Campus mourns passing of education faculty emeritus Phil Thompson

Phil Thompson, photo courtesy of University Archives

UW-Green Bay learned last week of the passing of Phil Thompson, and associate professor of Education, who served for more than two decades at UW-Green Bay. Thompson was a lifelong basketball fan, and a regular in the “noon ball” league at the Phoenix Sports Center. He also served as clock operator for GB men’s basketball games for many years.

No obituary was passed along to the Log.

Thompson joined the UW-Green Bay faculty in 1971 as an assistant professor in the Education program, focusing in the areas of English and language arts. In addition to his instructional duties, Thompson supervised numerous independent studies and student teachers throughout his tenure. He routinely shared his expertise regarding teaching, classrooms, and curriculum matters by speaking at professional conferences, leading teacher in-service training, and serving as a consultant for school districts across Wisconsin. He also co-authored and presented an innovative language and literature text for the Green Bay Area Public School District. Thompson was recognized for his endeavors in 1985 with the UW-Green Bay Founder’s Award for Excellence in Outreach. At the time of the award, it was noted he “exemplified the finest in the ranking of the profession at UWGB.” In 1988, Thompson was further honored with a nomination for Wisconsin’s state educator of the year award. Thompson retired from UW-Green Bay in 1997. Upon the conferring of emeritus status, it was stated the recognition was due to his “tireless work at creating the first education program at UW-Green Bay and shepherding it through its continuous development.”

Written in collaboration with University Archives and Area Research Center.

Announcing: Phoenix Forum Virtual Speaker Series

Learning never stops—even when it’s not in person. One silver lining of the pandemic is our ability to stay connected through technology to continually support alumni success. The Alumni Office is announcing the Phoenix Forum Virtual Speaker Series. Learn from UW-Green Bay’s expert faculty and staff. Each speaker event will be from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. with an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.

1/21/2021 – ECO-U: The Next 50 Years: Speakers are Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, John Katers and CSET faculty Mike Draney, Bob Howe, Emily Tyner, Kevin Fermanich and John Arendt

3/18/2021 – The Silver Lining:  Unexpected Pandemic Outcomes on our Perceptions of Coaching, Teaching and Learning: Speaker is Associate Professor of Education Tim Kaufman

5/20/2021 – Mind on Money & Money on Mind: The Behavior & Psychology of Money: Speaker is Assistant Professor of Finance, Preston Cherry

7/15/2021 – How to Foster a True Love of Lifelong Learning: Speakers are Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Ryan Martin, Executive and Artistic Director of the Weidner Center, Kelli Strickland, and an English faculty member

9/16/2021 – Exercise is Medicine for Physical and Mental Health: Speakers are Psychology faculty Joanna Morrissey and Alan Chu

11/18/2021 – Get After It…Reaching Those Lofty Career Goals: Speaker is Director of Career Services, Linda Peacock-Landrum

UW-Green Bay education alumna was named Beloit Rotary Teacher of the Month

Carolyn Lynch ’12 (Education) has been named the Beloit Rotary Teacher of the Month. She is a fourth grade teacher at Aldrich Intermediate School in Beloit. She has been with the School District of Beloit for seven years and she is about to complete her eighth year with the district. She is a School Leadership member, a River of Life tutoring liaison, a BookQuest coach and a former math liaison. Teaching runs in her family. See the rest of the story in the Beloit Daily News. 

Mauel creates Data Science learning for girls/young women

Lauren Mauel, lecturer in the Professional Program in Education, created a curriculum on Data Science for young girls which has been selected by Create & Learn for its Hour of Code Activities Directory. Mauel’s curriculum, titled Fashionista of Data Science, is aimed at girls ages 13-18 years old. The curriculum teaches basic principles of data science through activities involving SQL code, design, and algorithm creation. Inspiration for this course came from her passion to interest more girls in the world of data science, says Mauel. Create & Learn aims to deliver virtual, fun, and interactive courses for children in areas such as artificial intelligence, data science and current technologies. Prior to starting at UW-Green Bay this fall, Mauel was a mathematics teacher at Green Bay Southwest High School. She currently teaches courses in the Education Program and Business Statistics this semester for the Cofrin School of Business. She is pursuing a Ph.D. at North Texas in Learning Technologies.

Virtual Learning Vent session, Oct. 22

Career moms have busy lives to juggle. At this event, you can learn tips and tricks to help guide you on a successful virtual school journey that will be empowering for both you and your children. This event, Oct. 22, 2020, will be led by Nest Members & Green Bay local academic coach, Lauren Mauel, a UW-Green Bay lecturer. This event is limited to 10 people in person, unlimited online. Find out more.

Applications to Education Program are due Oct. 2

Please spread the word. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 2, 2020 for students applying to be a Spring 2021 candidate in the Professional Program in Education. To apply, please submit the Application for Candidate Status Form. If you have questions regarding the Education Program or our application requirements, please contact us at 920-465-2137 or education@uwgb.edu for more information or to schedule an advising appointment.

Campus mourns loss of retired faculty member Dennis Bryan

UW-Green Bay learned of the loss of Dennis Bryan, one of the original faculty members in UW-Green Bay’s Education program. Bryan passes away on August 21, 2020. He served as a professor for 27 years. Honoring his wishes, there was no public funeral services. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Nature Conservancy. See the full obituary.

UW-Green Bay education major Kiara Verduzco talks about ‘the new normal’

Although UW-Green Bay is intending to be open in fall and welcoming faculty, staff and students back on campus, some classes originally scheduled for in-person instruction will be moving online or having online aspects to them for the safety of the UW-Green Bay community. Current UW-Green Bay students who transitioned to online learning in Spring 2020 demonstrated that they are resilient problem-solvers and describe their experiences while providing some advice to future students…

Kiara Verduzco

Kiara Verduzco is a sophomore majoring in Early Childhood Education.

“With everything going on in the world, there’s a lot of new normalities. Online learning has been something to adjust to, but it was made easier than I thought thanks to all of the support from UWGB. Professors are always an email away, and provide many resources that help you be as successful as possible. Some of these resources include: zoom meetings, Q&A sessions and emailing you frequently to keep you updated. The amount of support and care the faculty provide has made online schooling a much smoother sail!”

UW-Green Bay’s transition to online learning helped student Taylor Schreiber feel more confident about virtual learning

Although UW-Green Bay is intending to be open in fall and welcoming faculty, staff and students back on campus, some classes originally scheduled for in-person instruction will be moving online or having online aspects to them for the safety of the UW-Green Bay community. Current UW-Green Bay students who transitioned to online learning in Spring 2020 demonstrated that they are resilient problem-solvers and describe their experiences while providing some advice to future students…

Taylor Schreiber is an Education major entering her junior year.

Education student, Taylor Schreiber wearing a UW-Green Bay sweatshirt
Taylor Schreiber

“Nothing can replace walking to your first class of the semester after an exciting time of just moving in for the fall or starting your college experience, but amongst the current situation, UW-Green Bay faculty and staff are working to support students in the best way possible. While on campus, I thought I already used my email too often, but as everything shifted to online, this became even more important. Professors were very responsive, accommodating, and understanding when it came to class work, exam schedules and any other questions I had via email. Through lecture videos and screen recording, I was able to learn the necessary information in my classes. My professors also included ungraded quizzes, created questions boards and used other tools to assure students’ understanding of the material. When necessary, professors would hold class meeting times to catch up and clarify class content. Most would even host optional office hours via video conferencing! Of course it was nice working on papers and quizzes in sweatpants after rolling right out of bed, but I also found it extremely helpful to stick to a schedule and daily routine. This helped me stay organized and maintain motivation!

As an Education major, I will always prefer being in class with peers and professors because in-person discussion and interactive class work can never be replaced. However, UW-Green Bay’s ease while transitioning to online class work made me feel much more confident as I was adjusting the way I learn.”

Faculty note: Miranda Schornack’s recent publication named ‘Feature Article’ by educational organization

Assistant Prof. Miranda Schornack (Education) recently co-authored an article titled “How dispositions are(n’t) addressed in the English learner case study assignment.” In August 2020, the Minnesota Chapter of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages named the article by Schornack et al. (2020) as a Feature Article. Being named a Feature Article is a formal recognition of the manuscript for its importance and impact on the field of multilingual education.