Searching for civility

“Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.” — Henry James

As political advertising and discourse heats up across the state and nation this fall, it seems a most appropriate time for Engage to take an in-depth look into efforts to maintain civility on campus and in the greater community.

In this issue’s cover story, we hear from leaders of our campus civility initiative known as CivilityWorks and Oshkosh’s Civility Project as well as one of the nation’s foremost civility scientists. And, you’ll find that even the experts sometimes agree to disagree about what civility is and how to achieve it.

I am especially excited for our readers to learn about how our UWO Model United Nations alumni are “The Model of civic engagement, civility and success.” This long-standing, award-winning program led by professor Kenneth Grieb has inspired many graduates to become true leaders and active global citizens. Find out how our alumni have made an impact in Africa, in El Salvador and right here in Wisconsin.

In our own community of more than 80,000 UW Oshkosh alumni, plus our friends and supporters, we make a point of maintaining engaging and civilized interactions and relationships as we share our Titan pride in person and in all communications. We welcome you to add your “voice” to this diverse exchange of ideas on Twitter, our alumni Facebook page and Engage online.

We also heartily welcome you back to campus this fall for Homecoming 2012 and our first-ever All-Greek Reunion planned for Oct. 12-14. Learn more on page 7 and at uwosh.edu/homecoming

Take care,

Christine Gantner, Alumni Director

Letters

Remembering
Leafed through Engage, read name in “Passings.”
Stopped.
Felt heartache. Read name again to be sure. Already knew. Read again.
A while.
40 years mist and clouds lifted.
All walking to class again. Braved January cold.
Smiled at pretty girl.
More quickly, clouds returned. Paper became page. Paper and ink.
—    Jim Prindle ’74, Phoenix, Ariz.

Comments from Engage Online

UWO’s new front door
I am so proud to see how UW Oshkosh continues to grow with so many improvements over the past few years. The new footprints for the campus are exciting for long-term growth, which has to be a business model today.
—    Jim Miazga, Proud Titan ’74, Rhinelander

Saran’s story
A very inspiring story and Saran is certainly someone to be admired. Blessings to her and her family.
—    Tom Oleson ’63, Dunedin, Fla.

Tweets

Just read thru new Engage. Looks great! Thx @MWgirl and @UWOshkoshEngage for a great resource!
—    @PattiBryant

@UWOshkoshEngage Saran’s story—such a beautiful read about courage, strength and determination! Got me a little teary eyed.
—    @leepanhia

Thank you @UWOshkoshEngage for sharing the essence and power of courage and relationships!
—    @myTEAMTRIUMPHwi

Follow Engage on Twitter.

Even though you may disagree with them, who is a person you respect? And why?

“My best friend is someone who is super Christian, and I don’t always agree with (her), but I respect her because that is her opinion and she is not forcing me to believe the same thing.”
—    Torri Johnson, sophomore, English and theatre

“My cello professor. Even though he is an amazing mentor, it’s hard to hear his criticism, but I still respect him because I know he is going to make me a better player.”
—    Hannah Cole, freshman, cello performance

“My parents are from another culture than I was brought up in, and they tend to have a lot of different views on things than I do. But I respect them because they taught me the right way to grow up.”
—    Chau Lee, sophomore, accounting

“I disagree with the policy makers and politicians cutting teaching jobs and funding. But I respect them because they had to work hard to get into the positions they are in.”
—    Cody Martin, junior, kinesiology

“My best friend. We’ve been friends for 30 years, but our political views are totally opposite. I respect her for her compassion, the respect she shows for elders and because she’s honest with me even though I may not like what she has to say.”
—    Flora Stapel, ‘02, admissions counselor

Comments from Engage online

Jean Nelson remembered
I was a student at UWO in 1972, when I did work-study at Pollock Alumni House. Prior to working, I was encouraged to meet Jean Nelson, the alumni house director. Jean was very welcoming and gave me a tour … Jean was a joy to work for and her sense of humor, her glamour and sophistication and her vast knowledge of UWO history made it great fun to be a work-study student at Pollock. She was a great mentor.
—Victoria (Winarski) Bolz ’74, Appleton

Award winners’ video
It is such a great feeling to return to UW Oshkosh. The many changes have enhanced our image around the country, and Oshkosh truly is a quality University and one which I am proud to be a part of.
—Tom Oleson ’63, Dunedin, Fla.

Nutcracker project
Love the idea, and cannot wait to see the fruits of your labor of pride. Go Stacey, and Go Titans!
—Mickey (Janik) Hammett ’81, Oshkosh

Old school
The new issue of Engage is great! I especially enjoyed the material about the College of Education and Human Services’ history. Being an old campus school graduate (1945), as well as old alumnus of UWO and professor (1964–1992), I have always enjoyed reminding folks that I spent more time there than anyone else.
—Claud Thompson ’54, Oshkosh

‘… it is the courage to continue 
that counts’

We have explored some pretty deep and weighty themes and their connections to University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in past editions of Engage: environmentalism, entrepreneurialism and even altruism.

In this issue, we found the courage to tackle “courage.”

Courage has always been a fundamental component of effective teaching and learning. But in the last two years at UW Oshkosh, courage has taken on even greater importance. Inside and outside the classroom, our faculty, staff and students have challenged themselves to do more with less amid dramatic declines in state revenue. The surge of courage has been a point of distinction and source of pride here. It fuels academic program innovation and physical growth on campus.

No question, bravery is a virtue. But, as you’ll see in this issue of Engage, courage is different. Courage is more about determination and perseverance despite the conditions.

Our cover story outlines the array of courageous initiatives at UW Oshkosh, from catalytic community collaborations to the elegant reengineering of the core academic experience here.

Contributor Allison Reineck ’10, profiles the inspirational work of a young alumnus who helped launch a Wisconsin volunteer organization, giving physically and developmentally disabled people the opportunity to compete in life-changing athletic events.

We’ll share the incredibly courageous story of an alumna who, born to a nomadic family in Mongolia, overcame cultural obstacles and a horrific accident to earn a degree and reunite her family.

Winston Churchill, a man who knew a thing or two about courage, said it best when he observed: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Take care,

Christine Gantner, Alumni Director

What is one of the best examples of courage you’ve witnessed in your life?

“When I was in New York, outside the city, and there was a terrible fire happening. A regular guy off the street just rushed in and saved three or four people. It was an awesome moment that really humbled me.”
—Thomas Pech, freshman, English

“I had an aunt who had cancer and she fought and was strong through the whole thing.”
—Erika Moczynski, sophomore, Spanish and 2D studio art

“When I found out I had a daughter coming. I did everything I could to make sure I was ready for her.”
— Richard Williams, senior, human services

“Going up to a new freshman who doesn’t know anything about campus and showing them the ropes.”
—Lue Yang, sophomore, business

“I work at a nursing home, and the nurses overall are courageous for what they do.”
—Nicole Pleshek, sophomore, nursing

“When I learn these students’ stories—that they are here and getting 3-point-whatevers while they are raising children—to take it on and be so driven, I think that’s the most courageous thing on campus that I see.”
—Micki Benz, College of Business, program assistant

Who is your favorite teacher of all time?

“My favorite teacher is from college. She is my favorite because most of the time you get to the end of a class and you don’t even know your neighbor. But in her class, we came together and within two weeks we really knew each other.”
— Mushe Subulwa, Oshkosh

“Probably my sixth-grade teacher. He was the crazy, old guy with the white hair who would sing the belly-button song in the middle of class to get our attention. He was fun.”
— Jessica Meulemans, Senior, Elementary Education/ESL

“I’m going to say Mrs. Bruski from Oshkosh West High School. She would give me candy everyday when I went into her classroom.”
— Anthony Rios, Freshman, Engineering

“My favorite teacher was Laura Jean Baker, and she taught creative writing.
I liked her because she would do a lot of group work.”
— Claire Weigandt, Senior, Criminal Justice

“My favorite teacher of all time was Father Wilson during college. I had him for western civilization, and he kind of opened my mind to asking questions and thinking about things differently.”
— Patrick Wilkinson, Director of Polk Library

Read more Over Coffee from the Engage team.

Who is your favorite teacher of all time?

“Ms. Bina, my high school world literature teacher. She was sweet and kooky, and even made Siddhartha interesting.”
—Jamie Ceman

“I am really impressed with my daughter’s second-grade teacher who actually drove to each student’s house a week before school started to hand deliver a welcome letter. She included a photo of herself in second grade with an explanation of how she dreamed of being a teacher during her childhood and how much she looked forward to teaching us in the coming year. The entire year was filled with wonderful surprises, too. A truly passionate teacher!”
—Christine Gantner

“My favorite teacher was Ms. Barbara Boelter, one of my fifth-grade teachers. She was tough and had high expectations, but also had a great sense of humor. She was probably the first teacher who helped me see that I was far more capable than I ever thought I was and was a great supporter throughout middle school, high school, college and even up until today – and fifth grade was longer ago than either of us cares to admit…”
—Tim Holdsworth

“I have two: My mother and my father who, respectively, served as my sixth-grade language arts and reading and seventh- and eighth-grade civics and American history teachers. Not only did they provide their small-town public school students with an enriching, relevant education, but they also treated me — their son — no different than the rest of my classmates. I am grateful to both of them for wisdom, their fairness and their 35 years of service to a rural Wisconsin school district.”
—Alex Hummel

“I had Mrs. Klessig for fifth grade at Pigeon River Elementary School in Sheboygan. I remember her as a pretty tough and challenging teacher, but we did inspiring and creative projects. I still have my hand-sewn Marco Polo puppet saved in the attic from her social studies unit on explorers.”
—Natalie Johnson

“Ms. Steinhagen, my elementary school art teacher, is my favorite teacher. She had so much enthusiasm and showed how much she enjoyed making art. I remember there was a paper mache giraffe in her room that the fifth graders repainted with a different theme each year.”
—Donna Mleziva

“If I had to choose, my favorite teacher was Ms. Brenda Ness, a young history teacher at Waukesha North High School in the late 1980s. She was bright, energetic, and as the kids say today, totally crush-worthy.  When she was in high school, Ms. Ness had been a foreign exchange student to South Africa during what would have been some of the worst of times there. Talking to her about her experiences in Johannesburg set me off on a lifelong interest in the history, cultures and politics of Southern Africa. After I returned from graduate school at the University of Cape Town in 1995, I tracked Ms. Ness down and brought her a gift of a ballot from the country’s first democratic election.”
—Joshua Ranger

“I had many great teachers throughout my life, but one who really stands out is Mr. Jon Vollendorf, my high school literature teacher and JV basketball coach. He is a dedicated educator, leader and mentor to both students and athletes.”
—Allison Reineck

“My high school English teacher, Mr. Zindler, was among my favorites. I had Mr. Zindler for all four years of high school English and somewhere along the way he told me he thought I should pursue writing as a career. And well, here I am.”
—Amanda Wimmer