Select Page

Assistant Dean in the College of Nursing Suzanne Marnocha has filled a variety of roles throughout her lifetime—registered nurse, professor, wife, mother, grandmother, motorcycle rider, horse owner, chicken raiser, gardener, sustainability enthusiast—and now Jeff Curler Endowed Professor of Health Sciences.

Marnocha has worked in the College of Nursing at UW Oshkosh for 21 years as a professor (assistant, associate and full), assistant dean, pre-licensure program director and researcher.

With her Jeff Curler Professor of Health Sciences Endowed Professorship award, Marnocha’s research will be funded up to $2,500 per year for four years.

In order to be considered for the Jeff Curler Professor of Health Sciences Endowed Professorship award, nominees had to excel in three areas: teaching, scholarship and service.

“It’s very competitive, and I was nominated by a colleague,” Marnocha said. “The nomination showed my involvement in teaching, being actively engaged in peer-reviewed publications and bring alongside students and mentoring new faculty, and my service on committees at UWO and professional organizations and non-UWO committees.”

“She is successful in role modeling and communicating the theory and practice associated with her specialty—intensive care, trauma and medical-surgical nursing in general,” Judy Westphal, associate nursing professor, wrote in her nomination letter for the endowed professorship award.

Marnocha began her career as a bedside registered nurse, and continued working as a nurse even during her time at UWO, for a total of 38 years as a nurse. In 1994 she began working at UW Oshkosh as an assistant professor and said she has always a passion for nursing and teaching.

“I come from a long ling of teachers and I love nursing so much, so what better way to ensure the future of nursing than to teach nurses,” Marnocha said.

Marnocha said she loves studying and learning because things change on a daily basis, which is why she said working in the UW Oshkosh College of Nursing is a perfect fit.

“I earned my diploma in nursing in 1976, followed by my BSN in 1984, my MSN in 1990 and my Ph.D. in nursing in 2003,” Marnocha said. “I love it here because I have always been encouraged to keep learning.”

“Nursing is a fabulous profession with so many different career opportunities,” Marnocha said.

Watch Dr. Marnocha’s Faculty Five

Learn more: