Barbara Swaby, professor emerita, will be honored as a Pikes Peak Region “Unstoppable Woman” during special ceremonies May 16.
Swaby, along with 15 graduating Karen Possehl Women’s Endowment scholarship recipients, will be feted at an 11:30 a.m. May 16 celebration and fundraising luncheon at the Gallogly Events Center. The KPWE scholarship program supports women ages 25 and older who are returning to college after overcoming personal obstacles.
Swaby served the literacy needs of the Colorado Springs community and beyond for 37 years. As a member of the College of Education faculty, she served as the director of the Graduate Reading Program and director of the UCCS Reading Clinics. She taught effective reading instruction to graduate and undergraduate students.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she wrote reading curricula, textbooks, children’s books and provided professional development opportunities for teachers. Throughout her career, she also evaluated the reading performance of thousands of children from southern Colorado and provided counseling to families interested in improving the reading performance of their children. She also established Literacy On the Go, which has collected and distributed more than 150,000 books to children.
She retired from UCCS in 2014 after a 37-year UCCS career.
Previous Unstoppable Woman award winners are: Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, Jan Martin, Nancy Lewis, Margot Lane, Sharon Berthrong, Mary Osborne, Mary Lou Makepeace, Karen Possehl, Barbara Yalich, Mary Mashburn, Mary Ellen McNally and Kathy Loo.
In addition to Swaby, 15 students will be recognized for completing the program and graduating from UCCS.
They are
- Rebekah Acosta, candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry
- Lois Eisenhauer, fall 2016 Bachelor of Arts in Biology graduate
- Carlene Gray, candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Communication
- Erin Hobson, candidate for Bachelor of Science in Business
- Stephanie Kleemann, candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
- Katrin Kramer, candidate for Master of Science in Accounting
- Jennifer Mast, candidate for Bachelor of Science in Business
- Kimberly Maxson, fall 2016 Bachelor of Science in Business graduate
- Jenna Register, fall 2016 Bachelor of Science in Biology graduate
- Nicole Renfrow, fall 2016 Bachelor of Science in Business graduate
- Phoebe Schwab, candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Communication
- Rachel Stevens, candidate for Bachelor of Science in Business
- Shae Thomas, candidate for Bachelor of Science in Biology
- Rebecca Waneka, candidate for Bachelor of Arts in Communication
- Jeanne Wickham, fall 2016 Bachelor of Arts in Psychology graduate
The event is $55 per person or $550 for a 10-person table. All net proceeds go to the Karen Possehl Women’s Endowment Program. To attend, register online or call (719) 255-5108 for more information. Event sponsors include Winslow BMW of Colorado Springs and Ent Credit Union, and KOAA5.
The KPWE Scholarship program, endowed in 1998 by Karen and Jim Possehl, Denver, provides financial assistance and mentor support for nontraditional UCCS students who are starting or returning to college after having overcome significant personal adversity. In addition to providing tuition assistance, KPWE matches scholars with community mentors who offer encouragement and professional contacts. The program provides career-focused workshops giving students the chance to learn more outside the classroom. Thanks to community support, the program supports 26 students a year. Since its inception, 175 scholarships have been awarded. For more information, visit http://www.uccs.edu/kpwe/
— Susie Sargent, Development Office
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