WAUKESHA – Named the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha’s Outstanding Aluma for 2006, Elizabeth Jozwiak graduated from Waukesha North High School and started her college studies at the campus in 1983. She will be an honored guest September 15 at the Sweet Rewards reception for scholarship winners and donors.
Each year, the Friends & Alumni of UWW, Inc., presents the award to an alumna/us with at least ten years distance from the campus and outstanding personal, professional, or volunteer accomplishments.
Although she entered college as an “undecided” major, Jozwiak, now an assistant professor of history at UW-Rock County, found her calling during her first two years of college. “I could explore different classes,” she cites as one reason to come to UW-Waukesha. “The professors are good, and I would be able to transfer.” She also appreciated being able to save money on tuition as well as living expenses, since she stayed at home. Besides, her sister had come to the local campus before her, and her father worked at it.
Despite believing that a degree in history had limited marketability, she gave into her attraction. “I took every class I could with Dr. [Gordon] Goodrum [retired history professor]. He confirmed my love of history and added to it,” she remembers fondly. “He became a real academic mentor to me.” Dr. [Hung mao] Tien, who taught political science, also fueled her interest in his academic field, and that meshed well with her history studies, she notes.
While she attended UW-Waukesha, she worked in the library, something she calls “a good experience,” and even tried her hand at the student newspaper, which she doesn’t believe would have been possible at a larger campus.
After two years, she moved on. “I was totally prepared. The professors were excellent, really cared about student learning. I even learned a lot of science,” although she had harbored doubts about her own competence in that area. “There was no transition academically,” she says, when she transferred to UW-Milwaukee, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 1987.
Still, this was just a start. She went on to earn a master’s degree at UW-Madison in 1989 and then began teaching for Marian College. “That confirmed what I wanted to do,” she says, so after a couple years in front of the class, she enrolled in a Ph.D. program in history at UW-Madison and finished in 1997 with specialties in the US progressive era, labor history, and socialism.
In 1998, she accepted a teaching position at UW-Rock County, which, like UW-Waukesha, is one of the 13 campuses of the University of Wisconsin Colleges. “Knowing the commitment of the professors in the Colleges, I think this is a good match. My teachers have been my role models. This is really cool,” she feels.
She has enjoyed the experience of starting with challenging academics but in a smaller environment and advises students entering today, “If you choose the Colleges, you can’t go wrong,” and adds, “They have great professors.” After all, now she is one.
UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5040 or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu.
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