On Monday, October 12th, the Undergraduate Research Program hosted a discussion panel in order to give students important advice towards their future.
The four panelists involved in the discussion are all members of the College of Letters and Sciences Deans Advisory Board, a group of alumni and friends of the College with knowledge and expertise that is beneficial to the students and faculty of UWW.
The first panelist was Timothy Fixmer, the CEO and President of CCI Media, a company which manages and acquires media products, serving business-to-business needs. Fixmer has also been associated with companies such as IIR Publishing and Duke Communications. Fixmer graduated UWW in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Political Science.
The next panelist was Greg Kneser. Kneser is currently the Vice President for student life at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He joined St. Olaf in 1989, starting out as the Director of Resident life and progressing to his current position. He is responsible for all aspects of students residential and co-curricular activities. Kneser graduated from UWW in 1983 and went on to get his Master’s in Education Administration in 1984 at Northeast Missouri State University.
The third panelist was Mark Niedfeldt. Niedfeldt has a Family Medicine/Sports Medicine private practice, which is located in Mequon, WI. He is also a Team Physician to the Milwaukee Brewers. Niedfeldt prides himself on his desire to take time with his patients in order to truly understand their health goals. He graduated UWW in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, and continued on to the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he completed his M.D. in Medicine.
The last panelist was Diane Welsh. She is currently a Shareholder & Attorney at von Briesen & Roper, SC. She is employed at the firms Madison location. She previously served as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. She graduated UWW in 1984 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. She continued on to receive her Masters of Business Administration from Bell State University in 1985. She then received her Juris Doctor degree from the Washington College of Law in 1998.
Before the panel began, several students from the Undergraduate Research Program presented their research to the panelists, and got a chance to interact and network with them.
Melanie Sorman presents her research to Kneser
The event provided an amazing opportunity to students looking to get some genuine advice from real world professionals about their future employment opportunities. Lots of great advice was given at the panel, such as to develop writing and communication skills and to take networking opportunities. It was a great honor to have these panelists take the time to come and talk to Whitewater students and to help prepare them for their life outside of the educational system. We hope to provide more amazing opportunities likethis one in order to provide the students of UWW with the best possible education.