MADISON, Wis.—Two Universities of Wisconsin students and four educators are being recognized today by the Universities of Wisconsin and Alliant Energy Foundation for their outstanding achievements. The Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Awards recognize the outstanding academic and community-service efforts of students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups who are pursuing a degree in business or engineering at UW-Madison. The Alliant Energy James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize outstanding commitment to undergraduate student success and the ability to inspire in students an enthusiasm for learning. The awards are presented to students and educators from Universities of Wisconsin campuses located within Alliant Energy’s service area.
“I thank the Alliant Energy Foundation for continuing to generously support these awards that recognize student success and influential teaching,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “Congratulations to this year’s hard-working students and instructors on their impressive accomplishments and contributions.”
“We are honored to continue the legacy of these awards, which were created to recognize the hard work of students and faculty,” said Julie Bauer, executive director of the Alliant Energy Foundation. “These annual awards reflect Alliant Energy’s long-standing investment in education and our shared future.”
The recipients of the 18th annual Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Awards are:
- Jaime Campos, UW-Madison. At UW-Madison, Campos was a teaching assistant for an introduction to computer engineering class and a computer architecture research assistant. He secured an internship at Advanced Micro Devices as a product development engineering intern, where he designed test programs for the next generation of server computer chips. He also worked at NVIDIA, a global leader in artificial intelligence computing. He looks forward to a career in the semiconductor industry working on the future of computing. Campos plans to graduate in May 2025 from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.
- Leonardo Covarrubias, UW-Madison. Covarrubias serves as a college readiness mentor in the PEOPLE scholarship program, where he supports high school students with their academic needs. As treasurer of the Association of Latino Professionals for America at UW-Madison, he managed the organization’s budget and assets. He was a financial analyst intern at General Mills, an intern at Cornerstone Wealth Management, and a launch leader for Business Badger Launch. He participates in multicultural organizations across campus. Covarrubias plans to graduate in May 2025 from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in finance and investment banking.
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- Campos
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- Covarrubias
The recipients of the 34th annual Alliant Energy James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards are:
- Patricia Coffey, Teaching Faculty III, Department of Psychology, UW-Madison.
Dr. Coffey is a forensic psychologist and UW-Madison Department of Psychology faculty associate. In 2014, she started working full-time in the UW-Madison psychology department teaching The Criminal Mind: A Forensic and Psychobiological Perspective, introductory psychology, and service-learning courses. She recently added a capstone course, Issues in Prisoner Reentry. Coffey has helped train clinical psychology PhD students in forensic assessments for juvenile courts and the UW Legal Assistance for Institutionalized Persons program. She is committed to evidence-based assessment and treatment and enjoys teaching and providing community-based learning opportunities for students interested in criminal justice and clinical service–related careers. - David F. Krugler, Professor, History, UW-Platteville.
Dr. Krugler is a professor of history at UW-Platteville, as well as a historian and novelist, authoring four books on modern U.S. history and two novels. A historian of the modern United States, he has published books on several different topics: Cold War propaganda, nuclear warfare, and racial conflict in the United States. In January 2020, he organized a history course on the Vietnam War around shared, student-led research. Working with two alumni, they identified the UW-Platteville students and graduates who lost their lives in the Vietnam war and created a campus memorial to them, unveiled in November 2022. Krugler is continually striving to find a way to guide students to an important discovery because “history surrounds us, history matters.”
- Florence F. Obielodan, Instructional Academic Staff, Mathematics, UW-Platteville.
Obielodan has been teaching mathematics at high school and college levels for 31 years and at UW-Platteville for 13 years. Because fear of mathematics often deters students from pursuing STEM-related majors, she helps develop students’ self-esteem, increase their motivation for learning, and achieve success. She recognizes and celebrates student achievements in class, seeing herself as not just an instructor, but also as a counselor, cheerleader, tutor, and trusted friend. She approaches teaching in a flexible manner that best meets the learning needs of her students. Strategies include one-on-one tutoring, encouraging active participation, and supporting group work to promote peer-assisted, collaborative learning, as well as soft skills including team spirit, communication, and conflict resolution. She continuously reviews her curriculum and teaching methods to make positive changes based on student feedback and assessment tools.
- Michael W. Wagner, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, UW-Madison.
Dr. Wagner is a professor of journalism and mass communication at UW-Madison, where he is the Director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal and the Director of Graduate Studies. A popular and demanding instructor, he teaches and mentors students across undergraduate and graduate levels. He has given more than 350 public talks about his scholarship around the state, nation, and globe and has participated in more than 500 media interviews since he started working at UW-Madison in 2012. Dr. Wagner challenges students to integrate research across disciplines into their scholarship, projects, and discussions so that they can apply their knowledge outside the classroom. Each year, he mentors two or three Undergraduate Research Scholars.
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- Coffey
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- Krugler
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- Obielodan
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- Wagner
About the Awards
The Alliant Energy Foundation established an endowment in 2006 to honor Erroll B. Davis, Jr.’s distinguished record of public service. Davis, the first African-American leader of a “Business Week 1000” company, is a former chief executive of Alliant Energy and a former member of the Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin. He was interim Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools from 2012 to 2014.
The James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards are given as a tribute to the energy company’s long-time senior executive, James R. Underkofler (1923–2015), who was a staunch proponent of excellence in undergraduate teaching. He spent his entire career with the Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (now Alliant Energy), ending with his retirement in 1990 as chairman and CEO.
Both award programs are administered by the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Academic and Student Affairs.
For more information about the awards, visit:
- wisconsin.edu/grants-awards/erroll-b-davis-awards/
- wisconsin.edu/grants-awards/james-r-underkofler-awards/
Click each thumbnail image for higher-resolution photos of the recipients.
The Universities of Wisconsin serve nearly 163,600 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, these 13 public universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The universities provide a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy. Learn more at wisconsin.edu.