UW-Whitewater announces 2002-2003 university-wide award winners
Released: May 15, 2003
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater honored faculty and academic staff excellence at the annual Faculty/Academic Staff Recognition Dinner in the Hamilton Center of the James R. Connor University Center on Friday, May 16. Five individuals were recognized for their accomplishments and contributions.
W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award: Diana Rogers-Adkinson, special education
Diana Rogers-Adkinson of Whitewater has been described by her students as “an excellent and caring teacher who is willing to help students achieve academic and professional goals.” An associate professor of special education with UW-Whitewater since 1999, Rogers-Adkinson recently received the Audrey Z. McClellan Endowed Teacher of Distinction Award for 2002.
A prolific writer in the areas of emotional and behavioral disorders, Rogers-Adkinson was recently funded for a College of Education Research Proposal. She has made numerous professional presentations at the state, national and international level. Currently, she is coordinator for the Emotional Behavioral Disorders Program at UW-Whitewater and was a past-chair of the Tenure Appeal Committee, a member of the Faculty Senate, the University Standards and Promotions Committee and the Institutional Review Board.
Rogers-Adkinson received her bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and her master’s and doctorate degrees from Kent State University.
The W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award, UW-Whitewater’s highest teaching award, was established in memory of W.P. Roseman, who directed the campus elementary schools from 1919 to 1924. The winner carries the ceremonial mace during the 2002-2003 commencement ceremonies.
Outstanding Research Award: Lawrence Neuman, sociology
For the past 20 years that Lawrence Neuman has taught sociology at UW-Whitewater, he has also actively conducted research, been published in major academic journals and presented at scholarly conferences in the U.S. and abroad. His research, which he incorporates into the classroom, has focused on a variety of topics including social inequality and political beliefs of Americans, race and ethnic relations in East Asia and American public opinion about Japan, among others. In addition, Neuman is the author of a widely praised textbook on social science research methods.
Neuman, who lives in Madison, received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his master’s and doctorate degrees from UW-Madison.
The UW-Whitewater Award for Outstanding Research recognizes faculty members for making significant advances to knowledge, technique or creative expression in his or her professional field. It honors a faculty member who excels at research and is an exemplary teacher-scholar.
Faculty Service Award: Robert Gruber, accounting
Robert Gruber of Mukwonago has compiled an extensive service record not only to the accounting department and university, but also to his profession and community. In the words of one colleague, Gruber’s “service activities have not been at the expense of either his teaching or research, but rather, have enhanced both, as well as the prestige and reputation of the university.”
Gruber, who came to UW-Whitewater in 1983, has been very active in two professional organizations: the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accounting (WICPA) where he currently serves as vice-president; and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), in which he was a faculty advisor for UW-Whitewater’s student IMA chapter. He has served on several search and screen committees, Faculty Senate, Graduate Council and Intercollegiate Athletics. Gruber is chair of the accounting department and of the promotion and tenure committee as well as a member of the Administrative Council for the College of Business and Economics. At the community level, he serves as a school board member for the Mukwonago Area School District.
Gruber earned his undergraduate degree from UW-Eau Claire and his master’s and doctorate degrees from UW-Madison.
The UW-Whitewater Faculty Service Award recognizes outstanding contributions in services to the university and the wider community.
Excellence Award for Instructional Staff: John Luecke, communication
Both his colleagues and students describe John Luecke as “an excellent and highly motivated teacher.” For 14 years Luecke has taught communication classes primarily in the area of public relations. He has been a primary catalyst in developing new courses and keeping the curriculum on the cutting-edge, utilizing his skills in technology. Beyond his enthusiasm in the classroom, Luecke helps students obtain internships in public relations around Wisconsin. He also advises up to 50 students each semester.
Luecke is active with in the Public Relations Society of America and serves on the committee which is developing the new multimedia curriculum at UW-Whitewater. He graduated from Sheboygan North High School in 1964 and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UW-Milwaukee. He resides in Wauwautosa.
The UW-Whitewater Instructional Staff Award, established in 1985, recognizes outstanding performances by a member of the instructional academic staff.
Excellence Award for Non-Instructional Staff: Sandra Scott-Duex, residence life
The organizational skills, sense of humor and broad-based knowledge of Sandra Scott Duex have made the UW-Whitewater campus a better place. As assistant director of Residence Life, Sandra Scott Duex is known for her expertise in understanding college students. This knowledge comes from spending time with students, mentoring them and keeping herself informed on a professional level. Not only does Duex serve on numerous committees, multiple student organizations and various task forces and teams, but she does so with a contagious “can-do” attitude, according to her colleagues.
Duex, who lives in Fort Atkinson, received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Cardinal Stritch College. She has worked at the university since 1991.
The UW-Whitewater Non-Instructional Staff Award, established in 1985, recognizes outstanding performance by a member of the non-instructional academic staff.
- Jane Provorse ,provorsj@uww.edu
