Nutrition and dietetics education at Viterbo University was much different when Carol Klitzke began as a faculty member in 1986.
“We used overhead projectors with different colored pens to make our notes pretty and the students would write everything down,” Klitzke said. “We had one computer for our whole department and one matrix dot printer we all shared. The foods lab was in the basement of Murphy Center and the floor of my office was covered with wool carpet squares in 1970s-style colors such as red, gold, and avocado.”
Klitzke, PhD, retired this month after an outstanding 34-year career at Viterbo. It was not an easy decision. It was the people who made her time at Viterbo so special, she said.
“Our students are just the best,” she said. “They are so kind, generous, smart, and ethical. It has really, really been a treat to teach them. The faculty all work together, support each other, and have the best interest of the university and the students at heart. It’s been great working with all of them.”
The annual apple pie sale and the spaghetti dinner were two popular events through which Klitzke would teach her students about efficiency, food safety, hospitality, and other aspects of nutrition and dietetics. The spaghetti dinner grew to serve 400–500 people annually, and the students would make and sell more than 250 apple pies each year. Other career highlights included taking students on a study abroad trip to South Korea, helping to design the state-of-the-art foods lab in the current School of Nursing building, and the construction and use of a hydroponic garden. Klitzke was granted the title of faculty emeritus upon her retirement.
“That made me feel wonderful,” she said. “I won’t lose my identity as a professor and I won’t lose touch with Viterbo. I’m very grateful to my colleagues for recommending me for this honor.”
Other Retiring Faculty Members
• Susie Hughes, graduate education, retired after nine years at Viterbo. She served as the program specialist and even temporarily relocated to Des Moines to direct and support Viterbo’s graduate programs there. She gave countless hours to both undergraduate and graduate students on projects and papers, providing valuable feedback, and pushing them to meet high expectations.
• Marlene Fisher, social work, sociology, and criminal justice, arrived at Viterbo in 1997 and was key in building the criminal justice program. She also played a leadership role in the diversity minor, women’s studies minor, gerontology minor, and other curricular improvements. She built statewide articulation agreements with technical colleges.
• Hired to build the arts education program and teach printmaking in 1996, Lisa Schoenfielder is an accomplished practicing artist who helped extend Viterbo’s reach to K–12 teachers, community organizations, and area youth. Schoenfielder played a central role in creating the After School Art Program and obtaining the 3M grant for printmaking at the Mathy Center Boys & Girls Club.
• Jo Ann Marson started at Viterbo in 1988. As the business program grew over the years, she taught almost every subject. She specialized in accounting and took the time to know all of her students in the major personally and stayed in contact with them after graduation. Marson was also a fixture at seemingly every athletics and fine arts event.
• Dan Johnson-Wilmot joined Viterbo in 1973 and retired after an incredible 47 years of teaching and performing. Johnson-Wilmot developed the opera program at Viterbo, and working with students was his passion. He played leadership roles at Viterbo and national organizations, directed the concert choir at Viterbo, and led students on international trips. He also founded and served as the director of the La Crosse BoyChoir, and the Three Rivers Girls Chorus (now the La Crosse Girlchoir).