GOING THE DISTANCE

Zimmerman makes an impact on the track and in the classroom

It’s possible that 2007 graduate Dana Zimmerman represents one of the truest definitions of a UW-Platteville Pioneer—someone who pushes boundaries and perseveres, even when the odds might be against them. Zimmerman was born with cerebral palsy, affecting the right side of his body. He was also diagnosed with a learning disability, affecting the way he is able to receive and interpret information. With the help of friends and family, Zimmerman set out to prove neither of these would define him.

“We grew up in a very modest household and physical therapy was really expensive,” said Zimmerman, who grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. “My dad decided the next best thing was to get me swimming.”

By the age of 10, he was competing in swimming and running events at the Courage Country Championships—competitions for persons with similar disabilities. He especially excelled at the running competitions, and this soon led him to connect with Art Payne, a cross country and track coach for Central High School, in Saint Paul. Payne worked with Zimmerman for five years, learning how to tailor workouts for him. Zimmerman’s coaches at Harding High School played a pivotal role as well. Vicky Knutson, his cross country coach, pushed him to eventually become the team captain and NovaCare Award winner, which is a brave and outstanding performance award for persons with disabilities among able-bodied athletes. An additional coach, Lisa

Koelfgen-Faust, specifically designed a running program that eventually led Zimmerman to fourth, fifth, and sixth place finishes in the 800-, 1,500-, and 5,000-meter races during the 1996 Paralympic games in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to crediting Payne for developing him as an athlete, Zimmerman also said it was his running coach who introduced him to his future academic and career path. Zimmerman was a first-generation college student and said the idea of pursuing higher education had never occurred to him, until Payne suggested that he should explore developmental adapted physical education as a profession.

“Having a learning disability, I was on the middle to low end of the academic scale,” said Zimmerman. “I had never considered the idea of college.”

Zimmerman connected with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in Minnesota, which helped him with college readiness resources.

“I was paired up with a DVR officer and I took a psychological assessment report that said college work, for me, would be ‘extremely difficult.’”

DANA ZIMMERMAN IS a silver medalist in the 1,500-meter run in the 2000 Paralympic games.

Top right, Zimmerman and his friend, John Herrin—a fellow UW-Platteville alumnus— participate in a Tough Mudder competition.

Bottom right, Zimmerman and his wife, Sara, visit the Floating Islands in Vietnam.

Still determined not to let anything stop him, he enrolled at UW-Platteville the next fall.

When Zimmerman arrived at UW-Platteville, he met Tom Antczak, Head Coach of the cross country program, whom he credits for helping him achieve his athletic life goal. Antczak designed a program for Zimmerman so that he could continue running. He followed a plan that had him running indoor and outdoor track, as well as cross country, eventually preparing him for the 2000 Paralympic games in Sydney, Australia.

“I got on a plane, took my textbooks with me so I could keep up with my studies, and went to Sydney,” said Zimmerman, who ended up taking home a silver medal in the 1,500-meter run with a time of four-and-a-half minutes.

After achieving his athletic goal, he turned his attention to finishing his physical education degree at UW-Platteville. It was a challenge, he said, to complete student teaching and pass the required standardized tests to obtain his teaching license, but he stuck with it and graduated.

After teaching one year in Hudson, Wisconsin, he eventually enrolled in a graduate program for adapted physical education at UW-La Crosse.

It was there, Zimmerman said, that he honed his skills and learned to better assess students, utilize adaptive equipment, and develop better after school programs for persons with disabilities. He was eventually asked to fill a full-time position teaching at UW-River Falls—a job he said he never would have conceived of a decade prior.

“I think about how I didn’t even know anything about college or if I could even go to college, to coming full circle and being a professor,” he said.

After decades of accepting challenges and exceeding his goals, Zimmerman set out for a new challenge in 2018, when he and his wife Sara moved to Bangladesh to teach. Zimmerman described an initial period of difficult cultural adjustment.

“Seeing the treatment of persons with disabilities in a developing country took an emotional toll,” said Zimmerman. “My students had never had a person with a disability in a power position. I heard a lot of ‘what’s wrong with you?’, ‘does your brain work right?’, and ‘how are you going to teach us?’ I did a lot of integration and sensitivity awareness and a lot of teaching about what a disability is. There was a lot of teaching, re-teaching, and breaking down cultural barriers. In the end, I hope there were a lot of life lessons besides physical education.”

Today, Zimmerman is back in the U.S., teaching physical education at Saint Paul Online Elementary School. One thing that hasn’t changed is his desire to continue educating and helping others, although he has new goals for how to do so. Zimmerman recently established a new scholarship at UW-Platteville—the Cerebral Palsy Big Brother Scholarship. His long-term goals include someday working for a university in the student support services, so he can help others coming into higher education overcome their own obstacles.

“Whether it’s someone with a physical disability or academic or developmental delay, I just want to help guide those future professionals,” said Zimmerman. “They have the ability, they just need a few extra handshakes and high fives.”

Alison Parkins

Kaiser family commits $1 million to UW-Platteville Foundation

To Corey Kaiser, a 2018 graduate of UW-Platteville, “Midwest Nice” is more than just a slogan.

“To me, ‘Midwest Nice’ means we would rather see people do well,” said Kaiser. “That’s something that has always resonated with me, whether throughout my business career or my personal life.”

Kaiser and his wife, Teah, expressed this sentiment with their recent pledge of $1 million, through the Kaiser Family Foundation Corporation, to the UW-Platteville Foundation to support facility upgrades on campus.

After graduating with a degree in business administration, Kaiser created the brand The608, locally marketing Wisconsin-branded clothes. The company quickly gained traction and Kaiser rebranded to Wisconsin Clothing Company. He then merged with his family’s BrandL Embroidery & Imprints to become WCC Brands, with a retail brand of Wisconsin Clothing Company. Kaiser is the main Owner and Manager of the company, which has now expanded well outside the 608-area code, selling its products in nearly 50 retail locations and two flagship stores across the state, in addition to booming online sales.

Kaiser said he is not afraid to describe himself as a “homer,” having grown up in the small community of Kieler, Wisconsin, and attended UW-Platteville— only 10 minutes from home.

“I’ve always loved my small town of Kieler, and I went to UW-Platteville because it was close,” said Kaiser. “I lived in Platteville and still had the college experience. I have always loved Wisconsin communities; everyone has each other’s backs.”

Kaiser’s love for Wisconsin communities not only drives his company’s brand—which he describes as “clothing by Wisconsinites for Wisconsinites”— but also moves him to give back to the communities that are the backbone of his brand, especially in Southwest Wisconsin.

“I am honored to be a Pioneer, especially when I see how well the university is doing and all of the new projects. I want to be able to help,” he said.

“We are immensely grateful for this impactful gift from the Kaiser family,” said UW-Platteville Interim Chancellor Dr. Tammy Evetovich. “Partnerships, such as this one, within our Southwest Wisconsin community are essential for our university and region to continue to thrive and be a vibrant place to learn and live.”

A large portion of the gift from the Kaiser Family Foundation Corporation will support a major renovation to Bo Ryan Court, in Williams Fieldhouse, which is home to more than 100 university events annually, including commencement.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Kaiser family on the renovation of Bo Ryan Court to provide a best in class, multilevel premium seating facility,” said Dr. Kristina Navarro, Director of Athletics and Recreation and Assistant Chancellor for Sports Administration at UW-Platteville. “This gift will not only allow us to continue to enhance our profile of competitive excellence as we recruit top talent to UW-Platteville, but it demonstrates a strategic revenue generation effort to continue to build and expand our event hosting capabilities. I am excited to welcome partners, donors, fans, and alumni to the Kaiser Family Suites at Bo

Ryan Court in the fall of 2024. This is truly a game changer for UW-Platteville and Pioneer nation.”

Another portion of the gift will support future capital projects at UW-Platteville.

“The Kaiser family has tremendous passion for Southwest Wisconsin,” said Joshua Boots, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Development and Alumni Engagement at UW-Platteville. “This investment will have an incredible impact on Southwest Wisconsin, the university, and beyond. I want to personally thank Corey and Teah for their generosity and for making this transformational gift a reality.”

Alison Parkins

COREY ’18 AND Teah Kaiser own Wisconsin Clothing Company, part of WCC Brands. The Kaiser Family Foundation Corporation recently pledged $1 million to the UW-Platteville Foundation to support facility upgrades on campus.