In honor of one woman’s love of learning

Above is a rendering of the new Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center, as it will look upon completion. The facility is being added onto Laurentide Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is expected to open next fall. (Photo courtesy of UW-Whitewater)
Above is a rendering of the new Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center, as it will look upon completion. The facility is being added onto Laurentide Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is expected to open next fall. (Photo courtesy of UW-Whitewater)

Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center expected to open next year

By Dave Fidlin

Correspondent

When she roamed the halls as a student of what then was known as Wisconsin State College-Whitewater, Mary Poppe had a love of learning. She also enjoyed helping others.

As he reflects on his late wife’s legacy, Byron “Chris” Chrisman said the melding of these two qualities was the impetus behind his desire to donate funds toward a new 18,390-square-foot academic support center on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus.

Construction is progressing on the aptly named Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center, which is expected to open in a year. The facility will be located next to Laurentide Hall.

Poppe graduated from Wisconsin State College-Whitewater in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in math. She later went on to teach high school-level math before marrying Chrisman.

Her career culminated with roles at the National Bureau of Standards and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she worked as a computer programmer.

“Mary almost certainly would have been employed as a tutor,” said Chrisman, who graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in business in 1959. “I’m pleased to see her name on a building that will support and expand the learning experiences of so many students as they strive attain a quality college education.”

Susan Elrod, provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs at UW-Whitewater, said Chrisman’s donation will enable the university to offer more robust tutoring services in the road ahead.

“It’s going to create the space we need,” Elrod said. “The building includes a mixture of rooms, including areas with collaborative learning spaces. We’re very excited about the opportunities this is going provide us.”

The new venue is expected to build on a long tradition on campus of offering assistance to students outside the classroom. UW-Whitewater first began offering tutoring in the mid-1960s.

Today, 43 percent of UW-Whitewater’s undergraduate student body has taken up the campus’ offer to receive tutoring services. The UW-Whitewater Academic Support Center, where tutoring currently takes place, will be folded into the new Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center when the work is completed.

“Right now, the academic support center is in an older building, and it doesn’t give us the space to provide the quality services we would like to offer,” Elrod said.

Chrisman’s donation comes at a serendipitous time for the university. Elrod said officials are ramping up a multi-pronged effort aimed at ensuring freshmen students are not getting lost in the shuffle and are receiving the services they need to begin paving a path toward graduation.

“The university has really been focused on first-year student retention rates,” Elrod said.

The UW-Whitewater Academic Support Center frequently assists students in the core subjects of English and math. The Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center’s location will fit hand-in-glove into Laurentide Hall, where English and math classes are offered.

In recent years, as campus officials have focused on remediation, Elrod said freshmen retention rates have increased, though she noted, “We’d like to do an even better job.”

In its current state, the UW-Whitewater Academic Support Center provides tutorial and supplemental instruction to thousands of students. Additionally, the facility provides employment opportunities to hundreds of qualified tutors.

 

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