Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Kirk named UWP Woman of the Year

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Women's Council has named Rea Kirk, professor of education, as the 2006 Woman of the Year. The council identifies and advocates for university-wide issues that are of particular interest to women and also recognizes and promotes the accomplishments and contributions of women to UWP.

Kirk has taught at UWP since 1997, in the area of special education and gender/ethnic equity. She was chair, for two years, of the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee and is currently a member of the UWP Women's Studies Program Council, Ethnic Studies Program Council and Faculty Senate. She is the author of numerous publications on teaching and inclusion, and has written several grants to promote teacher development. Her research interests include promoting confidence in teachers working with students with special needs, promoting critical and reflective thinking in teachers, and general issues of inclusion in the classroom.

In the many letters of recommendation in support of her nomination, Kirk was lauded for her work both on campus and in the larger community. In addition to her classroom work, Kirk has worked with Family Advocates in Platteville, the local domestic violence shelter, for over nine years. She has recruited over 100 volunteers, many of them UWP students, and contributed over 2,000 hours of her own time. Her roles have included everything from advisory and administrative positions to extensive phone counseling for sexual assault services. She has also served on the Grant County Community Health Partners Committee on child abuse and neglect, helping to organize events that assist single mothers and their families.

Laura Wendorff is an associate professor of English and director of the UWP Women's Studies Program and has worked with Kirk for many years. In her letter of support, Wendorff pointed out that it was when Kirk was chair of the Sexual Assault Council that UWP erected the blue lights for safety program and began the "take back the nights" rallies. She was also the co-chair of the Expanding your Horizons Committee which encouraged middle school girls to explore non traditional occupations, and in 1997, Kirk chaired the ad hoc committee that wrote new general education requirements to include a three-credit gender course.

"Rea Kirk's record of service to women at UWP is long, energetic and distinguished. She has devoted an exceptional amount of time, both on and off-campus, to teaching, leading and empowering women. She has made so many things happen that have benefited women, that the face of our community and campus would look much different without her presence," said Wendorff.

Contact: Tammy J. Salmon-Stephens, co-chair, UWP University Women's Council, (608) 342-1563, Prepared By: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, "

posted by Lee S. Jadaan @ 8:20 AM