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1. John Sisko Ripon’s new vice president, dean of faculty
3. Ripon College assists community during pandemic
Dr. John Sisko started as the new vice president and dean of faculty Aug. 10. He previously was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Wayland H. Cato Jr. School of Education at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also will be a professor of philosophy.
Ripon College helped support local assisted living facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor of History Becky Matzke had served as the interim dean of faculty for the past year.
2. Ripon College addressing response to racism crisis A teach-in webinar, “Critical Discernment and Healing Spaces: Black Lives Matter,” was held June 3. It was in response to civil unrest after the recent deaths of black men and women by law enforcement agents and the deeper causes of racism and racialized violence. “We were honored to facilitate a very symbolic moment with our black student scholars at Ripon College,” said Maria Mendoza-Bautista, director of multicultural affairs. Courses of action will be developed to address the issues raised. The sponsors were the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Politics and the People, with support of student groups Brothers Reaching Out (B.R.O.) and Black Student Union (BSU). Student participants included Quinton Roque ’21 of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Inesha Wiseman ’22 of Hazel Crest, Illinois; Ezekiel Carson ’21 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Carmone Zavala ’22 of Chicago, Illinois; Shane Reid ’23 of Kingston, Jamaica; and Stephanie Boahen ’21 of Accra, Ghana.
The departments of chemistry and biology, which stock protective latex gloves for use in laboratory settings, donated 4,160 gloves to the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force. Enough gloves were retained to start the fall semester. The 3D printers in the Department of Physics were used to make 200 protective face shields by Brett Barwick and Christina Othon, associate professors of physics. (Photo: Mary Ann Douglas, left, environmental health and safety officer, presents latex gloves to members of the Ripon COVID-19 Community Response Team.
4. Ripon’s FLASH Internship finalist for national honors Ripon College’s FLASH Internship program of the Center for Career and Professional Development was one of nine nominees for Most Innovative Career Initiatives at Colleges and Universities by The Career Leadership Collective national organization. FLASH Internships are the only project-based, short-term experiences in Wisconsin designed to get results for both employers and students and to create an innovative talent pipeline for high-performing organizations.
5. English professor Mary Unger wins award for Midwest essay An essay by Mary Unger, associate professor of English and chair of the department, won the 2020 David D. Anderson Award for Outstanding Essay in Midwestern Literary Studies from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature. “The Book Circle: Black Women Readers and Middlebrow Taste in Chicago, 1943-1953” was judged as “the most
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compelling, not least because of the way it articulates the goals and legacies of Midwestern black readership,” said Dr. Andy Oler, president of the society. Unger also is managing editor of Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers.
6. Maria Dietrich chosen for 2020 Founders’ Day Award Maria Dietrich, formerly interim executive and artistic director of the Green Lake Festival of Music and a retired adjunct instructor of piano at Ripon College, was selected for the College’s Founders’ Day Award. Each year the College honors an individual or organization within the greater Ripon community who exemplifies the ideals of the founders of Ripon College and who has contributed above and beyond to the mission of the school.
7. Theatre students honored at regional festival Twelve students from the Ripon College Department of Theatre competed at the Region 3 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in January. The festival presentations represented work from The Fantasticks, the joint production of the departments of music and theatre at Ripon College.
• Heidi DeCaluwe ’20 of West Bend, Wisconsin, received a Certificate of Merit for her costume design. She will attend the University of Arkansas MFA program in costume design in the fall.
• Lindsey Wigand ’22 of West Allis, Wisconsin, received a Certificate of Merit for her stage management.
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Madeleine Craig ’20 of West Bend, Wisconsin, and Deshawn Thomas ’20 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, both were nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition.
• Ken Hill, professor of theatre, directed The Fantasticks. (Photos: Scenes from The Fantasticks)