Deans reflect on rich campus history

By Monica M. Walk and Laurie Krasin

UW-Fond du Lac has been led by four campus deans during its 40 year history. Each spent time recently sharing recollections of the campus in honor of this special anniversary year. These are excerpts from the full stories available by clicking here.

Dean Willard Henken
Campus Dean
1968-1987

“I can’t believe it’s been 40 years,”
Dean Henken said of the school he
grew from the ground up in both
bricks and programming.

Talk of a possible two-year campus in Fond du Lac had bounced around for several years before it became reality in 1968. The County Board’s gift of land, a former airport site, was pivotal, as were the efforts of the Wisconsin Coordinating Council for Higher Education and a Citizen’s Committee of Fond du Lac residents.

“The energy, wit and determination of the people in this city worked to make the campus a reality,” stressed Willard (Bill) Henken, Ph.D. “Once the decision was made, I was fortunate to become a part of it.”

The Fond du Lac campus began as a branch of Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh.

“Oshkosh was growing rapidly, and a campus like this served a useful purpose for those not ready for a larger campus,” Henken noted. “It also provided quality education at a reasonable price. This was not second best, this was a different choice.

“We opened amid the sound of construction. The Governor attended our dedication and noted, ‘You still have some things to do,’” chuckled Henken, whose building plans and positioning purposefully created a sense of campus, even on a small scale. The facilities were deemed modern in every respect.

“I made a point of being here to see the first students walk in. Students breathe life into an institution; they are the lifeblood.”

Former students still recognize him. “Hearing that they really enjoyed their time on campus, and that they are so glad they attended, makes my work worthwhile,” said Henken who remains connected to the campus as a student scholarship sponsor and by attending many events. “Those of us in education talk about these ‘intangibles’… seeing students grow, mature and gain self-confidence… reading about them, and finding out what they are doing and the successes they are having…hearing them say they are doing well and are glad they came here. These are the things that make me feel good, and make it all worthwhile.”



Dean Bradley Gottfried
Campus Dean
1987-1993

“It’s not so much what I did, but the people
who embraced an ideal and vision,” said Dean
Gottfried of the 37-acre arboretum later named for
him. “It turned out better than I ever could have imagined.”

Turning acres of lawn back to original prairie took root under the leadership of Bradley Gottfried, Ph.D., the second campus dean. A biologist by training, Gottfried felt concern about the amount of campus land being mowed, recalling how one employee would be dedicated to this task for an entire summer.

Now president of the College of Southern Maryland, Gottfried cited how his commitment to listening to community ideas and striving to meet the needs of the community led to his dedication to make the arboretum a reality in Fond du Lac. “The intent was to show how the area looked in the 1600 and 1700s,” he noted, “before European settlement… and to make it useful for the college, but also for families, and for teachers and area schoolchildren on field trips.”

Local husband and wife team Connie Ramthun and William Volkert, a natural landscape architect and Horicon Marsh naturalist, were instrumental in the initial planning, volunteer coordination and planting of the Gottfried Arboretum and Prairie. Faculty, staff and community volunteers did much of the planting of the initial 30 acres.

“After the seeds were sown, we needed to be sure no mustard took hold, as that would wipe out the flowers,” Gottfried recalled. “I looked out a window one morning and, overnight, the field was loaded with mustard. I had to go out and see what I could do, so I took off my tie and jacket and started pulling. I looked up, and saw that all of these employees had joined in. That vision remains with me.”

Expansion of the campus-based Foundation office led to the start of locally directed fundraising, as a way to supplement state generated support. Early fundraising solely supported student scholarships.

Former Dean Henken became the Gottfrieds’ neighbor when they coincidentally bought a home on the same street. “He didn’t wander over with suggestions. He’d just wave,” Gottfried chuckled.



Dean Judy Goldsmith
Campus Dean
1993-2002

“The vote was unanimous. It was extraordinary,
magical,” said Dean Goldsmith of the vote by
the Fond du Lac County Board to fund a much
needed rennovation project at the university.

Technically, it was a campus renovation. Locally, it is acknowledged as a rebirth.

“It was a dying campus,” confirmed Judy Goldsmith, the dean who spearheaded the transformation at UW-Fond du Lac.

In January 1999, that changed drastically: nearly $13 million was approved for major capital improvements. The once fashionable browns and oranges would be lightened and brightened, the noisy heating system silenced and the crowded classrooms eased and enlarged. Perhaps most significantly, the campus was gaining an additional structure, the University Center. This renovation began with a commitment of $900,000 from the UW System to equip and furnish a much-needed theater. Goldsmith saw the larger possibility. She approached the Fond du Lac County Board, the original funding support and sponsor of the campus grounds and permanent facilities, with the invitation to analyze the state of the campus.

County Executive Allen Buechel brought the analysis into the working committees of the County Board; members then visited campus to view the facility described in the report.

From funding approval to the revamped campus unveiling was a mere 21 months…and in between was a “hellatious mess,” Goldsmith laughed.

The renovated campus was unveiled in October 2000. Giving tours to the public during the dedication week was joyful. “Many had been on campus previously, and their jaws would drop,” Goldsmith reported.

Reactions went beyond this emotional response. “Enrollment went through the roof,” Goldsmith said.

“It was remarkable to have seen the building going up and the work by the subcontractors,” Goldsmith said. “And then, to see it filled with students! The transformation was glorious beyond words.”



Dean Daniel Blankenship
Campus Dean
2002-present

“We all feel a sense of pride when we
hear our alumni speak so strongly
about their campus experience here,”
said Dean Blankenship.

As the campus celebrates its 40th anniversary year, Daniel J. Blankenship, Ph.D., recognizes the importance of the accomplishments of alumni. “Alumni often say to me that their time here at UW-Fond du Lac was more significant than any other part of their educational experience,” he noted.

Arriving at the UW-Fond du Lac campus on the heels of a $13 million renovation project, Blankenship was able to sharpen his focus on what was happening inside of the buildings.

“It was much easier to do since the renovation work had been completed,” he said.

To guide the campus forward, Blankenship began by bringing the entire campus community together to formulate a strategic plan. The resulting plan steered the campus through a time period when it saw strong growth in enrollment, at the same time that state support for the UW System declined sharply.

“The budgets certainly make everything more challenging,” noted Blankenship. “Students have been faced with steep increases in tuition, as the state now provides about one-third of the cost of each student’s education and the tuition has been increased to make up the balance. This is almost the opposite of the situation just ten years ago when the state support for the UW System covered almost two-thirds of the cost.”

Blankenship is committed to ensuring that a liberal arts education is the defining position of the UW-Fond du Lac campus. “It is what distinguishes us,” he stressed. “It is why we place an important emphasis on study abroad opportunities, internships, service-learning opportunities and assessment.”

And, as much as things often change, the primary mission to provide access to educational opportunities for the community is as true today as it was back in 1968.

“What has changed is the way this is accomplished,” said Blankenship. “Technology has certainly opened up more and more opportunities for access.”




40th Anniversary Year
First day of classes celebrated!

Sept. 9, 2008, marked the 40th anniversary of the first day of classes at UW-Fond du Lac. Three of the four deans who have led UW-Fond du Lac during the past four decades were on campus to celebrate!

Shown in the photo are, left to right, Willard (Bill) Henken, founding campus dean from 1968 to 1987; Judy Goldsmith, campus dean from 1993 to 2002; and Daniel Blankenship, current campus dean.

Bradley Gottfried, campus dean from 1987-1993, is currently president of the College of Southern Maryland and was unable to attend the celebration.

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