Welcome to the Summer of Celebrations!

The idea here is to celebrate your successes, your network, and how far you’ve come in your leadership journey.

Give yourself some credit for the hard things you’ve powered through. Give yourself some grace for the times it didn’t go so well, and celebrate that you made it to the other side.

And share the love with your peers on and off campus, to let them know they’re appreciated!

Help Us Celebrate!

Tell us all what or who you want to celebrate this summer! You can call out a friend or peer for their awesomeness, mention something you’re grateful for, or list a success story you’re proud of. All entries will be posted below on the Celebrations Wall. Please keep it positive and clean.

Enter your information here

Celebrations Wall Entries

Timestamp	Email Address	What or who do you want to celebrate?
	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	So grateful for a few key connections on campus who I can confide in. Comparing our leadership struggles and challenges is one way to get through them, and having someone to listen to my stories is very helpful. - Rich
06/03/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I am grateful for the crew at my work unit - everyone is willing to work through challenges and collaborate together and it's a joy to come to work every day.
06/03/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I nominated one of my employees for a University Staff Recognition Award and they were selected as a recipient. We're celebrating this win in our department!
06/03/2024	nmkujak@wisc.edu	I want to celebrate my team.. they are doing amazing!
06/04/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I am looking forward to using more of my paid time off to explore some of the lakes and rivers on my kayak this summer. That's something to celebrate!
06/04/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I am celebrating the Wordpress team (Matt, Jenna, others) who help us keep this website up and running! Collaborations like this are what makes the UW-Madison so awesome to work at.
06/07/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I am grateful for my Coaching Circle group on campus. We have been meeting since August of last year, and it's a great way to get support and help others as well. - RG
06/11/2024	nmkujak@wisc.edu	I want to celebrate how my team navigated and led changes this past year!
06/11/2024	Rich.gassen@wisc.edu	Thankful for the ice cream socials on campus this and every year.
	cmhulland@wisc.edu	I celebrate implementation of the Paid Parental leave policy for UW-Madison.
	smcarlso@wisc.edu	I'm celebrating the birth of my first great-niece in February. I met her in June and she is gorgeous!
07/02/2024	matt.douglas@wisc.edu	I want to celebrate the great work the students at StudentPrint are doing. This past spring our team really hit the performing stage of group development! Great work StudentPrint Team!
07/02/2024	matt.douglas@wisc.edu	Looking forward to spending some time away from work with family and friend, using some vacation time. 🙂
	bjbishop@wisc.edu	I'm thankful for a wonderful boss who encourages time off. And a great employer who provides significant amounts of PTO.
	cpklecker@wisc.edu	I had never been in the Chazen before and it was great to have a reason to check it out. Thank you for all who joined today it was great to share the morning with you.
	skhagen@wisc.edu	I'm thankful for the rich history of this place [Chazen Museum] and the opportunity to explore it with colleagues. Thanks for organizing!
	Rich.gassen@wisc.edu	I'm celebrating this community of practice and the others I am part of on campus, including the Servant Leader group and WordPress Users group. These spaces allow us to collaborate and help each other be better at our crafts and leadership.
08/01/2024	crschulz@wisc.edu	Celebrating a fully staffed team that work wonderfully together! This helps me feel confident in and out of the office.
08/06/2024	rich.gassen@wisc.edu	Recognizing NINE YEARS of CSN events on August 4th! That's something to celebrate.
	robin.schmoldt@wisc.edu	Thanks so much for the Babcock Dairy Tour...it was nice to see a different corner of campus on a drizzly day and to serendipitously reconnect with a campus colleague.

Summer of Celebrations Sessions

Chazen Museum Self-Guided Tour

Celebrating the arts on campus!

Held July 18

CSN members met at the Chazen Museum to enjoy a self-guided tour of the various exhibits and network with each other. CSN Members tour the Chazen Museum and network on July 18, 2024.

More information about Chazen can be found at https://chazen.wisc.edu/

Allen Centennial Gardens Walking Tour

Celebrating nature and the outdoors!

Held July 31

CSN members met at the Allen Centennial Gardens to enjoy a walking tour of some of the gardens, write some thank you cards, discuss kindness and work challenges, and network.

CSN members networking at Allen Centennial Gardens at UW-Madison. Rachel's dog at Allen Centennial Gardens at UW-Madison.

More information about Allen Centennial Gardens can be found at https://allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu/plan-your-visit/

Babcock Dairy Observation Deck Tour and Tasting

Celebrating industry!

Held August 15

CSN members met at Babcock Dairy for an observation experience to learn about this department and visited the dairy store for a scoop of ice cream while we networked and celebrated the benefits of working at UW-Madison.

Babcock Dairy Tour with CSN members Babcock Dairy employees working

More information about Babcock Dairy can be found at https://babcockdairystore.wisc.edu

CSN is setting you up to spread some cheer during the SOC:

“Right-click” any of these images to download and place them into an email to your peers!

Send a friend or colleague a kind message of gratitude for how they’ve supported you in your journey.

Download interactive GIF image Here

Send a message telling someone they rock.

Download interactive GIF image Here

Or send a message of thanks for something special you want to celebrate.

Download interactive GIF image Here

Some comments from our team at CSN:

Grateful for the CSN planning committee

As chair of CSN's planning committee, I am eternally grateful to the planners for their ideas, willingness to engage, and passion to help others succeed. It's amazing what a small group of dedicated people can accomplish! ~Rich Gassen

Planning Committee Contacts

Terrace SoG Gathering - Nancy Kujak-Ford, Ruben Mota, and Carol Hulland talking outdoors at the Union Terrace

CSN turns 9 this Summer!

CSN was formed in the spring of 2015 and held our first in-person event on August 4th with 65 people in attendance. We solicited feedback at this meeting to learn what people desired from a community of practice. All of our past events are below!

Past Events Page

a 9 candle on a birthday cake with lights and decorations

What are you celebrating this summer?

We're excited to promote your successes and celebrations! Please share with us what you are celebrating this summer, by filling out the Wall of Celebrations form (link below).

Wall of Celebrations Form