UW-EC chancellor goes to great lengths to help student

The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Jun. 22—EAU CLAIRE — UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt went the extra mile — make that thousands of miles — recently to help out a student in a jam.

Katie Murphy's summer studying abroad in Italy was all she dreamed it would be, but a misplaced credit card was leaving her a bit uneasy.

"It's kind of a silly story because it wasn't lost or stolen. I just happened to misplace it," Murphy said in a news release. "When I couldn't find it, I figured it was best to cancel the card, since I didn't want to take any chances."

Since she was thousands of miles from home, neither Murphy nor her mom knew how to get a replacement card quickly and safely to her.

Looking for advice, Murphy's mom contacted Colleen Marchwick, director of UW-Eau Claire's Center for International Studies, and the Chancellor's Office. Much to her surprise, she learned the chancellor was beginning an international trek that would eventually take him to Italy and the Lorenzo de' Medici Institute, where Murphy is studying this summer.

Marchwick thought the chancellor already had left on his trip, but Kelly Olson, executive assistant to the chancellor, knew he still was in Milwaukee at the UW System Board of Regents meeting. When the meeting ended, his plan was to drive from Milwaukee to Minneapolis to catch his flight to Amsterdam, where he was to present at an international conference before visiting study abroad sites in Italy.

Fortunately, Olson also knew Schmidt would stop briefly in Eau Claire on his way to the airport, giving them a "small window" to get him the credit card to bring to Murphy. So, Murphy's mom drove from La Crosse to deliver the card to Olson, who then brought it to the chancellor at his house just as he was leaving for the airport. A few days later, Schmidt delivered it to Murphy in Florence.

Schmidt gave Murphy the card when he had dinner with her and Natalie Johnson, another Blugold studying at the institute this summer.

"I'm so incredibly grateful that he was willing to do this for me," Murphy said. "It really shows that he cares deeply for the well-being and needs of his students and will do what he can to help. Not every student is lucky enough to have a chancellor who would do this for them, but I am glad to say that I do."

Schmidt said he was happy to play a small part in ensuring Murphy can have the best experience possible while studying abroad in Italy.