Three current and former staff members at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are being honored with the 2021 Excellence in International Advising Award. Tammy Salmon-Stephens, Barbara Kluesner and Lisa Lloyd were selected for the award, which is presented annually to faculty or staff members who demonstrate their passion for and innovation in helping students incorporate an education abroad experience in their degree program or have had a significant positive impact on the international student population at the university.
Salmon-Stephens has worked at UW-Platteville since 1997 and is currently the director of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science Student Success Programs. She is actively involved in programs to support women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields and student success, and she said the opportunities to work with international students in this role has left a lasting impact.
“We in Platteville, Wisconsin, are so blessed to have the opportunity to get to know and learn from our international students,” said Salmon-Stephens. “They bring a piece of the rest of the world to us, in this small and rural community in Southwest Wisconsin. Over the last 24 years, I have been so blessed to know, learn from and be friends with several international students. I am certain that the presence of International students in our community has had a significant impact on our campus.”
Kluesner joined the International Students and Scholars Services Office as an international student advisor in February 2020. She advises international students with respect to immigration compliance and navigating cultural adjustment within the U.S., Wisconsin and in the classroom. She also advises the International Club on programming to raise cultural awareness on campus. Kluesner has been working in the field of international education since 2007 and is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Wisconsin Association for International Educators.
“I am honored to receive this award from the international students,” said Kluesner. “It is important to me that I earn their trust and respect and that they understand how important their success is to me. I remain in this field to be a strong advocate for the international student community and because I learn a great deal from each student I work with.”
Lloyd lived in France and Switzerland for more than 15 years, before moving to Platteville at the end of 2017, where she joined the International Club as a community member. In 2019 she was hired as program coordinator for the International Student and Scholar Services office, where she oversaw the CASA Program, Conversation Partners, Cross Cultural Conversations, the International Bread Tasting, International Night Dinner and more. While she is no longer at UW-Platteville, Lloyd remains a strong community ally for the international students at UW-Platteville, and says she considers it a special privilege to be part of welcoming students who come to UW-Platteville from around the world.