Posted 6:08 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, 2013
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Mo McAlpine, Recreational Sports, received the 2013 Academic Staff Excellence Award during the annual Academic Staff Council Kickoff Meeting in September.
![Mo McAlpine in REC.](http://news.uwlax.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/McAlpine-Mo-2013-024we.jpg)
Mo knows
Mo McAlpine remembers the first day she stepped into Mitchell Hall. The Division I basketball player and collegiate assistant coach was pursuing a master’s degree for a career in coaching. But during her UW-La Crosse visit in July 1990 she was offered a graduate assistantship in campus recreation. She’s been on campus since, working with the Recreational Sports Department. McAlpine says her day-to-day work with students and colleagues is what has kept her on campus. “They motivate me, they energize me and they make me smile,” she says. During the past two decades, McAlpine says recreational programming expanded with a move to its own building, the Recreational Eagle Center, in 1997. Recreational Sports now has nine programming areas to help students nurture a lifetime appreciation of recreation. “We’re 100 percent focused on students,” she explains. McAlpine says standard activities like softball, volleyball and basketball remain popular, but new activities such as futsal and stand-up paddle boarding get attention too. “It’s challenging to keep up with the times and meet students’ needs,” she says. “But, that’s the benefit of having an active student body.” UW-L students are active. More than 90 percent of the student body swipes their ID to use REC facilities at least once during an academic year, notes McAlpine. “We’ve always maintained a high level of participation in our programming,” she says. McAlpine also molds future rec leaders. She’s a key player in hiring and training approximately 80 of the 250 students who work at the REC each year. “We’re fortunate to have the student staff we have year after year,” she says. “It’s very rewarding and I cherish the many relationships that have continued with former staff members upon graduation.” McAlpine says it an honor to be recognized by her peers for excellence. She attributes her success to those who surround her. “I’m so humbled and honored to receive this award and to represent the excellence that happens on campus,” says McAlpine. “There is truth to the statement ‘surround yourself with UW-La Crosse’ as it’s the people around me, both past and present, who have helped my personal and professional development — and share in this recognition.” [caption id="attachment_26091" align="alignnone" width="770"]![Mo in photo with full staff.](http://news.uwlax.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/MoStaffW.jpg)
- 1994—Mary Torstveit
- 1995—Grace Smith
- 1996—Chris Bakkum
- 1997—June Reinert
- 1998—Jim Jorstad*
- 1999—Dianne Morrison and Larry Ringgenberg
- 2000—Jon Hageseth and Sara Slayton
- 2001— Brad Quarberg
- 2002—Nelda Manter and Lori Petersen
- 2003—Joe Chilsen and Deon Nontelle*
- 2004—Jan VonRuden
- 2005—Marcia Johnson-Sage
- 2006—Diane Schumacher
- 2007—Janie Spencer*
- 2008 — Hong Rost
- 2009 — Sue Wrobel
- 2010 — Debbie Veglahn
- 2011 — Karla Stanek
- 2012 — Carla Burkhardt
- 2013 — Mo McAlpine