with the National University of Laos regarding a partnership. Both represent exciting potential international relationships for UWL housed within our department.

2024-2025

In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Art Department continued its commitment to teaching excellence, including supporting undergraduate research & creativity projects; field trips to regional and national Art Museums and organizations; and our faculty were awarded 8 grants for curriculum development including a collaborative Curricular Redesign Grant. We hosted two external reviewers and completed our APR spring 2025. We submitted a position request and were granted a new IAS position in Art Education, which unfortunately led to a failed job search, but we will regroup next fall. We developed plans and advocated for the renovation/expansion of our Design Studio. We received additional funding from CASSH to update studio equipment. And we focused on getting prepared for the transition to Workday software, especially our ADA Katie Olan.

Sierra Rooney was granted tenure. Marc Manke and Josh Doster successfully completed their Second-Year Retention Reviews. Kate Hawkes Boulay was promoted to Professor. Brad Nichols completed a positive Post-Tenure Review. And we hired Nicole Vike to teach Art Therapy.

The UWL Art Gallery, directed by Deborah-Eve Lombard, mounted 7 exhibitions. The Department hosted visiting artists for public events including Codey Gallas, Ryan Send, Mary Ellen Childs, Kevin Knopp, Gina Hunt, Scott Gellatly, and 6 international artists who collaborated with UWL students to create “Art in Tandem” an exhibition designed by Zach Stensen and Marc Manke.

Art Department faculty actively engaged in scholarship collectively participating in 42 exhibitions, publications, and presentations. Art faculty earned 9 grants to support creative research, including a Wisconsin Arts Board Grant (Lisa Lenarz and Pete Rydberg). We served in various roles and on committees within the department, college, university and greater regional arts community. Lisa Lenarz, Marc Manke, Sierra Rooney, and Kate Hawkes Boulay, along with collaborators outside the department (Ariel Beaujot, Laura Goddard, and Alec Lass) were awarded the 2025 CASSH Recognition of Excellence Award for Community Engagement.

2024-2025

The CST Department remains healthy, with spring 2025 numbers indicating 242 majors and 418 minors (includes DMSD with programming in CST, ART, and ENG). We welcomed two new IAS members into one year positions - Jules Balli (a CST alum) and Eliza Carlson. Our faculty continues to have a strong presence on campus in leadership positions, including Dr. Ronda Leahy as the Faculty Assistant to the Provost and Dr. Ashley Edwards as the CATL Inclusive Teaching Specialist. Dr. Kate Lavelle completed the year as the FYS Director, resigning to become the new chair of CST. Dr. Linda Dickmeyer completed her time as chair after 16 years. Other internal leadership includes Dr. Beth Boser as the CST Associate Chair, Dr. Brandon Anderson as the CST 110 Course Director, Professor Terry Smith as the Public Speaking Director, and Dr. Taylor Miller as the Communication and Media Lab (CaML) Director. Dr. Greg Ormes completed his term as Faculty Senate Chair and has been re-elected to serve as Chair for the 2025-2026 academic year.

We also celebrated a number of accomplishments. Dr. Weixu Lu was granted tenure, departmental ADA Jenni Pengra won the University Staff CASSH Excellence Award, and Dr. Ashley Edwards secured a Sabbatical (for spring 2026). In addition, our students recognized the hard work of our instructors, as indicated by nominations for IAS members Terry Smith and Nick Raes, who were nominated for the most accessible awards, multiple IAS and faculty members were nominees for the ESSLY award, and 16 different faculty/staff members received nominations for the Eagle Teaching Award. At our end-of-year celebration for student recognition honored UWL Director of Admissions Corey Sjoquist, who received our annual alumni award.

CST faculty were active in professional development. Dr. Weixu Lu and Assistant Teaching Professor Eliza Carlson attended OPID Faculty College at the end of May. Multiple faculty members have been active in Community of Practice, and especially in content related to AI. The media studies faculty members secured a grant specific to incorporating AI in the classroom/CaML. We are very active in a variety of CATL workshops and webinars. Faculty/IAS members attended regional, national, and international conferences, typically presenting their research or sharing their expertise on discussion panels. Eleven faculty members have authored or co-authored ten different publications in journals or book chapters over the past year.

2024-2025

In 2024-2025 the English department collectively taught 209 sections of general education and upper-level English courses, published 1 book, 10 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters, and presented at over 30 conferences and professional development activities. Our faculty served the University on over 200 department, college, and university-wide committees. A significant percentage of our faculty were nominated for the Eagle Teaching Excellence Award. One of our majors, Hannah Hautala, was selected for the John E. Magerus Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior in CASSH.

Dr. Chris McCracken was promoted to Associate Professor, and Dr. Lindsay Steiner to Professor. Dr. Louise Zamparutti was awarded tenure. She was also selected for a semester-long fellowship at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at UW-Madison.

In 2023-2024 our department made significant strides in curriculum revision; most notably, our Literary and Cultural Studies major was fully revised. Our recruitment and retention efforts continue to be strong. Most majors, minors, and the certificate program in the English department saw significant growth, as has been the case for the past four years.

We welcomed Dr. Joe Cscilia from Eastern Michigan University as part of an external review and successfully passed our 2024-2025 APR.

We brought several speakers to campus to give readings and meet with our Creative Writing courses, and began a new partnership with The Pump House for a reading series to begin Fall 2025. Our award-winning Bernard and Rita Bernatovich Jail Literacy Program is now in its tenth year and includes a roster of 10 faculty who make biweekly visits to the La Crosse County Jail to discuss literature with inmates and engage incarcerated writers. This generous fund also supported a well-attended talk by Kate Thomsen, a professor at Western Michigan University on her experiences with Shakespeare Behind Bars.

Volume 28 of our student-edited literary and arts journal, Steam Ticket, was published this spring; English students also annually produce the university’s creative works journal The Catalyst.

The department continues to uphold a strong mission of “prepar[ing] students [to be] future professionals and responsible citizens through the close study of language, writing, literature, and culture.” Central to this mission is the outstanding teaching, research and service commitments exhibited by English department faculty.

2024-2025

Sustainability and Environmental Studies remains a dynamic and impactful program, aligned with its program outcomes. As of June 24, 2025, IR data reports 51 declared minors. Over the past year, faculty members co-published a dataset, published a book chapter, secured a UWL grant, presented at a research conference, and delivered three service presentations. In support of professional development, faculty participated in 10 events, primarily focused on teaching and learning. In keeping with the Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program’s commitment to experiential learning, courses featured 47 guest speakers across 78 class sessions and 26 field trips across 48 sessions. Some guest speakers and field trips were utilized more than once. The program completed a major curriculum revision, converting ENV 303 and ENV 304 from general topics courses into 11 distinct courses. Program members held notable university service roles, including participation on the Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability, the Pollinator Garden Planning Team, and representation on behalf of Students for Sustainability. Both full-time faculty also serve on the newly formed Indigenous Actions Collective, an initiative of growing institutional significance. Dr. Higgins is currently chair of the Collective. Faculty members continue to contribute to professional and community service in meaningful ways, including consultation and leadership on nonprofit boards. Examples include serving on the boards of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of La Crosse and the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation, and providing expertise in organizations such as the Driftless Writing Center, Friends of the Blufflands, Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh, and Solar on La Crosse Schools. A highlight of the year was Dr. Remsburg’s completion and co-leadership of a walking presentation of the Hinukwas Tree Trail on the UWL campus. This project is part of a broader campus and community effort to honor Indigenous history, knowledge systems, and place-based identity. Finally, the program successfully completed its administrative merger with the Philosophy Department. As a result, Dr. Alysa Remsburg will be the new program Director for the next three years. Graduating senior Courtney Osmek was recognized with the program’s Student Excellence Award.

2024-2025

In 2024-2025 GCL continued focusing on recruitment and retention of students into language and intercultural competence programs, as well as on strengthening experiential learning opportunities via GCL’s collaboration with community organizations and new interdisciplinary initiatives on campus. Department members were involved in specific task working closely with the Office of Admissions and the Advising Office as well as the Office of International Education and Engagement. GCL continued its support to programs such as Latinx Parent College and other High School visits to campus. Several GCL faculty completed the Master Advising training and the CATL Eagle Advantage Competencies training and are now incorporating new teaching and advising strategies into their courses. GCL newer certificate programs in language for professional uses (Spanish, Chinese and French) continue to grow exponentially and be popular among students.

GCL also had a positive year in faculty academic achievements. Tenure-track colleagues (Martín-Gomez and Ochoa Campo) received excellent reviews. We anticipate 2 other faculty members going up for Full in the next 2-3 years. Dr. Hongying Xu was recognized with the CASSH Teaching Excellence Award and her contributions to Internationalization on Campus. GCL continued its working relation with the UW-System Collaborative Language Program with our new tenure-track faculty member in French for Professional Purposes, Dr. Dany Jacob. GCL faculty continued to publish new scholarship and creative/artistic work and gave over 10 presentations at different local/national/international conferences, received numerous grants (external and internal) for teaching and research, and hosted several major cultural events (UWL Chinese Day, Russian Culture Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, Spanish Film Festival). Dr. Victoria Calmes and Dr. Xu travelled again to Granada, Spain and China, with faculty-led programs for students. GCL looks forward to keep servicing our students with more international internships and study away/abroad opportunities (in spring 2025, Dr. Martín Gómez completed a new service-learning program to Ecuador in Spanish for professional purposes and Dr. Granados designed 2 new study broad programs for students in CBA in Panama City and Medellín, Colombia) strengthening GCL’s position as a pillar for internationalization at UWL.

Spanish continues to see an increase in the numbers of students pursuing Spanish certificates for professional purposes, and Spanish faculty continue to work to identify more effective recruitment methods of heritage speakers. The Spanish section won a major Curriculum Redesign Grant from the Provost Office to revise the Spanish curriculum, particularly regarding retroactive credits, and placement issues, dual enrollment credit with the goals of reducing graduation time for our students. French is seeing a decrease in enrollment but continue to enhance their offerings via the Collaborative Language Program. Russian continues to hold steady in enrollment, and GCL has solidified its relationship with the Hmong student community on campus. Hmong courses for heritage speakers were offered on a more consistent basis. GCL continues to expand concurrent enrollment initiatives with area High Schools in Spanish and Chinese.

GCL faculty members continued serving in different campus advising committees and task forces. Several departmental members continue to serve large roles in the university and beyond—Ochoa Campo with Senate, Granados with ILLAS, Martín- Gómez with community engagement, Morris with General Education. GCL held various workshops for the design approval of a new certificate program course on intercultural competency. Work will continue in 2025-2026 to establish this program as a main pillar of the education we offer to non-language learners at UWL.

2024-2025

16 FTE (13 T/TT, 3 IAS) reviewed, two sabbaticals, Hardy earned tenure, Morrison promoted to full, and Grider underwent post-tenure review.

Scholarly productivity: 2 books, 4 articles, 7 chapters, 1 exhibit, 2 editorials, 37 papers, 1 ordinance, and numerous book reviews and guest lectures. Faculty serve campus and community, and 4 faculty lead professional organizations. Bylaws adjusted IAS teaching load, created affiliates.

SOE: Vesperman & Hamblin increased student teacher placements.

Assessed SLOs in HIS 110/200/490, worked on UPAC 2-year report, new rubrics for SLOs. 5 faculty received Course Improvement Grants.

Outreach: NHD strengthened regional participation. Trimmer completed term directing OHP, revised bylaws, hired and trained student workers, and transitioned to new director, Morrison. Beaujot launched Hear, Here North. Dr. Andrew Hartman delivered the 2024-2025 Allen Birchler Memorial Lecture. Hardy and Beaujot advised Phi Alpha Theta and History Club.

Space: Equipment consolidated into an office used for student testing and committee work. Cabinets installed in Murphy 150. Repurposed another office for journal editorial office.

We have 35 majors, 42 minors, and 63 Broadfield Social Studies majors. Workload for T/TT faculty equitably balanced. IAS will only teach HIS 110. 

Curriculum: Writing in the Major proposal adopted, revised courses on CIM, assigned more 300s course numbers. Updated catalog text. Limited AI misuse, and shared syllabi AI statements. 

Development: distributed $2,500 in scholarships, created brochures, and minor advising worksheet.

2024-2025

The Department of Music’s 2024-2025 year was successful. Over fifty unique courses served general education students, student-musicians in music ensembles, music and music education majors, and music/music performance minors taking lessons and completing coursework for their respective programs. The Department congratulates the nine senior capstone recitals (voice, clarinet, flute, piano, sax, and trombone). Live performances included >55 UWL student performances and >70 faculty performances from local to international in scope, cumulating in over 125 live music performances during the year. The faculty’s expertise as teachers, musicians and composers were regularly on display, including 19 research presentations/publications, several new jazz and jazz worship arrangements, a published jazz liturgy, 5 published recordings, and >15 events where faculty presented master classes or clinics and/or adjudicated student performers and composers. The theme of the 2024 New Music Festival was “Minimalism” and featured a performance of Julius Eastman’s “Stay on It” and a walk-through percussion performance in the Hetzel Fieldhouse. Guest artists this year included the Shoeless Trio (led by UWL Music alumnus Reed Grimm), flutist Nora Lee, the Banzat Trio, the Juli Wood Quartet, and pianist Kate Bouska. Broadway and screen actor, singer, and trumpet player Keith Buterbaugh was the Department’s invited guest for ArtsFest; he led master classes with Music and Theater & Dance students and performed from the Sinatra songbook with the Jazz Orchestra at the annual Big Band Cabaret. Faculty and students were engaged with recruiting events including outreach concerts and clinics, High School Band Day, PianoFest, and WSMA State Solo & Ensemble. A new Music Major emphasis in Music Composition & Creation began admitting students this spring. The Department congratulates Dr. Jeff Erickson, emeritus, on his recent retirement and will be welcoming a new colleague in the fall after a successful search and screen.

2024-2025

The Department of Philosophy remains productive and committed to our program outcomes. As of June 24, 2025, IR data reports 13 declared majors (4 graduated AY25), 20 minors, and 6 students enrolled in the AI Ethics Certificate. Faculty published one journal article and one book review, and shared their research at four academic conferences and the UWL AI Summit. We delivered two service presentations at the college and university levels, as well as four to the La Crosse community. The latter concerns Dr. Ross’s work with the La Crosse Film Academy, which is affiliated with the Rivoli Theater. Dr. Eskew continues to lead the monthly Philosopher’s Community Circle at Pearl Street Books, and Dr. Cocks organized, hosted, and reviewed submissions for the annual Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought (April 25). All faculty regularly contribute to the profession by reviewing conference abstracts and journal submissions. The department fulfilled obligations for four grants awarded in AY24. Course enrollments remain strong, with Philosophy playing a vital role across multiple campus programs. Enrollments justified the hiring of an adhoc logic instructor. Faculty held major service roles, including CAPS, Joint Promotion Committee, Faculty Senate, General Education Committee, and UPAC; Dr. Schneider chaired CAPS and Dr. Cocks chaired GEC. Faculty participated in five professional development events, including CATL workshops. Significant accomplishments for AY25 include: (1) completing our 7-year APR review; (2) leading the successful merger with the Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program; (3) launching the AI Ethics Certificate; and (4) submitting a Writing in the Major proposal that was approved by GEC. Our proudest moment is the successful promotion of Dr. Daniel Schneider to the rank of Associate Professor. Graduating senior Samuel White received the department’s Student Excellence Award.

2024-2025

The 2024-2025 academic year was another period of dynamic activity and significant achievement for the Political Science and Public Administration Department. Building on its solid foundation, the department continued its commitment to curriculum excellence, undertaking significant updates to several existing courses and creating new courses, like POL 325 Politics of Mass Incarceration and POL 335 Comparative Law. A notable effort this year involved significant revisions to the Political Science major, ensuring its continued relevance and rigor as the department engages in efforts to highlight the ways in which its programs can help students achieve the Eagle Advantage outcomes. These ongoing curriculum developments are central to providing students with a cutting-edge education in political science and public administration.

Beyond the classroom, the department remained dedicated to providing students with valuable real-world experiences and engagement opportunities. The annual "UWL in Madison" trip once again brought a group of students to the state capital for a full day of learning focused on internships, job prospects, and networking at the Capitol, followed by a well-attended alumni reception. For the third consecutive year, a number of students presented their research at the prestigious Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) annual conference, underscoring the department's strong commitment to undergraduate scholarship. A new and exciting addition this year was the "Political Journeys in Spain" faculty-led study abroad program, which received enough student interest to run in Summer 2025 with travel to Barcelona and Girona, providing a unique opportunity for students to explore political themes in an international context.

2024-2025

In the 2024-25 academic year, Psychology faculty demonstrated a continued commitment to high quality teaching. Five faculty members (Dixon, Kortenkamp, Rozek, Tobin, and Zabel) obtained grants to support high impact teaching practices. The Psychology department earned a nomination for the UW-System Regent’s Teaching Award in Fall of 2024. Dr. Ryan McKelley was named as a 2025 recipient of the Eagle Teaching Excellence Award.

Psychology Department faculty published 17 peer-reviewed journal articles. Many faculty presented at local, regional, and national conferences and workshops and served as reviewers for national/international journals and textbook publishers. Psychology undergraduate and graduate students also presented at numerous regional and national conferences. Five faculty obtained internal grants to support research endeavors (Marshik, Quartiroli, Rozek, Thakkar, and Zabel). Drs. Quartiroli and Thakkar also earned external research grants. Dr. Bianca Basten and Dr. Tesia Marshik completed sabbaticals in 2024-25.

Psychology department faculty were heavily involved in service to the college, university, professional organizations, and the community. Several faculty members serve in mentoring capacities on campus, and the department maintains strong representation on faculty senate, as well as faculty senate committees.

2024-2025

AY 2024/2025 was an impressive year for RGSS, full of departmental and individual accomplishments. RGSS was recognized by was recognized by the UWL chapter of Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring (DREAM) with the "Most Accessible Department" award. The same organization recognized Dr. Kazemi as the "Most Accessible Faculty", with Dr. Lilley also being named as a finalist for this award. Dr. Kazemi was also one of the six Eagle Teaching Excellence Award winners, with Will Van Roosenbeek and Drs. Iwai, Lilley, and Packer each receiving nominations for the award as well. Our ADA, Alec Lass, was also recognized with the CASSH Community Engagement Award for his work on the Hear, Here North Project.

RGSS continued to provide invaluable service to the university via an incredibly high general education load. In AY 2024/2025, 1,589 students took our RGS 100 course (895 students across 25 sections in the fall of 2024 and another 694 across 22 sections in the spring of 2025). This represents an increase of 198 students and seven additional sections from the prior AY. Despite this heavy general education load, the department continued to offer a variety of upper division offerings and independent studies to our majors, minors, and other students from across the university. The department has also added new courses to our offerings and has offered multiple courses associated with Living and Learning Communities, as well as our bi-annual Civil Rights Pilgrimage, led by Dr. Breaux.

Our faculty was active in research and scholarship as well this past year, presenting at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences. Our faculty had numerous publications in journals, scholarly books, and other media. The academic year also saw the publication of two books by Dr. Packer for which the department held book launches in the community and on campus, and the acceptance of a monograph by Dr. Kazemi which is set to be published in December of 2025.

RGSS faculty were also active in their service, including AAUW, the CASSH Scholarship Committee, The Dean’s Faculty Advisory Committee, the Academic Technology Committee, Misconduct Hearing Panel Committee, The University Program Assessment Committee, the La Crosse Historical Society, and a variety of other bodies. Faculty and staff also underwent trainings for advising, Eagle Advantage Infusion, assessment, and civil dialogue, to name but a few.

Finally, the department completed a revision of our bylaws and program level student learning outcomes, the latter of which we will be pushing through in the coming AY. We also continued to implement our plan to grow the major and minor with much success, adding several students to our numbers.

2024-2025

The Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice’s spent considerable time planning for its future growth and what it can offer. Notable activities included developing the curriculum for a Criminology major, drafting proposals needed for approvals to offer the new major, and completing the search processes for two faculty members to replace those who had recently resigned. Simultaneously, we focused on retaining our 230 Sociology Majors/Minors and 178 Criminal Justice Minors, recruiting new ones, and meeting the needs of all students.

Faculty activities resulted in two book chapters, two magazine articles, eight research presentations, and six grant proposals. Faculty served one CASSH committee, 11 UWL committees, 4 professional committees, and eight community organizations. Two faculty serve as UWL Faculty Senators, and Dr. Bakken continues as Director of UWL Student Research & Experiential Learning and is also Chair of the Wisconsin Council on Undergraduate Research.

Several faculty and students were recognized for their achievements. Sociology student Mikaela Robarge won 1st place in the Wisconsin Sociological Association’s Student Paper Competition. Dr. Enilda Delgado was awarded a research sabbatical for Fall 2025. Dr. Lisa Kruse won the 2025 CASSH Recognition in Service award, and Dr. Nick Bakken and students in his SOC 323 course won the 2025 CASSH Community Engagement award for their work with fathers currently imprisoned at the New Lisbon Correctional Institute.

Finally, Drs. Bakken, Kruse, and Marina were unanimously supported in their post-tenure review. Two new faculty members were hired: one with expertise in criminology, and the other with expertise in the sociology of health and illness. Dr. Carol Miller announced her retirement at the end of Spring 2025 and her 27 years of significant contributions were recognized through unanimous support of awarding her the status of Emeritus Professor. Finally, Dr. Lisa Kruse was promoted to the rank of Full Professor.

2023-2024

The Department of Student Affairs Administration (SAA) in Higher Education enrolled 101 online and blended students in 4 master’s cohorts and 3+ doctoral cohorts in 2023-2024. Overall enrollment was down 10%. AY23-24 marks the first time SAA enrolled more doctoral students than master’s students.

The reduction in master’s program enrollments were experienced by nearly every master’s program in our field. Many colleges and universities eliminated the “master’s required” qualification for positions they had a hard time filling at low salaries. This transfers the responsibility of preparing practitioners to employers, who are already seeing higher attrition rates in staff.

The doctoral program enrolled more students than expected as more students enrolled part-time. The doctoral program only began in 2017, and by 2024, we enrolled our 100th student. We continue to maintain a high completion rate, with over 50% of those who started in 2017-2021 finishing the Ed.D. in under 4 years. We have graduated or retained 82% of our doctoral students.

While total enrollment was down slightly, recruiting activity was not, as SAA faculty and staff logged 1,200+ communications with 548 prospective students (double the number of leads from the year prior). We also collaborated with the Senior Student Affairs Officers within the Universities of Wisconsin, who supported the creation of a Student Affairs Leadership Academy. Dr. Vitaliano Figueroa, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at UWL, and Dr. Tori Svoboda from SAA organized over 50 hours of training for 34 emerging leaders in student affairs staff positions from 11 UW campuses over a nine-month period. The program was highly successful and we expect it to continue in AY24-25.

Beyond our 4 ranked faculty and 1.8 FTE staff, the department also includes 17 ad hoc teaching faculty and 60 additional graduate faculty on active dissertation committees. We operated with a vacant faculty line for 23-24 and an additional faculty member on leave in the fall term. After a successful search, a new assistant professor, Dr. Gabriel Pulido, will join the department in August 2024.

Dr. Adele Lozano received the Legacia Award from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in April 2024 in recognition of her commitment to Latina/o/x/e students and communities. She is retiring with emeriti status in August 2024. Dr. Tori Svoboda received a UWL Eagle Teaching Award and was a delegate to the UW Faculty Teaching College. Dr. Becki Elkins was awarded a Faculty Research Grant for AY24-25.

2024-2025

The Department of Theatre and Dance welcomed two new members of the department and saw two others move into new roles. Anna Wooden is our new faculty costume designer, bringing ten years of professional experience in Chicago to our collective expertise. We are also delighted to have David Harlan as our new Sound Designer/Sound and Lighting Supervisor. Nate Mohlman was hired from an IAS position to be our our new Assistant Professor of Technical Direction, and Ashley Dobrogosz was promoted to Assistant Professor of Dance. Her leadership has been essential to the rapid growth of the dance minor, and we are thrilled to now have at least one ranked faculty member in each of the department’s curricular areas.

Theatre and Dance produced an expanded seven-production season, attended by over 8000 patrons. The department provided students with quality high impact practices through 112 roles onstage, 56 advanced student opportunities in theatre design, technology, management, and dramaturgy, and experiential learning for an additional 400 students participating in conjunction with a theatre course.

The season highlight was What the Constitution Means to Me. Produced on campus in November 2024, the show was selected as a regional finalist by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, ultimately winning six national awards. Individual members of the department had additional notable achievements. Greg Parmeter won a national award for his direction of What the Constitution Means to Me. Mary Trotter served as the guest intimacy director for several projects. Ashley Dobrogosz’s choreography was featured in the Wisconsin Dance Council’s gala performance and the I&E Annual Showcase. Nate Mohlman is heading a team research project in AI Driven Scenic Automation. Laurie Kincman published an expanded fourth edition of The Stage Manager’s Toolkit.

2024-2025

The College of Business Administration (CBA) experienced another year of strong growth, marked by enrollment increases, significant faculty contributions, and community engagement. Total enrollment rose to 2,834 students, including 655 new first-year students—the largest incoming class in ever.

This year marked a milestone as the first cohort of the Trust Point Financial Planning Program graduated, affirming the college’s commitment to delivering industry-responsive programs.

New faculty hiring reflected continued investment in academic quality and program capacity: one tenure-track faculty member joined Accounting, two each in Economics and Management (plus one IAS in MGT), and one IAS in Finance. Some of these positions were replacing vacancies and several were supported by workforce development funding.

CBA continues to prioritize impactful scholarship. In the most recent academic year, faculty produced 74 intellectual contributions, including 33 peer-reviewed journal articles. Nearly 53% of participating faculty produced contributions, with particularly high engagement in Marketing, Management, and Economics. The breadth of work across discovery, applied, and teaching-focused scholarship reflects alignment with the college’s mission to generate knowledge that informs both theory and practice.

To support and recognize outstanding faculty, the college awarded five Hansen Fellowships (compensatory awards funded by the Hansen Fellowship Fund) to James Murray, Beth Crosby, Kelly Nowicki, Erin Flottmeyer, and Adam Stivers. This year also introduced a new CBA Early Impact Award from the Dean’s Fund, presented to Christine Ascencio for her exceptional early-career contributions.

The CBA enters the coming year well-positioned to advance its strategic priorities, with a growing student body, a dynamic faculty, and a portfolio of scholarship that underscores its role as a regional leader in business education.

2024-2025

Erin Teegan began as the new department ADA in July 2024. Two new Accounting (ACC) faculty: Tasia Winrow, (completing a DBA and filling a tenure-track position), and Erin Dingrando, a full-time teaching professor began fall 2024. Both hold master’s degrees in accounting, and Dingrando is a licensed CPA. Ben Trnka, CPA and existing IAS, was hired to fill a TT ACC vacancy with expected completion of a DBA during the upcoming academic year.

In Business Law (BLAW), Jason Parr resigned to join an accounting firm in California, and Associate Professor Vivek Pande retired effective August 2025. A new full-time BLAW IAS, Cole Agar, will begin in August 2025 to fill a vacancy.

Declared majors rose slightly, and demand for ACC majors remains strong, reflected in high employer turnout at the September 2024 Accounting Career Fair. Internships contributed 803 student credit hours (SCH) across summer 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025—mostly ACC 450, and some CEI 450.

Several states, including Minnesota, reduced CPA licensure requirements from 150 to 120 credits. Wisconsin is expected to follow suit. The curriculum will need adjustments to reduce course sequencing duration. Demand for full-time spring internships may decline with a 120 credit requirement.

Students are now required to attend an etiquette and networking dinner each semester, with costs covered by an accounting firm. Baker Tilly renewed naming sponsorship of the department suite for five more years. Wipfli has agreed to cover about half the cost of course materials for tax classes. The department scholarly journal list and ranking was updated. Faculty searches to fill vacancies in both ACC and BLAW will begin at the end of summer.

2024-2025

In the 2024–2025 academic year, the Economics Department offered 48 sections of General Education courses. Faculty were highly active in research, publishing 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and submitting over 15 additional papers and book projects currently under review. Several faculty members also served on editorial boards and presented their work at national and international conferences.

Our commitment to teaching and advising was underscored by Dr. James Murray receiving the Hansen CBA Teaching Excellence Award, and two junior faculty members completing the Master Advisor Certificate. Faculty also engaged extensively in service at the departmental, college, university, and professional levels. With four untenured faculty members, senior colleagues provided substantial mentoring support. We also revised our bylaws in the Spring. Department members served on key university committees, including JPC, IRB, CGAAF, IAS Promotion, Scholarship and Awards, Academic Planning, CAPS, and IEE.

The department organized two events: a fall information session on the economics major—highlighting its distinctiveness from other business disciplines and outlining related career paths—and a well-attended spring event on the economic effects of tariffs, which drew over 200 students. In collaboration with the Menards Family Initiative, we also hosted a public lecture by renowned economist Dr. Christian Bjørnskov.

We successfully completed a search for two tenure-track positions, hiring Dr. El Fatmaoui (Health Economics) and Dr. El Cheikh Taha (Labor Economics), both of whom will join in Fall 2025. Dr. James Murray was on sabbatical during the fall semester. Dr. Cody Vaughn, who was on unpaid leave in the Fall of 2024, formally resigned before the spring to accept a position at the IRS. Additionally, SaraJane Parsons’ contract was not renewed. The department also revised its bylaws this year, updating both the merit evaluation criteria and procedures, and establishing a formal process for reviewing leave of absence requests.

2024-2025

The Finance Department continued its growth and continues to be the largest major in the College of Business Administration. The department continues to be supported by the CBA Dean’s office, which advises all incoming first-year students, and the Economics department, which advises all second-year students. The department now has two concentrations in addition to the regular FIN major. The concentrations require a variety of courses that we offer routinely.

On the personnel front, Dr. Nilakshi Borah was successfully promoted to Full Professor and Dr. Changyu Yang was successfully promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Yang and Dr. Ming Tsang were also granted tenure this year. We also welcomed a new Instructional Academic Staff member: Joe Noelke, who joined us full time in January 2025.

The department offered a new concentration: Personal Financial Planning (PFP), along with several new classes on financial planning. This new PFP program is a CFP Board Registered Program, which allows students to directly sit for the CFP exam after graduating. This program received corporate sponsorship from Trust Point. The funds received from Trust Point allowed us to award scholarships to students and to send faculty and students to financial planning conferences and symposia.

The Gordon Spellman Fund continues to perform well and closed the year with a value over $496,000 as of May 31, 2025.

The department continued to support and teach in the Integrated Core Program offered by the CBA.

During Academic Year 2024-2025 the department had 12 refereed articles published or accepted by high-quality academic journals, received several UWL and CBA grants, and made four refereed conference presentations. The department served on 10 university committees and attended 15 faculty development workshops. The department’s faculty and staff serve on eight local boards.

2024-2025

Over the past five years, the Information Systems (IS) Department has experienced remarkable growth, expanding to offer both Information Systems and Business Analytics (BA) majors and minors. Student interest continues to climb—most notably, the BA minor has surged from zero enrollments in Fall 2020 to over 110 students by Spring 2025. The BA major has also grown rapidly, now serving more than 135 students.

Strong partnerships continue to enrich the student experience. Our collaboration with Kwik Trip remains a standout example. In Fall 2024, students and faculty toured the company’s cutting-edge manufacturing facilities and engaged with IS professionals. In April 2025, Kwik Trip further demonstrated its support by awarding $5,000 in scholarships to IS majors.

Innovation in the classroom is a top priority. Faculty members Dr. Zhu, Dr. Han, and Dr. Haried have secured university grants to integrate artificial intelligence into the IS curriculum. As a result, a new course—IS-320: Artificial Intelligence for Decision Making and Data Analytics—will launch in Fall 2025.

We’re also thrilled to celebrate key faculty achievements. Dr. Ye Han was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in 2025—congratulations, Dr. Han! We also welcome Dr. DeAnn Almond, who joins the department as an Assistant Professor in August 2025. Dr. Almond brings valuable expertise in database management and business analytics.

Our faculty remain actively engaged in scholarship, with five papers published in peer-reviewed journals and presentations delivered at two academic conferences this year.

The department continues to deepen its ties with industry, hosting guest speakers from Kwik Trip, Deloitte Consulting, RSM, Trane Technologies, and Federated Insurance—bringing real-world insights directly into the classroom.

From curriculum innovation to industry collaboration, the IS Department is committed to preparing students for success in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

2024-2025

The Management Department’s main efforts were, as always, serving our 523 majors, as well as the 39 Sustainable Business minors and 42 Healthcare Analytics Management minors, which are housed in the department. Additionally, the department served approximately 50% of all CBA students (i.e., approximately 1488 students were served) across the 4 core CBA courses it provides.

Faculty in the department had 9 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 2 other scholarly works published this academic year, as well as 15 scholarly presentations.

The department’s primary efforts continued to be supporting students in their knowledge and skill development in the field of management, with emphasis on quality teaching and high-impact practices. Multiple faculty engaged students with client-based projects, field trips, professional speakers, business simulations, and other innovative pedagogical techniques. Fifty-six students took part in management internships (for course credit) and 14 students engaged in a study abroad program to Slovakia (the Global Consulting Program) in May. The department also continued to support and teach in the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program offered by the CBA.

The department approved changes to the Management Major this year, which included adding a new element to our Major requirement (core courses) for Leadership and Teamwork aligned with our program learning objectives, a more systematic approach to course numbering and sequencing as well as several more minor changes at the course level.

On the personnel front, Dr. Christine Ascencio was promoted to Associate Professor and Kelly Nowicki was promoted to Full Teaching Professor. Dr. Nicole Gullekson was given the 2024 Jennifer and Mike Hansen CBA Dean’s Impact Award. The department successfully completed 3 searches, hiring two tenure-track faculty members and one teaching professor to join the department in Fall 2025.

2023-2024

The 2023-2024 academic year was eventful for the Marketing Department, witnessing the highest enrollment in recent years with 630 primary and 26 secondary majors. We offered 80 course sections, accommodating 1,030 seats in required CBA core courses and 1,332 seats in upper-level Marketing courses.

The Marketing Department maintained its tradition of providing transformational educational experiences. 38 students completed internships for credit, and Drs. Crosby and Graham led study abroad programs in London. Dr. Achenreiner, as AMA advisor, took 7 students to the 2024 AMA International Collegiate Conference, where the chapter was a semi-finalist in the national AMA Collegiate Case Competition. Professor Trisler coached the Sales Team, which competed in 2 national sales competitions and the International Collegiate Sales Competition at Florida State University.

Our department remained actively engaged with the community both in and out of the classroom. We hosted the 11th Annual UWL Eagle Sales Competition, featuring 24 students and 21 industry professionals. This year included a Sponsor Showcase for networking opportunities. Additionally, 128 students in the Sales elective performed role-plays with 22 local industry professionals. We also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program. Several courses included guest speakers and client-based projects for local businesses, e.g. UWL Wrestling, Bucket of Bread, Kewaskum, and Driftless Aesthetics.

The department welcomed new faculty members: Teaching Professors Terrance Gabel and Aaron Koepke, and Assistant Professor Dr. Tu Tu. Dr. Eklund transitioned to a tenure-track position, and Pam Culver will join as a Teaching Professor in Fall 2024. Faculty research activities included 12 conference presentations, 9 journal submissions, 2 published articles, and a book chapter. Dr. Nasif received grants for “Hear, Here North” and “Margins of Excellence.” Dr. McDermott won the Hansen CBA Excellence in Service Award. Faculty members also served in leadership roles on various University and College committees.

2024-2025

The College of Science and Health (CSH) saw a leveling out of enrollment and actively pursued several new faculty hires due to resignations and retirement. The college initiated new majors in undergraduate Data Science and Engineering Physics and welcomed the first students into the programs established last year of Food Science (BIO) and Environmental Science (ESC). State funds associated with workforce developed increased faculty lines for Physical Therapy and Radiological Sciences. The college office established an advisory board composed of community partners to support its increasing attention to community engaged learning. 

2024-2025

The Biology department in AY 2024-25 met several challenges and persevered. We saw the departures of three members of the department, Lisa Kobs, William Haviland and Jennifer Klein. Lecturers Corrie Welch and Gretchen Lindhal were able to fill other food and nutrition science and anatomy and physiology vacancies, and we were able to hire Melanie Hutchinson to start in Fall 2026 in nutrition. Our searches for a Food Scientist and Cell Biologist will be attempted again next fall, though a Science Education search is still underway. The department also received approval for a new Zoology and Animal Physiology concentration and revisions to the core of many other concentrations that will better serve out majors.

Outreach to the community remains a strong part of the department’s activities. Interactions with citizen scientists continues with the Driftless Area BioBlitz and owl-feeding video analysis. Tours of the Anatomy and Physiology labs, and other research spaces continued for area high school students. Collaboration with local environmental and health agencies (USGS, UMESC, FWS, Mayo Clinic) also persists, along with ongoing seminar series with Mayo Clinic researchers and with UMESC researchers being well supported from both the external groups and UWL

The department continued its commitment to scholarship in 2024-25 with almost $1,000,000 in new funding from external grants from several sources (USGS, Sea Grant, FWS, FWC). This doesn’t include more than $300,000 still pending in this difficult funding environment. In 2024-25, the biology faculty and staff produced 37 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters. Together with their graduate and undergraduate co-authors, the faculty and staff also presented at 87 regional or national meetings and conferences. They also contributed widely to the University through service on Faculty Senate, numerous searches and multiple committees. They serve the community through appointments to local, state and national boards.

2024-2025

The Department of Chemistry and BIochemistry continues a strong tradition of providing exceptional educational and research opportunities for our students. This past academic year we graduated 60 biochemistry and chemistry majors. Students from our program attended and presented award winning posters at the annual American Chemical Society (ACS) and American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Further, the Murphy Award and Strzelczyk Award in Science and Health, which recognize students for academic excellence at UWL and within the College of Science and Health, were awarded to two of our students. One of graduating seniors also provided the student commencement speech for the College of Science and Health spring ceremony.

Our ACS Chemistry and ASBMB Biochemistry accredited degree programs received approval from their respective external accrediting agencies and this allows UWL to continue to offer these highly impactful degrees. Students in our programs continue to gain employment in STEM fields, while gaining acceptance into both professional healthcare programs and graduate school. Alumni continue to engage with our students as an important part of our curriculum. Students interview alumni in their current positions, while discussing their unique paths toward career fulfillment. Students then present these stories to the rest of the class within our required Chemical Community course.

Our department remains research active with actively funded grants supported by both internal and external agencies. Each summer >10 students in our program engage in a 10 -12 week intensive research experience in Prairie Springs Science Center ($80 million teaching and research lab building). Our students are supported by the College of Science and Health Dean's Distinguished Fellow Program, UWL Faculty Research Grants, UWL Undergraduate Research Grants, WiSys grant programs, and federal funding agencies like NSF and NIH. Collectively, our students receive exceptional chemical and biochemical educational training in the classroom , and teaching and research laboratories.

2024-2025

The Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering offers undergraduate programs in computer science and computer engineering, as well as a graduate program in software engineering. Our department serves 246 majors with the support of 10 dedicated faculty members.

We expanded our curriculum to meet the demands of the modern tech industry. We introduced a new emphasis in artificial intelligence within the computer science program, alongside new minors in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Additionally, we launched four certificate programs in computer programming, database management, web design, and web development. These certificates provide flexible pathways for students and professionals to gain marketable skills in technology.

Our computer engineering program took a significant step toward national recognition by submitting a self-study report for ABET accreditation. We anticipate a positive outcome in Fall 2025.

Our faculty have been exceptionally active in research, contributing 17 conference publications and one patent application this year. Their work spans critical areas like machine learning, biomedical engineering, and cybersecurity. Faculty also submitted 12 grant applications, securing resources to support innovative projects and provide hands-on learning opportunities for students.

The department played a key role in planning the summer remodel of the second floor of Wing Technology Center. This major upgrade will create state-of-the-art research labs, modern classrooms, and collaborative meeting spaces. These new facilities will enrich the student experience, foster collaboration, and strengthen our learning community.

2024-2025

The entire department worked on creating the department mission statement, values, and vision statement.

Sam Schmidt was promoted to associate professor. Jenna Starck, Sarah Mosley, and Nathali Jones were awarded Curricular Redesign Grant.

PASHE student Jade Brunkow (mentor: Sarah Mosley) was selected to present on "Teaching nutrition through the lens of an eating disorder" at the SHAPE America National Convention in April. Three of our MSAT students won Wisconsin Athletic Trainers' Association Student Poster Awards in the original research category, in April.

7 out of 7 MSAT students passed the national board exam on the first attempt.

2024-2025

The Department of Geography and Environmental Science provides an excellent educational experience through its curriculum and scholarship. The program was strengthened by two new tenure track faculty and a new teaching professor. Grants were received by 3 faculty to enhance their courses, and a new course on urban community health was developed. Community engagement is critical to the success of our program, and partnerships have been developed with regional employers that presented to courses and led hands-on experiences at their facilities. Faculty published 4 journal articles and presented their research at regional and national conferences. Faculty Research Grants were awarded to 2 faculty and several external grant proposals are currently under review. The department hosted the Midwest Undergraduate Geography Symposium, which was attended by over 125 students. The department also hosted the Western Great Lakes Region American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing meeting for the third consecutive year. Numerous students attended and presented their research at these meetings, and 12 students presented at the 2025 UWL Research and Creativity Symposium. Three students were funded by College of Science and Health Dean’s Distinguished Fellowships and 6 students received UWL Undergraduate Research and Creativity grants to support their research. Several updates were made to the Department’s majors and minors. Multiple articles were published in the UWL Campus Connection and the College of Science and Health Newsletter that highlighted our students and faculty, and faculty participated in multiple outreach events to build awareness of our program. The department’s number of majors increased over the past year, driven by continued growth of Environmental Science major.

2024-2025

Health Professions (HP) Department consists of 4 graduate programs: Medical Dosimetry (Med Dos), Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Physician Assistant (PA), and 4 undergraduate programs: Nuclear Medicine Technology (NMT), Radiation Therapy (RT), Radiography (RAD) and Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) in the Health Science Center (HSC). Last year, HP received new UW system funding ($596,000) for healthcare workforce development to increase undergraduate student capacity in Radiological Sciences (RT, DMS, RAD), NMT, and the graduate program in PT. Added UW funding supported additional faculty and advanced technology for the growing interest in undergraduate HP programs and growth in PT. HP challenges remain in HSC clinical teaching/research space and in recruitment/retention of faculty in high demand. Student demand for the HP Programs is strong based on the application volume received and credentials. Pass rates for all the HP programs remain excellent with board exam scores consistently above the national average and nearly 100% pass rate. Student surveys report HP students typically obtained employment within 6 months of graduation. With strong student and employment demand, HP faculty and staff have responded to meet academic and clinical needs of students by increasing clinical sites. The department offers two undergraduate service courses (HP 106 Intro Health Care Careers and HP 250 Medical Terms) also offered for college credit with the La Crosse School District and for UWL students interested in HP. Faculty scholarship incorporates student researchers resulting in strong peer-reviewed outcomes (9 faculty/student publications, 16 published abstracts, 2 book chapters, and over 30 faculty/student oral or poster presentations at international, national, state, or regional conferences). La Crosse Institute of Movement Science (LIMS) researchers (PT/OT) maintain active research partnerships with the Gundersen Health System Sports PT residency program and the Mayo Clinic Health System. HP prides itself on faculty/student research, service, and outreach activities. Three CSH/Mayo Seed Grants and Gundersen Medical Foundation have supported interinstitutional clinical research. Clinical education coordinators enabled over 874 student clinical placements at over 297 clinical sites across the US in a competitive healthcare environment. HP faculty sustain service-learning activities involving over 825 HP students in health and wellness, health screenings, course-related clinical experiences, interprofessional education, or research. Faculty mentored OT and PT students have served over 180 clients through the OT adult and pediatric clinics, health, and wellness activities (Community-based health and wellness projects, work with UWL athletic programs and ROTC program), PT’s Exercise Program for Program for People with Neurological Disorders (EXPAND) and Lower Extremity Amputee Program (LEAP). Faculty were involved and received recognition based on their service to the college, university, and their respective professional organizations.

2024-2025

Members of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics were productive in teaching, scholarship, and service.

The department taught approximately 200 classes, including 160 sections of general education, and generated 429 Student Credit Hours (SCH) in Fall 2024 (compared to 393 SCH in Fall 2023). The department updated its curriculum including the Mathematics Major and the approval of a new Data Science major by the UW System’s Regents.

The FastTrack programs transitioned over 200 students from MTH 051 to MTH 150 and 10 students from MTH 151 to MTH 207, significantly shortening their time to degree. Faculty supported over 20 independent studies, teaching assistants, internships, and undergraduate research project such as "Computer Aided Diagnosis for Breast Ultrasound Images”; “Proposing Wolf Management Zones in Wisconsin Using Spatial Clustering”; and “Introduction to Mathematics History Research.” These projects led to national publications and presentations involving students. As in the previous year, a faculty member received the UWL Eagle Teaching Excellence Award.

Department members published 11 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, with 3 more scholarly works submitted. Faculty presented 13 talks at state, national, and international conferences. Faculty applied for $750,000 in grants with $18,500 in internal grants and $30,000 in external grants being completely funded. The department is waiting to see if over $700,000 will be funded by external organizations.

Faculty were active in university service including Faculty Senate, Joint Promotion, and General Education. The department collaborated with community partners including Mayo Clinic, the United States Geological Survey, Kwik Trip, and regional school districts. Faculty served on boards for state and national organizations including the Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership, the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, and the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance. Members have also filled roles in administration, including Associate and Assistant CSH Deans, Data Science Collaborative Academic Director, and Secondary Teacher Education Preparation Director.

2024-2025

In 24/25, the Department graduated 29 students with BS degrees in Microbiology or Clinical Lab Sciences (CLS) - down from 40 in 23/24 and the five-year average of 50 graduates/year. The number of total Microbiology and CLS majors (measured Sep 24) was 123, down from a five-year average of 204/year. The number of Microbiology minors reached a new high of 29, up from a five-year average of 21/year.

The Department was heavily focused on recruitment and retention this past year. The work of the “Microbiology Ambassadors” expanded to include their staffing of the Departmental table at EagleFest, and giving presentations at regional high schools in the fall (Logan, Central, Onalaska). The Departed also hosted AP Biology classes from Central and Logan High Schools for a “Lab Exploration” day in December. Finally, our Ambassadors won the Aerie Award which is designed to recognize a collective of students who have gone above and beyond during the academic year.

Curricular changes meant to improve retention of majors and recruit new majors were also developed. These efforts included a course redesign for MIC 230 labs and a curricular redesign for Immunology Lab.

The first Endowed Professorship at UWL, courtesy of Michael and Kathi McGinley, began with Paul Schweiger being named the first McGinley Endowed Professor of Microbiology.

Via efforts by Dan Bretl, UWL was named as the site for the second annual Wisconsin Science Education and Research Consortium meeting in Nov 2025, and considerable progress was made in organizing the meeting and soliciting donations for the meeting.

Microbiology research labs were active. Faculty mentored 11 graduate, and 27 undergraduate students. Ten undergraduate and graduate students gave 14 poster and oral presentations at meetings. Faculty had five papers published, continued work on two external grants and reviewed 51 manuscripts.

A replacement for Sue Anglehart was hired, Xinhui Li was promoted to Professor, and Dan Bretl was granted tenure. Zachariah Tritz received an Eagle Teaching Excellence Award, and Dan Bretl received an Eagle Research & Creativity Mentoring Excellence Award.

2024-2025

The Physics Department continues to advance our curriculum and program offerings to benefit students at UWL. This past year the Department completed development of a new major in Engineering Physics which was approved by the UW Board of Regents in December 2024 and began accepting students in late Spring 2025. Due to high demand, the enrollment cap for the new course Physics for Nuclear and Radiological Sciences was increased. Faculty integrated high impact teaching practices, including cooperative group problem solving and flipped classroom instruction.

In its 22nd year, the Distinguished Lecture Series in Physics brought James Peebles, the 2019 Nobel Laureate in Physics, to campus for lectures and interactions with students, faculty, and the public.

The Physics Department continued its strong focus on undergraduate student research. Fifteen students worked with five physics faculty members on various research projects during the semester as Eagle Apprentices, as paid interns, for course credit, or as Sophomore Research Fellows. Students presented their research at national Physics and Astronomy conferences and at local/regional conferences.

The strong number of physics majors at UWL has earned us the designation of a Thriving Department from the American Institute of Physics. Our undergraduate students excelled in both academics and extracurriculars. Six students in the Physics Club participated in the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Collegiate Rocket Competition and were awarded first place.

The physics faculty continued as leaders in their respective fields serving on state and national committees, refereeing manuscripts, and applying for competitive external funding. This year our faculty gave 12 presentations, published 10 papers in refereed journals, were awarded 1 patent, and submitted 5 grant proposals. The Department saw the departure of Shelly Lesher and hired two new members to fill vacancies beginning in Fall 2025: Chris Rudnicki (tenure track) and Michael Connolly (IAS).

2024-2025

For the Department of Public Health & Community Health Education, 2024-2025 was a year of change. A curriculum redesign (and realignment with national accreditation standards) was a significant undertaking for Fall 2024 (into Spring 2025) that required more time with spreadsheets and working in CIM than anyone had ever imagined, but the entire faculty is excited for its official launch in Fall 2025. Along with adding PH20 Introduction to Global Health to the new General Education program, the faculty voted to add a new course focused on the social and structural drivers of health and health equity, significant foundational and guiding topics for the public and community health field that will now be emphasized more fully at the start of students core major requirements.

Other changes included: growth in overall enrollment in PHCHE courses and of PHCHE majors (wonderful!), a huge jump in the number of applicants to our PHCHE Student Ambassador program (amazing!), a shifting focus to more accreditation standards aligned with our relaunched online MPH program rather than the undergraduate B.S. degree (challenging), and the resignation of beloved faculty member and department chair, Dr. Keely Rees, so that she could take a position at the University of Kentucky (bittersweet).

Despite challenges to the profession nationally, the Department of Public Health and Community Health Education feels more dedicated than ever to our students and this important work.

2024-2025

The Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy Department completed another highly successful year. Over 50 students in either the Outdoor, Recreation, Tourism & Event Management (ORTEM) Program or Recreational Therapy (RT) Program completed on-site semester-long internships at various regional and national internships such as The YMCA of the Colorado Rockies, Winnebago Mental Health, Prairie Care, and Onalaska Parks & Recreation.

Four ORTEM students were awarded the inaugural Kathy Gruentzel Internship Support Scholarship. Kathy, an alum of our Recreation program, is a former Superintendent of Governor Dodge State Park and, quite generously, developed this new annual internship support program to increase the ability of our ORTEM students to explore internship opportunities among state parks and outdoor recreation areas.

Within the RT Program, 97.4% of students taking the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) passed, far exceeding the national average of 79.6%. 11 courses completed community-based learning projects (6 were designated Community Engaged Learning courses) in locations such as La Crosse Housing Authority, STAR Center, La Crosse Public Library, and Havenwood Senior Living Community.

Two nationally renowned keynote speakers were hosted for the Department’s REXPO event held each semester as part of REC 150 (Leisure, Quality of Life & Well-Being). With over 600 students attending in 2024/25, this event continues to connect students with practicing professionals, offers a Well-Zone of well-being activities, and provides networking opportunities for majors, minors, and non-majors. Enrollment in the program continued to trend upwards.

The Health Science Interprofessional Research Center continued to increase their presence delivering multiple Dr. Wags programs, providing research support to undergraduate and graduate students, and completing an interdisciplinary grant proposal.

Finally, the Department continued successful accreditation of the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Affiliation Professions (COAPRT) ensuring students were well prepared to begin their careers in their chosen recreation professions.

2024-2025

The Educational Studies (EDS) and Institute for Professional Studies in Education (IPSE) departments at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse demonstrated significant progress and innovation in teacher preparation, graduate education, scholarship, and service during the 2024–25 academic year.

Together, the departments supported over 300 educators across undergraduate and graduate levels as they completed their programs/degrees. EDS prepared more than 100 future teachers across six programs, achieving a first-time edTPA (education teacher performance assessment) pass rate exceeding 95%, while IPSE enrolled 200 graduate students, with 113 completing their programs. The MSED Learning Community programs led IPSE’s enrollment, followed by Reading and Educational Leadership programs. The Reading and Leadership programs were nationally recognized, ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Master’s in Education Programs.

Both departments prioritized alignment with evolving state standards, particularly DPI Act 20, revising curriculum accordingly. EDS also launched new licensure pathways, including a combined Early Childhood and Special Education program, and continued expanding global learning opportunities in Luxembourg, Puerto Rico, and Japan. Meanwhile, IPSE enhanced research practices through dedicated Canvas support and close IRB collaboration.

Faculty across both departments demonstrated scholarly and professional leadership. EDS faculty published journal articles, book chapters, and secured multiple internal and external grants. They presented at over 40 conferences and held leadership roles in statewide and national organizations, including WITESOL, NAME, and AAUW. IPSE faculty also presented at prominent state conferences, such as OPID and WSRA, and served on editorial boards, educational boards, and local school districts.

With new faculty recognitions, program expansions, and impactful partnerships, EDS and IPSE exemplified their shared commitment to preparing reflective, research-driven, and equity-minded educators ready to meet the demands of today's schools.

2024-2025

Educational Studies (EDS) prepared over 100 future teachers this year through our six programs. Students experienced success with a first-time pass rate of over 95% on the edTPA final program assessment. We offer students several innovative experiences through local/state partnerships, professional development schools, and Milwaukee Urban Experience, offered for the second time as a Field II experience. We developed a new Residency Teacher Program as a year-long, paid teaching experience. Global connections continue with the Luxembourg Special Education field experience, Puerto Rico TESOL field experience, and Japan study abroad, offered for the second time.

Two faculty members achieved tenure (Matt McParker and Charlotte Roberts), one achieved the rank of Full Professor (Lema Kabashi), and one successfully passed post-tenure review (Jim Carlson). Ann Epstein retired after 15 years at UWL. Several EDS faculty members received Eagle Teaching Excellence nominations; Heather Linville was one of the award recipients. Curricular innovations include approval of the new Early Childhood Education and Special Education program and English Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program, approval of updates to literacy courses to meet ACT 20 requirements, inclusion of EDS 309: Global Perspectives in Education in the new General Education program, and offering Teacher Assistants with faculty in Foundations courses.

EDS faculty contributed scholarship with department members publishing 12 journal articles, three book chapters, and two other publications. They received seven internal and two external grants and gave over 40 conference presentations. EDS faculty engaged in significant service, with three search and screens and campus committee membership on committees such as Academic Technology, Community Engagement, General Education Assessment, Institutional Review Board, International Education, Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability, Joint Multicultural Affairs, Research and Grants, and Scholarship and Awards Committee. EDS faculty serve on statewide groups including the Office of Professional and Instructional Development (Val Krage) and Wisconsin Professors of Literacy (Yuko Iwai). EDS members with leadership positions in state and national professional associations include the American Association of University Women (Lema Kabashi, President), Wisconsin Chapter National Association for Multicultural Education (Jim Carlson, Secretary), and Wisconsin TESOL affiliate WITESOL (Heather Linville, President).

2024-2025

During Academic Year 2024-2025, members of Murphy Library (ML) and the newly renamed Tutoring & Learning Center (TLC) remained active and engaged with UWL, the Universities of Wisconsin System, and the local community.

Personnel-wise, ML had several unit shortages. The Library department again experienced two resignations last fall and an FMLA absence during most of the spring semester. A temporary librarian was hired to help offset work demands primarily in the Reference and Instruction units. One university staff member was out on FMLA as well for most of the fall and part of the spring semester. The Library department conducted two librarian searches during the spring semester resulting in the hiring of Kelly Peter as Web & Systems librarian and Jason Anfinsen as Outreach & Student Engagement librarian (both start next fall). Michael Current assimilated all collection development job duties and Sam Steingraeber is the new university staff member in Special Collections (SPC). With additional help from the Digital Collections unit, an added university staff member, SPC is fully equipped to deal with any future challenges.

ML in collaboration with CATL participates in an Open Educational Resources (OER) System supported initiative (Kendall Morgan and Sarah Bakken participate). Librarian led classroom information literacy instruction sessions experienced large increases from the previous year. Librarians met with 5,512 students (56.9% increase) in 226 classroom instruction sessions (66% increase). Reference desk coverage amounted to approximately 840 hours with 487 interactions and 36 individual research consultations - all of which are similar in quantities to last year.

Based on consultations with the Provost, Librarians, Non-Instructional Academic Staff, and Library Assistant III’s, ML is fully adopting the new supervisory structure (formerly a “pilot”). A “Library Handbook” offering overall operational guidance was created and implemented. Similar to last year, Library Assistant III’s expressed concern about the lack of competitive hourly wage rates and advocacy to university administration continued via a wage increase proposal along with a similar salary increase proposal for one Non-Instructional Academic Staff member.

Once again, larger than normal collection cost increases for electronic resources (used to be in 3% range) are also being noted, and this negatively impacts the library’s overall ability to purchase resources for campus curricular needs; specifically as the base resource budget has not experienced an increase since the 1999-2000 biennium.

Facility-wise, Phase I of the library’s basement renovation (east-side) due to a major 2021 flood event was completed and opened in mid-April. The west-side basement construction and planned relocation of the TLC has an undetermined start date, but it is hoped to begin sometime in 2026. A wall into Murphy’s Mug coffee area was removed to facilitate better access to both the leisure reading collection and dining services. The library’s many wooden chairs on the second floor need replacement (over 70 could no longer be used and were removed this past year).

Librarians shared their research via presentations at a mix of campus, state, regional, and international summits and conferences, such as: Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, International Visual Literacy Association Conference, UWL AI Summit, UWL Social Justice Week, UWL Research & Creativity Symposium, and various community local history groups. Scholarly publications from were written in the following journals: Education Libraries (Holford), International Journal of Research in Teacher Education (Iwai & Holford), Journal of Visual Literacy (Olson), Journal of Critical Library & Information Studies (Olson), Printing History (Olson), and Zine Cultural & Information Literacy (Olson). Service remains another area of strength among the department and staff, having a thorough mixture of committee memberships at levels including department, college, university, system, state, and nationally. Two librarians (Mindel and Olson) received Faculty Research Grants. Another $30,000 in grants was awarded for initiatives that support student success, professional development, and specialized technological equipment. University Staff member Terry Stika, served on the University Staff Council and the University Staff Executive Committee. And we are very proud to know that Dirck Nagy was nominated for and won the 2024 Board of Regents University Staff Excellence Award.

Murphy Learning Center changed its name to Tutoring & Learning Center (TLC). Eugenia Turov, TLC’s new director, spent much of the year learning about center’s personnel, workflows, and budget processes. Sara Heaser became the Writing Center’s new director during the spring semester. Additional monies from Student Affairs and CSH continue to fund supplemental instruction in BIO105, BIO203, CHM103, CHM104, PHY103, and STAT145. Provost funding helped provide purchase and install new directional signage with the purpose of increasing tutoring service utilization.

2024-2025

The Library Department was again highly engaged in another active year of librarianship, scholarship, and service despite much change.

Teri Holford is the new department chairperson. The Department welcomed two new members (Kendall Morgan, Information Literacy Course Integration, and Sarah Bakken, Information Literacy Instruction), followed by the resignations of two other department members (Web & UserX Librarian and the Collection Development Librarian), representing challenges to cover extra duties and opportunities to revisit the department needs, and resulting in the creation of two new positions: Web & Systems Librarian and the Student Engagement & Outreach position. Two parallel searches started in January with successful hires in place for August 2025.

Librarians met with 5,512 students (3,523 in 2023/24) in 226 classroom instruction sessions (136 in 2023/24); covered 840 hours at the research help desk (same in 2023/24), provided 36 individual research consultations (37 in 2023/24); and conducted 487 recorded reference interactions (486 in 2023/24). At the same time, collection development work by librarians in partnership with other faculty resulted in the selection and outright purchase of 912 items (print books, electronic books, and streaming videos) (1,179 in 2023/24).

Librarians shared their research in presentations: (Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, International Visual Literacy Association Conference, UWL AI Summit, UWL Social Justice Week, UWL Research & Creativity Symposium, local history groups, and publications submitted (Education Libraries (Holford), International Journal of Research in Teacher Education (Iwai & Holford), Journal of Visual Literacy (Olson), Journal of Critical Library & Information Studies (Olson), Printing History (Olson), Zine Cultural & Information Literacy (Olson).

Two librarians (Mindel and Olson) received Faculty Research Grants. Over $30,000 in internal grants were awarded for initiatives that support student success, professional development, and technology needs.

Service remained strong at levels including the department, college, university, system, state, and beyond.

2024-2025

The Biology MS program graduated 6 students in 2024-25. In addition, the students of the MS program contributed to many of the publications and presentations listed for the department above. Moreover, 11 MS students received Dean's Distinguished Graduate Fellowships for summer 2025.

Cybersecurity: Dr. Jennifer Butler Modaff continues to serve as the Academic Director of the online Master's program in Cybersecurity. The program graduated their first cohort in the spring. A recent Campus Connection article highlighted the program's success and included a profile on one of the first grads, a former La Crosse police officer. The program is unique in that it not only focuses on the technical side of Cybersecurity, but also the human side. The two courses offered through UWL have been offered semi-regularly and taught by three CST professors.

2024-2025

The Health Professions (HP) Department has four graduate programs: Medical Dosimetry (Med Dos), Occupational Therapy (OT), Physician Assistant (PA), and Physical Therapy (PT). These graduate programs are fully accredited, continue to attract a strong, competitive applicant pool, have high pass rates (above the national average) on terminal/board certification exams, and have excellent employment prospects for graduates. UW system funding added 2 faculty members in PT, fostering growth in student enrollment, teaching and research expertise. HP challenges remain in HSC clinical teaching/research space and the recruitment/retention of faculty in high demand. Exceptional faculty/student research have resulted in 9 journal publications, 16 published abstracts, 2 book chapters and over 30 presentations at national/state/regional professional meetings. La Crosse Institute of Movement Science (LIMS) researchers (PT/OT) maintain active research partnerships with the Gundersen Health System Sports PT residency program and the Mayo Clinic Health System. Many programs have faculty-mentored research engaging graduate students in contemporary research of high impact. PT/OT faculty and Mayo clinical staff received CSH/Mayo Seed Grants and funding from the Gundersen Medical Foundation to support interinstitutional research. Service-learning opportunities engage HP students in many unique faculty-mentored programs within the greater La Crosse community. Clinical internships, either regionally or nationally, continue to offer exceptional professional learning opportunities so students are ready to practice in their chosen profession.

2024-2025

In Fall 2024, the department proudly joined the Information Technology Management Graduate Collaborative Program, marking an exciting new chapter in graduate education. This initiative allows the department to extend its expertise into advanced studies and shape the next generation of tech-savvy business leaders.

2024-2025

During the 2024-25 academic year, the Institute for Professional Studies in Education (IPSE) enrolled 200 graduate students, with 113 completing their programs and 87 continuing into the following year. MSED Learning Community programs had the greatest number of students (132 students), followed by Reading programs (43 students) and Educational Leadership programs (25 students).

The MSED programs in Reading and Educational Leadership achieved a ranking of 168 out of 313 in U.S. News & World Report's Best Online Master's in Education Programs, earning a score of 70/100.

IPSE aligned with DPI Act 20 requirements by updating RDG 704: Emergent Literacy course content and revising competency demonstration methods for Reading Specialist candidates, receiving full DPI approval. MSED action research requirements were strengthened through a dedicated Canvas support course, with Dr. Armstrong collaborating regularly with the IRB Committee on research protocols.

A new Canvas Instructor Information Hub was created to improve instructor onboarding and communication. Teacher professional development courses transitioned from Graduate and Extended Learning to IPSE, with the first district partnership course launching in Fennimore, WI. Course titles and descriptions were revised to enhance district acceptance for credit and salary advancement.

All reading instructors completed UW System-approved training in K-5 literacy, including the science of reading and Structured Literacy. G. Holt renewed his NOLS Wilderness First Responder certification. Dr. Armstrong participated in numerous professional development opportunities and represented IPSE at monthly CESA 4, DPI, and Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA) meetings. C. George completed marketing strategy training webinars and attended Wisconsin educator conferences for recruitment purposes.
Instructors engaged in meaningful service to their communities, including T. Sprain co-chairing the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers conference and serving on the Nature Place Board of Directors, Dr. Armstrong serving as a peer-reviewer for two literacy journals and on WSRA committees, and C. George contributing to the GET School Board.

Dr. Armstrong presented on AI in literacy development at the 2025 OPID Conference. Instructors and graduate students participated in multiple conferences throughout the year, including the WSRA Annual Conference, Wisconsin Public Education Network Summer Summit, and the Camp Courageous Heartland Regional Conference of Experiential Education.

2024-2025

During the 2024-2025 academic year, members of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics supported the Data Science and Applied Statistics graduate programs. The enrollments in both the graduate programs have been steady. The overall strength of these graduate programs is their alignment of academic priorities to those of industry. This academic year, the Statistics faculty offered 44 credits of STAT 796: Graduate Project, in which graduated students completed a project portfolio across many applications that are highly valued in industry. For the Data Science master's program, 12 students completed their capstone project (DS 785), which connects course content to real-world applications. Note that credits generated by STAT 796 or DS 785 are not typically counted in the faculty loads, as such these are often considered as independent study courses. Additionally, the Applied Statistics master's program updated its curriculum including the addition of a new course, STAT 448/548 Environmental Statistics.

2024-2025

The Microbiology Graduate program offered two (two accepted) Clinical Microbiology and four (two accepted) Microbiology Master’s students admission for the fall 2025 semester out of 30 total applications. Of those accepted, four received Graduate Assistantships. Six incoming and current students were awarded out of state tuition waivers. One student applied for a CHS Summer Graduate Fellowship that was awarded. Three graduate students were awarded summer 2025 support by the Microbiology Department. Three out of five out of five first year master’s students passed their written comprehensive exams on their initial attempt. One of two passed after a second attempt resulting in one approved appeal for continuation in the program. Three students graduated in December 2024 and five are expected to graduate in May/summer 2025.

Couse catalog schedule changes were made to move offering semester for MIC 753 (Epidemiology of Infectious Disease) to fall odd years and MIC 755 (Advanced Immunology) to spring even years to address scheduling issues for Clinical Microbiology MS students entering the program that lack the Immunology pre-requisite. These changes were approved by GCC. The graduate program website was updated to improve accessibility, update information, and organization. A second microbiology/biology student is piloting an accelerated Microbiology degree and will be taking graduate courses in their senior year (Fall 2025 – Spring 2026) with the goal of obtaining their MS by May/summer 2027 (i.e. 1-1.5 year MS degree). Five Clinical MS students completed their MIC 770, MIC 780, and MIC 790 rotations.

The program had one student participate in the “Say it in 6” competition. The master’s program recruited at the 84rd Annual ASM-NCB meeting in Mankato, MN. Three on-campus tours were given to prospective master’s students.

2024-2025

The 2024-2025 Academic Year (June through May) saw our 1st Master of Public Health cohort (in our redesigned, relaunched, online program) of 11 students complete their 2 summer courses (PH 701: Public Health Issues & PH 711: Qualitative Methods), their 2 fall courses for year one (PH 755: Epidemiology and Public Health Issues & PH 725: Communication Methods for Public Health) and their spring 2025 classes (PH 780: Public Health Applied Practice Experience [APE; 2 out of a total of 4 credits split between spring and summer], PH 770: Program Planning, and PH 775: Grant Development for Public Health). PHCHE department faculty taught both summer courses, one of the 2 fall classes, and 2 of the 3 spring courses as overloads. Spring 2025 also saw the MPH program start its 2nd cohort of 9 students who enrolled in PH 700: Public Health Foundations and PH 710: Quantitative Methods with both classes taught by department faculty. One student failed the first class and was dismissed from the program at the end of spring semester.

Students enroll in the spring for the MPH program, and recruitment efforts were extensive over the past year, and will continue for our upcoming third cohort, who will begin in Spring 2026. As the MPH is a shared revenue program with GEL, we worked closely with the graduate school to identify opportunities for student recruitment. In addition to sharing information with several professional groups and organizations, we also held 2 virtual informational sessions in the summer of 2024. The MPH program director, and graduate teaching faculty, attended the 2024 SOPHE Advocacy Summit in DC the fall, the SOPHE Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA, in April, as well as the WPHA Annual Conference in Milwaukee late May to act as exhibitors at professional gatherings.

We are undergoing the process of CEPH (Council on Education for Public Health) accreditation as a program and have been focused on alignment with those standards, as we shift from our current stand-alone baccalaureate status. One major change in this shift is that much of our reporting responsibilities shift from the undergraduate program to graduate. The department has an accreditation coordinator who, in collaboration with the department chair and MPH program director, initiated work late spring/early summer to begin to address data that need to start/continue to be collected AY 2025-2026.

2024-2025

The Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy Graduate programs provided strong graduate assistant experiences for our GAs through research opportunities with community programs, management of events, and development & implementation of strategic outreach programs. Both the Recreation Management Program and Recreational Therapy Program increased enrollment in their respective Dual Degree programs.

The Recreation Management Professional Development program graduated our 5th cohort and inaugurated a need-based scholarship program funding 5 students. The funding was a result of the continued financial success of this well-organized and delivered online program. Recreation Management also enrolled our first Minor-to-Masters student who just graduated from her undergrad and will begin her Masters degree in Fall.

Over 20 Recreation Management and Recreational Therapy students presented their research and evidence-based programs at the UWL Research & Creativity Symposium.

All Recreational Therapy (RT) students presented their research and evidence-based curricula at the Great Lakes Recreational Therapy Student Conference (attended by 150+students & professionals). Our students were fully funded by grants from GEL, CSH, & RMRT. These students also assisted in planning the Wisconsin Therapeutic Recreation Association conference on campus with many presenting their programs directly to the professionals as well. RT students collaborated with UWL’s Physical Therapy students to provide community programs for adults with neurocognitive diagnoses.

2024-2025

In 2024-25, the School Psychology face-to-face program had 35 total students. Eleven first-year students successfully completed their first semester of practicum in Spring 2025 and recently submitted research proposals to present their capstone research projects at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) annual convention in Spring 2026. Twelve second-year students completed their on-campus coursework in spring 2025 and will be starting their full-time internship positions in Fall 2025. All second-year students passed the PRAXIS II exam and presented capstone posters at the 2025 NASP Annual Convention in Seattle, WA and the 2025 UWL Research & Creativity Symposium. Twelve interns completed their internships in May 2025 and received their Educational Specialist degrees. Our admissions committee offered admission to 21 students, and we will have an incoming cohort of 14 students in Fall 2024 (slightly larger than our ideal size of 12 students).

The program achieved a major milestone in the 2024-25 academic year to become fully accredited after 5 years of “conditional” accreditation status.

In 2024-25, the School Psychology online program had 12 third year, 10 second year and 10 first year students. The size of the incoming cohort (to start on July 1, 2025) is 12 students.

While the program has a healthy cadre of adjunct faculty to teach repeat and new courses, to become a National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) accredited program, the program cannot be comprised of only adjunct faculty or tenure track faculty on overload. The program applied for candidacy with NASP and the application was rejected. While the program does have funding for a full-time teaching position, they have not been able to successfully hire an applicant.

2023-2024

The UWL MSE program provides students with excellent experience and skill in the software industry. The program heavily relies on both active learning through experiential project-based work along with academic work in cutting-edge topics in the field. As with our undergraduate program, our graduates command some of the highest average starting salaries across the campus and enjoy rewarding careers within the largest and most successful companies in the country.