Cleda Wang, an Assistant Director of Residence Life, was selected to receive the Award for Excellence in Higher Education Administration from the Madison Area Student Personnel Association (SPA) for dedication and commitment to making positive changes on campus that impact both students and staff.
The Award for Excellence in Higher Education Administration recognizes an individual with a minimum of 5 years of experience at UW-Madison who excels in cross-campus collaboration, serving and supporting students, and building and maintaining strong partnerships. Cleda has demonstrated the spirit of this award through her support of students through difficult bias-related incidents, ongoing service and taking on new and additional responsibilities to support the department, and her support for programs such as Our Wisconsin and late night student programming. Students and staff alike appreciate Cleda’s easygoing nature, approachability, and talent for connecting with others on so many different topics and areas of interest.
To quote a nomination, “She worked incredibly hard to help us keep our students safe during a very difficult and challenging time. I am incredibly grateful for the work that Cleda did to support departmental and University efforts.”
“I feel honored to receive this recognition. Each year has brought on unique challenges such as difficult bias incidents in the halls and supporting students and staff through local and national incidents. It has also been rewarding to help students learn and develop into leaders and change agents. It also helps to be a part of a very supportive department and division. Plus, it’s nice to show something to my family so they know I’m doing good work 1,064 miles away. The work that we do in Inclusion in Residence Life is important to UW because we are helping students find and create community. We help students work through difficult experiences but also try to bring joy into their lives. We provide spaces to process and to heal from harm and to learn. My hope is that while students and staff live and work with us – they meet someone new and learn from others in the community. We work to ensure that students feel like they belong. This is a commitment so that once Badgers leave our residence halls, they can thrive in the campus community and beyond.” –Cleda Wang, on receiving this recognition