RIVER FALLS – Six University of Wisconsin-River Falls faculty members have been recognized with awards to support research, professional development and innovation in education. The awards were made possible by generous contributions from UWRF alumni.

Paul B. and Robert Dykstra Faculty Excellence Award

Father and son alumni Paul B. and Robert Dykstra created this endowment to support faculty research, creative and scholarly activity. The Dykstras are the only father and son pair to both receive UWRF’s most prestigious alumni honor, the UWRF Distinguished Alumni Award. Paul, a 1983 graduate, is the former president and CEO of Viad, a company with domestic and international operations in marketing and event services, travel and recreation services. Robert, a 1957 graduate, served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota for 33 years and produced some of the most important research ever conducted in early reading instruction. This award is given to tenured or tenure-track faculty members who are either currently involved in a project or have proposed a research, creative or scholarly project

The 2025 recipients are:

• Shawyn Domyancich-Lee, associate professor of social work
• Brooke Krejci, assistant professor of mathematics

Keith Wurtz Award for Teaching Excellence

Class of 1941 alum Keith Wurtz credited his college days at UW-River Falls with opening doors to medicine, surgery, education and community service. He has shared his passions through an endowment that fosters and acknowledges faculty-teaching excellence at UWRF. This award is given to tenured or tenure-track faculty members demonstrating innovative, trailblazing approaches to education, outreach and collaboration.

The 2025 recipients include:

• Hannah Freeman, assistant professor of art
• Bob Zhiwei Zeng, associate professor of agriculture engineering technology
• Blair Troudt, assistant professor of chemistry and biotechnology

Manley Olson Instructional Academic Staff Professional Development Award

Manley E. Olson graduated from UWRF in 1959 and worked in the field of education for over 40 years. This award provides resources to instructional academic staff to support their professional development.

2025 recipient:

• Rhonda Petree, lecturer of English and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)

The awards were presented at UWRF’s opening meeting Aug. 25.

Submitted by UW-River Falls