2023 Faculty and Academic Staff Awards
It is with great pride that we congratulate the 2023 Faculty and Academic Staff Awardees. We acknowledge and thank all of the amazing nominees for their service and contribution to student success at UW-Whitewater. Bravo, Warhawks!
W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award – Max L. White
Outstanding Research Award – Jeff Herriott
Everett and Ellen Long Award for the Advancement of General Education – Karl W. Brown
Dr. Elmer G. Redford '59 Faculty Service Award – Russ Kashian
Sally Bean Academic Advising Award Nominees – Jared Janovec
Excellence Award for Instructional Academic Staff – Brian Schanen
Excellence Award for Academic Staff – Kristine Zaballos
Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award Nominees
The W. P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award is presented annually to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding teaching and the improvement of student learning.
Jolly Emrey
Jolly Emrey has been a faculty member at UW-Whitewater for 18 years. She received her Ph.D. in 2002 from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She primarily teaches public law courses and courses on legal research methods. She is the coordinator of the Legal Studies programs in her department, the Legal Eagles First Year Interest Group, and serves as department chair. She is also the co-editor, with her colleague Dr. Monica Lineberger, of the Law and Politics Book Review which is a publication of the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association. Her area of expertise is state courts, but she has recently been researching the courts of Ireland. She is privileged to have excellent students who work with her on her research and as assistant editors of the journal.
John Pruitt
John Pruitt is Professor of English and Women's & Gender Studies and has been a member of the faculty since 2004. He teaches first-year writing plus courses in modern and contemporary American literature. He serves as the National Regent for Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society and is past president of the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English.
Shannon Stuart
Shannon Stuart is a professor in the special education department, where she coordinates the graduate program, with 183 active students. Shannon strives to ensure that practicing educators have access to and feel empowered to use evidence-based best practice strategies with their students. The program she coordinates offers three emphasis areas and seven specialist certificate programs which are fully online in asynchronous format. In addition to coordinating the graduate program, she coordinates the autism certificate, the trauma informed practice in education certificate, and works throughout the year to co-plan the Endless Possibilities conference, an annual event held on campus in collaboration with seven state agencies.
Max L. White
Max L. White, a Professor in the Department of Art and Design, is in her 23rd year of teaching at UW-Whitewater. In charge of a 3,000 square foot Printmaking Lab, White states that she tries to create a milieu for students where the overarching expectations are: “RESPECT. PRACTICE. VISION”. The excellence of her students’ work has been recognized by visitors to our campus: Representatives of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design were particularly impressed at the quality of work emerging from Professor White’s Print and Design classes, specifically citing the vibrancy of those creative works in their final formal reaccreditation report. Professor White credits her mom, Jean Marie Dzierzanowski White (1933-2022), who read picture books to her every night as a child, with introducing a world of curiosity, imagination and depth.
L. Roger Yin
Dr. L. Roger Yin is a Professor of Information Technology in the College of Business and Economics at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Roger earned a B.E. in Environmental Engineering and holds both M.S. and Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Roger has more than 23 years in teaching IT and Cybersecurity related courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Yin helped develop and teach in UWW’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity program. Roger was awarded more than US$3M of federal grant funding as a Co-PI from DOD, DOL, and NSA for Cybersecurity training and education. Since 2016, Roger has served as Director of Academic Affairs on the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Chapter of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Dr. Yin has published more than 40 refereed journal articles and presented 50+ papers in national and international conference on and related to Information Technology.
Outstanding Research Award Nominees
The Outstanding Research Award is given annually in recognition of a single faculty member making significant advances to knowledge, technique, or creative expression in her/his professional discipline.
Elizabeth E. Blair
Dr. Elizabeth Blair is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As a teacher educator, Liz aims to support preservice teachers to understand the centrality of authentic relationships and critical, reflective practice to promote equity and support the success of all students. Her interdisciplinary scholarship focuses on exploring teaching and learning relationships, identity, and educational equity in elementary through postsecondary contexts, with a special focus on gender, gender identity, and equity. Her work has appeared in journals such as Teachers College Record, Teaching and Teacher Education, Gender and Education, and the Journal of Engineering Education. She is the Associate Editor of the Journal for Multicultural Education.
Nicholas Andrew Gulig
Dr Nicholas Gulig is the author of North of Order, Book of Lake, and Orient. The recipient of numerous national awards, prizes, and fellowships, including the Grist Proforma Award, the CSU Open Book Poetry Prize, and a Fulbright Fellowship to Thailand, he is an Associate Professor at UW-Whitewater and currently serves as the Wisconsin Poet Laureate.
Jeff Herriott
Jeff Herriott is a composer whose music focuses on sounds that gently shift and bend at the edges of perception. His works, which often include interaction between live performers and electronic sounds, have been described as “colorful…darkly atmospheric” (New York Times) and “incredibly soft, beautiful, and delicate” (Computer Music Journal). In addition to his concert music, Jeff has composed score and soundtrack music for several recent films including the documentary, What We’re Hungry For, directed by emeritus faculty Jim Winship, as well as the narrative films Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete, the latter two of which both premiered at the Venice Film Festival and featured original songs recorded by R&B legends, The O’Jays. He is also a member of and composer for bands working in diverse styles including heavy metal, noise, synthwave, and sleepy rock.
Aditya Simha
Aditya Simha is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Washington State University. His research interests are in business ethics, healthcare ethics, leadership and organizational behavior, and research methods. He has published articles in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Medical Ethics, Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Management Decision, and Group & Organization Management. He has written a book called Leadership Insights for Wizards and Witches, which discusses leadership from the context of the Harry Potter series. He is an associate editor of Business Ethics, the Environment, and Responsibility (BEER in short, and almost as bubbly as the beverage), and is also on the editorial boards of Journal of Business Ethics and Management Decision.
Everett and Ellen Long Award for the Advancement of General Education Nominees
The Everett and Ellen Long Award for the Advancement of General Education is awarded annually to a faculty member who has been vital in advancing the centrality of general education.
Karl W. Brown
Dr. Karl Brown graduated with a PhD in Modern European History from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. He has been teaching at UW-Whitewater since 2012. Karl lives in Whitewater with his wife and children.
Bruce Cohen
Professor Cohen teaches Directing for the Stage, Theater History, Devised Performance and leads the BSE-Theater Education track. He has taught for Denison University, Weber State University, the New World School of the Arts, and was Director of the Department of Theater at Arkansas State University-Beebe. A director, actor, and produced playwright for close to three decades; Professor Cohen is a full member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Actors Equity Association, and is a former Arkansas State Chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Prior to his career as a university professor and administrator, Professor Cohen ran several professional theatre companies including the award-winning Utah Musical Theatre. Professor Cohen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from Adelphi University and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Directing for the Stage from The University of Alabama.
John Tuinstra
John Tuinstra holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Music Education and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Tuba Performance from UW Madison with minors in Curriculum and Instruction and Conducting. For four years, he served as an instructor of instrumental music for the Madison Area Catholic Band Program and from 1987-1992 served as Assistant Conductor for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. He joined the music department at UW-Whitewater in 1984 and is currently the instructor of tuba and euphonium and teaches World of The Arts and brass pedagogy. He has served as the conductor for the Concert Band, taught courses in music appreciation, music education and supervised student teachers. Possessing a keen interest in education, he taught instrumental music for the Whitewater School District’s summer band program and maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and adjudicator at festivals, and clinics throughout the U.S.
Susan M. Wildermuth
Dr. Susan Wildermuth is a professor in the Department of Communication at UW-Whitewater. She has taught Cross Cultural Communication as part of the UWW general education diversity requirement since 2002. Her area of research is in cross cultural communication competency and fostering intercultural relationships. In her time at UWW, she has taken over 350 students abroad on experiential intercultural learning opportunities.
Dr. Elmer G. Redford '59 Faculty Service Award Nominees
The Dr. Elmer G. Redford '59 Faculty Service Award, given annually, recognizes a faculty member for outstanding service to the University.
Hala Ghoneim
Dr. Hala Ghoneim received a B.A. degree in English literature and translation from the University of Ain Shams, Cairo, Egypt. She received both her M.A. and Ph.D. from the Department of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been with UW-Whitewater since 2007. Her areas of expertise include Arabic and Anglophone African literature, postcolonial theory, Arabic language, Arabo-Islamic cultures, and Islam.
Nick Hwang
Dr. Nick Hwang is an associate professor in the Media Arts and Game Development program in the Communication Department and has taught at UW-Whitewater since 2015. He primarily teaches courses in Game Development and Team Projects. Nick's research interests involve broad networked collaborative, interactive systems, computer-enabled music composition, and gameful performance through art and technology.
Elizabeth Jozwiak
Dr. Elizabeth Jozwiak is Associate Professor of History in the College of Integrated Studies where she enjoys teaching an array of United States history courses. Her research interests include United States social and labor history. Jozwiak earned her MA and PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been with the university for over twenty years and in that time has been engaged in a wide variety of service roles at the department, university, and campus level. As part of her community outreach, she has presented historical presentations in various community settings, including the Fairhaven Lecture Series. She currently serves as a member of the Wisconsin Labor History Society Board of Directors.
Rashiqa Kamal
Dr. Rashiqa Kamal is an Associate Professor of Finance in the College of Business and Economics. She received an MBA from the University of Lucknow, India, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Dr. Kamal teaches courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate level. She has chaired and co-chaired two DBA committees, respectively, in addition to serving on several others. Dr. Kamal has several peer-reviewed publications in reputed finance journals like Journal of Corporate Finance, Managerial Finance, and Journal of Economics and Finance. Dr. Kamal is actively involved in various service activities across the system and campus. She is the UW-Whitewater representative and the Vice Chair of the Supplemental Retirement Program Advisory Committee. For the successful initiation of the annual Women in Business Day event at CoBE, in 2017, she was the recipient of the Women in Leadership Honor awarded by the UW-W Women’s Issues Committee.
Russ Kashian
As Director of the FERC (Fiscal and Economic Research Center) and a Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Dr Kashian has seen his work in applied economics published in both practitioner format and in peer-reviewed academic journals. Dr. Kashian earned a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MS in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University, and an MS & PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr Kashian graduated from South Milwaukee High School. His prior private sector experience was in finance and hospitality.
May Vang
Dr. Vang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to working in higher education, she was a teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools. As a refugee immigrant, her lived experiences have profoundly shaped her work and research focusing on heritage language learning and the experiences of students of color in mainstream American education. She has served on multiple university committees, as a Faculty Senator, student org. advisor, program coordinator, and on multiple department search committees. Her commitment to education extends to her work with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in revising World Language Standards and chairing committee revisions for the Reading/Literacy EE Standards. Dr. Vang also serves as an Executive Board member of a private liberal arts college in Minnesota, was an Executive Board member of the Wisconsin Humanities, and is on the Milwaukee Area Technical College CVT Advisory Board.
Rimi Zakaria
Rimi Zakaria, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Management at the College of Business and Economics. She is committed to promoting a collaborative, inclusive, and empathetic learning and organizational management culture. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in strategic, global, and behavioral domains. Dr. Zakaria is passionate about educating her students through experiential, technology-forward, and feedback-driven pedagogy. Her research examines questions at the crossroads of strategy, sustainability, and international business. She focuses on explaining inter-firm cooperation, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, employee well-being, and business's environmental impact and social purpose. Her work received many campus and external nominations and awards for teaching, research, and leadership excellence.
Sally Bean Academic Advising Award Nominees
The Sally Bean Academic Advising Award recognizes a faculty member or instructional academic staff member who has demonstrated excellence in the academic advising of students.
Lynn Gilbertson
Lynn Gilbertson is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her university service work in assessment as well as her roles as department chair and graduate program director fueled her commitment to developing, integrating, and evaluating program processes that enhance student learning and success. She is passionate about data informed program improvement and supporting student career readiness. Advising is a perfect vehicle to support student success and she aims to provide advising that is accessible, transparent, developmental, consultative, career focused, and connected.
Jared Janovec
Jared Janovec, BFA-Ceramics, 1999, Kansas State University; MFA-Ceramics, 2002, Indiana University. Janovec began his teaching career in the Department of Art and Design at UW-Whitewater in 2002 and continues to serve the institution’s students in the area of studio fine art Ceramics and foundational 3D Design. Janovec’s primary research interests spans topics of human history, the natural sciences, the history of agriculture, and the intersections thereof. Such topics of interest permeate his dioramic, narrative ceramic and mixed media sculpture, which incorporates human figurative and other representational imagery. As an educator, Janovec brings such areas of interest and skillsets into the studio classroom setting, although his greater focus as an educator is one of a non-dogmatic approach in exposing students to the breadth of history, concepts, applications, materials, processes and possibilities of studio fine art ceramics.
Heather R. Pelzel
Heather is an Associate Professor in the Biology department and teaches courses in cell biology, microbiology, and public health. In her department, she serves as the College Master Advisor, as well as the pre-dental and pre-optometry advisors. In addition to her teaching and advising roles, Heather mentors several students every year in undergraduate research projects. Outside of her department, Heather is the UW-Whitewater LEARN Center director and the co-director of UW System’s Wisconsin Teaching Fellows & Scholars program.
Excellence Awards for Academic Staff Nominees
Two academic staff members are honored each year, one from the instructional/teaching staff, for their contributions to the University.
Excellence Award for Academic Staff
Jessica Berge
Having earned her master’s degree from UWW in 1999, this Warhawk returned to campus after twenty years to promote the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. Fast forward four years and Jessica continues to share her passion for marketing as the director of marketing and communications at the College of Business and Economics. Jessica brings nearly 30 years of progressive marketing experience to campus having worked for advertising agencies, as an independent consultant, and as a marketing leader for organizations in various industries from finance and manufacturing to hospitality and consumer goods. Jessica serves on various marketing groups across campus, is in her second term on the Academic Staff Assembly, has been a member of multiple search and screen committees, and has taught marketing strategy at the UW Statewide Program Managers Meeting. Jessica lives in the Elkhorn countryside with her husband, two teenage sons, and two dogs.
Nicole Cervantes
Nicole Cervantes joined the UW-Whitewater department of ICIT in 2019, recently leaving her position as the Administrative Manager to move to the Budget Office as Budget Planner I. Her wide range of skills and abilities made efficient work of managing the ICIT budget and finances; staffing, recruitment, onboarding, and payroll; business and relationship management; and providing support to the CIO. Rising to a challenge on a nearly daily basis, her coordination and organizational efforts allow her to serve campus by steadily juggling the competing priorities of a demanding workload all with a smile and laugh. Not only is Nicole deeply dedicated to her team members, but also to campus, and to doing the best she can for our community. Prior to joining UWW, Nicole was a Finance and HR Manager in the industrial service industry.
Jeremy "Opie" Lade
Jeremy "Opie" Lade was born and raised in Oconto, WI and currently resides in Milton, WI with his wife, Melissa and their two dogs. Opie received his BSE in Physical education and MSE in Higher Education Leadership from UW-Whitewater. He was the head coach of the Wheelchair Basketball team at UW-W for 12 years and is now an Academic Advisor. Jeremy has won two national championships at UW-Whitewater as an athlete and six national championships as a coach. He has also represented Team USA at three Paralympics in the sport of wheelchair basketball (Athens, Beijing, London).
Ashley Mallu
I work at the UWW Rock County campus in the Solution Center office as an Academic Program Specialist. I have been with the campus for six years and enjoy helping students navigate higher education and assist with all the questions that come with it. I also enjoy co-organizing our food/essential items pantry and our holiday educational items drive for URock students who have children. I am fortunate to work in a team-oriented department that values student-focused objectives.
Jesica Schwarz
Jesica Schwarz is a proud UW-Whitewater alum who returned to the College of Business and Economics in July 2016 as Graduate Recruitment Manager and more recently moved to the Graduate Academic Advising Manager role. She is passionate about student success, such as aligning programs that fit career aspirations, creating individualized program plans, making connections to campus resources, and more. Jesica is conscientious of the needs of current/former military, international, traditional, non-traditional, and online learners and aims to integrate her understanding in everything from advising to program discussions. She strives to continue learning through graduate coursework, workshops, and book clubs in order to better serve people. Jesica’s efforts have helped CoBE graduate programs grow by 52% in a five-year period beginning the 2016/2017 academic year. She is honored to be involved in this growth and is excited about the opportunity to build deeper connections with students in her new position.
Chris Skrandzius
Chris Skrandzius graduated from UW-Whitewater with his BA in Information Technology in 2017. Shortly after graduating, Chris started working alongside ICIT and created a project focused on search engine optimization through building out Google Map locations with professional photographs, along with the addition of 360° panoramas to aid in the discoverability and navigation across campus locations. Currently, Chris helps to mentor students, and provide guidance at the TSC Helpdesk in his role as Front-Line Quality Assurance, as well as working with the Web team to maintain UW-W website information. Outside of work, Chris enjoys building websites, working on computers, and spending time with friends and family.
Tayana Tornes
Tayana Tornes is a Senior Academic Advisor in the Academic Advisor and Exploration Center (AAEC). She is a double alum of Whitewater and received her Bachelors in Special Education in 2014 and Masters in Higher Education in 2016. In addition to advising, she previously coordinated the Learning Community Warhawks of Excellence and currently coordinates the National exams on campus, teaches New Student Seminar and serves as the Chapter advisor for a sorority.
Kristine Zaballos
Kristine has been with University Marketing and Communications since 2014, first as a writer/editor and then as assistant director. The best part of her role — other than working with a first-class creative team of genuinely kind people — is being able to collaborate with colleagues across campus, helping to get the word out about the great work they do. Over the years, Kristine has been part of teams that established the Warhawk Pantry, the Campus Memory Garden, and the university’s first Spanish website. She raised four children with her husband Peter in Whitewater and currently splits her time between Seattle and Whitewater. Her community service includes more than 10 years on the Plan Commission, co-founding Whitewater City Market, and co-founding the Whitewater Community Space. She feels grateful she gets to think deeply about words, audience, and inclusiveness every day. When she’s not working, you can find her taking long walks and picking up trash.
Amy Zelinger
Since coming to UW-Whitewater in 2003, my passion for higher education continues to grow. I have enjoyed working with people across campus in my different roles, but I particularly enjoy the opportunity to have an impact on the student experience. As an academic advisor in the College of Business & Economics, I have the privilege of working with students from their "day one" at SOAR all the way through to graduation. Every student has a unique path and providing guidance for them along the way is something I take pride in. I am eager to be involved in different committees on campus and strive to have a positive impact in every circumstance. I am honored to be nominated for this award on a campus where so many people do so many great things.
Excellence Award for Instructional Academic Staff
Jodi Galvan
Jodi Galvan is in her 32nd year of teaching, with 20 of those years being at UW-Whitewater in the Communication Department. She was instrumental in transitioning from D2L to Canvas for her college as a Canvas peer mentor. Jodi has earned the UW System Certification in Online Learning and earned Instructure's Canvas Certified Educator certificate. Currently, through the Online Learning Consortium, Jodi is working toward her certificate in instructional design. In 2011, Jodi created the Partners in Education (PIE) dual-credit program. She still functions as a faculty mentor within the PIE program. Currently, as a new campus initiative through Continuing Education, Jodi offers instructional design services for Canvas courses. Jodi earned both her BS in Elementary Education 1-8 and her MS in Communication from UW-Whitewater. Starting fall of 2023, Jodi will begin working on an EdD in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at Alverno College.
Timothy J. Holian
Dr. Timothy J. Holian has been a Lecturer of German and the Coordinator of the University of Wisconsin’s Whitewater German program since Fall 2019. Prior to joining UWW, he worked as a Senior Lecturer of German at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha (2006-2013) and the University of Wisconsin/University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County (2013-2019). Dr. Holian serves as the Academic Advisor of UWW’s German Club and of UWW’s Chapter of the Collegiate German Academic Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha. Additionally, he is an active member in the Department of Languages and Literatures, and its World Languages and Cultures Unit, collaborating in the most recent “French, German and Spanish Self-Study” and the development of a proposal for the creation of the World Languages and Cultures Department. His articles and books in the field of German-American Studies and on Beer and Culture have earned him a national and international reputation as a scholar.
Brian Schanen
I started teaching at UW-Whitewater in the fall of 2018 in the Communication Department. Beyond teaching, I am the Co-Director of the Forensics Team at UWW. Over the last five years, I have taught courses in mass communication, public speaking, video production, audio production, and film. I am a proud two-time graduate of UW-Whitewater. I earned my undergraduate in Communication and my Masters in Mass Communication. I like to say that students are not just a part of my job, but they are part of my DNA. I try to center my teaching on reaching students where they are at and on empathy.