Team Member Retirements – October

This month we say goodbye to some long time employees of the university.  We thank them for their years of service and for the opportunity we have had to get to know them and work with them.  Please join us in saying congratulations and wishing them well in the next chapter of their lives.
Office of the Registrar Jene Atkinson, Software Developer Jene Atkinson has been working for the Office of the Registrar at UW–Madison as a software engineer and developer since January of 2000. After becoming a first generation college student and graduating with a BS in Computer Science from UW-Oshkosh, Jene held several positions at UW-Oshkosh and a position for a then-startup in Stevens Point before making his way to the RO.

“Jene is an incredible team member. He has been – and will continue to be – a huge asset to the ADTS team, even if not by working with us directly. His dedication and wealth of knowledge has guided the Office of the Registrar and UW Madison through a lot over the years, especially 2020, and the impact he has had on the technology this campus uses every day, as well as the impact he has had on us personally, is going to last a long time. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re really going to miss working with him.” – Katie Free, Assistant Registrar – Project Portfolio Management, Application Development and Technical Services

If you know Jene, you know he has been counting down to this day for a while now. His last day in the office was Friday, October 2, 2020. “Working for the Office of the Registrar has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience, but all good things must end.”  Marilyn Strouse, Student Status Examiner Senior October 23rd will mark the last day in the Office of the Registrar for Marilyn Strouse. Officially retiring on January 8, 2021, she will have spent over 23 years within the Office of the Registrar as a team member in student services, providing exceptional customer service to the campus community!  Since 1997, Marilyn has been responsible for critical student record maintenance, including demographic updates, degree posting, and diploma servicing. She also has been supporting point-of-contact student services, transcript production, and enrollment and degree reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse. Marilyn is recognized as an invaluable partner to school/college academic deans, colleagues charged with degree clearance, and students anxiously awaiting their diploma! 

“From talking about her latest crafts or her family, to always helping out the students and staff with anything they needed, Marilyn will forever be remembered as an exceptional presence in this office.”  – Tess Iding, Student Employee

“Marilyn always answered my questions, no matter how small (or weird). We will miss her Registrar and diploma wisdom, and we wish her the most relaxing and enjoyable retirement.” – Sarah Haas, Student Employee

“Marilyn is the all-knowing one in the office. In the past three years, every time I’ve asked her for help (a lot of times), she has generously helped me through every question. The office will truly not be the same without her, but I am so happy I had the experience of working with her the entire time I was at the Office of the Registrar. We will all miss her tons, but we wish her a fun, enjoyable retirement, she really deserves it!” – Sierra Schuh, Student Employee

Marilyn’s historical knowledge, sense of humor, and calm demeanor will be missed. While Marilyn truly missed, we are excited for Marilyn to be able to relax and continue her hobbies more in retirement.   Jeff Kirschling, Associate Registrar for Compliance, Reporting, and Eligibility Services The Office of the Registrar was excited when Jeff Kirschling began his role as the Associate Registrar of Compliance, Reporting and Eligibility Services (CRES) last year in late September. Jeff came to UW–Madison with over 20 years of experience in registration and records management, most recently he had worked at UW-Superior where he was the registrar. His experience and previous work with strategic planning, continuous assessment, and technological implementations has been major assets to our office. These traits and experience aided in the completion of much work in a short time under Jeff’s tutelage: the transition of credit evaluation services, utilization of Tableau visualizations for data reporting, and helping incorporate and begin implementation of Transferology to name a few accomplishments. 

“Jeff has been an incredible asset to the office and the Registrar profession. The amount of impact he has had in his short time with the university is astounding. From the start Jeff was thrown into the deep end in hiring and implementing the transition of credit evaluation services to the RO. Jeff also shepherd through the redesign of the University Enrollment Report, which had been a project on the list for many years. He met these challenges with his vast experience and knowledge and brought together a group that has done amazing work. Jeff’s work and contribution to this university will continue to be noticed and felt for a long time.” – Scott Owczarek, University Registrar

The value Jeff has added to this university during his time here is hard to quantify. Though projects completed, employees hired, and hours worked come close, they do not accurately reflect the friendships made and lessons taught that are arguably more valuable.