University News

Favour Butterfield and Marcelo Garay

Two students honored with achievement award

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Press Release, Business, STEM

Two UW-Platteville students were honored yesterday at a ceremony in Madison, with the Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Award. Seniors Favour Butterfield and Marcelo Garay received the award, which recognizes the outstanding academic and community-service efforts of students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups who are pursuing a degree in business or engineering at UW-Madison or UW-Platteville.

Ashley Ford

Helios Program helps connect, inspire students at First-Year Speaker event

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Humanities

UW-Platteville recently hosted New York Times bestselling memoirist Ashley C. Ford as the 2023 Helios Program for Integrated Liberal Arts first-year speaker. More than 500 students attended the event to listen to Ford’s personal story of overcoming challenges growing up and attending college.

DRA Grant Presentation

DRA Core Grant will support basketball tournament

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Corporate Relations

UW-Platteville is the recipient of a 2023 DRA Core Grant that will help sponsor a men’s basketball tip-off classic tournament on the UW-Platteville campus. The grant will award $25,000 per year, for the next three years.

Carrie Van Hallgren

Van Hallgren appointed to Wisconsin Humanities board

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Humanities

Carrie Van Hallgren, assistant dean of UW-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education, was recently appointed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to the board of Wisconsin Humanities.

Pictured left to right are Avery Goth as Callie and Grace Silvestri as Sara. Photo by Dr. Ann Dillon Farrelly.

Pioneer Players' season begins with Diana Son’s 'Stop Kiss'

Written By: Ann Farrelly | Published On: | Featured in: Arts & Culture

The Department of Performing and Visual Arts-Theatre and Pioneer Players will open their 2023-24 season with Diana Son’s play “Stop Kiss.” Performances are Oct. 18 at 11 a.m., Oct. 18-21 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Theatre.

Members of the UW-Platteville chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers volunteer their time whitewashing the "M."

Student-led efforts reinvigorate Platteville’s ‘M’

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

For more than eight decades, the iconic “M” on Platte Mound has not only served as a symbolic tribute to the university’s mining history, but also a cherished outdoor space, offering hiking trails and some of the best views in Southwest Wisconsin. Cade Klefstad, a senior at UW-Platteville, is leading initiatives to make sure it stays this way well into the future.

volleyball team

Growing Baraboo Sauk County volleyball team ready for season

Written By: John Christensen | Published On: | Featured in: Baraboo Sauk County

Women’s Volleyball at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County started its season on the road Oct. 2, with a home opener scheduled for Monday, Oct. 9.

Chancellor Tammy Evetovich and Mark Evetovich

Chancellor’s gift creates endowed fund, provides support across campus

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation announces a generous gift from Chancellor Tammy Evetovich and her husband Mark Evetovich, which will establish an endowed fund to support general campus needs, benefiting students, faculty and staff for years to come.

Lindsey Barnes at EPA office

With EPA internship, Barnes paves her way to dream job years before graduation

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Environmental Sciences, STEM

For Lindsey Barnes, working at the Environmental Protection Agency was always a “dream job.” With a passion for the environment and a desire to make a meaningful impact, the junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa set her sights on that future goal – never imagining she would achieve it two years before graduating college.

October Forum Slide

LAE Faculty Forum Series resumes in October with ‘Vision: The Noblest of Senses?’

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Social Sciences, Education

The 2023-24 College of Liberal Arts and Education Faculty Forum Series will kick off on Thursday, Oct. 5 with the topic “Vision: The Noblest of Senses?” Dr. Douglas Adams, assistant professor in the School of Education, will be presenting, with Dr. Hilton Kelly, dean of the College of LAE, and Dr. Claudine Pied, associate professor of sociology, responding.

Engineering class

NSF-funded research looks to leverage strengths of non-traditional engineering students

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Engineering, STEM, Research

Dr. Ganapathy Natarajan, associate professor of industrial engineering, is part of a team awarded a National Science Foundation grant to research ways to leverage the lived experiences of non-traditional engineering students in order to improve learning for all students in engineering classrooms.

Ribbon cutting

UW-Platteville, Plexus Corp. celebrate partnership and naming of new Women in STEM center

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Corporate Relations, Engineering, Women in STEM, STEM

UW-Platteville celebrated a new milestone in its longtime partnership with Plexus Corp. at last week's naming celebration event and ceremonial ribbon-cutting of the Plexus Women in STEM Center.

Connor Trempe

Recent grad accelerates career through bachelor’s to master’s pathway

Written By: Stephen Kelley | Published On: | Featured in: Alumni, Online Education, Master’s Degree Programs, Business

Connor Trempe enrolled in UW-Platteville's Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Pathway, allowing him to graduate with two degrees in just five years and excel his career as a software engineer.

Midwest Choral Artists

Midwest Choral Artists to perform on campus Oct. 7, ahead of special invitation to state conference

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Alumni, Arts & Culture

On Saturday, Oct.  7, UW-Platteville will welcome the Midwest Choral Artists, an ensemble of musicians from across Central Wisconsin, with a special connection to UW-Platteville.

Homecoming 2022

UW-Platteville to celebrate Homecoming Oct. 1-7

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Alumni, Campus & Community

UW-Platteville will celebrate Homecoming the week of Oct. 1-7. With the theme “Pete’s Road Trip,” the celebration offers a week of favorite traditions for students and alumni.

Fall Campus

UW-Platteville excels in latest U.S. News rankings

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Press Release

UW-Platteville earned top rankings in the U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best College lists, released today. UW-Platteville is ranked 14th for Top Public Schools – Regional Universities Midwest and 49th for Best Undergraduate Engineering – Non-Doctorate.

45 years collage

UW-Platteville celebrates 45 years of pioneering distance education

Written By: Stephen Kelley | Published On: | Featured in: Online Education, Master’s Degree Programs, Press Release

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has hit another milestone in its storied history as a pioneer in distance education. This year marks the 45th year the university has provided high-quality distance education to students across the globe.

class photo

UW-Platteville sees increase in freshman class for second year, plus growth in overall enrollment

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Press Release

UW-Platteville announced its preliminary fall enrollment estimates, which project growth in nearly every area, including an overall enrollment increase for the first time in seven years.

Prints by Marco Sanchez and Jacob Bautista hanging in Nohr Gallery

Bautista showcases Mexican heritage in Nohr Gallery

Written By: Cameren Hill, Nohr Gallery | Published On: | Featured in: Arts & Culture

A chance encounter at a printmaking conference and a mutual following on Instagram became a unique opportunity for Jacob Bautista, art lecturer within the Department of Performing and Visual Arts.

Education abroad

‘Life-changing experience’: Reflecting on 2023 Short-Term Faculty-Led programs

Written By: Stephen Kelley and Wendy Pothour-Miller | Published On: | Featured in: Online Education, Press Release

Imagine a world where you can travel to another country, immerse yourself in its culture and earn college credits simultaneously. At UW-Platteville, this is a reality through the Short-Term Faculty-Led courses. Last academic year, more than 130 students had the opportunity to participate in these programs during the winterim and summer semesters.

Chancellor Evetovich

Chancellor Evetovich welcomes faculty, staff at annual convocation, outlines future goals

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

Chancellor Dr. Tammy Evetovich celebrated the start of the 2023-24 academic year at the annual faculty and staff convocation on Aug. 31, where she outlined five goals for the future.

students working on recycling project

STARS Silver rating reaffirms commitment to sustainability

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Press Release

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has earned a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.  

Pictured from left to right are team members Joshua Van Sluytman, James Wendt, Jonathan Hardy and Mitchell Geary (Not pictured: Ella Rursch).

Students pull ahead in quarter-scale tractor design competition

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Agriculture, STEM

A team of five students recently competed in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, taking home first place in the Maneuverability category.

Students demonstrate their designed prototype

Engineering students continue work with USGS to combat invasive species

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Engineering, STEM

University of Wisconsin-Platteville students are helping biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey combat a growing problem in the Great Lakes region – the invasive zebra and quagga mussel, which has caused significant ecological and economic damage in the region since it was first discovered there more than three decades ago.

Griffin James

New directors for Baraboo Sauk County campus and community music

Written By: John Christensen | Published On: | Featured in: Baraboo Sauk County

The campus and community music traditions at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County will continue as both the Concert Band and Choir programs welcome new leadership.  

Dr. Tim Buttles

Buttles to receive honorary FFA award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Education

Dr. Tim Buttles, director of the UW-Platteville School of Education, was selected to receive an Honorary American FFA Degree. The award is given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment.

Greater Sauk County Area Manufacturing and Engineering Listening Session

UW-Platteville, Sauk County engineering and manufacturing firms build connections

Written By: John Christensen | Published On: | Featured in: Baraboo Sauk County, STEM

Approximately 40 local engineering and manufacturing firms from in and around Sauk County convened at a listening session Tuesday at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County to offer their thoughts and share stories of their local businesses, in order to grow connections between UW-Platteville and Sauk County employer needs.

Carla Wages

Wages honored with Outstanding Woman of Color Award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

Carla Wages, multicultural student advisor in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, is being recognized with UW-Platteville’s 2023 Outstanding Woman of Color Award.

Mollie Johnson

Johnson studies mind-body connection in summer research program

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Psychology, STEM, Research

Mollie Johnson, a senior psychology major, is spending her summer conducting research that examines cognitive, affective and physiological aspects of human behavior, as a participant in the Summer Undergraduate Scholars Program.   

Seth Reilly

Reilly receives Dr. P.B. Poorman Award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

Seth Reilly, a technical education major and theatre design minor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, is being recognized with the 2023 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQIA+ People.

Redcedar sample collection

Researchers call for public’s help reconstructing drought history using ancient redcedar trees

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Environmental Sciences, STEM, Research

The ubiquitous eastern redcedar tree – a native species but one that can encroach on the region’s pastures and prairies – may be seen as a nuisance to some, but actually has a very important story to tell about the region’s climate history. Researchers from UW-Platteville are calling on the help of residents of the Driftless Area to identify redcedar tree samples to be included in National Science Foundation research that is studying the long-term history of drought in the region.

David Heimerdinger

Heimerdinger receives outstanding advisor award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Applied Engineering Technology Management

David Heimerdinger, assistant professor in agricultural engineering technology and manufacturing technology management, is being recognized with the 2023 Outstanding Faculty/Instructional Academic Staff Academic Advisor Award.

Gail Hoffman

Hoffman recognized with Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award

Written By: John Christensen | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Health and Human Performance

Professor Gail K. Hoffman in the Department of Health and Human Performance is one of four UW System faculty recipients of the 2023 James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award.

Elizabeth Runde, pictured with Interim Provost Wayne Weber (left) and Dean Hilton Kelly (right)

Runde recognized with Academic Advisor of the Year Award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Education

Elizabeth Runde, academic program specialist in the School of Education, is being recognized with the 2023 Professional Academic Advisor of the Year Award for exemplifying the best qualities of academic staff advisors.

Senior Ellie Zimmermann works with Dr. Laura Dev in the Edible Garden.

Zimmermann explores community gardens and food insecurity in summer research program

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Environmental Sciences, STEM, Research

As part of UW-Platteville's Summer Undergraduate Scholars Program, Ellie Zimmermann is spending the summer conducting research to explore the connections between community garden space and the perceptions of health and well-being and food security in the local community.

Jane Kuhl

Kuhl honored with Faculty Appreciation Award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

Jane Kuhl, assistant in the departments of psychology and foreign languages, is being recognized with the 2023 University Staff Award of Excellence. The award recognizes staff members who provide essential services to the university while demonstrating excellence of performance, personal interaction, and initiative and creativity.

Chancellor Evetovich

Chancellor Evetovich honored with Woman of the Year Award

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

UW-Platteville Chancellor Dr. Tammy Evetovich is being honored with the 2023 Dr. Carol Sue Butts Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes female employees and students who make a difference in the lives of others in the campus community.

Pictured left to right are John Dobbratz as Pierre and Amanda Zasada as Natasha.

The Platteville Summer Arts Festival presents ‘Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812’

Written By: Sydney Byas, Marketing Intern, Platteville Summer Arts Festival | Published On: | Featured in: Arts & Culture

The Department of Performing and Visual Arts and the Platteville Summer Arts Festival present the musical “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.” From the award-winning composer Dave Malloy comes an electropop opera based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 novel “War and Peace.”

Dairy cows at Pioneer Farm

Five faculty fellowships funded by state-sponsored Dairy Innovation Hub

Written By: Maria Woldt, Dairy Innovation Hub | Published On: | Featured in: Dairy Innovation Hub, Agriculture

UW-Platteville recently awarded five faculty research fellowships to help increase dairy-related research capacity through the Dairy Innovation Hub initiative. Known as the Dairy Industry Impact Innovation Faculty Fellowships, or “DI3 faculty fellowships”, the selected faculty members will tackle research projects in the Hub’s four priority areas.

Christopher Patton

Patton named vice chancellor for administrative services

Written By: Ben Jedd | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community

UW-Platteville Chancellor Dr. Tammy Evetovich announced that Christopher Patton has been appointed Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services at UW-Platteville. His appointment begins on Aug. 14.

Dr. Kristopher Wright

Wright honored with Faculty Appreciation Award

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Biology, Campus & Community

Dr. Kristopher Wright, professor of biology at UW-Platteville, is being recognized with the 2023 Nimocks Family Faculty Appreciation Award.

Advancement Ambassadors

UW-Platteville Foundation sets fundraising record for fourth consecutive year

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Alumni, Campus & Community

For the fourth consecutive year, the UW-Platteville Foundation celebrates a record year of donations, raising $8.7 million during the 2023 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

Harry Nohr Envelope Design Challenge

Nohr Gallery honors namesake with a challenge

Written By: Cameren Hill | Published On: | Featured in: Arts & Culture

The Harry and Laura Nohr Gallery is honoring the gallery’s namesake, Harry Nohr, by hosting an envelope design challenge.

Pictured left to right are Dr. Ben Krings, Trevor Wilkinson and Hannah Fliss.

Health and human performance students present research on cross-country runners’ nutrition at national conference

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Health and Human Performance, Research

At a recent National American College of Sports Medicine Conference, two UW-Platteville students presented research on the body composition and nutrition habits of cross-country runners.

Dr. Ian MacKenzie

MacKenzie earns Early Career Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, STEM

Dr. Ian MacKenzie, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, is being honored with the 2023 Early Career Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.

Kearstin Schweitzer

Pioneers' director of football operations selected to participate in NFL's Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship

Written By: Stephen Kelley | Published On: | Featured in: Online Education, Master’s Degree Programs, Press Release

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team announces Director of Football Operations Kearstin Schweitzer has been selected to participate in the 2023 Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sarah Strange

Strange selected as Wisconsin Teaching Fellow

Written By: Kristie Reynolds | Published On: | Featured in: Arts & Culture

Sarah Strange, senior lecturer in performing and visual arts at UW-Platteville and costume director and designer, was selected for the 2023 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program.

Compeer financial and UW-Platteville

Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America pledges $1 million

Written By: Paul Erickson | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Press Release, Agriculture

The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America has made the largest grant commitment in its history, pledging $1 million towards the building of the Dairy Pilot Plant and Training Center at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer Farm.

Pictured left to right are Meghan Vieth, from Wisconsin Voices for Recovery, and Kate Demerse, UW-Platteville dean of students.

Life-saving Narcan boxes installed on campus

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Campus & Community, Press Release

UW-Platteville installed 15 Nalox-ZONE boxes across campus, containing naloxone, also known as Narcan, a lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The boxes were donated by the organization Wisconsin Voices for Recovery.

Tara Kiley, deputy administrator at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin presents Chancellor Tammy Evetovich with the Energy Efficiency Excellence Award.

UW-Platteville honored by Focus on Energy for ongoing efforts to reduce energy usage

Written By: Alison Parkins | Published On: | Featured in: Press Release

UW-Platteville was honored on June 6 for its ongoing commitment to sustainability by Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency and renewable resources program.