Brittany Kaminski – Academic Staff Excellence Award 2024

Last fall, UW-Stevens Point was featured on a nationally broadcast television series that told the stories of ten students from different walks of life.

That episode in season 11 of The College Tour, now streaming on Amazon Prime, brought the UW-Stevens Point campus to life for students across the nation, providing an inside look at hands-on academics, faculty and staff mentorship, a variety of extracurricular activities, student support services and the beauty of the region and campus community.

The episode would not have been possible without the work of Brittany Kaminski, director of marketing and creative services in University Communications and Marketing. Her dedication to this project, as well as to the university's branding, website, social media, Growth Initiative and media efforts, won her the 2024 Academic Staff Excellence Award.

Kaminski has been the leadership behind several marketing projects, including the Discover Your Purpose branding, which has won awards for its creativity and assisted in prospective student recruitment. Her ideas have increased the university's visibility through UW-Stevens Point brand videos, community banners, billboards and publications.

"Brittany's collaborative spirit, leadership, creativity and dedication to this university have been a driving force behind making UW-Stevens Point stand out amongst strong competition," said Lana Poole, chief marketing and enrollment officer. "She goes above and beyond for UWSP on a daily basis."

For The College Tour, Kaminski organized a search and interviewed many students to find ten who represented diverse majors, backgrounds and extracurricular activities. For several months she plotted the locations, scripts and shot lists for a professional television production team to come to campus for the week of filming. During that week, she assisted with logistics and led a team of helpers for the busy shooting schedule.

Business administration Maria Hartley was among the featured students, and focused her segment on the connections and networking skills she has built at UWSP. She was grateful for the opportunity that Kaminski and The College Tour gave her that would help her as a future business leader.

"This experience helped confirm that pushing myself outside my comfort zone is where growth and opportunities truly lie," she said. "I gained confidence in my abilities and in the energy I can bring to the table, which I can show my future employers."

Mentoring students is another way that Kaminski, a UWSP alumna herself, has promoted the ideals of the university. Various student interns, admissions ambassadors and organizational leaders work with her on marketing projects and events, learn from her and seek her out when they need advice or a listening ear.

Kaminski's student focus has also helped bring new coursework to UW-Stevens Point through the university's Growth Initiative, which creates new online certificates and programs for emerging professions. She has taken the initiative to collaborate with academics, admissions and creative teams to help move programs forward.

Kaminski also led a team that recently helped redesign the UW-Stevens Point website, for which she initiated the "Discover Your Purpose" quiz that helps prospective students find out what major fits their interests using career clusters. She also helped make UWSP the first campus to promote sustainable campus tours using a pedal bike.

In addition, Kaminski pitches in when needed to help plan events, parades, admissions activities and has also acted as the Stevie Pointer mascot on many occasions when needed.

"Brittany's enthusiasm and passion for UWSP are definitely to be admired," said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Al Thompson. "Her 'we can do it' outlook and purpose ensure that our campus is respected throughout the region and state."