By Jordon Lawrenz, Kelsey Keller & Brock Mackinnis
UWGB Alumni Returns to Her Old Stomping Grounds.
When a seasoned professor leaves for a sabbatical, an opportunity awaits. That opportunity was granted to Morgan Theobald, a 2017 graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (UWGB). Morgan grew up in Black Creek, and the Seymour High School graduate obtained a Communication degree with emphases in Public Relations and Organization Communications.
A picture taken during Morgan Theobald’s graduation. Theobald is wearing her cap and gown with a rose and cord. Photo from: Morgan Theobald
Looking back, Theobald wishes some of the other Communication (COMM) emphases were available during her time on campus. She pin-pointed health COMM, sports COMM, or social media as emphasis that she would’ve loved to take. Either way, she turned a senior year internship with PMI Entertainment Group into a full-time position. As the expo/event coordinator, she loved working with events but ultimately missed higher education. A simple application at GBOSS (Green Bay One Stop Shop) turned into a three-and-a-half-year position as a student service specialist.
During her time as a student service specialist, Theobald mentioned, “I missed the one-on-one time with students and the overall atmosphere here at UWGB.” Theobald continued her education, attending UW-La-Crosse for her online Master’s program in Student Affairs Administration. Her position with GBOSS blossomed into a brand-new recruiter position that Green Bay opened. The recruiter position began this July, but her work didn’t become full-time until November. Theobald is tasked with multiple positions, including communicating with 70+ organizations.
Jordon Lawrenz sits down with Theobald as the two discuss her journey from UWGB graduate to working on campus. Photo taken by: Kelsey Keller
The May 2017 graduate didn’t slow down there. Theobald explains, “I was looking for a new challenge and wanted a side hustle. To be able to gain more experience and have another resume builder would go a long way.” At one point, she reached out to Dr. Clampitt about teaching, but there were no openings at the time. Little did she expect a message to her supervisor would get sent to the Dean of Students and then ultimately go back to Dr. Clampitt. Theobald added, “Phil reached out right to me before the fall semester to ask if I was still willing to help. I expected to be given a first-year seminar class, but I was surprised when he asked me about Cases in Communication and Media Management. I took Cases as a student and was a TA for the class, so I have a good foundation there.”
“Cases,” as it is informally called, was an online class in the fall semester, but Theobald gets the opportunity to teach it in person. She states, “I never thought I’d be working in higher education when I was a student. I look forward to being with students more and being able to learn and grow myself as well. It’ll certainly be a challenge, but it’s one I’m looking forward to.” Theobald’s ultimate goal is to help at least one student find their trajectory, and she “hopes to make an impact whether that’s in this semester or in the future as that’s what people did for me.”
Theobald celebrates her graduation by having some fun with past professors who helped guide her into who she is today. Photo from: Morgan Theobald
Dr. Clampitt, the Blair Endowed Chair of Communication, is excited for a UWGB Communication alumni to be returning to the program. He will be taking his first semester-long sabbatical leave in over a decade to develop multiple new courses, start a new book, and publish articles. He states that he will “miss [teaching] a lot but having a new instructor to bring in new perspectives is good for the program. I wish Morgan the best of luck. She is a perfect fit for what we are doing here in the COMM department. Very few people could teach the course at the high level we want and sustain it, and she is one of the few people that I would put in that category.”