Madison, Wisconsin – April 12, 2018 – The UW System Board of Regents selected Karen Mittelstadt, assistant dean for academic affairs, to receive a 2018 Academic Staff Excellence Award. These awards recognize exceptional service to the university and are the UW System’s highest honor bestowed on members of its academic staff.
“Karen’s leadership has been and continues to be invaluable as we endeavor to prepare nurses for the future of healthcare,” says Dr. Linda D. Scott, dean. “Karen is highly regarded by colleagues both within and outside the school for her demonstrable and unwavering commitment to student success.”
Mittelstadt has had a hand in several landmark initiatives and events at the School of Nursing, including a reaccreditation process for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program, the creation of a new accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, and a sweeping redesign of the undergraduate curriculum. Mittelstadt specifically helped ensure that the new concept-based curriculum aligned with accreditation standards as well as university policies, and she shepherded 25 new courses through the campus approval process.
Mittelstadt is one of five academic deans who present to students, parents, and guests at UW-Madison’s Student Advising, Orientation, and Registration (SOAR). She actively participates on the Academic Advising and Policy Leaders Committee, a group of deans who work together to improve the student experience and academic achievement on campus. She also serves on scholarship and student award committees, participates in new advisor training, and was recently selected to participate in the Kauffman Administrative Development Program, which develops UW-Madison campus leaders.
“This award is an incredible honor,” Mittelstadt says. “A lot of what I do is rather behind-the-scenes—trying to bring different people and ideas and initiatives together. It’s wonderful to be recognized and celebrate with the staff, students, and faculty with whom I get to work every day.”
Award recipients are selected for superior performance resulting in significant contributions to the department and institution, use of positive personal interaction to manage work changes, and a consistently creative approach that improves productivity and work quality. The other recipients include Jaclyn Esqueda, a program manager at UW–Platteville, and the Lake Superior Research Institute at UW–Superior. The Board of Regents formally presented the awards, valued at $5,000 each, to Mittelstadt and other recipients at it April 6 meeting in Madison.
###
For more information, please contact Jen Garrett at (608) 263-5160 or jegarrett@wisc.edu.