Roseanne Hoefel
She was a scholar.
She was a teacher.
She was a poet.
She was a believer in diversity and social justice.
Who was Roseanne Hoefel?
Roseanne racked up an impressive educational resume. She earned her Ph.D. from Ohio State University. She studied feminist literature. She embraced and emulated authors like Emily Dickenson, Virginia Woolf and Zora Neale Hurston. She studied American Indian literature. She earned a Fulbright Fellowship and studied in Jamaica, where she drew inspiration from that nation’s literary heritage and writers.
Roseanne taught at Alma College in Michigan in 1990. She came to UW-Oshkosh in fall 2000, where she served as associate dean in the College of Letters and Sciences.
Roseanne wrote grants and brought a Native American elder to Oshkosh. She was an advocate for multicultural programming. She was a member of Toward Community: Unity in Diversity in the Fox Cities. She strived for social justice.
Why run, walk or roll for Roseanne?
A fund created in Roseanne’s name represents a lasting legacy. The money generated will continue to support diversity, multicultural programming, social justice efforts and a host of other life-improving efforts at UW-Oshkosh and in the greater Oshkosh community.
As Roseanne asks in her poem “My Eyes Well”
…if more of us are committed,
can we restore humanity to
wholeness,
that stems from breaking down?
that enables breaking through?…