Bob Heideman is an alumnus of the U.W.-Oshkosh. He received his Master’s degree in Zoology (1952) and his Ph.D. degree with a double major in Zoology (Anatomy) and Education (Counseling) from the U.W. – Madison in 1962. His working career spanned 38 ½ years at the university. He retired in 1987 with Distinguished Service Status from the School of Education.
Though he was employed in the Zoology Department for five years, most of his career was spent in the School of Education where he held a variety of administrative positions, the longest of which was Director of Educational Placement and Career Services. He was also involved in international work for many years as Campus Coordinator of the Northern Nigeria Teacher Education Program.
Bob was actively involved both as a member and in leadership positions in many state and national education organizations. He was a frequent speaker to groups of teachers, senior citizens, and local groups on issues of future trends. He was also author or co-author of many articles, documents, reports, monographs, and occasional papers. He was co-editor of Career-Long Teacher Education (1985). After his official retirement, he authored two position papers: A Seminal Point of View of the University, 1988, and Critical Issues: A 1992 Review of Responses to A Seminal Point of View and co-edited Programming for Staff Development: Fanning the Flame (1990).
Always a strong advocate for Academic Staff governance rights, Bob served as president of the Madison Academic Staff Association in 1983-1984. He helped to initiate the idea of an Academic Staff Award and funded the first award, the Robert Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service.