Amundson named CIVC director at UW-Madison
Steve Amundson, who for 13 years has worked to attract and promote professional and amateur sports in Wisconsin, has been named the new director of the Campus Information and Visitor Center, Chancellor John Wiley’s office announced Jan. 21.
Located in the Red Gym, 716 Langdon St., CIVC collaborates with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to provide tours and coordinate visits for prospective students, field-trip participants and visitors. It also serves as an information and referral source, assisting with questions that come into the office via phone, e-mail or face-to-face visits. The center is staffed by four full-time employees and nearly 50 students.
Amundson, who began an informal survey among students on campus about CIVC even before he was hired, says the center does a great job in providing tours and information, but he hopes to give it a higher profile.
“The CIVC offers many valuable resources and services, but many people just don’t know about it. I want to change that,” he says. “The office needs to be seen as the ‘front door’ to the university. To achieve that, we must spread awareness among visitors, students, and faculty and staff.”
As vice president of development and event recruitment for the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation for the past six years, Amundson helped attract such major sporting events as the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon and visits by the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball and Hockey teams. He was also responsible for securing funding for all the corporation’s properties and special events.
Amundson was director of sports marketing and development for the Wisconsin Amateur Sports Corporation from 1990-98, where he was responsible for lining up corporate sponsors for the Badger State Games.
Both positions required Amundson to serve in community relations, event planning and marketing functions, skills important to running CIVC.
“There were several strong candidates for this position, but Steve’s enormous enthusiasm, and his experience in recruiting, organizing and marketing events that attract thousands of spectators and participants fits well with how the university views the function of CIVC,” says Casey Nagy, executive assistant to the chancellor. “Steve will be able to move the center forward in its ability to serve the campus community and the thousands of visitors who come here each year.”
Among those thousands of visitors are potential students, who will use their campus-tour experiences to help them decide whether to apply for admission — or eventually enroll — at UW–Madison.
“The CIVC does a first-class job conducting campus tours. I want to continue and build upon that success because we have prospective students who will make their decisions based partly on how the campus is presented to them,” Amundson says.
Amundson points out that many of the students who come to UW–Madison fall in love with the community and want to stay, which highlights the need for CIVC to have stronger partnerships with the community.
“We’re not only promoting UW–Madison, we’re also promoting the surrounding community,” he says. “I would like to see the office take a leadership role in developing a stronger partnership with the community.”
Amundson’s first day on the job will be Monday, Jan. 26, at an annual salary of $65,000.