HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.15.23 Newsletter
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council
FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager
DATE: December 15, 2023
RE: Weekly Newsletter
1. MUSEUM EDUCATION PROGRAM MILESTONES: The Oshkosh Public Museum (OPM)
continues to reach new milestones and advance both City and Museum strategic objectives for
our community’s quality of life assets with its Education Program. In 2023, OPM hosted over
1,300 field-trippers for schools and organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin. Of those
field trip visitors, approximately 800 were from Oshkosh Area School District (OASD)
classrooms.
Field trips are more than curriculum enhancement. OPM is dedicated to enhancing
accessibility to our resources through field trips. Third-grade students from OASD
overwhelmingly report that their OPM field trip is their first ever visit to any museum.
Museum field trips help bridge gaps between students of different backgrounds, allowing the
City’s quality of life assets to impact our entire community.
Furthermore, field trips are memorable for students and bring classroom learning to life in
irreplaceable ways. In post-field trip assessments, teachers reported: “[The field trip] brought
to life what we were learning in our lessons. Students were able to touch and hold artifacts I
had been showing them photographs of”; and “The Oshkosh Public Museum makes the
lessons come to life for [students].”
Engaging with students is one of the most impactful ways the Museum furthers our mission
and serves our community. We look forward to continued growth of OPM’s Education
Program in 2024 and beyond!
2. MUSEUM SECOND-FLOOR CAPITAL PROJECTS CONTINUE: The transformation
continues on the second floor of the Oshkosh Public Museum (OPM). Currently, construction
is underway to install loading doors on an exterior wall. This enhancement to the future
Waldwic Gallery temporary exhibition space will help us best serve the community. The
addition of loading doors enables OPM to host a wider range of travelling exhibitions, which
otherwise are unable to physically fit inside our spaces. We’re excited to see this phase of the
second-floor transformation continue!
3. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: If you are interested in serving your
community, please consider becoming a member of one of the City’s citizen advisory boards,
commissions, or committees. To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete
an application to serve, follow the link below:
https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/boardsandcommissions/
4. MINUTES FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: All meeting minutes are uploaded to the
website upon approval. Please follow the link below for the most updated information &
meeting minutes: https://onboard.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/
5. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of December 18th
include the following: on Wednesday at 10:30 AM, I will be meeting with a local City
Administrator on items of mutual concern; at 5:00 PM I will attend Leadership Oshkosh’s
holiday event. On Thursday at 9:00 AM, I will meet with staff regarding Sawyer Creek storm
water issues; at 2:30 PM, I will meet with an organizational representative regarding their
interest in applying for the City’s remaining ARPA funds; and at 6 PM, I will tape an episode
of Eye on Oshkosh with Cheryl Hentz. On Friday, I will begin my vacation, returning to the
office on Tuesday, January 2nd. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please
do not hesitate to contact me.