On Thursday July 21, 2022, Dr. Scott Ringgenberg passed away. He was a professor at the UW-Platteville for 22 years, and was the Department Chair of Health and Human Performance for the past five years.

One of the most memorable contributions from Dr. Scott Ringgenberg was the ropes course that he developed in the Pioneer Activity Center. The ropes course has been the center of many HHP lessons. A tribute for Dr. Ringgenberg written by Dr. Tim Swenson, an assistant professor of HHP, notes that nearly 500 students get to experience the ropes course every semester.

Dr. Swenson added, “Dr. Ringgenberg often taught the lesson of “challenge by choice” as a pedagogical strategy to the ropes course, but also to life in general. He inspired many of our students to take chances outside of their comfort zones, which resulted in growth.”

Another lesson that Dr. Ringgenberg stressed was “The 4 P’s: Passion, Positivity, Progress and Professionalism. He repeated these to students and staff alike daily. Even through his toughest days, his focus was on the well-being of others and of the department,” Dr. Swenson added.

Dr. Kristina Navarro-Kruppka, Assistant Chancellor and Director of Athletics and Recreation and colleague of the late Dr. Scott Ringgenberg, told the Exponent, “Dr. Ringgenberg has left a strong legacy for all in the Health and Human Performance program. He will be remembered by students and staff for his love of adventure education. HHP is a program on continued growth for the campus thanks to Dr. Ringgenberg’s passion.”

As a person, he was someone who others remembered as fun-loving and creative. Alea Fortier, a former UW-Platteville student and advisee of Dr. Ringgenberg, remarked that he always managed to make the HHP classes interesting. “In (one) class we had to link up with our eyes closed and walk around the fieldhouse blind in a chain to work on communication. We were walking around the long jump sand pit area in the corner and I biffed it. And for the rest of the semester he would crack jokes with me about my clumsiness. He also played a battleship style game in the pool with canoes that I heard was really fun, but I was unable to partake in.”

Dr. Scott Ringgenberg left an immense and positive impact on the students and colleagues on campus.