Dear Friends of the College of Letters and Science,

I hope you enjoy this issue of The College of Letters and Science Highlights and are impressed, as I am, with the wide range of intellectual activities in which the College’s faculty, staff, students and alumni are involved.  The following stories are examples of the types of high-impact educational activities that we support and the difference they make in students’ lives.
 
The College of Letters and Science intends to increase programmatic offerings that help students explore cultures and worldviews different from their own.  All students should be actively involved in addressing highly contested questions and researching unsolved problems through one-on-one interaction with a faculty member using cutting-edge technologies.  In addition, our students need direct experience with issues they are studying through ongoing efforts to analyze and solve problems in the community.
 
I invite you to share how your past experiences in the College continue to shape your life and work today. And I invite you to become involved as the College explores new ways to enhance our students’ educational opportunities.
 
Sincerely,
John Koker
Dean

Filmmakers make films.
Those three words could sum up Troy Perkins' teaching mission at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he is an associate professor in the Radio-TV-Film program. Perkins is aware that most film programs insist on students producing a film of their own as a rite of passage. However, he is also aware of the great difference in quality between student-produced films and professionally produced films. His solution to bridge the quality chasm?
Read more about Filmmaker & Teacher: A Chat with Troy Perkins.

In a place where all residents had been judged and sentenced, there is one room in the Taycheedah Correctional Institution where judgment is checked at the door. This is the room where 10 female inmates and 10 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students came together to learn alongside each other with the help of their instructor, Dr. Carmen Heider.
Read more about Prison from the Inside Out.

Faculty Notes are short news and feature items relating to the faculty members in the College of Letters and Science. Read about Dr. Thomas Lammers, a plant biologist, who discovered something oddly familiar in an article about a new plant species.

For more highlights, please visit the College of Letters and Science Special Reports Web site.

Alumni Pride: UWO grad motivates with humor
Inspiration is Dave Kelly’s job. As a motivational speaker, humorist and author, Kelly ’84, of Fond du Lac, delivers about 35 speeches each year at universities, corporations, churches, schools and other venue .
Read more about Dave Kelly.

In STEP with students: Matthew Meyers
Working with LEGO blocks and artificial intelligence is how Student Titan Employment Program (STEP) intern Matthew Meyers applies his computer science acumen at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Read more about Matthew Meyers.

UWO students shine at state broadcasting awards
Radio-TV-film students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh took home 11 of the 52 student media awards presented by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association during the organization’s student media conference, winning more awards than any other institution.
Read more about these outstanding students.

Video: Art students set up new juried exhibit
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Department of Art faculty member Andrew Redington leads an “Exhibition Design” course in Allen Priebe Art Gallery Feb. 17. Students in the course are required to receive, install, light, strike and return all exhibitions scheduled for the Priebe Art Gallery and Annex Gallery.
Check out the video.

Professor, student research ancient ocean basin in China
Not every undergraduate student would trade a relaxing winter break for an intense, five-week geological field study in China. But University of Wisconsin Oshkosh senior Paula Richter, of Oshkosh, wouldn’t have wanted to spend the holidays any other way. Working with UWO geologist Dan Lehrmann and an international field team, Richter spent long days studying the ancient oceanography of a large marine sedimentary basin in southern China.
Read more about this trip to the Far East.

A liberal arts degree from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh provides our graduates with endless possibilities. 
We hope you enjoyed reading about the students, faculty, staff and alumni that comprise the College of Letters and Science.  Please consider supporting current and future initiatives in the College by making a gift to one of the following funds:

• Radio-TV-Film Excellence Fund will be used to acquire new hardware and software technology to ensure that RTF students will continue to have access to resources that will help them remain at the forefront of their fields.
• Service and Community-Based Learning Fund provides field-based experiential learning for all COLS students through community-based partnerships.  Students apply their coursework through service opportunities acquiring an understanding of the importance of good citizenship and giving back to the community.
• Visual Arts Fund enhances the Department of Art by offering student scholarships, technology and equipment upgrades to our studios and galleries. The fund also supports field trips and professional development opportunities for students and faculty.
•  Department of Journalism Fund provides essential support for students and faculty for such activities as guest speaker honorariums, support for student clubs, publications and competitions.
• Department of Biology Fund supports field trips, laboratory technology and equipment upgrades and provides travel support for guest speakers to enhance the educational experience for our students.
• Department of Computer Science Fund provides support for students who engage in undergraduate research and offers them the opportunity to present their work to a broader audience and also provides the benefits of off-campus learning opportunities to our students, such as participation in a programming contests and robotics competitions.
• Department of Geology Endowed Research Fund offers critical support to fund travel costs, conference registration fees, and equipment and supplies related to the ongoing collaborative research efforts of students and faculty.

Click here  to make a gift to the UW Oshkosh Foundation.  Please indicate which fund your gift should be directed to. For questions, contact Barbara Beuscher, COLS Director of Development, 920.424.2428 or beuscherb@uwosh.edu.

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