UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Notable Visitors

2015-2019

Year/Mo. Visitor Event Description

2015 March 4-5-6

Dr. Donald Worster
Hall Distinguished Professor of American History Emeritus, University of Kansas; books include A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir (2011), A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell (2001—National Outdoor Book Award), The Wealth of Nature: Environmental History and the Ecological Imagination (1993), Under Western Skies: Nature and History in the American West (1992), Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West (1985), Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s (1979—Bancroft Prize winner)

Donald Worster, March 4, 2015

 

Presentations:
March 4: Lecture on "The Higher Altruism in American Environmental Values," in the Kinnickinnic River Theater, University Center: Using the Wilderness Act of 1964, Worster reflected on the nature of conservation in the U. S. and the globe.
March 5: In class with students of U.S. Environmental History and U.S. History Since 1865
March 6: Talk on "Shrinking the Earth: From an Age of Abundance to an Age of Limits," at the River Falls Public Library; Worster demonstrated how our perspectives on the earth and our understanding of human beings have changed dramatically over the past 500 years.
[inaugural Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professorship in History]

Donald Worster, March 5, 2015                                                       Photos by Kathy M. Helegson

2015
March 5

Lt. Col. William T. Hagestad II
Internationally-recognized cyber intelligence and counterintelligence professional who specializes in cultural, historical, linguistic, and technical analysis of national cyber warfare capabilities, intents and methodologies; River Falls native and son of UWRF Professor William Hagestad and grandson of Herman T. Hagestad, a UW Regent in the 1950s, for whom Hagestad Hall was named

Presentations:
1) "Comparative Analysis of Nation State Cyber Conflict: An International Field Experience" at 3:30 in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building
2) "Evolution of Chinese Cyber Capabilities: An Economic, Military, and Political Review of the People's Republic of China," at 7:30 p.m. in the Kinnickinnic Theater, University Center
[Year of China programming]

UWRF Year of China logo

2015 March 5

Patty Loew
UW-Madison professor in the Department of Life Science Communication and affiliated with American Indian Studies, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies program; author of Seventh Generation Earth Ethics: Native Voices of Wisconsin (2014) and Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal (2001); former producer for WHA-TV (PBS) and co-host of "In Wisconsin" and former reporter and anchor for television stations in Portland (OR), Spokane (WA), Madison (WI), and La Crosse (WI); enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe

 

Lecture: "ImagiNATIVE Communities: Indigeneity and Communication in the 21st Century," presented in South Hall; Loew explored the issue of environmental coverage and other significant issue reporting in tribal newspapers, radio and online new operations
[Working Journalists Lecture Series, sponsored by the Journalist Department]

2015 April 9

Brittney Rogowski
associate media director at Haworth Marketing + Media

Presentation: Rogowski addressed media/planning buying in the world of advertising, CPM, rates and advertising scheduling and will discuss her client target using specific examples from "Sports Illustrated" and the Grammy Music Awards; in the North Hall Auditorium
[hosted by the Marketing Communications Program]

2015 April 11

Li Hongbo
artist from Beijing, China; known for his sculptures made from paper

Li Hongbo, April 11, 2015           Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

Presentation: for the TEDx UWRF event held in the University Center; his paper sculptures are created through a technique inspired by traditional Chinese decorations that expand—the piece shown with him in the photograph looks like stone but is in fact made of paper that can be stretched apart

2015 April 28-29

Benjamin Lira
internationally acclaimed sculptor, painter, and printmaker from Chile

Presentations:
April 28: Lecture on "The Art of Benjamin Lira and a Brushstroke on Contemporary Chilean Art," given at the River Falls Public Library
April 29: Lecture on "Benjamin Lira: Art, History and Creative Process," given in the University Center; the lecture was followed by a question and answer session led by Kaylee Spencer, chair of the Art Department
During the week Lira spent on campus, he also created a collaborative piece with advanced printmaking students, and led student critiques
[inaugural Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professorship in Art]

2015 July

Hippo Campus
Minneapolis-based band, recently appeared on Conan (late-night talk show)

Concert: for Chill on the Hill at the Wall Amphitheatre

Hippo Campus/Chill on the Hill, July 21, 2015                    Photo by Joe Blum

2015 September 9

Dr. Leticia Mora Perdomo
.

 

Lecture: Perdomo spoke in the Kinnickinnic Theater on "Picturing Desire: Reading Weston's Photographs," in which she reflected on the interaction of writing and photography and how the relation between text and image mediate our perception of the world around us
[sponsored by the Art Department, Year of Mexico programming]

UWRF Year of Mexico logo

2015 September 10-11

Byron Brauchli
internationally-known photographer from Mexico

Byron Brauchli, Sept. 11, 2015      Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

 

Lecture: by Gallery 101 exhibiting artist Brauchli ("La Frontera/The Border" Photography Exhibit), and
Workshop: Brauchli led UWRF students in a photographic print workshop using a technique involving two metals (platinum and palladium) in a process sensitive to UV light
[sponsored by the Art Department and Year of Mexico programming]

UWRF Year of Mexico logo

2015 September 21

Anthony Marchetti, Laura Migliorino
internationally-known photographers; both are currently professors of photography at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in the Twin Cities

Lecture: by Gallery 101 exhibiting artists Marchetti and Migliorino ("La Frontera/The Border" Photography Exhibit)
[sponsored by the Art Department and Year of Mexico programming]

UWRF Year of Mexico logo

2015 October 6

Dr. Florencia E. Mallon
Julieta Kirkwood Professor of History at UW-Madison

Florencia E. Mallon, Oct. 6, 2015          Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

 

Lecture: Mallon spoke in the Kinnickinnic Theater on  "From Hemisphere to Country: A Genealogy of 'America'" 
[Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department, Year of Mexico programming]

UWRF Year of Mexico logo

2015 October 8

Boyd Huppert
Distinguished UWRF alumnus and KARE 11 TV reporter

Boyd Huppert, October 8, 2015                    Photo by Chris Petersen

Lecture: Huppert discussed social media's effect on journalism and how news organizations can use it in "Journalism: Our Changing Story," presented in the North Hall Auditorium
[Working Journalists Seminar Series, sponsored by the Journalist Department]

2015 October 13

Kinji Akagawa
professor emeritus, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he served as head of the sculpture program; internationally-recognized artist who is lauded for his pioneering work in site-specific sculpture.

Kinji Akagawa, Oct. 13, 2015            Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

Lecture: Akagawa spoke in the Kinnickinnic  Theater about “Artistic Journey from the Egotistical Self to the Ecotistical Self: Shifting Focus from Maker to Relationship,” which focused on his personal artistic explorations; the lecture was followed by a question and answer session led by Kaylee Spencer, chair of the Art Department.
[second Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professorship in Art]

2015 October 14

Dr. Robert Agranoff
Distinguished UWRF Political Science Alumnus, professor emeritus at Indiana University-Bloomington; nationally-recognized expert in intergovernmental relations, economic and community development, and federalism; award-winning author, and consultant.

Lectures:
"What I Have Learned Since I Left UWRF," Contemporary Political Issues Roundtable in the Blanch Davis Theatre, and "The Challenges of Managing in Multi-level Governance," a public lecture in the Lydecker Learning Center. [sponsored by the Political Science Department]

Robert Agranoff, 2015 Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

2015 November 18

Gabriela P. Salazar
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1996) from the Universidad Autónoma of Central America; licensure in nursing from the Universidad Santa Lucía, San José, Costa Rica (2001); she is an active member of the Colegio de Enfermeras y Enfermeros (College of Nursing) in Costa Rica.

Presentation, in Spanish, explaining the importance of globalization and nursing from the perspective of using a second language and cultural awareness.
[sponsored by the UWRF Spanish Professions Association]

2015 December 1

Dr. Steven Sacco
professor emeritus (San Diego State University) of languages and international education who has created a post-retirement career in providing workplace language instruction, international education consulting, and corporate education to companies and organizations worldwide.

Year of Mexico Presentation: In "De-Trumping Myths of Mexican Farm Workers in the U.S.," Sacco described an ethnographic case study of Mexican rice mill workers in a northern Californian agribusiness facility; interviews revealed insights into Mexican workers' track records at the rice mill as well as their perceptions of family, work, learning English, becoming U.S. citizens, and life in the U.S.

UWRF Year of Mexico logo

2016 February 27

Cathy Wurzer
UWRF alumna, journalist, author, MPR host

Cathy Wurzer, 2016               Photo by Hailey Smith

 

Presentation: "Prescriptions for Living (Take as Directed from the Dying)" at the TEDxUWRiverFalls, in which she spoke about what she learned from her late friend Bruce Kramer.

2016 March 29

Dr. Tova Yoast-Hull
postdoctoral research associate working at the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lecture:  "A High Energy View of the Universe,"
[Sponsored by NSF ADVANCE grant]

2016 March 30

Dr. Thomas Hickson
Professor of Geology at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.)

Lecture: "If We Found Rock Evidence for Life on Mars, What Might it Look Like? Microbialites from Ancient Lakes"

2016 March 30

Lourdes Flores-Hanson
Assistant Principal, Wellstone Elementary (St. Paul, Minn.); born and raised in Costa Rica; graduate of UWRF (Masters in Education)

Presentation, in Spanish,"Being Bilingual is Worth Two," addressed the advantages of being bilingual and the opportunities offered by language immersion education.
[sponsored by the UWRF Spanish Professions Association]

2016

Kerri Miller
Minnesota Public Radio, host of MPR News with Kerri Miller and of Talking Volumes; previously was political reporter for KARE 11 News

Lecture: "The Art of the Interview: How to Do It Well and What Happens When It Goes Wrong,"
[Working Journalists Seminar Series, sponsored by the Journalist Department]

2016 April 5

Kim Bremmer
Diary consultant, Wisconsin State Coordinator for Common Ground, regular contributor on Rural Route Radio, president of Wisconsin Women for Agriculture, and UW-Madison Association of Women in Agriculture's 2014 Outstanding Woman in Agriculture

Presentation [sponsored by UWRF Association of Women in Agriculture]

2016 April 7-8

Dr. Warren I. Cohen
Distinguished University Professor, Emeritus, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations

Warren Cohen, 2016            Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

Presentations :
April 7:
— "Chinese-American Relations in Historical Perspective," Cohen argued that as fluid as US-China policies have seemed to be, one recurring theme in the history of the US-China relationship is this: a friendly, cooperative China will be assured of American support and a China perceived as a potential enemy is not.
April 8:
— In class with students
— Roundtable discussion of Cohen's latest book: "Challenges to American Primacy, 1945 to the Present" (open to the public)
— Presentation at River Falls Public Library: "The Golden Age of East Asian Art Collecting in the U.S." Through examining the historical background against which the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Seattle Art Museum and the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City acquired their Asian art collections and the connoisseur's career of Charles Freer, John Ferguson and Langdon Warner, Cohen argues that economics of art collecting, chaotic political conditions in China in the early 20th century and the American occupation of Japan after WWII combined to create the golden age of Asia art collecting in America.

[Second Annual Wyman Visiting Professorship in History, sponsored by History and Philosophy Department]

2016 April 7

Dr. Amy Williams
Associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh since 2005, teaching composition and theory; half of the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo

Concert: 50th Annual Commissioned Composer Concert in the Abbott Concert Hall [sponsored by the Music Department]

Amy Williams, Commissioned Composer, 2016          Photo by Kathy M Helgeson

2016 November 14-16

Janine Antoni
New York-based visual artist

Presentations:
Nov. 14: Public Lecture "At Home in the Body" in 222 North Hall
Nov. 15: Round table discussion from 1-3:30 in the Willow River Room
Nov. 16: Round table discussion from 1-3:30 in the Riverview Ballroom

[Second Annual Wyman Visiting Professorship in Art, sponsored by the Art Department]

2017 February 27

Dan Estabrook
Estabrook received an MFA from the University of Illinois. He has been using nineteenth-century photographic techniques to make contemporary art. In the last few years he has focused on working with hand-altered calotypes and salt prints. He has exhibited widely and has received several awards, including an Artist's Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts in 1994.

Lecture: 

[Wyman Visiting Professorship in Art, sponsored by the Art Department]

2017 March 2

Derrick Edwards
President of AGS Data Systems

Derrick Edwards, March 2, 2017
  Photo by Hailey Smith

Presentation: "Bridging Views of Innovation," Edwards spoke to students on campus as part of the Innovator in Residence Series

[sponsored by College of Business and Economics, Center for Innovation and Business Development]

2017 March 23

Jocelyn Hagen
Hagen composes music that has been described as "simply magical" (Fanfare Magazine) and "dramatic and deeply moving" (Star Tribune, Minneapolis/St. Paul). She is currently an artist-in-residence at North Dakota State University and regularly composes for their ensembles. For ten years she was a composer-in-residence for the professional choir she also sang in: The Singers. Her music has been performed all over the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Concert: 51st Annual Commissioned Composer concert

[sponsored by the Music Department]

2017 March 28-29-30

Dr. Elizabeth Fenn
Professor of Western American History, and chair of the History Department at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Fenn won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her book "Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People"

Dr. Elizabeth Fenn, March 28, 2017Photo by Hailey Smith

Presentations
March 28:
Presentation in the University Center on "Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775"
March 29: Presentation on her book "Encounters at the Heart of the World" at the River Falls Public Library
March 30: Roundtable discussion of the same book in the Chalmer Davee Library

[Third Annual Wyman Visiting Professorship in History, sponsored by History and Philosophy Department]

2017 September 14

 

Seungmin Cha and Gamin
Korean musicians and experts in Korean Traditional Music
Seungmin Cha and Gamin performing, 9-14-2017

 

Lecture: Korean traditional music and Korean instruments
Concert:  “Exploring Korean Traditional and Contemporary Music,” presented in Abbott Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m., included both traditional music and their own compositions

UWRF Year of South Korea logo

 

2017 October 18

Dr. Laura Young
UW Madison history professor; her research and teaching interests include Japanese international relations, World War II in Asia, comparative imperialism, Japanese urbanism and urban modernism between the wars, local history, and sociology and social policy

Lecture: "Korean-Japanese Relations, Imperial Nostalgia, and Japan's New Right," examines the tensions in relations with South Korea around economic rivalries and the Womfort Women issue that are driving the rise of the new right from the 1990s to the present, and explores the significance of nostalgia for the days of empire.
[Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department, and Year of South Korea programming]

UWRF Year of South Korea logo

2017 October 23

Danielle Krysa
Canadian collage artist; writer/curator behind "The Jealous Curator," a contemporary art site; hosts "Art for Your Ear" podcast

Danielle Krysa
Danielle Krysa on right, UWRF Ceramics lecturer Rhonda Willers on left, UWRF Art/Drawing lecturer Lyz Wendland in the middle
Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

Lecture: “Full Circle” (October 23)
Public workshop (October 25)
Collaborating with students and faculty throughout the week

[2017 Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professor in Art]

2017 November 13

MJ Hegar
Retired Air Force major, Purple Heart recipient, and author of "Shoot Like a Girl"


                

Presentation: Hegar spoke about her successful challenge to the discriminatory military policy that did not allow women the right to serve on the front lines.

MJ Hegar, Nov 13, 2017, photo by Chris Gregg
  Photo by Chris Gregg

2018 March 2-3

Sam Newsome
soprano saxophonist, composer, and recording artist

Sam Newsome, March 3, 2018, Radd Jazz
                                        Photo by Tori Schneider

UWRF Jazz Club Cabaret (March 2):  Guest artist Newsome played soparno saxophone with the UWRF Jazz Faculty Group in the Falcon's Nest
UWRF Jazz Ensemble Concert (March 3):  The Jazz Ensemble performed music featuring Newsome in Abbott Concert Hall

[sponsored by the Radd Jazz Series, 2017-18]

2018 March 8

H. C. Shin
Hak Cheol Shin has been with 3M since 1984. Vice Chair and Executive Vice President of 3M Research & Development, Supply Chain, Business Transformation/IT, and Business Development

 

Presentation: "Leadership and Innovation"
Shin spoke about leadership and innovation as it relates to the changing business landscape, how the innovation process functions, industry 4.0 and the implications for innovation and growth, leadership principles, innovation leadership, and his personal journey of philosophy of innovation.

[Innovator in Residence, College of Business and Economics]

2018 March 28-29

Dr. Bruce Cumings
Ph.D. from Columbia University (1975)
Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor in History and the College, Department of History, The University of Chicago

Bruce Cumings

Lectures:
March 28 - "Provincialism and Internationalism in U.S. Foreign Policy"
March 29 - "The Korean War: A History" (roundtable discussion)
March 29 - "American Policy Toward North Korea: Seven Decades of Failure"

[Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professor in History]


UWRF Year of South Korea logo

2018 April 2

James Elkins
American art historisoprano saxophonist, composer, and recording artist

James Elkins, Spring 2018 Wyman Visiting Professor of ArtPhoto by Tori Lynn Schneider

Lecture: "How Animals See the World."  Elkins, the Spring 2018 Walker D. and Helen Bryant Wyman Visiting Professor in Art, presented in North Hall.

 

2018 Sept. 20

Kalpulli Ketzal Coatlicue
The Kalpulli Ketzal Coatlicue ("precious Mother Earth") is a Kalpulli ("learning community") of Indigenous people joined by the desire to learn, share, and live the tradition of Aztec dance. Ketzal Coatlicue's cultural learning center is located in South Minneapolis.

Performance: The driving drum rhythms and dazzling costumes of the performance took an unexpected twist when storm/tornado sirens sounded in River Falls. The group relocated from the North Hall Auditorium to the basement and continued their performance for Hispanic Heritage Month.



Kalpulli Ketzal Coatlicue, Sept. 20, 2018
  Photo by Rachel Paulus

2018 Sept. 24-28

Wolfgang Schiffler
Professor of Media: Conception and Production in the Department of Design Computer Schience Media at RheinMain University in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Wolfgang Schiffler
  Photo by Rachel Paulus

 

Lecture: Part of the Erasmus exchange grant program, three professors and one staff member from RheinMain University in Wiesbaden, Germany, offered workshops in video postproduction, such as color correction and compositing animation with state-of-the-art software. Also, a RheinMain University Staff member participated in the Education Abroad Fair to promote the student exchange program to study in Germany.

2018 October 30

William P. Jones
Professor History at the University of Minnesota

William P. Jones, October 30, 2018
  Photo by Rachel Paulus

Lecture: "The Spirit of Memphis: Public Employees and the Dignity of Labor." Drawing on his research into public employment in 20th century United States, Jones explained why the work of garbage collectors and other public employees has been devalued and how those workers mobilized to assert the dignity of their labor. This history is particularly relevant as we face rising economic inequality, debates over the rights of workers, and the growing significance of service work in the 21st century.

[Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department]

2018 November 13

Robert Pengelly
Canadian Consul, Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis

Robert Pengelly, Canadian Consul, November 13, 2018
  Photo by Rachel Paulus

Presentation: Pengelly spoke at the University Center about the important relationship the United States shares with Canada. He discussed the partnership the two countries have when it comes to crisis, border security, energy, environment, and trade. "The relationship has grown and continues to grow due to the strong ties that are broad, deep, and buried between the U.S. and Canada," he said.

UWRF Year of Canada logo

2019 February 11

Ellen Kennedy, Ph.D.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law adjunct professor
founder and executive director of World Without Genocide

Kennedy has received many awards for her work, including Outstanding Citizen from the Anne Frank Center in New York, Higher Education Leader of the Year from the National Society for Experiential Education, Outstanding Service Award from the Midwest Sociological Society, Community Service Award from the University of Minnesota, Human Rights Award from the UN Office of Church Women United, and the Change-maker Award from the Minnesota Women’s Press. World Without Genocide has received a Certificate of Merit and the Minnesota Ethical Leadership Award from the State of Minnesota–Office of the Governor.

Presentation: Kennedy explained statelessness and the refugee crisis during her presentation in the Kinnickinnic Threater.
[sponsored by UWRF Geography, Political Science, and International Studies departments]

Ellen Kennedy, February 11, 2019
Photo by Pat Deninger

2019 March 12

Maureen Pechacek
UWRF alumna ('81), accounting partner at PwC

Maureen Pechacek, March 12, 2019Photo by Pat Deninger

Presentation: Pechacek spoke in the University Center about her life and work as a partner with PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). She spoke on what she believes are the keys to success for students and business leaders alike, discussing the role of gender in leadership, the challenges that women face in leadership positions, and the characteristics of effective leaders and strategic and tactical keys to success.

[Ann Lydecker Lecture Series]