Academic Unit Annual Summaries

2025-2026

In FY26, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CASSH) continued emphasizing global citizenship and career-readiness as key elements in our academic programs, particularly during college recruitment activities. During the past year we received approval of new undergraduate certificates in Science, Technology, and Society along with Intercultural Competence for Career Readiness, and the UW System Administration supported our Notice of Intent to plan a new interdisciplinary major in Digital Media Studies, a joint effort by graphic design (ART), media studies (CST), and technical writing (ENG). The Board of Regents further granted final approval for a new major in Criminology. The International and Global Studies minor along with the Psychology program successfully completed the academic program review process.

CASSH funded an internal small grants program providing $72,500 for 13 projects designed to ease bottlenecks impeding student progress toward graduation and/or explore innovative new academic programs responding to student demand and market trends. The Dean’s Office further allocated $206,000 for one-time equipment purchases across the college, and CASSH received an additional $319,000 from a unique central administration initiative funding one-time big-ticket items for Archaeology, Art, Music, Psychology, and Theatre. CASSH also provided $15,000 supplementing faculty travel to international conferences.

We hosted the 24th Annual Recognition of Excellence acknowledging college award recipients. Lorena Ochoa Campo (GCL) and Melina Packer (RGSS) received research awards, Josh Doster (ART) won the service award, and Antonio Martin Gomez (GCL) was recognized with a teaching award. Additional award recipients were Scott Makstenieks (CST) with the academic staff service award, Katie Olan (ART) for the university staff award, and Ellen Rosek (PSY) the inclusive excellence award. Andrea Hanson, Director of the Self-Sufficiency Program, received the community engagement award and Katherine Spence (SOC/CRIM) was selected for the John E. Magerus Award as the outstanding graduating senior. Retiring Provost, long-term Psychology Chair, and faculty member Betsy Morgan was presented with the Friend of CASSH Award for her dedication, service, and leadership over the past three decades.  All awardees, including outstanding students selected by their departments, can be viewed at https://www.uwlax.edu/cassh/recognition-of-excellence/ 

CASSH faculty/IAS were presented with significant university-level honors this year. Jarred Pfeiffer (ART) and Kevin Zabel (PSY) received the Eagle Excellence in Teaching Award, Victoria Calmes (GCL) the Eagle Excellence in Academic Advising Award along with the Altman Award in Leadership from International Education and Engagement (IEE), Zach Stensen (ART) the Most Accessibly Instructor Award from DREAM, and Olivia Stoltman (ENG) the ESSLY Faculty of the Year Award from UWL Athletics. 

In FY26, CASSH welcomed Lee Xiong (ADA in ENG), seven tenure-track faculty, and three assistant teaching professors. Nine faculty earned promotion to associate professor and three to professor, one IAS member advanced to associate teaching professor, and nine faculty were tenured. Kate Lavelle (CST), Jonathan Borja (MUS), and Devin Bright (Military Science) began as department chairs, while Sam Cocks (PHL), Tori Svoboda (SAA), Tim Gongaware (SOC/CRIM), and Kate Parker (ENG) concluded terms as chairs at the end of the academic year. Four faculty (Alan Bigel, David Hart, Ronda Leahy, and James Szymalak) and one staff member (Andrea Hanson) retired after productive careers and many important contributions to UWL.

Faculty/IAS continued strong scholarly and creative productivity. As of June 1, 2026, our faculty/IAS published, or had accepted for publication, five books, 40 articles, and 27 book chapters, along with providing 117 presentations, 93 performances or exhibits, and being awarded ten external grants totaling $187,107. Seven individuals received awards from external organizations for their work.

Karl Kunkel, CASSH Dean since July 2019, returns to faculty on June 30, 2026, after serving seven years at UWL including Spring 2024 as Interim Provost. Following a national search, Associate Dean Marie Moeller begins as CASSH Dean on July 1.

2025-2026

Our faculty were productive this year with 3 journal articles, 4 scholarly book chapters, 3 research reports,3 digital exhibits, 9 academic conference presentations (mostly international), and 9 service presentations. Faculty were also awarded funding totaling nearly $100,000. Faculty remain actively engaged in scholarship in the Midwest, Egypt, Serbia, Ukraine, Southeast Asia, and the Andes.

Two faculty members were recognized for outstanding teaching and scholarship, respectively. Dr. Anderson received the Most Accessible Award by DREAM (Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring) on campus. Dr. Walder was awarded the Outstanding Public Archaeology Initiative Award by the Society for American Archaeology for contributions in the book A Practitioners Guide to Public Archaeology.

Three of our students received Undergraduate Research Grants and 12 presented their research at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted at UWL. Moreover, 5 of our students were selected as Undergraduate Research & Creativity Laureates for significant achievements in research.

Our program enrollments grew to their highest levels since before COVID with 108 majors and 55 minors (91 Archaeology Majors, 17 Cultural Anthropology Majors, 45 Anthropology Minors, and 10 Archaeology Minors). Our overall contribution to the GE program was strong with 30 sections of 8 different courses serving over 900 students.

Our faculty members serve on key UWL committees including Joint Planning and Budget, IRB, General Education Assessment, International Education, and Undergraduate Research. Notable professional leadership roles among our faculty include American Research Center in Egypt Board Member, Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica Board Member, Midwest Archaeology Conference Board Member, Red Cliff Tribal Historic Preservation Office Consultant, La Crosse County Historical Society Board Member, Hmong Education Project Consultant, Society for American Archaeology Teacher Awards Committee Member, and Field Museum Elemental Analysis Facility Scientific Committee Member. Faculty are also reviewers for important professional organizations and funding agencies including the National Science Foundation.

2025-2026

It was a productive year for the Art Department. We improved digital accessibility, transitioned to Workday, and planned for the new Gen Ed curriculum. We focused on recruitment efforts, revised bylaws, updated programmatic curriculum (especially the photo minor), and refined program assessment. We earned 10 grants in support of teaching and curriculum development and collaborated with CST and ENG to propose a major in Digital Media & Design. We secured approval for a new tenure-track faculty line in Art Education and successfully hired Katheryn Sowinski. With support from the CASSH Dean’s Office, we replaced equipment, updated and expanded the Design Studio, and planned upgrades to the Art Education Studio and the woodfire kiln. Amid all this, we maintained our commitment to teaching excellence and student success.

Collectively, we produced 22 exhibitions, 3 publications, and 8 presentations. We engaged in professional development, and held leadership and service roles across the department, college, university, and the greater community.

Stensen earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. Manke and Doster completed successful third-year non-contract reviews. We welcomed lecturers Tony Letourneau, Natalia Rocafuerte, Paige Brevick, Evan McAllister, and Jason Starin.

The UWL Art Gallery held five exhibitions, co-directed by Stensen, Rooney, and Schneider. We hosted public events and visiting artists including Travis Head, Wilay Méndez Páez (in collaboration with GCL), Lettie Jane Renninkamp, and “Fifty Years Later: Commemorating the End of the Secret War” an exhibition curated by student Yia Vue. We also held our annual Open House, the Visual Arts Classic (high school art competition), and a student exhibition at the Rivoli Arts Building Gallery. We elected Rooney, Stensen, and Manke as Gallery Co-Directors for a three-year term beginning fall 2026.

Rooney and Pfeiffer were awarded sabbaticals (2026-27). Rooney received a UW Fellowship at the Institute for Research in the Humanities (Spring 2026). Olan was awarded the CASSH Staff Recognition of Excellence, and Doster the Faculty Recognition of Excellence for Service. Pfeiffer earned an Eagle Teaching Excellence Award, and Lenarz is a finalist for WAEA Art Educator of the Year. Stensen was awarded the UWL Most Accessible Instructor Award, and the Art Department was recognized as the Most Accessible Department.

2025-2026

2025-2026

In 2025-2026 the English department continued to uphold its 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.

Dr. Merideth Garcia was promoted to Professor. We hired a new Assistant Professor, Dr. Shannon McClellan Brooks. We also welcomed Lee Xiong, our wonderful new ADA, to the department in August.

In 2025-2026, our department finalized several major curriculum overhauls that had been in progress for years. Our recruitment efforts remain strong, largely thanks to the work of our interns. One of our events, Rest Fest, drew a crowd of 350+ students.

Our Associate Chair and several faculty collaborated with Art and Communication Studies to develop a Digital Media Studies and Design major.

Our Creative Writing Program co-organized the Flow State Literary Series in collaboration with the Pump House and Pearl Street Books. Volume 29 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 Jail Literacy Program, now in its eleventh year, hosted the second annual Bernatovich Jail Literacy Speaker Series.

The first annual English Excellence Awards recognized students in first-year writing, general education literature, and English degree programs.

2025-2026

During the 2025–2026 academic year, the Department of Global Cultures and Languages (GCL) continued to prioritize student recruitment and retention in language and intercultural competence programs while expanding experiential learning opportunities through community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations across campus. Faculty worked closely with the Offices of Admissions, Academic Advising, International Education and Engagement, and Extended Learning to strengthen student pathways into language study. GCL maintained its support for outreach initiatives such as Latinx Parent College and campus visits for area high schools and significantly expanded its Concurrent Enrollment programming by establishing four new Spanish and Chinese partnerships with school districts in the La Crosse and Milwaukee regions. GCL also continued to strengthen its leadership in career readiness through its growing Language for Professional Purposes certificate programs in Spanish and Chinese, which remain among the department's fastest-growing academic offerings.

The department celebrated another exceptional year of faculty accomplishments. Dr. Martín-Gómez and Dr. Ochoa Campo earned tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. Two additional faculty members are expected to seek promotion to Full Professor during the 2026–2027 academic year. Dr. Martín-Gómez received the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities Teaching Excellence Award, while Dr. Ochoa Campo received the College's Research Excellence Award. Dr. Hongying Xu and Victoria Calmes were recognized by the Office of International Education and Engagement for their outstanding contributions to internationalization at UWL. GCL continues to be a campus leader in international education through its successful faculty-led study abroad programs in Spain, China, and Ecuador (Medical Spanish), as well as a new interdisciplinary program in Panama and Colombia designed for students in business-related fields.

GCL also strengthened its partnership with the UW System Collaborative Language Program through continued participation in this system-wide initiative. Faculty maintained an active scholarly and creative agenda, publishing books, articles, and creative works; presenting more than fifteen papers and workshops at local, national, and international conferences; and securing numerous internal and external grants supporting teaching, research, and public engagement. The department hosted several major cultural and educational events, including UWL Chinese Day, Russian Culture Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Spanish Film Festival, while also welcoming visiting international artists and scholars to campus. GCL is also home to the Institute for Latin American and Latino Studies (ILLAS), which continues to serve as a hub for academic programming, cultural events, community partnerships, and public outreach across the region.

Within the language sections, Spanish continued to experience strong growth in enrollment in the Spanish for Professional Purposes Certificate. Spanish faculty successfully completed an extensive year-long curriculum revision supported by a Curriculum Redesign Grant from the Provost's Office. Working closely with the Offices of Admissions and Records, faculty revised placement policies, retroactive credit, concurrent enrollment pathways, and transfer procedures to create more flexible entry points into the program while reducing students' time to degree. The French program also began a comprehensive curriculum revision. The department devoted significant attention to strategic planning around recruitment and retention in light of the implementation of the new General Education Program. Early indicators suggest improvements in student interest, with Russian enrollments remaining stable and Chinese enrollments continuing to grow significantly.

The department also made substantial progress with the recent approval of an interdisciplinary Certificate in Intercultural Competence designed for students outside language majors and minors. Faculty completed curriculum development, workshops, and proposal preparation during the year. The program represents an important step toward establishing intercultural competence as a central component of the educational experience for students across the university.

Department faculty remained actively engaged in university governance and professional service. Faculty served on numerous advising committees, strategic planning initiatives, Faculty Senate, General Education, CATL fellowships, and other university task forces while continuing to provide leadership within professional organizations and community partnerships. Through its commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, community engagement, and internationalization, GCL continues to play a vital role in advancing UWL's mission and preparing students for success in an increasingly interconnected world.

2025-2026

2025-2026

The Department of Music’s 2025-206 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 15 senior capstone recitals this year (voice, cello, piano, saxophone, guitar, horn, and trombone). Live performances included more than 55 UWL student performances and around 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 98 research and creative activity-related events that include paper presentations, guest lectures, adjudication, performances, master classes, compositions or arrangements. Throughout the year, faculty engaged with departments across the campus to create an integrated university experience. Faculty were awarded over $50,000 in internal and external grants to promote scholarly work. Guest artists this year included baritone Dashon Burton, pianist Lindsay Garritson, Zeitgeist new music ensemble, fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz, among others. Faculty and students were engaged with recruiting events including outreach concerts and clinics, High School Band Day, PianoFest, Honors Wind Ensemble, Honors Orchestra, the Festival of Voices, featuring the Concert Choir, La Crosse Chamber Chorale, Viterbo Concert Choir and selected area high school students. WSMA State Solo & Ensemble, and hosting a booth at the WMEA State Conference.

2025-2026

The Department of Philosophy remains a vital part of the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, as evidenced by a number of accomplishments. As of June 23, 2026, IR data report 19 declared majors (4 graduated in AY26), up 6 from the same time last year; 15 minors; and 7 students enrolled in the AI Ethics Certificate. Faculty published one book chapter, presented research at five academic conferences spanning regional, national, and international levels, and at three community, one regional, and one college event, and delivered a total of six service presentations—four at the college level and two at the regional level. Drs. Ross and Cocks reviewed conference abstracts and journal submissions. Dr. Eskew received a faculty research grant for AY27 on Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Medical Ethics. Course enrollments remain strong, with Philosophy playing a vital role across multiple campus programs. Faculty hold major service roles, including UPAC, GEC, FS SEC, PTS, and APC. Faculty also played a leadership role in the implementation of the university's revised General Education program. Faculty participated in three CATL workshops, a workshop on suicide prevention hosted by the Counseling Center, and the 2026 Discussion Project. We provide a Philosophy and Film student club and a Philosophy Club. Two of Dr. Eskew’s courses, Medical Ethics (PHL 339) and Ethics and AI (PHL 304), are now designated for Community Engagement Learning. Faculty continued to pursue new curricular partnerships and teaching opportunities, including the cross-listing of American Political Theory (PHL/POL 350). Drs. Cocks and Ross secured support from the Birchler fund for two prominent speakers for AY27: Anne Libera (Comedy Studies specialist) and Peter Godfrey-Smith (Philosophy of Biology). In addition, both Ross and Cocks met expectations regarding Post Tenure Review. Associate Professor Dr. Schneider received unanimous departmental, college, and university support for tenure. Dr. Ross will assume the position of department chair as of July 1st, AY26. Joshua Schulze-Reimpell received the PHL student excellence award. The department continues to provide administrative and curricular support for Environmental Studies and Sustainability.

2025-2026

The 2025–2026 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. A notable effort this year involved a major realignment of the program learning outcomes and assessment plans for all major and minor tracks served by the department, highlighting the specific ways in which our programs help students achieve "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. Once again, a number of students presented their research at the prestigious Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) annual conference and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), underscoring the department's strong commitment to undergraduate scholarship. Additionally, the department is thrilled to continue it its support for exciting faculty-led study abroad programs, including Budapest in Summer 2026 and a return to Barcelona in Summer 2027.

2025-2026

During the 25-26 academic year, the UWL Psychology department demonstrated strong productivity across teaching, scholarship, and all levels of service.

Teaching: Psychology serves nearly 1000 UWL students as majors and minors, as well as numerous courses that serve the university as general education offerings. Ranked faculty not receiving release for administrative work provide 12 credits of course offering during each the fall and spring semesters. In the 25-26 year, 10 of 23 full-time faculty received 14 nominations for teaching excellence awards, and mentored over 40 undergraduate research projects with 21 students presenting at professional conferences (MPA, APA), and dozens presenting at UWL’s Research & Creativity Symposium. Additionally, each faculty member provides academic advising for ~25 students each semester.

Scholarship: Psychology faculty are active scholars and undergraduate research mentors, with nearly all full-time faculty engaging in consistent ongoing research. In 25-26, faculty published 33 papers and nine books or chapters in peer-reviewed outlets, with an additional 16 papers or chapters currently under review. Faculty provided 45 presentations at professional conferences and contributed invited editorial or review feedback for 53 peer-reviewed outlets. Further, faculty actively seek grant support for scholarship, with awards exceeding $40,000 during the 25-26 year.

Service: Psychology faculty service contributions were substantial and diverse across the department, college, and university levels, including important roles on IRB, administrative S&S committees, faculty senate, and Senate Executive Committee. Faculty engage in regular university recruitment activities and attend or lead faculty development activities numbering in the hundreds each year, including many certifications for Master Advising and CIMER training. Service contributions to the community and professional field are also significant, with dozens of presentations for both professional organizations and local organizations, including Chileda and The Parenting Place.

2025-2026

AY 2025/2026 was an impressive year for RGSS, full of departmental and individual accomplishments. Drs. Iwai, Lilley, and Packer each received nominations for the Provost Eagle Teaching Award. Dr. Packer was the recipient of the 2026 CASSH Recognition of Excellence Award for Faculty Research and Creative Activity, releasing Feminism in the Wild with Ambika Kamath (her second book of 2025!). Andrea Hansen, retiring this year, was recipient of the 2026 CASSH Recognition of Excellence Award for Community Engagement. Dr. Sona Kazemi published her first book, Disabling Relations: Wounded Bodyminds and Transnational Praxis and was also honored as one of ALANA’s Phenomenal Women. Dr. Richard Breaux attended several conferences and authored the chapter "Cityscapes, Soundscapes, and Centering Arab American Biographies in Public History," in "Arab American Public History,” (Temple University Press). Dr. Iwai is bringing the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA) to UWL in the fall of 2026, introduced a new course on anime, and was also a  speaker for a film series sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at UW-Madison in partnership with the Rivoli Theatre in La Crosse.

RGSS continued to provide invaluable service to the university via an incredibly high general education load. In AY 2025/2026, 1,566 students took our RGS 100 course. 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, led by Dr. Richard Breaux and Kristi Bechtel.

Finally, the department completed a revision of our bylaws and instituted new program level student learning outcomes. The department also began the work of reviewing and re-tooling the major and minor, a task which will continue in the next AY.

2025-2026

The most notable department achievement this year was the UW Board of Regents approval on September 18, 2025, for us to implement our proposal for offering a Criminology Major. In December faculty voted unanimously to rename our program the Department of Sociology & Criminology. We finished implementing the new major and officially accepted new Criminology Majors in January 2026. Additionally, we welcomed two new faculty members, Dr. Tyler Flockhart and Dr. Alyssa LaBerge. Dr. Flockhart’s work will help us further building and solidify our program’s focus in the sociology of health, care, and illness while Dr. LaBerge’s work adds a criminology focus on youth and juvenile justice.

Faculty activities focused on retaining our 209 Sociology Majors/Minors, 146 Criminal Justice Minors, supervising 9 undergraduate research projects, recruiting new majors, and welcoming 63 Criminology Majors who declared during the spring. Simultaneously, the faculty focused on scholarship activities including four peer-reviewed research publications, two trade magazine publications, eight research presentations, two teaching grants, and three research grants. Faculty also stayed active in serving 14 UWL committees, 6 professional committees, holding twelve community organization positions, and giving seven formal service presentations. Two faculty serve as UWL Faculty Senators, and Dr. Bakken continues as Director of UWL Student Research & Experiential Learning and Chair of the Wisconsin Council on Undergraduate Research.

There was much to celebrate this year as UWL alum Elizabeth Evans (Sociology, '05), was presented the 2026 Betsy Morgan Improving the Lives of Others award for her work as community impact director for the Great Rivers United Way. This spring student Katie Spence was presented with the 2026 John E. Magerus Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. Dr. Timothy Gongaware was awarded a sabbatical for Fall 2026. Finally, Dr. Shanna Felix was granted tenure and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor.

2025-2026

2025-2026

Sustainability & Environmental Studies represented CASSH well in the 2025-2026 year. As of April, 52 students were enrolled in this minor. A CIM form was submitted to propose a new certificate in Sustainability Leadership. We are implementing a growth plan for the minor that was submitted in fall 2025. The program hosted 100 students from Longfellow Middle School and seven well-attended events open to the public, including a film screening hosted by ENV 312 students and an evening speaker from UW- Madison. The two full-time IAS faculty collaborated in a college grant and two UWL grants; Remsburg received the Prairie Springs leadership award. They presented scholarly work conducted with students at two conferences, Social Justice Week, Earth Week, and two community events. Service on campus included River Studies Center leadership team, Strategic Plan workgroup 4.3, SfS club faculty advisor, Indigenous Actions Collective co-chair, JCES membership, and Prairie Springs Award committee. Service in the community included City Hall Victory Garden, school district Sustainability committee, Solar on La Crosse Schools (director), Wisconsin Bicycle Federation board, Indigenous Film Series, and Indigenous People’s Day.Courses in this minor excel in community engagement and experiential learning. 17 students completed service-learning projects and internships with 16 community partners, including 6 new partnerships. We update a document on the ENV news webpage each week to highlight local environmental events (85 different events in fall, 50 in spring). Guest speakers visited 50 ENV class periods this year, and 26 trips took place by bus during class. Instructors led dozens of walking field trips and in-class activities such as food preparation and testing appliance watts.Three part-time IAS teach in the program each semester; two new instructors were on-boarded but unable to continue teaching at UWL. Sarah Dollak received the 2026 CASSH student excellence award for Sus/Env Studies.

2025-2026

Theatre and Dance produced a six-production season, attended by over 7000 patrons. The department provided students with quality high impact practices through 57 roles onstage, 64 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 Department provided multiple opportunities for students to interact with and learn from professional artists. This included Guest Artist workshops or residencies with Jennifer McClure-Associate Dean of Design and Production & Properties Director for Yale Repertory Theatre, Jay Duckworth-Head of Props at Pace University and designer of multiple Broadway shows including Hamilton, and Charissa Bertels-Broadway performer/writer/producer. We also showcased local guests during special pop-up dance classes in Pilates (Amanda Schams) and Hip Hop (Michelle Malone).

As part of an expanded recruitment effort, we welcomed 16 current students to majors or minors in Theatre and Dance, and are currently on track to welcome 35 incoming majors and minors in August.

Greg Parmeter directed an acclaimed production of Come From Away at the La Crosse Community Theatre in January. Mary Trotter served as a guest intimacy director for several productions. Ashley Dobrogosz created a new dance work for the I&E Annual Showcase, and was elected to the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Dance Council. The Department of Theatre and Dance successfully hired an IAS Scene Shop Supervisor/Assistant Technical Director who will begin in August 2026.

Theatre and Dance brought students to regional conferences for both the American College Theatre Festival and the American College Dance Association, and we held an Accessibility Workshop for all faculty and students with Andrew Ives of the Disability Resource Center.

Financial support from the CASSH Deans’ Office allowed for the completion of the effort to convert all of our theatrical lighting fixtures to LED, first begun in 2021. We have expanded our scenic technology and training with a CNC machine, and we are able to provide our sound students with increased access to industry-standard technology with a new mixing console, an electronic drum kit, and in-ear monitors for the orchestra.

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.

2024-2025

Department did not provide update.

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.

2024-2025

During the 2024-2025 academic year, members of the Communication Studies Department supported the Cybersecurity graduate program. Communication faculty attended the fall conference in Madison hosted by the Office of Online and Professional Learning Resources and taught courses both Fall and Spring semesters. In Fall 2025,13 students were enrolled in the program, up from 10 in Fall of 2024.

In the Spring, Academic Directors from the 8 partner campuses developed curriculum and program updates as part of the normal 5-year assessment plan.

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.