Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award
2011 Recipients

Dr. Lillian Friedberg '85

Dr. Lillian Friedberg, who graduated in 1985 with degrees in German and English, will receive the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the community, state or nation that brings credit upon the recipient and the university.
Friedberg is the founding director of Hooked on Drums, a nonprofit organize that serves urban youth with programs focused on West African cultural traditions. Friedberg develops the curriculum, and coordinates and facilitates the program, which serves up to 300 students a year.
"For the past 17 years, since I returned to the United States from Germany in 1993 — a decade-long journey that began with an exchange scholarship from UW-Eau Claire — I have dedicated my time and resources to educating urban youth in economically devastated communities," Friedberg said. "I take greatest pride in what I have achieved working with inner city youth in some of the toughest neighborhoods in the country."
While in Germany, Friedberg studied the drums of the Malinke people from West Africa and established relationships with some of the top names in the field. She brought the drums back to the United States and realized they were a powerful educational tool, she said.
Friedberg began working with youth in Minneapolis, but relocated to Chicago, where she established Hooked on Drums. Through the organization, she has developed a core group of world-class musicians who are highly skilled and knowledgeable, she said.
"For me, as an academic and someone who is deeply committed to ensuring that inner city youth are afforded the same educational opportunities as others, the drums are just the hook," Friedberg said. "The curriculum I developed is comprehensive and use the drum rhythms, their cultural background and history, to inspire in the youth that I teach an organic interest in academic subject matter and a genuine desire to strive for excellence in all areas of endeavor."
A first-generation college student, Friedberg said the experiences and relationships she found at UW-Eau Claire have been instrumental in determining her career path.
"I had a passion for knowledge and was highly motivated to strive for excellence," Friedberg said. "My professors saw this in me and nurtured it. Whenever I am at the head of any classroom, I am inspired by those professors at UW-Eau Claire who demonstrated great passion for teaching and who practiced a genuinely student-centered approach."

Scott Bertzyk '81

Scott Bertzyk, who graduated in 1981 with degrees in accounting and business administration, will receive the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the community, state or nation that brings credit upon the recipient and the university.
An attorney with the Greenberg Traurig law firm in Santa Monica, Calif., since 2006, Bertzyk's work focuses on commercial civil litigation. Prior to joining his current firm, he spent 22 years as an attorney with the international law firm Jones Day in Los Angeles. Every year since 2006, he has been selected to Southern California Super Lawyers, which recognizes and honors top lawyers through a peer review.
While he is proud of his professional success, Bertzyk said he is most proud of his charitable contributions, which include establishing a scholarship at UW-Eau Claire and providing pro bono legal services for those who can't afford representation.
"The sad truth is that we have a two-tier justice system in which the wealthy can afford better lawyers capable of delivering better outcomes, while the poor are abused and flushed through the system," said Bertzyk, who earned a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. "In the pro bono cases that I took on, the clients had received ineffective assistance of counsel and were being run over. Sometimes it was too late to make a difference; still, it was gratifying to know I did all I could to help for the purest of motives."
Bertzyk's UW-Eau Claire education prepared him for professional success, he said, noting that while in law school he passed all parts of the CPA exam in a single sitting without enrolling in any outside preparatory courses. "Obviously I received a great education but I think the best thing I received from UW-Eau Claire was a good moral compass that has served me well in every facet of my life," Bertzyk said. "UW-Eau Claire reinforced all the basic lessons my parents began teaching me as a child: work hard, be honest, deal fairly with others and enjoy life. At some point during my time at UW-Eau Claire, I transformed from being shy and introverted to being more confident, outgoing and well adjusted. I attribute that to the quality of the student body who were so easy to interact with and the quality of our professors who genuinely cared about the students and took a personal interest in me. It is not an exaggeration to say that my experiences at UW-Eau Claire gave me the confidence and passion to reach for the top rung."

View the list of past recipients of this award.