Gov. Doyle to give morning commencement address

Gov. Jim Doyle	The Rev. Donald Wisner

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will deliver the "Charge to the Class" during UW-Eau Claire's morning commencement ceremony May 22 at 9:30 a.m. in Zorn Arena. Students from the College of Business and the College of Professional Studies will participate in the morning ceremony. The Rev. Donald Wisner, pastor of University Lutheran Church at the Ecumenical Religious Center adjacent to campus, will give the "Charge to the Class" during the 2 p.m. ceremony. Students from the College of Arts and Sciences and graduate students will participate in the afternoon ceremony. Approximately 1,160 students will graduate from UW-Eau Claire during the two ceremonies. Full story.

First online MBA class graduates this month
When Suzanne DeCann travels from her home in Georgia to UW-Eau Claire later this month, it will be to pick up her newly earned master of business administration degree. DeCann will be among the first 11 UW-Eau Claire students to earn their MBAs completely online. When she comes to Eau Claire for commencement, she’ll get her first real look at the campus and her first opportunity to talk face-to-face with her classmates and professors. Since 2002, UW-Eau Claire MBA students have had the option of completing the entire MBA program online, the entire program on campus or combining the two options as it meets their needs. Full story. UW-Eau Claire's online MBA program recently ranked among the top five in the nation in a study by a UW-Eau Claire research team. Full story. More information on the MBA program is available online or by contacting Robert Erffmeyer, MBA program director, at (715) 836-4644 or erffmerc@uwec.edu.

An evening at the symphony UW-Eau Claire Symphony Orchestra director Nobuyoshi Yasuda, right, conducted with his usual intensity during the group's sold-out spring concert April 25 in Gantner Concert Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center. Below left, sophomore music education major Allison Bulger kept her eyes on Yasuda during the performance. The evening included a solo appearance by prize-winning pianist Alexandre Dossin, assistant professor of music at UW-Eau Claire. Dossin, who in August 2003 won the first and special prizes at the prestigious Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. (UW-Eau Claire photos by Rick Mickelson)

George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos makes second gift to Devroy Fund
George Stephanopoulos was senior adviser to President Clinton when 1970 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire journalism graduate Ann Devroy was The Washington Post’s top White House correspondent. His admiration for her work has led him to make a $25,000 gift to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation’s Ann Devroy Memorial Fund, established when Devroy died of cancer in 1997 at the age of 49. The recent gift is Stephanopoulos’ second contribution to the Devroy Fund. He also was among the initial contributors when the fund was created. Full story. Stephanopoulos’ latest gift is recognized as a contribution to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation’s ongoing fund-raising campaign, Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence. The five-year campaign, which seeks private support for UW-Eau Claire’s people and programs, runs through June 2005.

The Blugold Marching Band appeared in last fall's Homecoming parade on Water Street. (UW-Eau Claire photo by Rick Mickelson)

Marching band will play
October gig at Lambeau
Dr. Randy Dickerson’s confidence in UW-Eau Claire’s Blugold Marching Band was rewarded recently in a big way. The band has been invited to perform at the halftime show for the Green Bay Packers when they face the Giants Oct. 3 in Green Bay. When Dickerson joined the music and theatre arts faculty in 2000, the marching band included about 60 students. The group now numbers about 100 and Dickerson expects it to grow to between 120 and 130 students this fall. Full story. Visit the band's Web page to read more about the group and preview its recently released CD.

Chemistry major Nick Robertson received resources from the UW-Eau Claire Foundation's Excellence Fund to present research at regional and national conferences.

Giving to Telefund exceeds $500,000 for first time
As of May 7, alumni and friends of UW-Eau Claire had contributed $503,000 in gifts and pledges through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation's Telefund this fiscal year, said Heidi Fisher, the Foundation's director of annual giving. "This is the first year our Telefund has surpassed the half-million-dollar mark," she said. "Our alumni and friends clearly value their UW-Eau Claire education and want to ensure that others have the same opportunities for great learning." Telefund contributions are a major source of support for the Foundation's Excellence Fund, which provides nearly $450,000 each year in student scholarships and funds other areas of need at the university.

Foundation offers new online giving option
As of this spring, Telefund contributors and others making gifts to the Foundation can give online through the Foundation's new secure Web site. "Donors have been requesting an online giving option for some time," said Kimera Way, executive director of development. "They now have a convenient and secure way to support excellence at UW-Eau Claire without having to mail in their gift." In addition to a link for online credit card gifts, the site includes a printable gift/pledge form for donors who wish to contribute by check and a form to make a gift through electronic funds transfer. Read more.

Chancellor Mash announces administrative changes

Steven Tallant

Chancellor Donald Mash announced May 6 several administrative changes at UW-Eau Claire. Among several personnel changes was the naming of Dr. Steven Tallant as interim provost and vice chancellor. Tallant has been handling many of duties of the position while Provost Ronald Satz has been away on leave due to illness. Also announced was an organizational change that will create a College of Nursing and a College of Education. Since 1995, nursing and education were schools within the College of Professional Studies. Under the new organizational arrangement, the remaining departments from the College of Professional Studies will be assigned to other colleges at the university. The new structure will include four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and the College of Nursing. Read the memo from Chancellor Mash to the university community.

UW-Eau Claire celebrates UW Spirit Day

By official proclamation of Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, the week of May 3 was designated as UW Spirit Week (read the proclamation). Above left, some of the approximately 135 alumni, friends, faculty and staff who participated in UW-Eau Claire's May 7 UW Spirit Day celebration were photographed in front of Schofield Hall (UW-Eau Claire photo by Bruce Dybvik). At right, UW-Eau Claire alumni director John Bachmeier '81 (third from left) and Alumni Association president Bill Hutchinson '77 posed with UW System President Katharine Lyall and UW mascot Bucky Badger after the proclamation signing ceremony in Madison. See more photos from UW Spirit Day at UW-Eau Claire.

Alumni success stories

Alumna works with Peace Corps in Africa Stephanie Hazen '02 makes her mark in northern Namibia, where she leads improvement efforts at a 450-student middle school. Full story.

Retiree will continue efforts for those with disabilities Janet (Cutler) Bixby '58 may be retiring, but this UW-Eau Claire education graduate is not planning to stop her work on behalf of people with disabilities. Full story.

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Blugold Trivia gives UW-Eau Claire alumni and friends the chance to show how much they know about the university — AND win great Blugold prizes! Each issue of e-View will include a new UW-Eau Claire-related trivia question. e-View subscribers can e-mail their answers to the Blugold Trivia mailbox, and all correct responses will be entered in a drawing for a prize. This month's prize is a UW-Eau Claire alumni sweatshirt (pictured at right). The name of this month's winner will be published in the June issue of e-View.

May Blugold Trivia question:

The photo at left depicts a scene on the UW-Eau Claire campus. Can you identify the the image and where it was taken?

Think you know the answer? E-mail it, along with your name and class year, to trivia@uwec.edu. You'll be notified by e-mail if you are this month's winner!

April's winner: Congratulations to Richard A. Knar Sr., a 1968 UW-Eau Claire graduate, who won the April drawing for a UW-Eau Claire alumni baseball cap! Richard was one of those who answered correctly last month's Blugold Trivia question, "Which U.S. president visited UW-Eau Claire just seven months before his election to our nation's highest office?" The answer is John F. Kennedy. Kennedy visited UW-Eau Claire in April 1960, shortly before winning the Wisconsin presidential primary.

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