The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 12 honorees of the 2022 Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People, an annual honor given to LGBTQ+ people or their allies who have helped to create a safer and more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ people.
Missy Habberly, a program manager for Campus Activities and Student Engagement, was recognized for helping to create a safer and more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ people.
The award celebrates the memory and legacy of Dr. Paula B. Poorman, a highly regarded faculty member at UW-Whitewater dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Among the winners was Missy Habberley, student engagement program manager for Campus Activities and Student Engagement at UW-Stevens Point.
Habberley served as the interim queer resource coordinator at UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) for the 2021-2022 school year. In her role, she strived to create a supportive and proactive environment for
UWSP’s queer community by advocating for students, dismantling oppressive institutional barriers, and bringing new ideas to campus.
She was committed to enhancing the student experience through acknowledging and respecting the intersectionality of their identities and creating programming that celebrated them. The biggest challenge of the year was to host UWSP’s first Pride Mini Ball! Campus had not seen anything like this event before and through ethical determination, connection, and community, the Queer Resource Center brought one of the biggest celebrations of queer, trans people of color (QTPOC) culture to Stevens Point.
Missy continues her work as a student advocate at UWSP in a new position in Campus Activities and Student Engagement as a student engagement program manager. The position adds an equity, diversity and inclusion lens to campus events and programming where there wasn’t one before, and Missy is enthusiastically jumping in!
The Queer Resource Center was brimming with powerful, difficult conversations and a lot of love in the past year, and it goes without saying that Missy would not be nominated for this award if it wasn’t for the incredible support of her student community and cherished colleagues in Diversity and College Access at UW-Stevens Point.
This year marks the 14th anniversary of the founding of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award. The recipients of the award will be honored on November 10, 2022, in Madison during a ceremony hosted by UW System. The awards ceremony and reception will be held in conjunction with UW System’s presentation of the Outstanding Women of Color in Education Awards.
“Honorees are helping build a better experience for our students, faculty, and staff,” said UW System President Jay Rothman. “This award recognizes their achievements in creating a safer and inclusive climate at our universities.”
Each UW System university was invited to select one individual to receive the award, which highlights each recipient’s contributions to advocacy, activism, or scholarship that enhances the experiences of, and improves the climate for LGBTQ+ people.
For more information about the award and past recipients, see wisconsin.edu/grants-awards/poorman-award.