Chancellor's Awards

• Mark Buchmann, a junior from Chippewa Falls majoring in music education, is president of several campus organizations, including the chapter of the National Association for Music Education Collegiate, the Commissioned Composer Project, and Boomwhacker Ensemble, which he founded. He is an advocate for making spaces more accessible for people with physical disabilities.
• Chloe Heifner, a senior from Hudson majoring in physics and physics education, has conducted numerous research projects on her work with cosmic rays. She is the first UWRF student to have co-authored a significant research paper with Physics Professor Seruj Seunarine. She has presented her research at such events as the International Cosmic Ray Conference in Japan.
• Lexi Janzer, a senior from Mayville majoring in journalism and criminology, has been a standout print journalist at the UWRF student newspaper, The Student Voice, and is currently the newspaper’s assistant editor. She has produced award-winning journalism in both print and audio. She also has taken leadership roles with organizations on campus and in the surrounding community. 
• Kendra Jentz, a senior from Bloomington majoring in agriculture marketing communications, has served as the leader of numerous UWRF student organizations. She was elected by her peers as president of the Chancellor’s Student Ambassadors. A strong advocate for agriculture, she has led multiple student groups in that area, including serving as president of Collegiate Farm Bureau.
• Mayala Keita, a senior from Coon Rapids, Minn., majoring in food science and technology, has played a prominent role in numerous UWRF student organizations, among them the Black Student Union and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Office. She is a strong advocate for identity-based students and others. She also represents UWRF students as a member of the Student Government Association.
• Veronica Klenke, a senior from Bloomer majoring in social work, has been in the Honors Program, the McNair Scholars Program and has taken part in undergraduate research projects. She is also an advocate for positive change for her peers. Klenke has served on the Student Government Association and has been a peer mentor in the Disability Resource Center.
• SirrNay Ku, a senior from Burlington majoring in horticulture, uses her history and previous education with floral arrangements to provide learning opportunities for her peers and others in the community. She is president of the Asian American Student Association and is an involved member of numerous organizations designed to help first-year students succeed. 
• Kalli Kubly, a senior from Columbus majoring in accounting and criminology, has served in numerous leadership roles, including serving as president of the Student Government Association. She has been a resident assistant, worked for two years as a finance intern in the Student Involvement Office, and was selected as an intern with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. 
• Samuel Peters, a senior from St. Paul, Minn., majoring in broad field social studies, has been a leader of the UWRF track and field and cross country teams, having been captain of both since 2022. He is a leader in the Admissions Office and with other university programs that help incoming students successfully adapt to college life. 
• Lauren Schmelzer, a senior from St. Louis Park, Minn., majoring in environmental science, has been highly involved in numerous sustainability-related efforts at UWRF through the Sustainability Office. She helped develop a bee habitat and pollinator-friendly environment on campus and served as vice president and social media coordinator of the Environmental Sustainability Club and Bee Club.

Requirements:

• Must have junior, senior or graduate student status.     
• Must be in good academic and non-academic standing.
• Must not be a past recipient of the award.

Criteria for Selection: A Chancellor’s Award for Students recipient should demonstrate:

1. Outstanding service and leadership on campus and/or in the community.
2. A commitment to the core values of the institution.
3. Positive and inspiring personal traits, including a proactive, motivating attitude; courage and resiliency; innovation and creativity.
4. Exemplary contributions, in terms of service and leadership, in one or more of the following areas:
   1. Undergraduate Research: Supporting and promoting a culture of undergraduate research, scholarly and creative activity across campus; showing exceptional leadership when attending professional meetings and conferences. 
   2. Inclusivity: Committing to creating an environment of mutual respect, professional behavior, academic freedom and appreciation of individual differences and rich cultural diversity; understanding the systemic concepts of social justice and promoting inclusivity in our campus community.  
   3. Service to the Community: Exhibiting the traits of servant leadership; fostering hope and effecting real change within the community beyond campus.
   4. Service to the University: Enriching the lives of fellow students, by building better student organizations and by contributing to a more just and caring campus. 

Nomination Process:

For each nominee, the following must be submitted:

1. Nomination form (submit online via this link)
2. A current resume of the nominee.
   1. This document needs to be uploaded at the time of completing the online nomination form.
3. A letter of nomination from the individual completing the nomination form.
   1. This document needs to be uploaded at the time of completing the online nomination form.
4. At least two letters of support (these are in addition to the nominator's letter of nomination).
   1. Letters of support can either be uploaded with the nomination form, choose UWRF students/employees to send a message to requesting that they write and upload a letter of support or submit letter(s) via email by the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Please email attachments in PDF or Microsoft Word doc format to studentaward@uwrf.edu. Please include the name of the nominee in all file names. Incomplete nominations will not be considered.
   2. Letters of support may come from UWRF faculty or advisers, UWRF staff, external organization leaders, fellow students or the candidates themselves. Please note that anyone outside of @uwrf.edu or @my.uwrf.edu email addresses, will need to submit their letter of support via email to studentaward@uwrf.edu. Please include the name of the nominee in all file names.

Any questions pertaining to the nomination process should be sent to studentaward@uwrf.edu.

Selection Committee

• Chief of Staff (chair)
• one appointee from Student Affairs
• one faculty member from each of the three academic colleges
• two appointees from the Student Senate   

2023: Samuel Anzai, James Bowers, Carisa Cleven, Matthew Fischer, Collin Gartner, Dylan Jensen, Linnea Milner

2022: Kaye Anderson, Courtney Carson, Ian Carter, Isabella Forliti, Brigitte Ledferd, Natalie Rodgers, Joe Schlies, Kit Zuelke

2021: Sophie Ackerman, Magdala Diersen, Dannie Esterline, Adam Leseman, Ezekiel Olakunle, Violet Penman, Morgan Leigh Anderson, Marie-Ange Kivi

2020: Whitney Baehr, Rachel Harris, Kiana Johnson, Mirza Naveed, Tate Schlichting, Bryanne Stites, Paul Tietz, Faith Velez, Amarea Witt

2019: Temi Abiodun, Lamah Bility, Soobin Lee, Caleb Rossin, Ali Slaughter, Michelle Stage

2018: Alanna Bram, Zain Kaiser, Samantha Pedek, Kristy Strain, Abby Wendt

2017: Alexandra Klapoetke, Christopher Morgan, Pang Tao Moua, Brittany Rambatt, Kate Theisen, Xiaoqi Wang

2016: Jessica (JJ) Knapp, Madeline Pemberton,  Emma Sweet, Angela Ludvigsen, Marie-Morrella Kponou, Mohammad Battah

2015: Lyndsay Hage, Haley Klinker, Cheng-Yen (Peter) Lee , RJ Pfeifer, Daniel Saunders, Sam Tauchen, Julie Vang

2014: Anwar Abda, Gustavo Jose Cavalheiro, Liyuan Feng, Katrina Hanson, Danielle Peterson, Erica Stafford

2013: Elizabeth Byers, Karen Edlebeck, Lauren Evans, Ashley Goettl, Amy Graham

2012: Grace Adofoli, Danielle Hammer, Becky Jones, Camryn Nelson, Kim Schadrie, Adam Sibenaller, Lee Underdahl

2011: Katie Anderson, Kellie Claflin, Nene Eze, Bradley Kerschner, Colleen Kopel, Whitney Peissig, Nikki Shonoiki

2010: Ross Bender, Bryan Bodrog, Jordan Harshman, Teresa Pollock, Amie Stillman, Hiya Zhang

2009: Jacob Cavanaugh, Krista Hasselquist, Joshua Lambert, Amanda Leisch, Rebecca Peine, Melissa Ploeckelman, Charles Sowa

2008: Anthony Anderson, Stephen Baisden, Elizabeth Barnett, Catherine Bollig, Natalie Hagberg, Tanya Hartwig, Chunlan Li, Shelby Rubbelke, Hli Vang

2007: Joseph Eggers, Lacey Felmlee, Jonathan Hill, Kathryn Krtnick, Natsumi Kubo, Katharine Leisch, Vang Lo, Ashley Olson, Nicole Peters

2006: Nicholas Cluppert, O'Neal Hampton, Stephanie Jicinsky, Jessica Kopp, Kristofer Kulsrud, Megan Learman, Carolyn Schenk

2005: Leon Gbee, Jeremy Kalal, Kendra Plant, Nicholas Sirek, Lindsay Starr, Mary Vang

2004: Joanna Arguello, Brandon Bruder, Amanda Bryan, Ashley Ryan Hawke, Mindy Naef, Angela Roggenbuck

2003: Megan Clarke, Terrence Galbreath, Manjesh Gurnani, Ryan Perkl, Dawn Puro, Nicole Schoenemann

2002: Jill Englmann, Anne Moberg, Diane Reese, Christopher Silver, Jennifer Sweet, Rhonda Willers

2001: Leah Addington, Derek Anderson, Rustin Callier, David Chell, Tawana Hanamann, Rebecca Liegl, Paige Steele

2000: Sarah Egerstrom, Amy Sue Gaede, Amy Jurgens, Jennifer Russell, Jared Schaffner, Ezra Zeitler

1999: Nelda Bailey, Robin Boles, Jeremy Daus, Julie Giese, Jamie Gugala, MacKenzie Guptil, Jonathan Platson, Scott Schlichter, Susan Sharma, Sharaine Smith, Kristopher Thompson

1998: Wendy Baier-Gruber, Renee Carlson, Karen Geske, Richard Herod, Kristen Koch, Isaac Mbiti,  Lisha McLean, Nathan Thompson

1997: Christopher Emerson, Deanna Munoz, Michelle Sands, Grant Staszak, Amy Stenson, Catherine Tank, May Xiong

1996: April Daniels, Shawn Gudmunsen, Heather Holle, Shawn Kelly, Bridget Neu, Christopher Patton, DeAnn Rambo, Bryan Sanders, Melissa Wilson 

1995: Christine Albright, David Anderson, Nancy Beskar, Joy Erath, David Kruse, Patrice Peterson, Dolf Schmidt, Doua Vang, Ana Vasquez-Lutz

1994: Michelle Donovan, Lynette Empey, Kevin Jarek, Christopher Laib, Melody Milroy, Barry Olson, Wolanda Shelton, Joel Wondra

1993: Danielle Hartman, Michael Henke, Corrine Ihm, Peggy Schmidt, Ricardo Suarez, Stephen Walker,

1992: Laura Bestler-Wilcox, Audrey Bomberry, Margaret Corrente, Amanda Fox, Jacqueline Gruber, Paula McCarty

1991: Pamela Garvey, Mary Howatt, Daniel Johnson, Farahnaz Khosravani, Chris Malek, Kristina Overgaard, Jeffery Pilgreen, Jennifer Wilke, Steve Young

1990: Kristin Best, Price Davis, Peter Elsch, Thomas Evans, Blane Huppert, Dawn Kelly, Joe Matzek, Brian Nelson, Rebecca Peterson, Gregory Tauchen

1989: Karin Beckstrand, Vicki Datt, Steven Drazowski, Todd Elkerton, Lorna Rodriguez, Wendy Schmalz, Gary Staszak, Paul Uhren

1988: Robbie Bignell, Karen Braun, Fooi Chai, Linda Christopherson, Marilyn Gandera Whalen, Linda Schoettle, Timothy Yost, Dawn Zernicke, Teresa Zube

1987: Martinas Barney, Rick Block, Richard Dado, Tamara Frank, Royce Keehr, Randall Meyer, Sharon Timko

1986: Wesley Chapin, Linda Conner, Terence Jones, Randall Meyer,  Susan Moriarty, Renee Radcliffe

1985: Linda Gunderson, Tracy Humphreys, Keith Knutson, Todd Kurtz, Nona Nesseth, John Oehlke

1984: Dale Braun, Elizabeth Braun, Brenda Crews, Claudia Dumont, Melinda Etheridge, Basil Hanna, Boyd Huppert, Nancee Melby, Denise Sinclear

1983: Bradley Bittorf, Jay Coggins, Donna Duerst, Lorry Erickson, Heidi Lemke, Thelma Nayquonabe, Sally Vissers, Elizabeth Wysocki

1982: James Abbs, Joann Bares, Bryan Belson, Susan Bystrom, Mary Donaldson, Bruce Jacobson, Sonja Maki, Anthony Ogbozo

1991: Roxanne Emmerich, Melinda Erdal, Bonnie Hagen, Mark Lenz, Calvin Scott, Robert Whitcomb, Jon Williamson

1980: Jay Bailey, Kent Fenske, Heidi Hong, Daniel McGinty, Bruce Nagel

Current employees and students can nominate eligible individuals or program/unit/departments that demonstrate excellence.

• Nomination Process:
  • Complete the nomination form.
  • Submit at least one letter of support (see form for submission options).
  • Spring 2025 Update: The nomination form is now simpler! Search eligible employees to nominate by first or last name—no need to determine their eligible award category.
     
• Award Categories:
  • Five individual Chancellor’s Excellence Awards:
    • Non-Instructional Academic Staff
    • Instructional Academic Staff
    • Limited Appointee
    • University Staff (Blue Collar/Technical/Law Enforcement) and
    • University Staff (Admin/Fiscal/HR)
  • Two Program/Unit/Department Awards: Recognizing Academic Staff-led and University Staff-led units. 

Individual Award criteria:

• Demonstrated success in fulfilling job responsibilities, including:
  • Going above and beyond expectations.
  • Significant contributions, improvements or innovations within the unit or university.
  • Supporting the fulfillment of the UWRF mission.
• Participation in initiatives beyond primary job responsibilities, such as:
  • Volunteering for campus initiatives.
  • Participation on committees.
  • Providing exceptional support to colleagues or students outside of assigned duties.
• Exemplifying professionalism and positive relationships through:
  • Helpfulness, teamwork and customer service.
  • A positive attitude and strong work ethic.
  • Professional conduct and integrity.

Unit/Program/Department Award criteria:

• Excellence in Performance: Demonstrates high standards, professionalism and efficiency, serving as a model of excellence.
• Initiative and Creativity: Showcases innovation, improved performance or enhanced productivity.
• Outstanding Achievement: Contributes meaningfully to the UW-River Falls mission and enhances the distinctiveness of the campus.

Selection Committee:

• University Staff Excellence Awards: Selection is made by a committee that is charged with reviewing nomination materials and makes a recommendation to the Chancellor for final approval. Membership of the committee includes:
  • The Chancellor's designee (chair)
  • Provost
  • Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
  • Member appointed by each of the following groups: University Staff Senate, Academic Staff Council and Student Government Association.
     
• Academic Staff Excellence Awards: Selection is made by a committee that is charged with reviewing nomination materials and makes a recommendation to the Chancellor for final approval. Membership of the committee includes:
  • The Chancellor's designee (chair),
  • An instructional academic staff member
  • Member appointed by each of the following groups: University Staff Senate, Academic Staff Council and Student Government Association.