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“I really have a strong affinity to the YWCA’s mission and to the work they do, so it was really special, and a shock,” Clasen said.

Clasen found out about the news after someone came into her office on the U-Rock campus and told her there was an emergency — which there was not. Instead, a group was there to honor her.

“It’s an incredible feeling. You don’t do the things that you do in order to receive in an order but it is such a nice feeling to know what you’re doing means something to other people and that they see the efforts you make,” Clasen said.

“This event is one I go to every year and I’ve sat in awe of all the amazing things that women have done in the community,” she continued. “It makes you feel really special that people loop you in the company of so many amazing women in our community.”

Prior to coming to U-Rock, Clasen spent three years teaching at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, in the northwestern part of the state. A Monroe native, she returned to southern Wisconsin and became a communication instructor at U-Rock in August 2002.

Clasen initially intended on going to law school or do something with international relations, but she fell in love with studying communication, which led her to becoming an instructor in the subject.

“I think what it comes down to is I really believe in the power of voice and in teaching communication, it gave me the opportunity to help people find their own voice and to better listen to voices we might not normally hear, and that really became the foundation of my teaching philosophy,” Clasen said.

Clasen became the interim dean in the fall of 2018. She served in that role during the restructure and the campus’ integration into UW-Whitewater. Clasen was one of the integral individuals making that a reality, serving on committees and managing processes. The then-UW System restructure was announced in 2017 and it was finalized in 2019.

“To imagine all the pieces of an institution that have to be disassembled and then reassembled and then the decisions that have to be made, it was intense. There were a couple of pieces that project managers handled to make sure all the ‘I’s were dotted but it was something,” Clasen said.

In 2008, Clasen received a chancellor’s award for teaching excellence in the UW Colleges, then the group of the two-year University of Wisconsin colleges. It was a top faculty award.

“It was huge because when I started in academia teaching didn’t come naturally. I think some people are born teachers and some have to work a little harder at it, and I worked really hard at it. Being acknowledged for teaching meant a lot. That was a huge moment,” Clasen said.

However, Clasen said what is more valuable is the connection made in the classroom.

“The more valuable moments are the students and the connections made in the community, and seeing them when they come back and knowing the impact you can have just by teaching a class and giving perspective. That connection and knowing you matter to somebody,” Clasen said.

She also served on the Rock County Board for two-and-a-half years.

“Participating in some form of local government, it really alters your perspective and allows you to see your community differently. I think the county board is so unique because it’s the county board. I don’t think most people are aware of everything that is touched by the county board and all of the different resources that our community has available, the organizations and the people who you have the chance to make a difference in their lives, and I’m really grateful for the experience,” Clasen said. “

Clasen is also a published author of middle-grade fiction.

She serves on the Mercy Institutional Review Board Committee and the Janesville Innovation Center Board of Directors, and has offered communication training to the city of Janesville, the Janesville Fire Department, Blain Supply and to school districts.