Shekoli! Ukwehu·wé onʌyoteˀa·ká· niwakuhutsyó·tʌ. Caa hikikarac hižą waa’ųnakšana. Hoocąk raašra Iinekimąąnįįga
naga mąąxete raašra Christine Munsonga hįįngaire. Stevens Pointregi haci haje nųnįge Mooneja howawaji.
Greetings! My name is Christine “Chris” Munson. I am a member of the Oneida Nation and have a name from the deer clan of the Ho-Chunk Nation; they call me Iinekimąąnįįga. I am from Moon, Wisconsin, where my parents still reside. Stevens Point has been home for my husband and three (now all adult) children for over twenty years.
I am thrilled to serve the UWSP community as Director of TRiO Student Support Services within the Office of Student Experience and Transformation. I come to UWSP with over twenty years of experience in education and student support services. I am driven to help all students, but in particular those who are from backgrounds that have not historically fit the mold of higher education. I believe in the transformative power of education and find joy in helping people forge paths to meet their goals.
In middle and high school, I loved art and science – along my journey, goals for career and education took turns I never would have expected. I earned a Bachelor of Science from UW-Green Bay with a major in biology and transitioned into graduate school at UW-Madison in conservation biology and sustainable development. As I worked at the College of Menominee Nation my interests shifted more directly to education and how different populations have access to education. I moved to Stevens Point and took a position at the Charles F Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning with the Stevens Point Area Public School District. In that time I recognized the importance of support and training for students with disabilities; I earned a Special Education Cross Categorical license through Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to serve high school aged and young adult students. Shortly after earning my license, I shifted back to a post-secondary college setting and worked for over fifteen years in student services at Northcentral Technical College. In that time, I earned a Master of Education for Student Affairs Administration from UW-La Crosse. While I do not formally work in the fields of art or science, my initial interests still thread through the work I do as a creative problem solver, a lifelong learner, and as a servant leader focused on designing programs and services that impact students’ wellbeing and success.
Outside of work, I enjoy a wide variety of seasonal activities including tanning deer hides, making maple syrup, foraging ramps, making our yard more wild with native plants, biking the Green Circle Trail, drying corn, and harvesting wild rice. I love spending time with my family, taking road trips, catching some live music, going to see movies, working on Ho-Chunk and Oneida language skills, and hanging out with our dogs, cats, plants.