Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Dave Halbach and my pronouns are he/him. I’m the UC Assistant Director and I’ve been working here for 41 years now.

What does an average day look like working for the UC? What does your position entail?

I supervise three areas/departments; HawkCard Office, Ticket Services, and UC Desktop support. I really appreciate the effort of everyone I work with. Like most of the UC staff, there really is not an average day. It could start quietly with an opportunity to check the early morning email or it could start with a panic due to desktop computers or cash register issues that are preventing an office or University Dining location from operating. One key task I do every day is monitoring the HawkCard system to make sure meal plans, Dining Dollars, Purple Points, and other functions are working properly. There could be issues with any of the cash registers on campus, or a problem with the HawkCard system (which all the cash registers connect to for meal plans, Dining Dollars, Purple Points, etc.). Sometimes, especially at the beginning of each semester, I will monitor the system from home. I also try to find time each day to search, drift, and wander around the internet looking for trends and ideas that would help the UC and UW-W. The trends could be tech-related, food-related, social media and marketing-related, security, or other ideas that come to mind. 

What does being a UC employee mean to you? 

It means I get to work in a high-energy, ever-changing, and positive environment. It challenges me to learn something new every day. Working in the UC challenges me to share something new every day with those around me. I cannot remember a time when I dreaded coming to work at UW-W and the UC. I had jobs while in college where I did not like going to work and could not wait for the day or summer to end. 

What are some of the most memorable days/moments working for the UC? 

With a long career here, there have been many memorable and/or unusual days. Snowstorms where only a dozen or so staff, including dining services, could make it to the building. The annual Warhawk Bowling Club tournaments in Warhawk Alley that lasted 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, with 14-18 teams. Two major building projects that lasted 18-24 months with lots of changes in and around the building. Watching the original 1958 portion of the building be pulled down by a huge backhoe/excavator in 2006. Watching a specially trained company blast the bedrock under Roberta’s Art Gallery with explosives, so the gallery and DU could be built as you see it now. Seeing the many changes across campus that have occurred during my career. Maintaining friendships with “students” from my first years working in Warhawk Alley. 

Why should students visit the UC? 

  • To “get connected” to UW-W
  • Have fun with friends! 
  • Develop a wider perspective of the campus, community, country, and world
  • Get something to eat!
  • Work in the UC to acquire leadership skills 
  • Study and work with friends
  • See UW-W at its best! 

What is one piece of advice you can give to current UW-W students? 

Do not stop learning! How you learn may/will change over time but the need to learn won’t go away. 

What is an accomplishment you are most proud of? 

First, being awarded the 2021 Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of Campus Card Users. Second, being awarded the Association of College Unions International Region 8 Outstanding Staff Leadership Award. Third, being part of the first UC LEAP team that recognized the value of on-campus employment for students, the financial rewards it offered, the retention and graduation rate impact, and the need for all campus student employment to be recognized as a high impact practice which is an important factor in student success and graduation. Fourth, accepting an award at a 2019 professional conference, on behalf of the campus, recognizing the marketing and outreach efforts of the HawkCard Office and UC.