UWGB Transformed Crystal by…

…letting her think outside the box to make an impact.

Many UWGB alumni express their sincere appreciation for UWGB’s small, closely-knit classes, but for Crystal Malakar, UWGB’s approachable, professional staff made all of the difference in the world.

During her time at UWGB, Crystal worked with Associate Professor Chris Vandenhouten on a research study titled, “Nurses in Politics,” a study focused on the political influence of practicing nurses as a form of patient advocacy. Ultimately, Crystal’s research was published, and she may collaborate with Professor Vandenhouten in the future. Regardless, Crystal says the experience was invaluable, and she still keeps in touch with Professor Vandenhouten to this day.

Providing her the leadership and resources necessary to make a long term impact in a field she’s passionate about, Crystal says UWGB allowed her to think outside the box to make change.  Crystal loved having to take courses other than the ones in her major–Nursing–providing her insight into other disciplines. Making it all possible, Crystal insists she “had great professors at UWGB who were very involved and sincerely invested in their students.”

Crystal, now living with her husband Bikash (a fellow UWGB alum), works as a Staff Nurse at the Via Christi and Adolescent Mental Health Center in Wichita, Kansas, continuing to think outside of the box to make a positive impact on the world.

Name: Crystal Malakar
Grad Year: 2009
Major: Nursing

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

Video: Gallagher-Lepak’s Last Lecture

E-learning isn’t simply learning with technology, says Susan Gallagher Lepak, a Professor of Nursing at UW-Green Bay.

It is a process of teaching and learning supported by e-technologies that provides a structure for learning directed at impacting knowledge construction by the learner. “Students generate knowledge and meaning through interacting with content,” she says… “access content, think about it, negotiate meaning, apply concepts, communicate about it, etc… It’s an active process!”

It’s obviously a topic Gallagher-Lepak is passionate about, and as a faculty member heavily involved in teaching online courses at UW-Green Bay, it is why she chose to share, “E-Learning: The Train has Left the Station,” a topic of her choosing if she had only one final lecture left to give. She is the third of six UW-Green Bay faculty members taking part in the Last Lecture Series, a program which celebrates UW-Green Bay’s 50th Anniversary.

The following is the list of Last Lecture participants and topics:

  • Sept. 23 — Derek Jeffreys, Professor, Humanistic Studies
    “The Mystery of the Person: Teaching Philosophy and Religion in a Maximum-Security Prison”
  • Oct. 28 — Jeff Entwistle, Professor, Theatre and Dance
    “We All Need Theatre in Our Lives and in Our Future”
  • Nov. 18 — Susan Gallagher-Lepak, Professor, Nursing
    “E-Learning: The Train has Left the Station”
  • Feb. 17 — Lucy Arendt, Associate Dean, College of Professional Studies
    “Made to Serve: The Tragic Corruption of America’s Founding Values”
  • March 23 — Steve Meyer, Associate Professor, Natural and Applied Sciences
    “Forget the Three T’s: Focus on the Six C’s”
  • April 13 — Phil Clampitt, Professor, Information and Computing Science
    “The Magical Connection between Uncertainty, Innovation, and the Human Spirit.”