New faculty members eager to make their mark

For Kimberlee and Randy Gretebeck, accepting positions at the University of Wisconsin–Madison meant coming home.

The couple, two of the dozens of newly hired or relocated faculty members on campus this fall, are both originally from Wisconsin. The family lived in Eagle Heights while Randy completed his Ph.D. in kinesiology; Kimberlee worked as a staff nurse at UW Hospital.

The Gretebecks were heavily recruited from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where Kimberlee studied physical activity in older adults. She is one of three assistant professors of nursing who began their work this semester. Barbara King shares many of Gretebeck’s research interests in working with older adults, an area which the School of Nursing hopes to study in depth. Kyoung Suk Lee works to improve the quality of life for patients with heart failure.

While both Gretebecks are getting reacclimated to campus – amidst many changes in the years since they left – Kimberlee Gretebeck admits to more difficulties than her spouse, now a faculty associate. He had worked on campus, but she spent her years in Madison studying at Edgewood College, rarely venturing into the heart of UW–Madison life.

“Everyone laughs,” she says, cheerfully. “I’m returning, but learning where everything is for the first time. Everyone here is open and willing to work with you, which is a very strong plus. People are always willing to guide you in the right direction.”

Johannes Wallmann

Pianist and composer Johannes Wallmann is used to the demands of starting a new academic program. At California State University, East Bay, he spent five years building a jazz program as director of jazz studies.

Now, he takes on the same role at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, augmenting the work of established professors Les Thimmig and Richard Davis.

“The School of Music has a terrific national and international reputation — as does, of course, the university. It just seemed like not having a jazz program here was a big void,” says Wallmann, assistant professor of music. “I had so much fun doing that in my last position; to get a chance to do that again in a high-profile situation like this seemed like a fantastic challenge.”

As a traveling musician, Wallmann was always struck by the depth of culture in Madison: the availability of great food after late-night gigs, the dedicated “community of organizers” who raised funds and supported events. Spending a few days in town ultimately reinforced Madison’s spot on the list of cities he considered for relocation.

“Honestly, for a working jazz musician, the attractive areas are large cities,” says Wallmann. “For its size, Madison has much more culture than what would normally be expected. That’s a testament on one hand to the institutions here and the people it attracts, but also the people of Madison and their support. None of those things work if people don’t go.”

As a bandleader and ensemble musician, it will take Wallmann a while to survey the local musicians and see who might share his vision. But he wants to see what’s available in many areas: for himself, for students, and for potential audiences.

“I very much want to make sure that this jazz program is one that both serves the community and draws from the community and its resources,” says Wallmann.

Wallmann will make his performing debut conducting the UW Jazz Orchestra on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Mills Hall. The performance, beginning at 7:30 p.m., is free and unticketed.

School of Education

The School of Education is welcoming the largest group of new hires in its history, with 18 new professors on board across eight departments.

“Part of this is due to having a number of vacancies, but two named professorships came from major gifts,” says Dawn Crim, associate dean for external relations. “We were looking for seasoned educators to fill those positions. We’ve just been fortunate to get such a strong class across eight departments, all of whom have really contributed to their fields.”

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction alone welcomes six new faculty members. Four, including the two tenured professors with named chairs, joined the department this semester, with another two (a married couple) planning to arrive in January. All are established scholars and teachers with experience past their doctoral research.

The new additions will lead efforts in early childhood education (Travis Wright), science education (Rosemary Russ and Leema Berland, the latter arriving in January) and digital media (Matthew Berland, also arriving in January). All four are assistant professors.

Gay Ivey, the Tashia F. Morgridge Chair in Reading; and Maisha T. Winn, the Susan J. Cellmer Chair in Secondary English Education, bring established research profiles to the areas of languages and literacies.

“This past year had been a challenge for us; we had to go out and recruit these people, lure them away from places they might not have wanted to leave. But we were excited to get them excited about coming to Wisconsin,” says John Rudolph, professor and chair of curriculum and instruction. “We see them as being at the cusp of the most productive years of their career. They’re going to take their research to the next level, and they’re going to do it here at Wisconsin.”