Dr. Paul Chase, Mary Hoeft, Terry Wiesner and Dr. Troy Kozma will kick off the fall Thursdays at the U series Sept. 3 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Barron County.
Their presentation, “UWEC-BC Celebrates 60 Years!” will run from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Blue Hills Lecture Hall in Ritzinger Hall and also will be livestreamed at ricelaketv.com.
The speakers will discuss the past, present and future of UW-Eau Claire – Barron County, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
The program will comprise the following segments:
- “Keeping the Focus on Our Students’ Future,” presented by Dr. Paul Chase
- “Sixty Years of Teaching Excellence,” presented by Mary Hoeft
- “From Desk to Lectern: My Student Path to a Career,” presented by Terry Wiesner
- “The Importance of Small, Community-Based Education,” presented by Dr. Troy Kozma
Chase served as dean and campus executive officer at the campus from 1997-2013. He taught numerous history classes during his time as dean and after his retirement, and he offers a continuing education course on a historical topic each year.
Hoeft taught communication arts and French at the campus for 50 years. She was a Wisconsin Teaching Scholar, Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of the Chancellor’s Career Award for Teaching Excellence.
Wiesner is an alumnus who began his college journey uncertain of his major and if college was right for him. The campus soon became his home, providing guidance and opportunities that helped Wiesner find his path to a bachelor’s degree in theatre education with teacher certification and a master’s degree. Wiesner returned to UW-Eau Claire – Barron County and taught theatre classes for nearly 30 years before his retirement in 2018.
Kozma has taught at the campus for 20 years and currently serves as its academic chair. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Illinois Chicago with an emphasis in political theory. He has cowritten several articles and two books on free speech.
After the lecture, the “Celebrating 60 Years Social” will take place in the Meggers Hall Commons. Chase and Dr. Dean Yohnk, another former dean, will reflect on their time on campus while Dr. Abbey Fischer, campus director, will discuss UW-Eau Claire – Barron County’s goals to remain relevant and impactful in the future.
The Thursdays at the U weekly series is free and open to the public thanks to support from the UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Foundation. Neither seating reservations nor parking permits are needed for in-person attendees.
While in-person attendance is encouraged, most presentations in the series are livestreamed and archived on the Thursdays at the U webpage.
The next program in the series will be Sept. 10, with Dr. Harry Jol presenting “Imaging Forgotten Holocaust Sites in the Baltics.”
For more information, contact Laura Holden at 715-788-6207 or holdenlk@uwec.edu.
