UWRF faculty selected for Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program

Program members collaborate on effective approaches to student learning

May 20, 2026 - Two University of Wisconsin-River Falls faculty have been selected as 2026-2027 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars (WTFS), a recognition of their teaching excellence and their desire to focus on new, innovative approaches to educate students.

Rhonda Petree, a lecturer of English and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and Gregory Ruegsegger, an associate professor of health and human performance, were chosen for the honor by the Universities of Wisconsin. They are among 23 participants chosen from the Universities of Wisconsin’s 11 comprehensive universities.

Petree and Ruegsegger applied for the program last fall and were selected by a committee of their peers on the UWRF campus. The one-year program will begin in late May and culminate with a research presentation at the annual Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning in April 2027.   

Petree plans to enhance the research projects in her History of the English Language course. In this course, students analyze language change and the consequences of these changes over the centuries through both primary source analysis and ethnographic research. Petree’s goal is to further develop these research projects so that her students can present or publish their work in academic settings.

“I always joke with my students that what they learn in this course makes them really interesting at parties. After this course, they can explain to people why ‘paternal’ and ‘father’ are cognate and why we pronounce words like ‘licorice’ and ‘rice’ differently,” Petree said. “I try to foster a sense of curiosity in this course and let that curiosity guide the students' research. As I work to enhance these undergraduate research projects, I am looking forward to having the support of mentors and colleagues in the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program. I thrive when working with people who are committed to creating meaningful learning opportunities for students. This has been a long-time goal of mine and I am eager to get started.”

Ruegsegger will develop and assess culturally responsive teaching practices within exercise science education. His work will focus on understanding how students with different backgrounds and experiences engage with exercise science courses, identifying barriers to engagement and belonging and designing curricular approaches that better support student learning and success. Building on his previous scholarship, Ruegsegger plans to investigate how inclusive teaching strategies, varied case studies and bias-awareness activities influence student engagement, empathy and learning outcomes. Ultimately, this work aims to strengthen exercise science education and better prepare future health professionals to work effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences.

“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in the WTFS program,” Ruegsegger said. “What excites me most is the chance to collaborate with and learn from passionate educators across the Universities of Wisconsin while continuing to grow as a teacher and scholar. I care deeply about creating learning environments where all students feel supported and like they belong, and I look forward to developing evidence-based teaching practices that strengthen student engagement and success in exercise science education. I’m excited for the opportunity to apply what I learn through WTFS to better support students in both the classroom and their future professional careers.”

“The Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars program is one of the most transformational teaching development opportunities currently available to instructors at UW-River Falls,” said Cyndi Kernahan, professor of psychological sciences and director of the UWRF Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. “Working with colleagues from different disciplines, career stages and institutions across the Universities of Wisconsin, participants are typically able to move towards a much stronger understanding of their own students’ learning and to better ensure their students’ success.”

Photo 1: Rhonda Petree. UWRF photo.

Photo 2: Gregory Ruegsegger. UWRF photo.