At the recent Wisconsin Bankers Association’s open house, co-hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s School of Agriculture and School of Business, students had the opportunity to learn firsthand about careers in community banking and agriculture lending. The WBA organized a panel of industry professionals – all UW-Platteville alumni – from across Southwest Wisconsin. A panel discussion was followed by a question-and-answer session and an opportunity for students to network with industry locals.

The inaugural event was attended by approximately 60 UW-Platteville students and faculty, making it one of the most-attended open houses hosted at a UW System school, according to the WBA. 

More than 20 University of Wisconsin-Platteville Health and Human Performance students, faculty and staff recently created cross-country ski trails for people on campus and in the community to use and enjoy.

The trail extends from the bridge near Bridgeway Commons Residence Hall to Memorial Park, then follows along the walking path by the creek and loops back to the bridge. Health and human performance students, faculty and staff will keep the trails maintained until the snow melts or until conditions for grooming will not allow a snowmobile on the course.

The idea for the new trail system originated with Dr. Scott Ringgenberg, associate professor and coordinator of the Health and Human Performance Program at UW-Platteville, who wanted to bring back the trails that were made in the 1990s.

Students and faculty from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville presented at the Regional Materials and Manufacturing Network (RM2N) symposium on Jan 16. The symposium is an annual networking activity that aims to bring together the UW System campuses and several companies and industry partners from across the state to improve collaborations and increase networking opportunities. UW-Platteville’s faculty and staff led the way with the highest number of presenters at the symposium, and UW-Platteville students took home both first and second place recognitions for poster presentations.

What is wilderness?

To help answer this question, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education will host a faculty forum, “Reconsidering Wilderness,” on Thursday, March 7, in Room 136 Doudna Hall from 5-6:30 p.m. The forum will address issues related to the impact of historical Ojibwe landuse on the modern forests of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a 1,000,000-acre, natural landscape of rivers, lakes and forests in northeast Minnesota, and how our ideas of wilderness are shaping the ecological fate of entire plant communities in northern Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region.

This year marks the 52nd year of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneer Summer Band Camp to be held Sunday, July 7-Saturday, July 13. 

The purpose of the camp is to provide middle and high school music students from the tri-state area with opportunities to learn more about music from talented faculty; gain knowledge to improve tone, technique and musicianship; and perform with other gifted young musicians. Last year, more than 120 students from 45 schools in three states participated in the event.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville student Eva Birtell’s research on agricultural production systems is – literally – out of this world. The junior environmental horticulture and biology major from Oostburg, Wisconsin, is part of a team of students that placed in the top five in a NASA-sponsored challenge to propose greenhouse concepts for Mars. Birtell joined the challenge after recently completing an internship at NASA, where she contributed to research on agricultural production on the International Space Station.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville began a comprehensive preparation for its future by beginning work on its next five-year strategic plan. Approximately 70 faculty, staff and students gathered recently to begin shaping its priorities.

"I am very excited for this next five-year strategic plan,” said Paige Smith, champion for the strategic plan and vice chancellor for Administrative Services. “We have new opportunities in light of our collaborative integration with UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County and UW-Platteville Richland to create new and existing educational opportunities for our students.”

The strategic plan is shaped by five themes that will be expanded upon during upcoming meetings:

In early January 2019, seven members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Engineers Without Borders chapter traveled to the community of Chinderi in Ghana for three weeks. Chinderi is about six to seven hours from Accra, the capital of Ghana. Their goal was to begin the construction of a new junior high school.

The students who attended the trip were Zeb Kielar (civil engineering), Justin Prochaska (sustainability and renewable energy systems), Matt Buffo (electrical engineering), Taylor Martin (environmental engineering), Brendan Carr (mechanical engineering), Skylar Lopez-Kohler (mechanical engineering), and Karisa Rusch (civil engineering).

Adults aged 65 years and older are the fastest growing age group in the United States population. In fact, the older adult population is projected to double by 2060 and the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease is projected to triple by 2050 (Population Reference Bureau, 2018).

On Thursday, Feb. 28, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education will host a faculty forum, “Making Memories for People with Alzheimer’s Disease,” in Room 136 Doudna Hall from 5-6:30 p.m. The forum will address issues related to the nation’s rapidly-aging population, including the biopsychosocial changes that accompany aging, particularly among those affected by Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

When Sorayda Santos decided to pursue a project management certificate in 2016, she had little idea of the domino effect of accomplishments that would ensue. Only two years later, she had received her master’s degree in project management and earned two promotions.

Santos lives in San Diego, California, and earned her project management certificate at UC-San Diego. She then transferred her credits to UW-Platteville.

While in the M.S. in Project Management program, Santos met the late Dr. Ginger Levin, former instructor of the project management capstone course, who quickly went on to become a close friend and mentor. “Dr. Levin challenged me, made sure my work was superior,” Santos said. “She provided great guidance and made sure I applied what I was learning to all aspects of my life.”

University of Wisconsin System and University of Wisconsin-Platteville innovators from broad disciplines and backgrounds have once again teamed up to host the WiSys Innovation Mixer in an effort to provide students with a unique networking opportunity and to collaborate on an absurd design challenge. The event will take place on Monday, Feb. 11, from 5-7 p.m., in Nohr Gallery in Ullsvik Hall. Check-in is at 4:45 p.m. The event is free to attend, and a pizza dinner will be provided.



The event will kick off with a special keynote presentation from Snap-on Tools’ InnovationWorks General Manager Patrick Donohue, who has been building teams and working on innovations with Snap-on for 11 years. In his role, Donohue participates in a variety of user-centered design projects and manages Snap-on’s global innovation center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Dr. Jennifer Collins, assistant director of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, was recently named to the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance board of directors as its new higher education representative.

“WiRSA is very excited to have Dr. Collins on the WiRSA Board,” said Kim Kaukl, executive director of WiRSA. “We look forward to her sharing her knowledge on rural education. We also look forward to working with her and UW-Platteville on ways to improve the rural teacher pipeline for rural schools in Wisconsin.” 

In commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision (May 17, 1954) and the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act (July 2, 1964), the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will host “The Relevance of Brown v Board of Education in 21st Century Rural America,” on Monday, April 29, in the university’s Lundeen Lecture Hall and Velzy Commons.

The presentation, sponsored by the university’s School of Education, will feature guest speaker Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, after whom the Brown v Board of Education case was named. The landmark case brought the end to segregation in public school classrooms, declaring the 1896 ‘separate but equal’ legislation of Plessy v Ferguson as unconstitutional.

UW-Platteville’s Department of Performing and Visual Arts-Theatre and Pioneer Players will present Sam Shepard’s powerful 1983 play, “Fool for Love.” Performances are Feb. 13 at 11 a.m., Feb. 13-16 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Theatre.



The Feb. 13 performance at 7:30 p.m. is also the Benefit Wednesday performance. All tickets for the benefit are $7, and the proceeds go to the Platteville Food Pantry and Pioneer Provisions, a free pantry/grocery service for students experiencing food insecurity.

Dr. Kameko Halfmann, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, earned the university’s inaugural New Faculty Professional Development Award. The award provides one new faculty member each year with funding to help launch his or her research or creative endeavor program at the university. The faculty member receives up to $5,000 from the university’s provost’s office and up to $5,000 matching funds from their college.

“I was truly honored and excited to receive this award,” said Halfmann. “The award allowed me to pay students over the summer to work on research and help set up my lab here at UW-Platteville.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Industrial Technology Management program's building construction safety management emphasis and occupational safety management emphasis have been approved as Qualified Academic Programs by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. The recognition provides students the opportunity to apply with BCSP for the Graduate Safety Practitioner designation after graduation. The GSP meets the credential requirement for the Certified Safety Professional allowing those who hold the designation to waive the Associate Safety Professional certification examination.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Black Student Union will host the 14th annual Ebony Weekend Conference Feb. 8-9, beginning at 4 p.m. Friday at the Markee Pioneer Student Center and concluding Saturday night in Velzy Commons in Ullsvik Hall. The event is open to students, faculty and the community.

The purpose of the conference is to celebrate black culture, as well as educate the public about issues affecting the black community, according to Ebony weekend coordinator and president of the Black Student Union Vontique Jackson. This year’s theme is “The New Wave of Institutional Oppression,” and guest speakers will focus on slave suffrage, mental illness and the justice system.

In spring 2018, Master of Science in Organizational Change Leadership students and classmates Debi McCullough and Jana Nelson met for a casual lunch in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Little did they know that their initial meeting would soon spark a series of get-togethers with an expanded group of students from across Wisconsin and Illinois.

McCullough led the initiative by inviting Nelson and another classmate, Ashley Deaver, to her home glass studio, where they each created fused glass plates. While the event provided a forum to hone their artistic skills, it also provided a chance for each person to share their interests, skills, and support outside of the online environment.

During her time with UW-Platteville, Autumn Fisher has played many different roles—including one she still performs since graduating in the spring of 2017.

After obtaining her Master of Science in Project Management degree, Fisher started her current position as a regional director for CLEARAS Water Recovery, where she oversees multiple wastewater treatment projects throughout the Great Lakes area. The position is a good fit for Fisher, given that CLEARAS’s process involves using algae to clean and recover nutrients from contaminated water, resulting in someone needing to be versed in both managerial and biochemical knowledge to oversee project delivery—which, thanks to an undergraduate degree in chemistry, Fisher has.

One of the first lessons you learn when growing up on a farm is the value of hard work. It’s a lesson that Quinn Crubel learned at the hands of his parents and five siblings on the cattle farm they run in Bloomington, Wisconsin. It was one of the many values his family instilled in him that would help prepare him for college.

Crubel enrolled in the business administration program at UW-Platteville in the fall of 2014 with an emphasis in management and supply chain and a minor in ag business. He worked closely with his advisor to make sure that each class fit his long-term goals. This is how he discovered the 4+1 program, which allowed him to start earning credit for a Master of Science in Integrated Supply Chain Management degree while still completing his undergraduate coursework.

UW-Platteville is kicking off the 2018-19 academic year with a new look and message, as it recently launched a new brand platform. 

“Those of us on campus already know what makes UW-Platteville special,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “Our commitment to our students, creating opportunities and ensuring accessibility drives our work every day. We will continue to live these values. Our refreshed brand identity system – complemented by a new marketing campaign – will better position us to tell our story in a more consistent and powerful way, setting us up for many more years of success.”

Dr. Holly Attenborough, assistant professor of mathematics, was selected to receive the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s 2018 Early Career Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes a tenure-track faculty member who has made distinguished contributions to the mission of UW-Platteville as an outstanding teacher. 

“I know that there are a lot of great early career faculty at UW-Platteville focused on and dedicated to teaching excellence, which makes receiving this award a very special honor,” said Attenborough.

Attenborough joined UW-Platteville in 2013 and teaches a variety of students as her courses range from general education math classes and the calculus sequence to upper-level math-major courses. She has developed many materials and activities in her classroom in order to cultivate an active and positive learning environment and encourage student engagement.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields announced that Paige Smith has been appointed a two-year position as interim vice chancellor of Administrative Services at UW-Platteville. Her appointment begins on April 15.

“Paige Smith brings a broad understanding about university administration,” Chancellor Shields said. “Her insight from her role as a senior lawyer at System Legal and her professional experience in higher education at Southern Illinois University are invaluable during these transitional years in higher education.”

Ever since Michael Sullivan took a high school history class, he has been passionate about education. After earning his Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sullivan taught Global Politics and American National Government at UW-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College. He then spent two decades working in leadership development and change management for Fortune 100 companies. 

On the surface it may seem like a surprising career path; however, all of his roles have been closely tied to education and helping others improve.  

“I trained in leadership and performance development in the professional sphere. Starting as a team member and working into consulting and leadership roles, I’ve been involved in change management through mergers, downsizing, and culture changes. I love teaching. It has always been a part of my work,” Sullivan said. 

Today is a consequential day for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Southwest Wisconsin, the region and the state. Governor Scott Walker signed the state’s biennium budget, which includes two capital projects for our campus. They include the construction of a $55 million engineering building, Sesquicentennial Hall, and the $23.7 million renovation of Boebel Hall, our STEM facility.

These projects will be transformative, not just for our campus, but for the Southwest Wisconsin community, the region and for the state’s workforce. Our students graduate with the skills necessary to be successful as they enter the workforce, whether that be in engineering, healthcare or the biotechnology industry. It is critical to have modern facilities to train our students in those and other fields.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker pledged his support to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Sesquicentennial Hall – the proposed $55 million engineering building – and the $23 million Boebel Hall renovation project.

Both projects were passed by the Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance by a 16-0 vote, and the governor said traditionally the approved capital projects remain in the budget that will be forwarded to him in approximately two weeks.

Last winter, a representative from NASA reached out to Dr. James Hamilton, professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, requesting that he submit a proposal to the Small Business Innovation Research program. Two NASA scientists had attended a presentation of Hamilton’s at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena California in October and were impressed with his product. Hamilton has created First Contact Polymer (FCP), a peel-able coating that cleans and protects optical surfaces like those on giant telescopes and satellites. The purpose of the grant, that was awarded last week, is to develop a similar polymer system specifically for the special needs of the Starshade Telescope Project that will be launched in the middle 2020s.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will mark its 150th anniversary over the next 15 months. Chancellor Dennis J. Shields kicked off the sesquicentennial celebration during the annual all-campus convocation Aug. 27.

The coming months will provide a variety of opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community to show their Pioneer pride and reflect on the foundation that was used to build the university for a century and a half. “It is a special time in our university’s history,” said Chancellor Shields. “There are thousands of people who are proud to call themselves Pioneers and we want to honor the loyalty they’ve had to this campus over the last 150 years.”

A website has been established at /150 where visitors can chronicle their memories of campus, read about the university’s history and special upcoming events, view a vintage photo gallery and order new Pioneer Pete bobbleheads.

The June 16, 2014 tornado caused $18.6 million in damages to University of Wisconsin-Platteville and UW-Platteville Real Estate Foundation property, according to the final numbers.

An EF-2 tornado ripped through the campus on the night of June 16, damaging five buildings as well as the surrounding area and Memorial Park. The damage, which forced closure of the university on June 17-18, included broken windows, partial roof destruction, bent light towers at the Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium, and downed trees. There were no fatalities or significant injuries that required medical attention on campus.

The heaviest damage, in amount of dollars, was done to the following structures:



• $7.3 million, Bridgeway Commons

• $4.8 million, Rountree Commons

• $1.8 million, Southwest Hall

• $1.8 million, Engineering Hall

• $1.7 million, Pioneer Stadium

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville ceremoniously “re-opened” its campus Friday, just 74 days after an EF-2 tornado significantly damaged five campus buildings, Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium and Memorial Park.

UW System President Dr. Ray Cross joined UW-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Mittie N. Den Herder on the back patio of Engineering Hall, whose damaged exterior is still visible.

“It’s unbelievable how quickly you have done this,” said Cross. “I think it speaks to your commitment to serve students. My compliments to you; I hope you are proud of what you have accomplished, those of us in the system are. I hope you realize that today, the rest of the system stands with you, and we, too, are all Pioneers.”

A relationship that started in 1984 continued on Friday as the Chicago Bears donated $50,000 to the Pioneer Relief Fund at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Brian McCaskey, senior director of business development and member of the Chicago Bears board of directors, presented the check on behalf of the organization during an afternoon gathering of more than 150 at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.

An EF-2 tornado significantly damaged five university buildings and the stadium, where the Bears practiced for 18 years, from 1984-2001. This summer marks the 30th anniversary of their first training camp in Southwest Wisconsin.

To better reflect how well the University of Wisconsin-Platteville serves its business-related undergraduate and graduate students, the university has officially declared a new School of Business. The designation was approved at the UW System Board of Regents meeting earlier this month.

“It’s beyond the complexity of a department,” said Dr. Wayne Weber, dean of the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture. “With two undergraduate programs and four online master’s programs, the term department just didn’t fit. This more accurately reflects what we are doing.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville had an estimated $394 million economic impact in Wisconsin in 2011-12, including $275 million in the southwestern region of the state, according to a new study done by the university and released this week.

“These numbers clearly show the vital role UW-Platteville plays in the state and especially southwest Wisconsin,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “We are an economic anchor in this region that has not only been a source of stability in ever-changing times but has continued to grow and strengthen our area. We understand the importance of our role and value what we provide to our students and to our community.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville unveiled an updated and stylized version of Pioneer Pete during the Homecoming Yell volleyball match on Thursday, Oct. 18, giving the university an official mascot for the first time in at least two decades.

“The university is proud to announce this mascot, which embodies the true Pioneer spirit from which our great institution was founded,” said UW-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “We have combined our Pioneer name with our strong mining history in coming up with a representative mascot. I know our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members will come to take pride in this new Pioneer Pete.”

The city of Platteville was incorporated by John Rountree, a mine owner in the 19th century. The university is a combination of the Platteville Normal School and the Mining Institute.

Nearly 400 people from across the region packed into the standing room only Agriculture Education Pavilion at Pioneer Farm on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus to ask questions of Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, during a town hall meeting.

“Agriculture is extremely important; it’s a $50 billion industry in Wisconsin. When you add in Iowa and Illinois, it is remarkably important to the future of this country, and to the world,” said UW-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “It was fabulous to have the secretaries here today. They are good folks, they know what they’re talking about, and the most impressive thing is how willing they were to listen to questions and be responsive, and talk about the challenges that are in front of us.”