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Four community leaders will be the recipients of Chancellor’s Medallions during the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s 140th spring commencement ceremonies May 17.

The Chancellor’s Medallion is awarded to individuals the Chancellor deems deserving because of their significant contributions to all or a combination of some of the following:  the University, the region, the state or the nation.

This year’s Chancellor’s Medallion recipients are:

  • Gordon Hintz and Dean Kaufert, who will be recognized at the 9 a.m. ceremony.

 

Hintz

Hintz and Kaufert serve as elected members of the Wisconsin State Assembly. The presentation of the Chancellor’s Medallion is in recognition of the leadership and service they both have provided while serving as members of the Wisconsin State Building Commission.

Hintz has served in the Assembly since 2006. In addition to his service as a teacher in the UW Oshkosh community, he also worked in municipal government and for other elected officials.

Kaufert has served in the Assembly since 1990 and was recently elected Mayor of the City of Neenah. His record of leadership and service in Neenah dates back to 1985 when he served on the city council.

Kaufert

As members of the State Building Commission, Hintz and Kaufert have served and advanced broad regional priorities, including a number of campus-specific projects that have significantly improved and enhanced the environment for excellence in teaching, learning, research and service by our campus community. Representatives Hintz and Kaufert have helped our faculty, staff, students and alumni in the important work UW Oshkosh does as a publicly-supported institution within the UW System.

 

 

  • Eileen Connolly-Keesler and Stewart Rieckman, who will be recognized at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

 

Connolly-Keesler

Within the last few years, Connolly-Keesler and Rieckman have left long-standing positions of leadership and public trust in the greater Oshkosh area. As high visibility individuals providing visionary guidance and sense of direction, they helped drive community and regional development efforts.

Both Connolly-Keesler and Rieckman worked tirelessly to ensure their constituents and home governments kept robust, civic engagement a priority for the betterment of a resurgent community and region.

Connolly-Keesler served as president of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation for 13 years before relocating to Naples, Florida, to lead up the Community Foundation of Collier County.

Rieckman

Rieckman completed nearly 44 years of exemplary service as a dedicated journalist, executive editor and general manager at the Oshkosh Northwestern.

Connolly-Keesler and Rieckman provided exceptional leadership to the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation and the Oshkosh Northwestern, respectively, as leading, institutional voices for quality of life in and the future development of the greater Oshkosh area.

 

 

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