Faculty, Staff and Adviser Awards

Nominations due by March 14, 2025. Previous honorees are not eligible.

Nomination Guidelines

• The recipient can be nominated by all current students and alumni of UWRF. View the nomination form.
• Nominators, please reflect upon the various teachers you have had at UWRF and select the one who most challenged and motivated you to learn.
• Please list the name of that teacher on the survey and answer the questions listed in reference to that person.

Selection Procedure

• The Distinguished Teaching Award Committee is charged with selecting the Distinguished Award recipient. The committee will be chaired by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) Director (or designee) and will also include the Provost (or designee), a tenure-track or tenured faculty member selected by the Faculty Senate, an instructional academic staff member selected by the Faculty Senate in consultation with the Academic Staff Council and a previous Distinguished Teaching Award recipient nominated by the CETL Director and confirmed by Faculty Senate.  All faculty and academic staff appointments will serve for three years.
• The committee's selection will not be based solely on the number of nominations received but will also consider the survey responses. The committee will use a rubric approved by the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee to evaluate those survey responses. 

David Bonko honored with Distinguished Teaching Award

When David Bonko teaches students in his marketing communications classes at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, he does more than simply instruct them about the topic.

Bonko, an associate professor of marketing communications who has taught at the university for the past 26 years, also designs his curriculum to include experiential learning. That means instead of just discussing marketing and communications topics, Bonko’s students put those concepts into action.

For instance, each year his students select a nonprofit charity and then design and carry out a marketing campaign in which they raise awareness about and donations and money for that charity. Last semester students in Bonko’s Sales Promotions and Event Planning raised $2,500 for an Arizona-based organization to provide free wigs for people undergoing cancer treatments that cause them to lose their hair.

“I focus a lot on experiential application and experiential learning,” Bonko said. “It’s more than just telling students ‘Learn this.’ It’s teaching them about why information they are learning is relevant, why it is going to make a difference in their futures. It’s really about learning by doing, and students seem to like that.”

Bonko’s hands-on teaching style has earned him the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award at UW-River Falls, the highest honor a faculty member can receive on campus. The award was established in 1965 to recognize teaching excellence.

Awardees are nominated by current and former students and selected by the Distinguished Teaching Award Committee. As part of winning the award, Bonko will address students at the December graduation ceremony.

Bonko said he was very surprised to learn that he had been chosen for the distinguished teacher honor.

“UW-River Falls has so many great teachers. When I heard I was even being considered, I was like ‘really?’ Then to be selected, well, I am quite honored and humbled,” Bonko said.

The key to being an effective educator, Bonko said, is connecting with students. Getting to know them and what motivates them is important, he said, and leads to learning.

“I believe if a student trusts you, they'll learn from you. Trust creates a mutually beneficial relationship where both the instructor and student do not want to disappoint each other,” he said.

Flexibility with his curriculum is another key to helping his students learn effectively, Bonko said. Being open to adjusting class lessons to fit what students want to learn and what they feel they need to work on engenders their buy-in, he said.

“I don't hold myself to a syllabus,” Bonko said. “You have to be really flexible. The students have a say in what they are going to learn.”

Ensuring that his lesson plans are relevant to students matters, he said, especially as they are increasingly inundated with information through social media and other sources. He has retained an excitement about marketing and communications throughout his career and he hopes that transfers to his students. He has another ingredient to his teaching success.

“Humor always helps,” Bonko said. “If you can get the students laughing, it can create a fun atmosphere in which they want to learn.”  

Bonko’s current and past students praised his dedication to teaching marketing and communications effectively. His patience and dedication to helping students learn at a deep level are admirable, they said, and set them up for success in their careers. He is especially effective at teaching problem-solving skills, they said.

Former UW-River Falls student Luke Affolter had Bonko as an adviser from 2009-13. He credits Bonko as a major reason he enjoyed his time at the university.

“He is engaging in class and makes learning fun while still making sure we learned what we needed to learn,” Affolter said. “He is, without a doubt, a shining star at UWRF.”

Bonko said he never envisioned himself teaching at a university. After graduating from St. Thomas University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, he worked as a retail representative for Sports Illustrated, Time and People magazines. He subsequently was employed by a small startup Major League Baseball licensing firm before working for a nonprofit. He decided to teach as an adjunct professor and discovered he loved educating students.

Nearly three decades later, Bonko is teaching at UW-River Falls and is as excited about connecting with students and educating them about marketing communications as ever. He is especially proud of his students, who have hosted 19 fundraising events since 2011, helping a variety of organizations raise $60,000 for good causes in the process.

“These kids work so hard to do good for this world,” Bonko said. “You're trying to encourage the next generation of community volunteers, and I’m lucky that I get to be a part of doing that.”
 

Nominations due by March 14, 2025. Previous recipients are not eligible. 

Purpose and Eligibility: The purpose of the UWRF Adviser of the Year award is to recognize excellence in the advising of undergraduate students. Full-time, tenure-track facility and professional staff with a minimum of four years of academic advising at UWRF are eligible. An adviser may receive the award only once. 

Nomination Procedure: Eligible nominators include all current students and alumni of UWRF. An online nomination form is available and advertised electronically to current students and alumni. 

Selection Procedure: The Advising Committee will review the nominations. The committee’s selection will not solely be based on the number of nominations received but will also take into account student and alumni comments in order to address disparity in advising loads in different departments. The committee will use a rubric approved by the Advising Committee to evaluate the qualitative feedback provided by nominators as part of the selection process.

Recommendation to the Chancellor: The committee’s annual recommendation to the chancellor will consist of a single adviser’s name.

Award Presentation: Of the nominations, the only name to be announced will be the adviser selected for the award. The award presentation will be made at the Chancellor’s Award Reception. It is recommended that a monetary prize accompany the award.

Improvement of Academic Advising: The Advising Committee will evaluate the nominations to gain insight on what students and alumni consider to be criteria for outstanding academic advising. These insights will inform development of faculty and student outcomes of advising, tools for their assessment and plans for their achievement.

Commitment, caring earn Hergenrader 2024 Adviser of the Year honor

As an academic adviser, Chris Hergenrader takes a different approach with each student he works with and strives to individualize their academic plans in a way that will help them have the best chance at success after graduation.

Hergenrader, an assistant animal science professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, provides every one of his students a commitment that is the same: doing whatever is needed to assist them.

“You do it to help the students,” Hergenrader said. “You try to go the extra mile for them. It’s about doing the absolute best that I can for students, to give them the opportunities that they need and want.”

Hergenrader’s deep caring for his students and his willingness to go to extra lengths to help them succeed hasn’t gone unnoticed. He has been named the 2024 Adviser of the Year at UW-River Falls. 

Established in 2000, the annual award recognizes excellence in advising undergraduates. Nominations are made by current students and alumni and are reviewed by the Faculty Senate Advising Committee which makes the final selection.

Hergenrader came to UW-River Falls four years ago, just as the coronavirus pandemic began. Teaching and advising students was especially difficult, he said, when coursework occurred online. From the beginning, he worked hard to connect with students. Getting to know them individually and their backgrounds is key to successfully advising students, he said.

“You truly do need to get to know your students. Every one of their paths looks different,” Hergenrader said. “Some of them come from a farm, some from a metro area. Some are strong in academics, some struggle. No two students are the same. If you get to know them personally, you can help them individualize a path that allows them to find success.”

Being responsive to students’ needs is another key to successfully advising them, Hergenrader said. Sometimes that means being willing to respond to late-night and early morning messages, he said. Other times it means taking an extra minute to respond to a question because a failure to get back to them in a timely manner will prompt stress.

“College is hard for a lot of students,” he said. “If you can be that consistent presence in their college careers, that is very meaningful for them. You need to help these students fight through the times that are tough.”

Hergenrader oversees the UW-River Falls companion animal program, a job that often facilitates connections with students. He sometimes brings his dogs June and Lenny to school, where the animals are popular with students.

“It helps that June and Lenny are the stars,” he said. “The students so much appreciate the animals being there and helping to reduce their stress.”

Hergenrader’s students have high praise for his advising abilities. They describe him as especially kind and exceedingly committed to helping them find their best academic path.

When Chesney Eschbach transferred to UW-River Falls, she felt lost. But Hergenrader became her adviser and quickly made sure she was linked to services she needed to find success.

“I have never had an adviser care so deeply about my success,” said Eschbach, a sophomore from Decatur, Ill, majoring in animal science. “He meets with me as soon as he can and takes my feelings into consideration regarding classes. He encourages me to push myself and believes in me when I don’t believe in myself.”

Mariah Burd, a senior animal science major from Moorhead, Minn., said Hergenrader makes himself available to provide advising not only to his current students but to any student who asks to meet with him.

“Dr. Hergenrader has always been approachable and communicated well when I come to him with my academic career options,” she said. “He has been working hard with other professors to expand the companion animal program here at UWRF by helping create new courses that will help students be more prepared to enter the companion animal field.”

Hergenrader said he was influenced by his adviser during his undergraduate years at Iowa State, a man who “was always there for me” who helped Hergenrader get into graduate school. Hergenrader later worked as a veterinarian, owned a veterinary hospital, and taught life sciences in high school before teaching in higher education. He credits his varied background with helping him relate well with students.

He is humble about receiving the Adviser of the Year award and sees it as evidence that he is doing right by his students.  

“This (award) isn’t a me thing,” he said. “The students deserve the credit. This is a validation that I’m doing well for these students and doing my best to try to give them what they need to have success. And that’s really what I think this job is about.”
 

For Hiawatha Smith, Ph. D., it’s not enough just to teach future teachers. The associate professor of literacy education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls also devotes a large amount of his time and energy toward research and scholarly activity intended to help teachers be the best they can be.

Smith has been one of the most prolific members of UWRF’s Teacher Education Department since joining the faculty in 2017, writing multiple textbooks, book chapters and journal articles as well as presenting at several education conferences.

For those efforts and others, Smith has been awarded the 2024 University Excellence Award in Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity, an honor only given for the second time at UWRF.

The excellence award is given annually to recognize a faculty member that has made significant contributions to their field or fields of research, techniques, or creative expression. The selection is determined in collaboration with the provost and deans from a group of college nominees. Each college nominates one candidate for the award based on their preferred process. Self-nominations are also allowed.

Smith, who will be formally honored at the All-Campus Awards Reception in August, said he was surprised and excited to have his scholarly work recognized.

“As a recently tenured faculty member, this acknowledgment not only validates my dedication and effort, but also inspires me to continue pushing the boundaries of my scholarly work,” he said.

In the past year alone, Smith has been a co-author on six book chapters or textbooks (published or currently in-press) and three peer-reviewed journal publications and has presented at nine international, national or regional education meetings, according to a nomination letter written by Gregory Ruegsegger, associate professor of health and human performance and chair of the College of Education, Business, and Allied Health’s Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activity Committee.

Ruegsegger noted that among Smith’s best work is his recently published textbook “Beyond the Basics: Children’s Literature for the Elementary Teacher.” The book, which at the time of Smith’s nomination had been adopted by instructors in seven states, is a foundational text for undergraduate education majors in language arts and literacy and a professional development resource for practicing teachers. It features resources for immediate use by teachers in addition to addressing current hot-button topics related to teaching classic literature, controversial texts and genre study, Ruegsegger wrote.

“I am thrilled that our textbook has been adopted for university classes nationwide,” Smith said. “This textbook is a unique addition to the existing literature as it goes beyond basic content about children's literature. It includes read-aloud lesson plans, guiding questions, discussion questions, extension activities, implications for practitioners and recommended texts for classrooms.”

Smith added that he is looking forward to the release of an edited text in the fall that will support faculty success in higher education.

Ruegsegger indicated that Smith routinely collaborates with other UWRF faculty. In fact, three of his recent publications involved UWRF faculty members as co-authors. The publications highlight how his broad expertise and scholarly interest can have an impact on the larger field of education, Ruegsegger wrote.

Smith co-authored “Integrating Social Studies Through the Read-Aloud” with ad hoc instructor Mckenzie Rabenn, a published chapter on preparing teacher candidates to teach developmental word study with former Associate Professor of Literacy Education Amy Frederick and another chapter on the connection between theory and practice in teaching in linguistically diverse settings with Frederick and Teacher Education Professor Dean Vesperman.

“With his colleagues, Dr. Smith has created many best practices used in teacher preparation programs,” wrote Ruegsegger, who characterized Smith as a “phenomenal scholar.”

Smith has also worked with several emerging scholars in the field, including mentoring and supporting numerous doctoral candidates, and has served UWRF since 2018 as coordinator of the Master of Science-Elementary Education Program and in 2023-24 as interim coordinator of the Master of Science-Reading Program.

What motivates Smith to go above and beyond when it comes to research and publishing?

“My scholarly activity,” Smith said, “allows me to explore impactful practices, disseminate new information and advocate for meaningful change within teaching and classroom spaces.”
 

Faculty and academic staff with a minimum of five years of experience at UWRF are eligible for this award. The following areas of achievement will be used when evaluating staff for this award:

1. Demonstrated research or creative activities with undergraduate students.
2. Dissemination of research through conference presentations and/or publications.
3. Display of creative activities through invited exhibitions or presentations.
4. Receipt of grant funding to support research or creative activities.

2023 - Jill Coleman Wasik 

As chair of the Animal and Food Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Steve Kelm heads one of the largest units on campus.

While serving as the chief administrator for a department with about 800 students and more than 20 faculty and staff might seem like plenty of responsibility for one person, Kelm tackles many other challenges at the university. 

The professor of animal and dairy science also teaches classes, advises dozens of students, participates in numerous university committees, coaches dairy cattle judging teams and serves as co-adviser of the UWRF Dairy Club, faculty liaison for the Dairy Innovation Hub and director of the Farm and Industry Short Course.

In recognition of his record of going above and beyond the call of duty, Kelm is the recipient of the 2024 University Excellence Award in Service, an honor awarded for only the second time in UWRF history. The award will be formally presented at the Opening Meeting in August that kicks off the 2024-25 academic year. 

The outstanding service award is given annually to recognize a faculty member that has contributed extensive service to their department, college, university, community, and/or discipline. Service done without compensation is particularly valued for this award. The selection is determined in collaboration among the provost and deans from a group of college nominees. Each college nominates one candidate for the award annually based on their preferred process. Self-nominees are also allowed.

In a nomination letter, Michael Orth, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, called Kelm an “ideal candidate” for the award and pointed to his many areas of service outside of his teaching appointment over more than 25 years at UW-River Falls. Kelm has served as his department’s chair from 2004-10, associate chair from 2010-21 and chair again since 2021.

“Being a department chair is a tough position,” Orth wrote. “When you add everything else Steve does, I do wonder why he keeps going periodically. But with Steve, I believe serving is a core value that he lives out and has for over two decades.”

Kelm said he doesn’t necessarily strive to provide service to the university, but just serves as a function of how he believes his job should be done.

“Service is simply part of doing a good job in the position that you hold, regardless of the title or role,” Kelm said. “I believe strongly in the mantra of 'leaders go first.' I am not going to ask others to do something that I would not be willing to do myself. If a task needs to be completed and I am in a position where it can be done by me, then I will step into the void.”

A perfect example of that came in summer 2023 when the university’s Mann Valley Farm faced a staffing shortage after losing a number of employees and seeing most student workers leave for the summer.

“As a testament to Steve’s commitment to the dairy program, he actually worked in the dairy on the weekends to help relieve the burden,” Orth wrote. “I am not sure how many faculty would do that.”

Later, Kelm was involved in the restaffing process and helped get the dairy center operating much more smoothly.

“I am not sure how it would have survived without his help and wisdom,” Orth wrote.

In a recommendation letter supporting Kelm, Dairy Science Professor Sylvia Kehoe indicated that Kelm has had “an immense impact on many of our alumni that are now working in the industry” through his work as department chair. Kehoe added that Kelm also has been a role model for her and many of her colleagues thanks to his leadership of the department through difficult times and transitions, including countless hours of service outside the traditional workday and on weekends.

On top of all his other duties, Kelm last fall took on the unofficial role of director of the Farm and Industry Short Course. When the course no longer was supported at UW-Madison, dairy farmers and industry professionals asked Kelm to move it to UWRF, prompting the course to move forward as the university applied for funding. When the state Legislature didn’t approve the financial support, Kelm led the department in offering the program anyway because he felt so strongly about the dairy industry sector served by the course.

“To think that Dr. Kelm coordinated and managed all this while working full time as chair of a large department, taught his standard course load and still showed up for his family after work – this is an amazing amount of service for one person,” Kehoe wrote.

For his part, Kelm said he has been fortunate to have had individuals in his life that have led by example.

“Parents, colleagues, my spouse and mentors have demonstrated to me that service is rewarding and it has become an expectation of myself,” Kelm said. “My goal is to help others and to hopefully have an impact on others so that when they have the opportunity to serve, they take it on gladly. The load becomes much lighter when others are helping to finish a task.”

Eligibility criteria for faculty include: 

1. Service to their department, college or university.
2. Service to their discipline.
3. Service to their community or surrounding region.
4. Additional service not specified in categories above.

2023 - James Graham

45 Years
Lynette Pfremmer - Admissions              
               
35 Years                             
Steve Freeman - Athletics          
Helen Spasojevich - Chalmer Davee Library

30 Years                             
Veronica Godt - Health and Human Performance
Mike Polta - Ground Maintenance          
Dan Waletzko - Plant and Earth Science  
                                               
25 Years
Joe Cranston - Athletics
Missy Davis - Custodial Services
Kurt Donelson - Custodial Services      
Jamie Dunn - Residence Life     
Marlene Foster - Technology Services    
Kimberly Gould Speckman - University Advancement 
Craig Hara - Music and Stage and Screen Arts 
Cyndi Kernahan - Division of Academic Affairs 
Eileen Korenic - Physics              
Lowell McCann - Physics            
Dan Miller - Technology Services
Karl Peterson - Chemistry and Biotechnology
Laura Walsh - College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Brent Weigelt - Heating Plant
                                               
20 Years
Joseph Fischer - English
Ioana Ghenciu - Mathematics
Mark Gillis - Building Maintenance
Arpankumar Jani - Computer, Information and Data Sciences
Mari Kluck - Health and Human Performance
Crystal Lanning - Athletics
Amy Lloyd - University Center
Kiril Petkov - History and Philosophy          
Amber Qureshi - Biology             
Sarah Smits - Communication Sciences and Disorders              
Matthew Vonk - Physics  
Jennifer Willis-Rivera - Communication and Media Studies           
                                               
15 Years
Steve Alton - Building Maintenance
Arunendu Chatterjee - Mathematics
William Forster Ag Engineering Technology
Cindy Goldade - Continuing Ed Instruction
Sung Jones - Custodial Services
Mark Klapatch-Mathias - Sustainability
Rita Kozak - Continuing Ed Instruction 
Wendy Leach - Financial Aid
Justin Luther - Animal and Food Science
Kelsey McLean - International Education
Paige Miller - Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology
Alicia Rivard - University Advancement
Joseph Shakal - Ag Engineering Technology
Karen Smolarek - Student Support Services
Charlie Sowa - Athletics
Thor Wright - Technology Services
David Zlesak - Plant and Earth Science
               
10 Years                             
Jesse Aerlyn-Crook - Textbook Services              
Kristin Barstad - University Center       
Christy Boyer - Chalmer Davee Library               
Paul Budde - Music and Stage and Screen Arts
Heather Sumner Davis - Plant and Earth Science
Martha Donnelly - College of Arts and Sciences
Deborah Fristad - Music and Stage and Screen Arts
Kelly Grenzow - Exploratory and Tutoring Services
Grettel Hecht - Mathematics
Becky Pribnow - Student Billing
Amber Remble - Agricultural Economics
Zachary Rourk - Health and Human Performance          
Gregory Wertheimer - Facilities Management       
Desiree Wiesen-Martin - Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology      
Walter Wietzke - History and Philosophy 
James Williams - Technology Services