News & Events

Officer Ryan Dewing of UW-Whitewater Police Services took this stunning photo of the Starin Park water tower on April 24 at 6:20 a.m. Dewing indicates that he was using the department’s DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, and that the photo is unedited.

The water tower was constructed in 1889 and was decommissioned at the end of 2022 as the new water tower on the southwest side of town was placed into service. An engineering study was recently completed on the tower, with estimates provided for repairing and maintaining the landmark versus demolishing it. A decision has not yet been made on its fate.

Editor’s note: The Banner is grateful to UW-Whitewater Police Services for permission to use this photo.

Nate Parrish, President of First Citizens State Bank, is pleased to announce that Robert (Bob) Bastien has joined the Bank as Vice President – Business Banker with First Citizens State Bank’s Main Office, located at 207 W. Main St., Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Bob has over 15 years of experience in business banking including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. He is a graduate of UW-Whitewater receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting.

In making the announcement, Nate Parrish said, “We are excited to have Bob join our business lending staff; with his background and expertise in business banking we look forward to him helping serve the needs of our customers.”

Bob resides in Fort Atkinson with his wife and children. An avid outdoorsman, he also enjoys attending concerts and spending time with family. He serves on the Board for the Fort Atkinson Generals Baseball team.

First Citizens State Bank, locally-owned and operated since 1863, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in South Eastern Wisconsin. First Citizens State Bank has full service offices in Whitewater, East Troy, and Palmyra. Member FDIC.

After the completion of a national search, Chancellor Corey King is pleased to announce the selection of Katie Kuznacic as the vice chancellor for university relations and president of the UW-Whitewater Foundation. Kuznacic has worked at UW-Whitewater since 2010 in philanthropy and alumni engagement, most recently serving as the interim vice chancellor for university relations since October 2021.

“I am excited about Katie’s leadership for our university relations and foundation spaces,” said King. “She exudes a love and passion for the university. Her experience will serve as a strong framework for us as we launch a strategic plan focused on student success and advancing the university’s regional impact.”

An alumna of UW-Whitewater, Kuznacic worked in the Wisconsin state legislature and marketing management before joining the university in 2010 as a director of development. In 2020, she was elevated to the position of executive director of philanthropy and alumni engagement, leading the university’s efforts in major gifts, annual giving, and alumni relations.

“Katie is a dedicated, trusted and accomplished leader,” said Sandy Dunst, interim president and vice chair of the UW-Whitewater Foundation. “Katie is driven by seeing the power of transforming student lives through our collaborative work with alumni and university partners. The Foundation Board offers its full support to Katie as vice chancellor and president of the foundation in service to UW-Whitewater, her alma mater.”

Chancellor King would like to thank everyone who provided feedback during the interview process as well as the members of the search and screen committee for their work. John Chenoweth, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, chaired the 11-person search committee. King also extends his appreciation to Dunst for outstanding leadership as interim president of the UW-Whitewater Foundation.

Kuznacic will begin her new role immediately.

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Editor’s note: The above announcement was published at UW-W on May 10. The bio shown below is from the UW-W website.

It didn’t take Katie Kuznacic long to fall for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. When she was a high school student, she toured the university, met with a professor and immediately envisioned her future.

“I could see this was a place where I wouldn’t just be a number, or another student,” she said. “This was a place where I wanted to be.” Kuznacic, who grew up in Baldwin, a small town in St. Croix County, cherishes her time as a Warhawk. She obtained a speech and public relations degree and today she enjoys using her skills to help people who also have a strong connection with campus. “A really special part of this job is developing relationships with people who have that shared UW-Whitewater experience,” she said. “Whether they went to school here, taught here or have a friend or a family member who has a connection here, I think it’s just really special to be part of that, and to help these people achieve their philanthropic goals.”

Kuznacic loves hearing stories about campus from alumni. “Whether it’s someone who was here in the 1960s or someone who just graduated, there’s this common thread, of UW-Whitewater being this very special small-town university where people have close relationships with their professors and have these fond memories that I don’t think every university can replicate,” she said. “It’s special to me because I feel like I have those same memories too.” Kuznacic lives in Janesville with her husband Eric.

You’re Invited!
Starin Park Purple Martin House Dedication
Saturday, May 13, 2 p.m.

The Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission invites the public to attend the dedication of a new Purple Martin house located in the Arboretum at Starin Park on Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. behind the Senior Center. This Martin house is the third Purple Martin habitat that Urban Forestry has been able to put in place thanks to the city of Whitewater and donations from individuals throughout our community. The other two Martin houses, located in Minneiska Park and Clay Street Nature Preserve, have successfully fledged Martins every year since they were installed. Martins enjoy showing their aerial acrobatics and serenading an audience and are not put off by human visitors!

Purple Martins are beneficial insectivores that depend upon man-made housing. After migrating 4,000 miles from the Amazon, they lay only one clutch of eggs each year. They face severe competition from invasive house sparrows and starlings so these structures have to be managed until the Martins become established in each house. Through the efforts of Bill Chandler, member of Urban Forestry, our first two Martin houses have become very well established and are enjoyed by many people as well as the Martins! We look forward to providing this at the Arboretum at Starin Park as well.

Whitewater has earned the designations of both Bird City and Tree City. Please join volunteer members of the Urban Forestry Commission as well as city staff and others on Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. at Starin Park for the dedication of the 3rd Purple Martin house.

Three Whitewater High School Computer Science Students were honored at the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Awards Ceremony at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sunday, May 7. Senior Jazmin Cederberg was honored as a Wisconsin State Winner, while Freshman Ace Hudec and Senior Dayna Carlson were honored with Wisconsin Honorable Mentions.

The three-hour formal program included guest speakers from industry, Q & A with a panel including college students currently studying computer science related majors, and a motivational speech from the National Director of the Aspirations program. 153 students from across the state of Wisconsin were honored as either winners, honorable mention, or rising stars.

A major focus of the program is to provide access to scholarships, internships, and connections with IT professionals for female and non-binary students who are pursuing their interests in computer science.

All three honorees have studied computer science at WHS and have been involved with the FIRST Robotics Competition Team Ferradermis as programmers. Both Jazmin and Dayna intend to continue their study of computer science at UW schools next fall.

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