News & Events

This year’s UW-Whitewater American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter continued its long legacy of success by turning heads at this year’s Regional Conference.

On October 6th and 7th, the UW-Whitewater AMA chapter hosted its 15th Annual AMA Regional Conference. Students from around the world attended both live and virtually to watch keynote presentations, compete in competitions, and connect with companies at a career fair.

The event was a tremendous success. UW-Whitewater AMA senior advisor, Jimmy Peltier, commented on the massive turnout compared to past years, “It was our largest live event ever, with over 550 total attendees; about 20% were virtual. We had almost 30 universities involved, from as far away as Florida, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Germany, and the Netherlands.”

Of the 343 individual competitors, UW-Whitewater students won the most 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places of any chapter – by far.

UW-Whitewater Student Winners:
1st place winners: Trace Morrisey (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch Competition), Madison Niezgoda (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Noah Bulgrin (Gartner Sales Competition), Allie Sheline and Brielle Bird (AcuRite Digital Strategy).
2nd place winners: Emily Vorphal (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch Competition), Colin Zander (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Ethan Zgorzelski (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Emily Vorphal (Gartner Sales Competition), Trace Morrisey (Gartner Sales Competition), Avery Goehring and Abby Daniels (AcuRite Digital Strategy), Almira Ajdini and Carmen De Cabo (AcuRite Digital Strategy).
3rd place winners: Claire Labecki (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch), Joe Banish (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch), Nick Walczak (Enterprise Virtual Perfect Pitch), Claire Labecki (Gartner Sales Competition), Abby Hodnik and Jacob Weston (AcuRite Digital Strategy), Ashlee Platta, Jillian Hansen, and Julia Wiggin (Sherwin-Williams Design), Avery Goehring, Lauren Arndt, Abby Daniels (Sherwin-Williams Design), Jacob Weston, Brielle Bird, and Alexis Johnson (Sherwin-Williams Design).

UW-Whitewater AMA Co-President, Madison Niezgoda, was among the top finishers overall taking 1st in the Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition and 2nd in the Gartner Sales Competition. “I thoroughly enjoyed competing against some of the best sales and marketing students from across the world. The opportunity to compete in and run one of the largest AMA Regional Conferences was one I will never forget!” added Niezgoda.

There were several highlights of the conference for Niezgoda, but she believed the most successful part was “creating an environment for students all across the world to network for the first time in person since 2019!”

A sizable event like this comes with a considerable number of hurdles. Planning efforts began several months in advance to set the chapter up for success. One of the largest challenges was the number of logistics that needed to be managed. “We had seven different competitions, all of which needed sponsors, judges, and students. The sheer number of competitions, students, food, room reservations, etc., created a logistical challenge – which our students handled with ease.” Peltier explained.

Several people were vital to the success of this conference beginning with the AMA Presidents Madison Niezgoda and Avery Goehring. Peltier was especially grateful for their dedication as he shared, “hats off to our two AMA Presidents. These young professionals drove everything, and while the stress was immense, they came through with flying colors.”

Niezgoda saw how the contributions of many came together to create a successful event. “I am extremely proud of the work the AMA Conference Team, advisors, and board put into making this event happen. We have been working on it since April and it was amazing to see all the details come together better than we ever expected!”

The experienced group of AMA advisors was a critical part of this conference’s success. Peltier noted how important their contributions were by adding he has “deep gratitude for AMA advisors Andy Dahl, Dan Herlache, Pavan Chennamaneni, and John DeGraff for their leadership and Stephanie Church for her assistance.”

UW-Whitewater’s AMA chapter has won International Chapter of the Year, an extremely prestigious accomplishment, for the past 11 straight years. This year’s chapter is preparing to make another run for the top finish at the 2023 AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans, LA this spring.

Whether you are here for yourself or to better support your team, this interactive four-hour workshop provides an essential understanding of the five major components of mental health, and immediately usable practices to help maintain well-being and balance in the workplace. In this course, learn how to support yourself and colleagues in the development of planning, decision-making and managing negative outlooks leading to successful habits and overall health in and out of the workplace.

This event is available to registrants aged 18 and up. Event Fee – $175; CEU (optional) – $25

Limited to the first 30 registrants each session.

UW-W Rock County Campus. Friday, January 6, 2023 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

For further information and to register, click here.

Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Wed., Dec. 7, 2022, in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. “Each year, as a state and nation, we recognize Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to honor the 2,403 lives lost, including 54 servicemembers from Wisconsin, in the attack on Pearl Harbor and to reflect on the service of the more than 330,000 Wisconsinites who served in World War II,” said Gov. Evers. “Today, we remember the heroism, sacrifice, and valor exhibited that day and every day since by generations of veterans and servicemembers.”  The governor also proclaimed Dec. 7, 2022, as “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day” across the state. A copy of the governor’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day proclamation is available here. Executive Order #179 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Wed., Dec. 7, 2022, and is available here.

On November 8, all current Whitewater High School Computer Science Students participated in Bebra’s Online Computational Thinking Challenge. This annual challenge presents students with a series of 15 puzzles divided into three degrees of difficulty. The competition is designed to help students explore their talents and passion for informatics and computational thinking with engaging challenges.

For the purposes of scoring, freshman and sophomores were classified as “juniors” while juniors and seniors took part in the “senior” division. Freshmen Chacha Binagi and Andrew Wych tied for the high score in the Junior Division, while Senior Daniel (Peter) Portwine earned the high score in the Senior Division as well as the high score for the school.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Computer Science Teacher and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

GRANT AWARDED TO WHITEWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Whitewater Community Foundation is proud to support the Whitewater Police Department with a $1,000 Community Action Grant which will be used to offset the costs associated with their efforts to improve outreach and communication through interpretation services while providing assistance to individuals unable to speak or understand the English language. Timely, accurate and reliable translation services are essential and vital to saving lives, now more than ever. Interpretation services have provided staff with the ability to assist members of our community during a wide range of calls for service from simple information requests, to assisting victims of significant crimes, and providing emergency medical assistance. The Whitewater Police Department is a full-service, community oriented and state accredited law enforcement agency consisting of 24 sworn officers and 13 civilian personnel, including a 24/7 Communications Center. Working together as a team under the leadership of Chief Dan Meyer, every effort is made to be innovative, professional and responsive to public safety concerns of our community. The Foundation extends their gratitude and appreciation to the Whitewater Police Department for their service to this community.

About WCF: The Whitewater Community Foundation’s mission is to “Enhance quality of life in the Whitewater area via educational, cultural, charitable or benevolent expenditures” through scholarships and community action grants. To donate and support the Foundation, simply send a check made out to Whitewater Community Foundation to P. O. Box 428, Whitewater, WI, 53190, or donate online at whitewatercommunityfoundation.org. For tax purposes, the Whitewater Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Corporation.

Two concerts will be performed in UW-W’s Light Recital Hall this week. Saxophone Quartets & Ensembles will perform on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and a Jazz Holiday Concert will be on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling 262-472-2222. 

For the Saxophone Quartets & Ensembles, you can expect several saxophone quartets along with the UW-Whitewater Saxophone Ensemble, who will perform a wide variety of works and styles.

The final concert of the season, Jazz Ensembles and Combos Holiday Concert, features jazzy holiday tunes. This ensemble is directed by Dr. Michael Hackett with student performers. 

Beyond the many ticketed events happening this month in the Department of Music, there are a multitude of free events including student recitals, ensembles and studios. For a full lineup of events, please visit uww.edu/coac/events.

All music events are in the Light Recital Hall in the Greenhill Center of the Arts, located at 950 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190, unless specified otherwise. Tickets are available in advance and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling 262-472-2222. There is a $2.00 surcharge if purchased at the door at the time of the event.