For the last two decades, Laura Gehrman Rottier has made it her professional mission to nurture lifelong, meaningful relationships between thousands of alumni and their alma mater, its students and campus community at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Hired in 2005 as director of UWSP’s Alumni Affairs, she and her team have nurtured events that bring alumni together, such as the Alumni Awards program, celebrating and honoring the Pointer giants whose accomplishments inspire and lift up the entire Pointer family. She has led collaborative efforts to turn UWSP’s Homecoming into a family-oriented celebration of Pointer pride, developed volunteer opportunities that allow alumni to give back to their own communities with fellow classmates through Alumni Days of Service events around the country and hosted interviews to share the stories of acclaimed alumni in a casual and fun way through the Coffee with Alumni and Friends videos on social media.
Laura Gehrman Rottier was honored with the 2025 Academic Staff Excellence Award for her dedication to connecting alumni to their alma mater, its students, programs and future.
She has also been active with fundraising, assisting with the “Then, Now and Forever” capital campaign that raised more than $40 million dollars, the annual Day of Giving (D.O.G.) campaigns and the current “Discover Your Purpose” campaign that has already met more than 75% of its $100 million goal. She serves as a part-time major gifts officer for UWSP’s University College and recently earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential to support the collaborative work she does as part of UWSP Advancement where she oversees the Alumni Association and Annual Giving.
Her dedication and achievements earned her the 2025 Academic Staff Excellence Award.
“I’ve always said that the Alumni Association was here to connect alumni with each other, with students and the campus community,” said Gehrman Rottier, a 2002 alumna of UWSP. “The goal is to tailor alumni experiences to make them meaningful.”
She has a strong relationship with the Alumni Board of Directors, working closely with members to outline projects, programs, benefits and services for UWSP alumni. She engages with alumni groups across the country, connecting them to volunteer opportunities that match their passions. Her team’s Days of Service programming was honored with a platinum award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
She implemented the UWSP alumni online community and led a team redesign of the Alumni website, which features the accomplishments and stories of alumni in The Cupola Post.
“It’s been inspiring to see what our alumni have accomplished, to share those stories and celebrate their success. We’ve been able to honor some amazing people.”
Gehrman Rottier said she has felt fortunate to help alumni find ways to give back to the university through a day of service, a gift that reflects what they care about or mentorship of a current student.
“It’s humbling to be a part of that journey for our alumni,” she said.
One of the challenges of her role is finding the time to serve every single alum who wants to connect – after all, there are more than 90,000 of them.
“We are the keeper of memories,” she said. “We can help our alumni relive the years they spent at UWSP. The best part of the job is seeing the moment that an alum reconnects, if it is through an event, meeting a student, attending a reunion or giving back – when they get to be part of something bigger and understand how they are making a difference, that’s magic.”
After serving this role for the last 20 years, Gehrman Rottier continues to be motivated by her desire to help others make an impact at UW-Stevens Point, and that includes Pointers of the past, present and future.
“I want our current and future Pointers to always have access to opportunities with our alumni, because helping them work together is incredibly inspiring and impactful. While they may be decades apart in their experiences, they all have a common connection in UWSP.”
Gehrman Rottier attributes the lion’s share of her own success to her team and those that have supported her noting, “Nothing is accomplished alone, and I have been fortunate to have some great mentors amazing volunteers and outstanding teammates”