UW-La Crosse

  1. From dishwasher to ‘Iron Chef’

    Photo of Yia Vang, '10, owner of Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis, who has established himself as one of the most celebrated chefs in he Midwest. In June, he was featured in Netflix's reboot of "Iron Chef." PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Cutshall

    July 21, 2022

    Known for Hmong cuisine, Yia Vang is a rising restaurateur Yia Vang used to wash dishes and count the days until he would never again have to work in a restaurant. Then he had an epiphany. “I always looked at working in restaurants as a job I did, living paycheck to paycheck,” Vang, ’10, explains. […]

  2. Real problems, real solutions: UW-La Crosse students get hands-on experience through Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program

    Photo of UW-La Crosse business students Claire Mistele (left) and Jackson Lescamela detailing ways that Kwik Trip can design a work environment for the attraction and retention of new employees. The presentation was part of the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program at UWL.

    July 13, 2022

    Solving real-world problems for one of Wisconsin’s most recognizable companies. That kind of work is typically left to seasoned professionals. However, thanks to the Kwik Trip Integrated Core Program at UW-La Crosse, business students are gaining those experiences, too. During the spring semester, students worked in groups to research and address two issues currently facing the […]

  3. Murphy masterpieces: Special program hangs artwork in UW-La Crosse Murphy Library

    Photo of UW-La Crosse art students parading their work across campus from the Center for the Arts to Murphy Library. The students participated in an initiative of Murphy Library staff Amber Leibundgut-Peterson and Marc Manke, both eager to promote the work of student artists and create a more vibrant, creative learning environment in the library.

    June 17, 2022

    Special program hangs artwork in Murphy Library Art Professor Jennifer Williams is drawn back to Murphy Library each September to recollect feelings around 9-11. “I recall one painting with profound, lasting impact depicts the horror of 9-11,” says Williams. “Painted by Kim Van Someren-Berg, I still visit it each September, reminded of how she began the […]

  4. Still running: Agreements keep WIAA state track meet at UWL

    Photo of the WIAA State High School Track & Field Meet, which brings thousands to the La Crosse area each spring. This was the event in 2019. The WIAA has agreed to five-year contracts with UWL and Explore La Crosse to host the State Track and Field Championships in La Crosse through 2026.

    June 3, 2022

    The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association agreed to five-year contracts with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Explore La Crosse to host the State Track and Field Championships in La Crosse through 2026. “On behalf of the 516 schools in the membership, the WIAA extends gratitude for the generous support of Explore La Crosse and the supporting […]

  5. A sound creator: Justin Schmitz is a fast-rising star in theatrical hotbed of D.C.

    Photo of Justin Schmitz, ’11, is the recipient of the 2020 Rada Distinguished Alumni Award. Schmitz has established himself as a leading innovator in theatrical sound design, particularly when it comes to deaf theater.

    May 20, 2022

    Editor’s note: This is the second of a series of five articles introducing recipients of the UW-La Crosse Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Awards. See all 2022 award recipients. He’s impressive with his creative, cutting-edge sound design for theater. In fact, he’s so creative that he’s even making waves with those who are deaf, allowing them […]

  6. Prairie preservation: UW-La Crosse alum Taylor Prill puts her degree to work through restoration project

    Photo of Taylor Prill, '20, who is restoring a retired, three-acre hayfield near her hometown of Clintonville, Wisconsin, into native prairie. “I am very passionate about the restoration of native environments and am thrilled to be involved in a project like this,” she says.

    May 5, 2022

    UW-La Crosse alum Taylor Prill has returned to her hometown to make her geography degree flourish. Prill is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore a retired, three-acre hayfield in Clintonville, Wisconsin, into a native prairie. It will have a public walkway where people can learn more about the plant and animal […]

  7. Leader of the Pack: Brian Gutekunst’s path from UW-La Crosse to general manager in Titletown

    Photo of UW-La Crosse alum Brian Gutekunst, who is entering his fifth season as general manager of the Green Bay Packers. His time at UWL, including a stint as a student assistant football coach, was crucial to his development as a talent evaluator. PHOTO CREDIT: Evan Siegle, packers.com

    May 3, 2022

    In 1994, a shoulder injury seemed to spell the end of Brian Gutekunst’s time with the UW-La Crosse football team.  Coach Roger Harring had other ideas.  “It was evident my career as a player was over. I was thinking about transferring to a school in North Carolina, so I could be closer to family,” Gutekunst […]

  8. UW-La Crosse’s Susan Crutchfield shares expertise on Helen Keller with popular radio show

    Photo of UW-La Crosse Associate Professor of English Susan Crutchfield, who in 2005, published an article about Helen Keller's short-lived career in vaudeville. Surprisingly, Crutchfield was contacted this spring by one of the most popular radio shows in America — Radiolab, which wanted to interview her for an upcoming episode.

    April 22, 2022

    In 2005, Susan Crutchfield used a UW-La Crosse research grant to produce and publish an article about Helen Keller’s short-lived career in vaudeville. The article generated some initial buzz, but in the 17 years since, Crutchfield assumed it had gone to rest in a quiet, mostly forgotten corner of the internet. Then she received a […]

  9. Help on the way: UW-La Crosse to offer unique program to grow state’s school psychologists

    Photo of Rob Dixon, director of the UW-La Crosse school psychology program, who says the university’s new online program addresses Wisconsin’s extreme shortage of school psychologists. It’s the first in the state — and one of only three in the country — to offer online studies in school psychology designed for full-time teachers.

    April 5, 2022

    A new online program at UW-La Crosse aims to help address Wisconsin’s extreme shortage of school psychologists. Working with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Department of Education on the School Based Mental Health Professionals Grant, UWL is adding an online program to its esteemed traditional program that will allow current teachers to become […]

  10. Reimagining law enforcement: UWL human rights policing course building compassion among officers

    Photo of UW-La Crosse Associate Professor Peter Marina, who teaches a course with his father, longtime New Orleans Police Officer Pedro Marina, designed to teach law enforcement to uphold each person's human rights.

    April 3, 2022

    When Wisconsin Capitol Police Officer Andrew Hyatt crosses paths with someone who is homeless, he doesn’t see a person who is a problem. He sees a person who has a story. “Maybe some police officers are used to looking the other way when it comes to a problem that may be difficult to deal with, […]

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