College of Letters and Science

The following list highlights many college-wide accomplishments during 2010-2011. While this list is both lengthy and impressive, it certainly is not meant to be comprehensive. 

Community

• The High School Art Exhibition and Awards Day, hosted by the Department of Art, was attended by 107 high school students from 14 schools. The reorganized and student-centered event featured workshops offered by UW Oshkosh art students, providing a dynamic experience for participants. Students and parents attended the exhibiton featuring 50 pieces selected for viewing at the Steinhilber Gallery. Awards were presented to seven student artists. 
• The Department of Art's Priebe and Annex Galleries featured a variety of multi-media art exhibits throughout the academic year. 
• Art Professor Emmet Sandberg introduced "Art Jam!," a program that invites African American students to meet with faculty and staff to discuss what is meaningful in life and to create various forms of art that reflect such experiences. The resulting work, entitled "Dialogues on Diversity: The African American Experience," was exhibited in the Gail Floether Art Gallery. 
• The Department of Music launched its first Musica Viva! program, a gala event that showcased the breadth and depth of talent among music students and faculty to the university and local communities. 
• The Department of Music hosted the annual Wisconsin State Music Association Solo and Ensemble Festival. Through the work and leadership of Professors Kenneth Liske and Rob McWilliams and piano technician John Imobersteg, this event provided important support for secondary school music education programs in the area. 
• The calendar of events for the Department of Music included numerous faculty, staff and student recitals, ensembles, choral concerts and symphony orchestra performances. The Chamber Arts series included an array of talented guest musicians. 
• The Department of Music offered its inaugural "Music In Motion" event. Over a two day period, experiences were offered to prospective music students and music educators in three areas – wind and percussion strings/orchestra and vocal/choral. A celebrity clinician worked with instrumentalists and a number of department staff made presentations and worked with students. 
• The Department of Theatre produced six productions attended by students, University staff and members of the local community. Talk-back sessions with the playwright were also held for two of the performances. 
• Several thousand high school students from 50 high schools in the state participated in the Wisconsin High School Forensics One Act Play Festival, hosted by the Department of Theatre. 
• The African American Studies Program fall lecture series featured Dr. Kevin Meehan, associate professor of English and director of the University of Central Florida Haitian Studies Project. His lecture, open to the University and local communities, was entitled "African American and Hatian Solidarity: From the Battle of Savannah to the Haitian Bicentiennial." He also discussed Haitian relief efforts at a separate event. 
• The African American Studies Program sponsored a film series for the campus-wide celebration of Black History Month. 
• The Department of Communication provided student judges for local debate tournaments, forensic competitions, the Optimist Club and middle school public speaking contests. Students also performed oral interpretation programs for area elementary schools and senior citizen and church groups. 
• The Department of Communication's radio-TV-film program provided an open house of its facilities and an industry panel comprised of alumni who are professionals in the field. 
• The Radio-TV-Film program's Titan TV and the UW Oshkosh National Broadcasting Society produced its ninth annual Advance Titan telethon to raise money and awareness for ataxia telangiectasia, a rare neurodegenerative children's disease. 
• The Radio-TV-Film program radio station, WRST, continued its tradition of providing educational, informational and entertaining programming and services to listeners in the university and local communities. 
• The Department of Journalism hosted the annual spring conference of the Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA), drawing about 400 high school students and journalism advisers to campus. Local and state media professionals along with educators gave presentations in about 40 sessions over the course of the conference. 
• German professors from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures organized a German culture information tent for the first Oshkosh Oktoberfest in fall. 
• The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures coordinated a lecture by Dr. Ana Roca, Florida International University, whose talk, "The Engagement and the Teaching of Spanish as a Heritage Language: Pedagogical Challenges in Multilevel Classes," was open to the public. 
• Students majoring in Spanish, and in collaboration with the radio-TV-film program, continued their Spanish-speaking radio show, "La Mezcla" on WRST. Added to the programming was Noticiero Latino, a world and national news broadcast produced by Radio Bilingue, the Spanish language public radio network in the U.S. 
• Faculty members from the Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology have shared their expertise with local and state-wide organizations such as the Wisconsin Archeological Society, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Neenah Historical Society. 
• Professors in the Department of Biology and Microbiology, in collaboration with their students, have continued their critical research on water quality in Wisconsin beach areas, along Lakes Michigan and Superior, as well as several inland lakes. The professors were awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to assist them in their research and in identifying the causes of beach pollution. 
• Professors in the Department of Biology and Microbiology provided expertise on their various scientific disciplines to campus and local news organizations. 
• The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program, funded by a National Science Foundation grant, provided research opportunities and stipends to academically qualified, but economically underprivileged students interested in biology, microbiology, chemistry and computer science. This 10-week program was the result of collaborative efforts from faculty members in the Departments of Biology and Microbiology, Chemistry and Computer Science. 
• The Medical Technology Program continued its relationships with medical institutions across the state and the Midwest. Students from the program complete their clinical training at these partnering facilities. 
• Faculty members from the Environmental Studies Program, Departments of Religious Studies and Anthropology, Geology and English planned the celebration of Earth Week on campus. The various activities included speakers, a movie, prairie planting, a demonstration for installing a rain barrel, and tree plantings, all open to the community and to area students. 
• The Environmental Studies Program continued to be a major leader in the development of sustainability on campus, including sustainability in its curriculum. Two ES student groups, Community Gardens Oshkosh and the Student Environmental Action Coalition, continued their work with the local community. 
• Faculty, staff and students from across the college organized and participated in the week-long Earth Charter Summit, providing panels and various events for students, faculty and members of the community. 
• Faculty members from the Department of Geology shared their expertise by serving on geologic advisory boards, including: the Wisconsin Examining Board of Geologists, Hydrologists and Soil Scientists, the United States Antarctic Geological Drilling Steering Committee, and the Hydrology Division of the North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America. Another faculty member serves as associate editor and editorial board member for the journal, Marine and Petroleum Geology. 
• Dr. Jae Lee and Dr. Ju Youn Bae, lecturers in the Department of Mathematics, provided free tutoring sessions to local elementary and high school students on Saturday mornings. Those seeking their help came from international and diverse backgrounds. 
• "Making Mathematical Connections" is a new program developed by the Department of Mathematics that connects some of its faculty members with practicing elementary and middle school math teachers. The focus of the program is to provide teachers with a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and it is funded through a grant of the No Child Left Behind Act. 
• Members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy hold positions on various boards and panels in service to their profession. These include the International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Science Foundation Mathematics and Science Partnership Review Board, and the Gaia Space Mission Data Processing and Analysis Consortium. 
• The Department of Kinesiology regularly places its students in internships at community senior centers, hospitals and area Fox Valley YMCAs. 
• The Department of Geography and Urban Planning sponsored a lecture entitled "The Conventions of Building Green: Public Policy and Green Buildings in U.S. Cities." 
• Faculty members from the Department of History presented lectures on their areas of expertise to various local organizations and schools. Topics included teaching the Nixon era, cultural freedom during the Cold War and the Civil War. 
• The American Democracy Project, coordinated by Dr. David Siemers and Dr. James Krueger, Department of Political Science, continued its work to promote engagement in the democratic process. Among other activities, student interns for the project gathered election poll results on campus. 
• The Department of Political Science developed a new minor in civic engagement. 
• Dr. Susan McFadden, Department of Psychology, continued her research on issues releated to dementia and in particular on social relationships among persons who have dementia. Her work is centered on find new ways of creating better lives for people who have the diagnosis and for those who care for them. 
• The Department of Social Work faculty and staff continue to be involved in a number of community outreach and research projects. Some of these collaborations included work on child welfare, bullying, parenting, mental health, bereavement, cancer support groups and end of life issues. 
• Dr. Paul Van Auken, Department of Sociology, has been collaborating with his students on the Oshkosh Neighborhood Project, a research endeavor that explores what makes a neighborhood and why it matters. He also continues his work in the local community with Square One, the grass roots organization that he founded. 
• The student Sociology Club, advised by faculty from the Department of Sociology, has hosted discussion sessions and done preliminary research to advance a project that will explore diversity on campus. African American students submitted photos of subjects that hold meaning for them and they engaged in follow-up discussions to consider reasons for the particular significance. Project results were included in the art exhibit, "Dialogues on Diversity: The African American Experience." 
• Departments across the college increased their relationships and opportunities for service and community based learning placements. Students from a host of disciplines participated in these high impact learning experiences throughout the community and beyond. 
• The Science Outreach Program offered a wide variety of sessions, programs and camps for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the year. Ten Buckstaff Planetarium shows were also offered and open to the public. 
• The Social Justice Program promotes civic engagement and social activisim. Students are required to to either complete an internship with an organization whose work fits program objectives or to study abroad in a program that combines cultural immersion with an exploration of social justice. 
• The Women's Studies program continued to provide educational programming through its Brown Bag lunch series, featuring presentations of related research by faculty and students. Offered in collaboration with the Women's Center, the series was open to both the university and local communities. 
• Women's History Month, organized by faculty from the Women's Studies Program, featured speakers and activities highlighting women's issues and feminist activism. 
• Faculty and staff College-wide gave talks and provided expertise in various venues throughout Northeast Wisconsin. 
• Faculty from various disciplines in the College of Letters and Science gave presentations on their research or creative endeavors at the COLS Dean's Symposium, a forum open to the public and held over the course of the academic year. 
• In response to the College of Letters and Science newly crafted strategic plan, departments and programs college-wide worked to promote and develop action strategies for maintaining and enhancing community engagement. 
• The Diversity Committee for the College of Letters and Science is committed to improving the understanding of diversity in the University community. Various projects and programs were originated and continue to be developed toward this goal.

Teaching and Student Achievements and Awards

Scholarship

Partnerships