(from left) Nicole Kurth, UW-Green Bay; Pam Forman, UW-Eau Claire; JJ Knapp, UW-River Falls; Jeff Guenther, UW-Milwaukee; Amney Harper, UW-Oshkosh; Lydia Burgess Roussos, UW System Administration (formerly UW-Extension); Kelly Andrichik, UW-Parkside; Coltan Schoenike, UW-Stout; Sylf Bustamante, UW-Stevens Point; Brent Bilodeau, UW-Whitewater; Phillip Gordon, UW-Platteville; Beth Cherne, UW-La Crosse; and Julia Johnson, UW-Superior. Not pictured: Lori Berquam, UW-Madison (Photo by Ethan Schuh, UW System)
MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 14 honorees of the 2018 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People, an annual honor given to LGBTQ+ people or their allies who have helped to create a safer and more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ people. The award celebrates the memory and legacy of Dr. Paula B. Poorman, a highly regarded faculty member at UW-Whitewater who dedicated her life to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award. The recipients of the award will be honored on November 8, during a ceremony hosted by UW System President Ray Cross. The awards ceremony and reception will be held in conjunction with UW System’s presentation of the Outstanding Women of Color in Education Awards.
“The honorees have positively transformed the experiences of our students and staff in enduring ways through the creation of new programs, initiatives, and offices as well as the advancement of new research,” said President Cross. “This award recognizes their significant achievements to benefit both the UW System campuses and surrounding communities.”
UW institutions submit nominations for the awards, which highlight each recipient’s contributions to advocacy, activism or scholarship that enhances the experiences of and improves the climate for LGBTQ+ people.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People, previous recipients have been invited to participate in the reception and awards ceremony. Twenty LGBTQ+ people and their allies have received the award since it was established in 2008.
The honorees of the 2018 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People are:
- Pam Forman, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Sociology, UW-Eau Claire
- Lydia Roussos, Lead Operations Technologist, Instructional Communications Systems, UW-Extension
- Nicole Kurth, Area Coordinator, Office of Residence Life, UW-Green Bay
- Beth Cherne, Professor, Department of Theatre Arts, UW-La Crosse
- Lori Berquam, Vice Provost and former Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Office of the Provost, UW-Madison
- Jeff Guenther, Senior Administrative Program Specialist, College of Letters and Science, UW-Milwaukee
- Amney Harper, Associate Professor, Department of Professional Counseling, UW-Oshkosh
- Kelly Andrichik, Police Officer, UW-Parkside Police Department, UW-Parkside
- Phillip “Pip” Gordon, Assistant Professor of English and Gay Studies Coordinator, Department of English, UW-Platteville
- JJ Knapp, Art Major, Department of Art, UW-River Falls
- Sylf Bustamante, Coordinator, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, UW-Stevens Point
- Coltan Schoenike, Graduate Student, Master’s Program for Marriage and Family Therapy, UW-Stout
- Julia Johnson, Information and Referral Specialist, United Way 2-1-1; Alumni, UW-Superior
- Brent Bilodeau, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Division of Student Affairs, UW-Whitewater
For more information about the award and past recipients, see wisconsin.edu/grants-awards/poorman-award/
The University of Wisconsin System serves more than 170,000 students. Awarding 36,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. More than 80 percent of UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System institutions also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.