School of Education Honors Faculty and Staff

Monday, April 07, 2008 -

Congratulations!  —to seven members of the School of Education who have been selected to receive Distinguished Achievement Awards, the highest honor the School bestows upon current faculty and staff.  Receiving faculty honors are Leonard J. Abbeduto (Department of Educational Psychology and the Waisman Center) and Thomas S. Popkewitz (Department of Curriculum and Instruction). 

Receiving academic staff honors are Nancy B. Blake (Office of Education Outreach) and Claude Heintz (Dance Program). 

Receiving classified staff honors are Susan M. LaLuzerne (Wisconsin Center for Education Research) and Donna L. Meicher (Center for Instructional Materials and Computing).  Receiving the Claire Shaffer Classified Staff Award is Mary J. Fish (Wisconsin Center for Education Research). 

Award recipients will be honored at a private reception on April 22.

Excerpts from citations honoring the recipients:

Leonard Abbeduto (faculty award):

Len Abbeduto is widely regarded among the world’s leading scholars in the field of language development of individuals with disabilities. 

His early research on social uses of language among children and adolescents with disabilities helped to fuel a dramatic change in the types of language interventions investigated and incorporated into clinical practice.  More recently, he has emerged as one of the top scholars in the study of fragile X syndrome, the leading inherited cause of intellectual disabilities.

Len has published more than 50 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, written 16 chapters in edited volumes, and authored or edited eight books. His writings — on intellectual disabilities, speech and language disorders, and child language — reflect the breadth of his expertise and his standing.

At the University’s Waisman Center, Len directs the Research Participation Core, which he has developed into a national model.  Since 2001, he has served as Waisman’s associate director for behavioral sciences, and is involved in recruiting new faculty.  He directs the University Center for Excellence in Disabilities, the center’s clinical and outreach component.

Thomas Popkewitz (faculty award):

Thomas Popkewitz is one of the world’s foremost authorities in the area of education theory, educational reform, and curriculum studies. He is known for bringing complexity to his work, heightening respect for education research, and helping colleagues and students to think differently about educational research, reform and change.

He has written or edited more than 25 books and more than 160 journal articles and book chapters. His work has been translated into numerous languages. Two of his books —Paradigms and Ideology in Educational Research and A Political Sociology of Educational Reform — have received awards for their contribution to educational studies.

A member of the UW-Madison faculty for 37 years, Tom has articulated the importance of bringing comparative and international issues into U.S. discourse in the social sciences, especially in education.

He has worked with most, if not all, of the area studies programs on campus. Currently, Tom is working with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research to facilitate international and comparative educational research.

Claude Heintz (academic staff award):

In the world of dance, audiences rarely notice when technical directors do their best work.  But behind the scenes at UW-Madison, Dance students, faculty, visiting performers and choreographers often notice — and appreciate — the technical wizardry of Claude Heintz.

Claude has been taking care of the Dance Program’s technical needs since 1998.  With the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space operating under his complete direction, he always insists on the highest production standards.

His versatility and tireless commitment have contributed to the success of major events, such as when UW–Madison hosted the American College of Dance Festival Association’s Great Lakes Regional Conference in 2003 and again in 2008.  Each of these conferences brought in groups from more than 30 universities.

Beyond campus, Claude is regarded as a leader and innovator in the field of lighting design. He has developed new software, and shares his expertise with others in the field on the Internet.

Nancy Blake (academic staff award):

In an office that sits at the juncture between the University and the community, Nancy Blake has earned a reputation for developing and running well-organized programs that deliver high-quality educational experiences.

Nancy has led the School of Education’s pre-college programs since 1998. In that time, these programs — College for Kids, Technology and Arts, and the Saturday Enrichment Program — have grown significantly.

She has been a leader in efforts to support and coordinate pre-college programs across campus, and has worked with a range of departments and programs. She also has developed off-campus partnerships with local community centers, such as the Atwood Community Center, and organizations, such as the Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Arts in Education, and National Folkarts in Education.

Nancy’s ability to foster the relationships necessary to build bridges between the University and community truly brings the Wisconsin Idea to life.

Mary Fish (Claire Shaffer classified staff award):

When the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) received funding six years ago for the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), the principal investigator went “fishing” for an effective administrative assistant. CIRTL is a $2-million-per-year project with roughly 100 members at seven universities, so this is a key position.

Heeding the advice he received around WCER, he made an important “catch” for this initiative. Looking back, he acknowledges that CIRTL’s nationally recognized successes are founded on the talents and commitment to excellence of Mary Fish.  She has the knowledge and ability to move things through the “system.” 

Mary deftly shepherds essentially all of the paperwork that flows through CIRTL.  With CIRTL’s seven universities, large national board, and numerous dissemination initiatives, Mary handles an extraordinary number of documents and travel arrangements with impeccable accuracy and keeps a cool head in dealing with demands from a range of personalities.

Mary is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that all goes well at CIRTL’s national forums, which typically draw more than 300 people.  She is a creative problem solver and a generous, patient teacher, who is willing to share what she knows.

Susan LaLuzerne (classified staff award):

As the nation’s most productive education research center, the Wisconsin Center for Education Research produces an incredible amount of reports, forms, and other documents and materials.  Of course, all of these require professional formatting and multiple copies — perhaps even hundreds or thousands of copies — often on short notice.

Fortunately, WCER has a Copy Shop — ably led by Sue LaLuzerne — that does more than just make copies.  Sue and her staff are always willing to go the extra distance to complete all those important jobs promptly and professionally.

Around WCER, in fact, they are known for their ability to pull off minor miracles. For instance, one research project brought in a multi-page survey form one afternoon with an urgent need for 5,000 copies by the next day.  Of course, the Copy Shop came through.

In addition to reports, forms and documents, the Copy Shop staff has produced brochures, flyers, handouts, guidebooks, massive color posters, custom table tents and business cards — often in mass quantities and on tight timelines.  Sue and the Copy Shop staff are important contributors to WCER’s positive image. The products and materials they produce serve as the public face of WCER and its individual projects.

Donna Meicher (classified staff award):

The Reserves operation at the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC) provides essential support for the teaching mission of all departments in the School of Education.  Instructors count on having their class readings processed quickly and accurately to be made available to large numbers of students.

In short, they depend on Donna Meicher, who consistently meets these needs with skill, efficiency, and professionalism — despite the lack of support staff available in larger libraries. Donna works diligently behind the scene to ensure that faculty and students can focus on learning and teaching.

In recent years, the addition of the Electronic Reserves has created new opportunities for faculty and students.  Donna has met the challenge of this new and expanding service, taking on the duties of creating digital documents, designing web pages, resolving problems for remote users, and working with faculty to establish access to new electronic formats and move from paper to digital reserves.

Donna has created a strong infrastructure that frees instructors to regularly change and adapt their courses.  Faculty count on her to expedite their requests, knowing that she will go well beyond the normal standards to meet their needs.

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