College Reports
College of Letters and Science
The College of Letters and Science remains fully committed to the liberal arts, while simultaneously pursuing new ways of engaging the wider community and providing research and other learning opportunities for our students. As the University’s largest and most varied academic unit, the College offers courses in 35 different majors. The College provides the courses that fulfill the general education requirements for all students at UW Oshkosh.
2006-2007 Highlights
Community
- The High School Art Exhibition and Awards Day, sponsored by the Department of Art, featured 192 works from 33 schools and brought 700 high school students to UW Oshkosh. Included in this annual event was a new exhibition, High School Art Teachers Exemplar, which displayed selected artwork of various art instructors from high schools throughout the area.
- The Department of Art sponsored a wide array of gallery events, including a medium never before shown in the gallery, the Web-based exhibition Tim Barber: tinyvices.com.
- Professors in the Department of Biology and Microbiology, in collaboration with their students, continued to conduct critical research on water quality on Wisconsin beach areas.
- In response to community need and in consultation with healthcare agencies in the area, the College launched a coordinated effort among the Departments of Biology and Microbiology, Chemistry, Kinesiology, and Psychology to develop and offer a healthcare emphasis options within each of these departments.
- In collaboration with the Science Outreach Program and in an effort to encourage young females in the sciences, the Department of Computer Science held classes in computer science-related topics for visiting middle school girls during on-campus camps and programs.
- Under the leadership of Kay Roberts and Jeanie Grant Moore, Department of English, Shakespeare on the Fox expanded to become a significant event involving a wide range of participants, workshops and performance venues across the Fox Valley area. The Grand Opera House in Oshkosh and the Performing Arts Center in Appleton have partnered with UW Oshkosh in developing what has become an annual celebration designed to highlight works by William Shakespeare for the benefit of students and the greater community.
- Through successful grant funding, Stephen Kercher, Department of History, developed the Black Thursday Oral History Project. With the help of colleague Jeffrey Pickron and two student interns, he conducted numerous interviews and coordinated presentations to highlight the issues and lessons gained from this historical campus event.
- The Department of Music established a new resident chamber ensemble entitled Infusion, presenting four concerts during the year. The February program was repeated for the Wisconsin Public Radio series “Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen.” The concert series involved 17 faculty and staff.
- The annual Wisconsin State Music Association Solo and Ensemble Festival was hosted by the Department of Music, under the work and leadership of Professors Kenneth Liske and Rob McWilliams and piano technician John Imoberstag. The collective efforts of many music faculty, staff and students in this endeavor provided significant support for secondary_school music_education programs in the area.
- The Environmental Studies Program had a major role in the organization of the Earth Week celebration on campus. Program faculty members participated in various panel discussions and other events, which drew students, staff and the broader community. • Faculty, staff and students from across the College organized and participated in the weeklong Earth Charter Summit, providing panels and various events for students, faculty and community members.
- The Department of Journalism hosted the annual spring conference of the Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA), bringing about 500 high school students and journalism advisers to campus. Local and state media professionals and educators were speakers in approximately 50 sessions.
- The Department of Journalism collaborated with the African American Studies Program and the UW Oshkosh Women’s Center to present a speaker series on minorities and women in journalism. An associate professor from UW-Milwaukee spoke about the importance of global diversity in the media.
- The Department of Public Affairs continued its program Inviting Convicts to College, involving student interns and offering a college-level criminology course at the Oshkosh Taycheedah correctional institutions.
- The Science Outreach Program offered a wide variety of sessions, programs and camps for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the year.
- The Department of Theatre produced five productions, drawing a diverse audience of students, faculty, staff and community members.
- The Women’s Studies Program sponsored A Day Without Feminism as the kick-off event for the celebration of Women’s History Month. Coordinated by Michelle Kuhl, Department of History, the event was highly successful in raising awareness of women’s history and the significance of the women’s movement. Several student interns from the Department of History researched pre-feminist era policies and developed a Web site to display examples of life before feminism.
- The Women’s Studies Program continued to provide educational programming through its Brown Bag lunch series. Offered in collaboration with the Women Center, the series included seven sessions open to both the University and local communities.
- The Department of Kinesiology and Health organized Fishing Has No Boundaries, an event designed to introduce the sport of fishing to people with disabilities. Under faculty direction, volunteers from the University and the community collaborated to offer this program to individuals of all ages and with varying disabilities.
Teaching and Student Achievements and Awards
- The Department of Art was represented at national and regional conferences by four students who presented research at conference sessions and participated in exhibitions and portfolio exchange.
- Teri Shors, Department of Biology/Microbiology, and Steven Szydlik, Department of Mathematics, were named Wisconsin Teaching Scholars for 2007-2008.
- Eric Hiatt, Department of Geology, E. Jeffrey Lipschutz, Department of Art, Boadong Liu, Department of Political Science, and Frances Rauscher, Department of Psychology, were awarded Endowed Professorships for 2007-2008.
- Professors in the Department of Chemistry engaged 29 of their students in faculty-supervised scholarly activities. Four of these students went on to present their research results at local or regional meetings.
- Radio-TV-Film students in the Department of Communication garnered various awards at both national and regional level competitions. At the National Broadcasting Society National Student Electronic Media Competition, three students won the Grand Prize in their respective categories. Three others won Wisconsin Broadcasters Student Awards for Excellence, and many others were recognized with awards at the Ten-State Heartland Region of the National Broadcasting Society. A Best Student Narrative Short also was received at the Wisconsin Film Festival, recognizing the collaborative efforts of three film students.
- Professors from the departments of Geography and Foreign Languages and Literatures participated in the second European Odyssey program, teaching courses in related European locales to 20 participating students.
- Students in the Department of Geology compiled an impressive list of research accomplishments, with 14 of them collaborating in research and/or authorship with professors in the department. Six geology students presented their scholarship at national and regional meetings.
- The International Studies Model United Nations Program continued its legacy of success by receiving the designation of Outstanding Delegation at the 2007 National Model United Nations, while also winning two Outstanding Delegation Awards at the Midwest Model UN competition.
- Charles Gibson, Department of Chemistry, was named a WiSys Innovation Scholar. This award honors faculty, staff and students who make “outstanding discoveries that benefit society.”
- A Crooked Man, a new play by Richard Kalinoski, Department of Theatre, premiered on the Fredric March stage.
- John Koker, College dean and professor of mathematics won the UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award.
- Baron Perlman, Department of Psychology won the 2007 Charles Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award.
Scholarship
2006-2007
- Faculty in the Department of Biology/Microbiology received $1.2 million from external funding sources.
- Stephen Kercher and Michelle Mouton, Department of History, and Baodong Liu, Department of Political Science, authored books resulting in publication in 2006-2007.
- A design by Richard Masters, Department of Art, was chosen by the U.S. Mint for the 2007 commemorative coin marking the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School.
- Faculty across the College continued to be productive in research and scholarship, publishing more than 135 journal articles, books, and book chapters, and presenting more than 160 papers at professional conferences. More than 60 students collaborated with faculty on research associated with these publications and presentations.
Partnership
2006-2007
- The College initiated an articulation agreement with the College of Menominee Nation, allowing their students to make seamless transfers to UW Oshkosh after completing general education and degree requirements that correspond to and fulfill those on this campus.
- The Department of Social Work expanded its Masters in Social Work collaboration with UW-Green Bay to include a part-time enrollment option