To help first year students understand the meaning and value of a liberal education, the College of Arts and Sciences hosted the second annual “Freshman Provocation” . This event included talks by three faculty members regarding their own education and how a liberal education shaped their lives. Audio from each of the talks may be accessed by visiting the links below each person’s photo. To listen to the entire presentation, choose the link next to the final photo.
Dr. Evan Weiher, received an A.B. in Biology from the University of Chicago, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In the Department of Biology, Dr. Weiher teaches courses in botany, ecology, evolution, and biostatistics. His research program seeks to understand the relative effects of history, stress, disturbance, and interactions on biodiversity, functional traits, and ecosystem processes in both natural and restored grasslands.
Dr. Marty Wood, received his PhD in 1984 from Michigan State University with emphases in British Literature – especially Shakespeare and eighteenth century criticism – and in Science Writing. Dr. Wood joined the faculty in the English department at UWEC in 1986. He served as chair of that department for nearly nine years, and now serves as Interim Provost. He continues to teach courses in British literature and in advanced writing. Most of his other professional activity involves university governance and administration.
Allyson Goldin Loomis was educated at Boston University, where she earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.A. in English literature. Later, she earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from The University of Montana. Post graduation, she served as The Halls Fellow of Creative Writing for The Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing at The University of Wisconsin - Madison. Her short stories and essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Glimmer Train, The Madison Review and The Black Warrior Review among other venues. Here at UWEC, she teaches courses in creative writing, literature and composition, and she is the faculty adviser to NOTA, this university’s fine undergraduate magazine of literature and art.
