Fahey named to university post

The press secretary for U.S. Congressman Ron Kind has accepted the position of development coordinator for the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

"I’ve heard many compliments about UWSP and Stevens Point since I decided to take this position," said Mike Fahey who began his job on May 1.

Fahey was campaign manager for Kind during the 1996 election. He then served as a legislative assistant before becoming press secretary for the congressman in 1997. After working in Washington, D.C., for a number of years, Fahey says he is pleased to return to Wisconsin.

"People have been warm and friendly," he said. "There is a lot of enthusiasm among faculty members about the colleges, especially about the new development coordinators." Similar positions recently were filled in each of the colleges at UWSP.

Fahey’s responsibilities will include coordinating fund raising, media relations and editing a newsletter for the college. He is enthusiastic about communicating with alumni and the community regarding fine arts events on campus.

"We feel that we are poised to do a lot of good things for the college, and with the fund-raisers in the other colleges, for the university as a whole.

He and COFAC Dean Gerard McKenna have begun studying priorities for the college. Among their goals are fundraising for scholarships in several departments and developing guest artist and visiting lecturer programs.

Fahey has been a mentor in the "Everybody Wins" reading program and a member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Dane County. He served as chair of the recycling committee while a common council member in Fitchburg in the early 1990s. In addition, he was a special events fund-raiser for the Southeast Wisconsin March of Dimes and a policy analyst in the state capitol.

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