Founders Association – Inside UW-Green Bay News

December 14, 2017December 14, 2017

Nominations requested for 2018 Founders Association Awards

It’s time to start submitting nominations for the 2018 Founders Association Awards. The Awards & Recognition Committee encourages anyone from the UW-Green Bay community to nominate a faculty member, instructor, lecturer or staff member they would like to see honored at next year’s Fall Convocation. A list of awards and descriptions of award criteria, as well as a list of previous award winners can be found online. The deadline for submission is March 9, 2018.

The nomination form can be completed electronically. Individuals and groups who have received the Founders Association Award for a given category within the last 15 years will not be eligible for that same category. Also, self-nominated individuals and groups will not receive consideration. If the individual(s) you nominate is (are) selected as a finalist(s), you will be contacted to provide further information such as background information on your nominee, letters of support addressing the nominee’s qualifications for the award, etc. All awards will be presented at the campus-wide convocation in August.

If you have any questions or need assistance completing your nomination(s), please feel free to contact Eric Morgan, Chair of the Awards & Recognition Committee, or any Committee member – (Toni Damkoehler, Mike McIntire, Kathleen Burns, Rosa Serrano, Nathan Kraftcheck, Hannah Fameree, Ruth Pearson and Janet Ludke). Awards & Recognition Committee members are not eligible for nomination.

September 26, 2017

Former Founders Association member Greg Conway passes away

Members of the UW-Green Bay campus community send condolences to the family of Greg Conway of Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry Law Firm, who passed away on Sept. 15, 2017. He served on the Founders Association Board of Directors for several years in the 1990s. He and his wife Diane were also friends, donors and patrons of the Weidner Center as well as many community charities in Brown County. See the full obituary.

October 29, 2015January 13, 2016

Reminder: Southard services 

Robert “Bob” Southard, 91, a local broadcasting executive who became an early and lifelong champion of UW-Green Bay, will be remembered Friday (Oct. 30) with services in Green Bay. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. Friday at Holy Cross Catholic Church on Bay Settlement Road, prior to the 11 a.m. Mass. For the full obituary.

October 27, 2015

Passing of Bob Southard 

Word was received Monday of the passing of Robert “Bob” Southard, 91, a local broadcasting executive who became an early and lifelong champion of UW-Green Bay. Southard’s record of support is well documented, culminating with presentation in May 2012 of a Founders Lifetime Achievement Award. The University and its Founders Association Board thanked him “for lending his voice through gracious persuasion, philanthropy and advocacy on behalf of UW-Green Bay faculty, staff and students… and for expressing, over the course of four decades, the importance of a local, public University to a healthy and vibrant region for generations to come.” Southard’s involvement with UWGB dated to the days when the campus was still mainly a concept, as newly arrived Founding Chancellor Ed Weidner reached out in 1966 to discuss how the University could best partner with its community. Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. this Thursday (Oct. 29) at Proko-Wall Funeral Home on East Mason, and at 10 a.m. Friday at Holy Cross Catholic Church on Bay Settlement Road, prior to the 11 a.m. Mass. For photos and more from the 2012 ceremony honoring Southard, see our archived coverage.

August 28, 2014June 10, 2019

Photos: Smiles, awards, Convocation ’14

Less than one week out from the official start of the fall 2014 semester, UW-Green Bay faculty, staff and community friends gathered in the University Union’s Phoenix Room on Aug. 27 for the annual kickoff convocation. Relaxed smiles, laughter and school spirit were on prominent display. As always, a high point was announcement of the Founders Association Awards for Excellence, acknowledging the contributions of outstanding colleagues for service to the University and its students. (Among them, above, was financial specialist Cheryl Pieper, recipient of the award for classified support staff, crossing the stage to accept her plaque and greetings from Chancellor Gary Miller, selection committee chair Lidia Nonn and Founders President Anita Resch.) Also popular: Introduction of new faculty and staff, who stood while brief introductions were read from the stage by University officers, officials and deans.

(Click thumbnails to enter slideshow view.)

Photos by Kimberly Vlies, Marketing and University Communication

August 27, 2014August 27, 2014

Founders’ Resch shares own reasons for giving back

Anita Resch, President, UW-Green Bay Founders Association

Anita Resch, the incoming president of the UW-Green Bay Founders Association, shared a powerful testimonial on Wednesday (Aug. 27) about the power of higher education.

Resch is a vice president and trust officer with Nicolet National Bank in Green Bay. As the new executive officer of the Founders Association board — the oldest fund- and friend-raising organization rallying private support for UW-Green Bay — she had the honor of bringing greetings from the Founders as part of the annual faculty/staff convocation on campus.

Resch told the more than 500 current and former employees, and fellow community representatives, that local support for the University is deep. Last year, more than 3,100 citizens, employees and alumni made financial contributions to the cause.

“We all have our own reasons for loving this University,” Resch said. She then went on to describe her own experiences as a part-time student who persevered to earn her degrees.

“My reason, as a single, non-traditional student and, at the time, a single mom, was that this campus and my professors gave me the opportunity to become strong and independent.”

There were many times, Resch recalled, that she brought her young daughter to class because she couldn’t find or afford a babysitter.

“She had her backpack of crayons and fruit snacks and, together, we went to class,” Resch said. “My professors and advisers were accepting… and amazing.”

Those faculty and staff encouraged her to continue down “the long road” of a part-time student, she said, and promised that she could do it if she didn’t give up.

“And they were right. I didn’t give up, and after my bachelor’s, I got my master’s. I truly believe that no other university would have helped me achieve my education the way that UW-Green Bay did.”

Resch closed by applauding today’s faculty and staff — including more than a few she knows well from her days on campus — for extending the same professionalism and encouragement to all students.

“On behalf of the Founders,” Resch said, “we continue to be amazed by the impact you have not only on students, but on this community as a whole. We’re honored to help support an institution that features so many employees determined to make a difference in the lives of others. It’s a partnership, and a partnership the Founders Association is incredibly privileged to be a part of.”

Resch earned bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Human Development, and a master’s in Management.

May 22, 2014May 23, 2014

Farewell to Andy Kersten

Longtime faculty member Andrew Kersten took part in his final commencement at UW-Green Bay last Saturday and, today, he left his administrative office, CL 835, for the final time in preparation for his move west. Kersten will begin his duties in late June at the University of Idaho as dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, that institution’s largest academic division with nearly 4,100 students in 11 departments. Kersten was one of only two professors here to be a four-time recipient of the Founders Association Award for Excellence. When he joined the faculty in 1997, he became the second generation of UW-Green Bay’s first family of professors. We have one last UWGB photo and a little history on his family ties.

May 20, 2014May 22, 2014

Hinckleys got warm welcome at May 2012 commencement

Dr. James and Patricia Hinckley received an extended ovation at UW-Green Bay’s May 2012 commencement when they were recognized with the institution’s highest community honor, the Chancellor’s Award. Jim is a member of the UW-Green Bay Athletics Hall of Fame, and the training and sports medicine area at the Kress is named the James Hinckley Sports Medicine Center in his honor. In 2008 the Hinckleys endowed a UW-Green Bay scholarship fund — one of the University’s largest — in Patricia’s name, with preference to women student athletes pursuing careers related to mathematics, science or education. The couple’s philanthropy on behalf of the University began in 1981 with generous annual contributions to the Founders Association for student scholarships and academic enhancements. They later became active supporters of the Phoenix Fund for athletics, and the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. For a photo and our original news post from May 2012.

May 12, 2014May 13, 2014

In case you missed it: News from Friday’s Log Extra

In case you missed Friday’s Log Extra, here are a few of the stories making news:
“Ganyard earns UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award”
“Psych, Human Development projects beautify campus with purpose”
“Giving back: Celebrating donors, students and research”
“Middle school students reminded about college aspirations”

May 9, 2014

Giving back: Celebrating donors, students and research

top-story-donors The Weidner Center Foyer was once again a perfect setting for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to celebrate research and scholarship on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. More than 120 guests joined with UW-Green Bay students, faculty and staff at the Spring 2014 Donors Reception to engage with current students as they discussed both their research and, for the seniors, their plans for the future. The University used the occasion to congratulate Bob Southard on his 90th birthday. (See the 2012 feature recognizing Southard for his four decades of service to the University and Founders Association Board.) The gallery features a smiling Southard with his wife Martha (above), and all the guests enjoying this special annual event.