April 2011
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New student center to bear familiar name
 The new student center at UW-Eau Claire, like the building it will replace, is to be named after the university's second president, William R. Davies, university officials announced today at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new building.
The new building's name, W.R. Davies Student Center, will continue to honor the memory of William R. Davies, who served as the second president of the university (then called the Eau Claire State Teachers College and later Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire) from 1941-59.
The original student center, formally named the W.R. Davies University Center, opened in 1959. It will be deconstructed to make way for campus green space after construction of the new student center is complete. The anticipated completion date  for the W.R. Davies Student Center is summer 2012; the old Davies Center deconstruction and green space construction are expected to be completed by May 2013.
Watch student center construction in real time by clicking on the web cam graphic. Full story. 
Columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. to speak at Devroy Forum
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E.J. Dionne Jr. |
E.J. Dionne Jr., a syndicated columnist with The Washington Post, will be the featured speaker at the 2011 Ann Devroy Memorial Forum at UW-Eau Claire.
Dionne's presentation will begin at 8 p.m. May 4 in Schofield Auditorium.
Before joining The Post in 1990 as a political reporter, Dionne spent 14 years at The New York Times, reporting on state and local governments and national politics. He also worked as a foreign correspondent, spending time in Paris, Rome and Beirut.
Dionne also is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor at Georgetown University. He makes regular appearances as a commentator for National Public Radio, ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" and NBC's "Meet the Press." Full story.
Debra Barker receives Outstanding Woman of Color award
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Dr. Debra Barker |
Dr. Debra Barker, professor of English and American Indian studies at UW-Eau Claire, received a UW System Outstanding Woman of Color in Education Award at UW-Madison in late March.
"I appreciate that the UW System is acknowledging the work we do to promote diversity and create an environment wherein students of color may thrive," said Barker, whose scholarship and research studies focus on American Indian literature, culture, and political representations of American Indians in textbooks. "I am very committed to the work I do in the classroom to share historical, social and political issues relating to American Indians."
Barker is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Nation). Her publications include articles on the Indian boarding school system, Lakota women's life writings, and the literary production of Louise Erdrich. Full story.
UW-Eau Claire receives Princeton Review 'green rating'
 UW-Eau Claire is among the most environmentally responsible colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, according to the newly released guidebook "The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition."
The comprehensive guide names UW-Eau Claire as one of 311 institutions of higher education that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in its academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.
The higher education institutions profiled in the guide all received "green ratings" in the 80s or 90s, on a scale from 60-99, based on The Princeton Review survey of hundreds of college administrators. The 311 schools included in the guide were selected after more than 700 schools' green ratings were tallied by The Princeton Review, a well-known education services company. Full story.
'Pedal and Paddle' tour educates public about river pollution
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| Students in UW-Eau Claire's "Environmental Conservation and Action" class canoed the Chippewa River last fall to establish the route of the "Pedal and Paddle Pollution Tour." (UW-Eau Claire photo by Bill Hoepner) |
Chippewa Valley residents soon will be able to follow a map to GPS waypoints along the Lower Chippewa River to learn about local pollution that affects the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area.
The "Pedal and Paddle Pollution Tour" — created by UW-Eau Claire students in an "Environmental Conservation and Action" class — is accessible from Eau Claire bike trails or the Chippewa River as people hike, kayak, canoe or bike to pre-set GPS waypoints on the river, where they can read messages about various types of pollution affecting the river.
"Our goal is to inspire citizens who take this tour to actively steward our valuable river," said Dr. Ruth Cronje, an associate professor of English who co-taught the interdisciplinary course in fall 2010. "We want people to use the tour as a way to connect to the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area and to learn about the things they can do to help conserve our beautiful local resource. Full story.
'Let's Do Lunch!' program to explore 'Pedal and Paddle' tour
 A project to make the public aware of pollution issues in and along the Chippewa River will be the topic of an April 27 luncheon presentation hosted by the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association.
Dr. Garry Running, professor of geography and anthropology at UW-Eau Claire, will share the results of the "Pedal and Paddle Tour" of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area from noon-1 p.m. at Sweetwaters Restaurant in Eau Claire as part of the "Let's Do Lunch!" series.
In addition to what was learned as part of an "Environmental Conservation and Action" class, students and faculty from UW-Eau Claire joined forces with local environmental agencies to create the Environmental Civic Agency learning community. The course is a collaboration among Running, Dr. Ruth Cronje, associate professor of English; Dr. Paula Kleintjes Neff, professor of biology; and Dr. Don Mowry, professor of social work and director of the Center for Service-Learning. The group created the tour to teach the community about sources of pollution that affect the Chippewa River. Senior German major Kate Ebnet, Owatanna, Minn. will co-present with Running to share information about how much pollution gets into the Chippewa River and how it affects the community. Most importantly, they will offer ideas about what can be done to help fix it.
Full story.
Alumnus returns for performance with university orchestra
 Scott Pingel, a UW-Eau Claire alumnus and principal bassist with the San Francisco Symphony, will perform with the University Symphony Orchestra at its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. April 29 in Gantner Concert Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center.
The orchestra will open the concert with "Grand Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass" by Giovani Bottesini, featuring Pingel on double bass and a rare performance by Nobuyoshi Yasuda, University Symphony Orchestra conductor, on violin. This special piece will be conducted by Dr. Peter Haberman, assistant professor of music at UW-Eau Claire. Other highlights will be Richard Wagner's "Excerpts from 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'" and Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, by Antonin Dvořák.
Pingel will perform on the bass formerly owned by Serge Koussevitsky, a Russian-born conductor, composer and double-bassist, who served as the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924-49. The famous instrument, on loan from the International Society of Bassists, is known for its tonal quality and level of difficulty. Full story.
Geography grad receives prestigious NSF research grant
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Jenna Christian |
A recent UW-Eau Claire geography graduate has received a prestigious National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship to support her continued research relating to Liberian women peacemakers.
Jenna Christian, who earned her bachelor's degree from UW-Eau Claire in spring 2010, currently is pursuing her master's degree in geography at Penn State.
"I'm still a little in shock about getting this NSF award," Christian said. "It's a huge honor and will be a huge stepping tone for me in the future. With this award, much of my summer research costs will be covered, and during the years I have the award I won't have to teach to earn a salary, which will free up an incredible amount of time to focus only on my own research. It's an incredible resource and opportunity." Full story.
UW-Eau Claire names military education benefits coordinator
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Miranda Cross-Schindler |
A UW-Eau Claire graduate and a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve recently was named military education benefits coordinator at UW-Eau Claire.
Miranda Cross-Schindler, who served in legal administrative support in C Company, 187th Battalion, in San Antonio, Texas, in 2000-01, was appointed to the new position in January.
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Based in the UW-Eau Claire Registrar's Office, the position was created to meet the increasing demands of processing federal and Wisconsin benefits programs for the growing number of veteran students at the university, said Registrar James Barrett.
"It became necessary to hire a person whose sole task was to work with veterans," Barrett said. "The coordinator manages all federal veterans benefits, the Wisconsin GI Bill and the GoArmyEd program, which provides educational benefits for active-duty soldiers around the world." Full story.
MBA student named Presidential Management Fellow
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Karla Wald |
Karla Wald, a UW-Eau Claire MBA student from Chippewa Falls, became a finalist in the Presidential Management Fellows Program, a federal entry-level leadership development program for graduate students. Wald is one of only 10 students from the UW System selected, with the other nine candidates from UW-Madison.
From a pool of 9,100 graduate students from universities across the country, Wald recently ranked among 1,500 semifinalists vying for the opportunity to put leadership skills into action by working for federal agencies and participating in the management of their public policies and programs. Such agencies include the Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Highway Administration and Veterans Administration, among many others. Full story.
Registration open for summer session courses
Registration for summer session 2011 classes at UW-Eau Claire is now under way.
The three-week summer session will run from May 23-June 10, and the eight-week session will run from June 13-Aug. 5. Summer courses can help students stay on track in their degree programs, allow them to enroll in high-demand courses and provide the personal attention available in small classes.
More than 200 courses are available during summer session, including 90 online courses. For descriptions, times and dates for all summer session classes, including online courses, visit the Registrar's Office website or call 715-836-5912.
Time to register for Early Birdie Golf Outing
 The 2011 Early Birdie Golf Outing will be held May 6 at Mill Run Golf Course as part of UW-Eau Claire's annual Rec Fest.
Proceeds from the outing will support the Wisconsin Youth Success Program, an award-winning summer program for children ages 10-16 that is held each summer on the UW-Eau Claire campus. Formerly known as the National Youth Sports Program, this will be the 31st year the program is offered by University Recreation & Sport Facilities to provide area youth with an opportunity to learn sports skills and receive information about issues relating to drugs and alcohol, nutrition, careers and higher education. Full story.
Service Center now offers online ticket sales
 UW-Eau Claire now offers online ticket sales through the Service Center website. Tickets can be purchased online for selected events using Discover, MasterCard or Visa. A $3 handling fee is charged per order.
Located in Davies Center's east lobby, the Service Center is the central source of campus information and offers one-stop convenience for many essential services, including event ticketing, postal services and check cashing. The area provides valuable student employment experiences that focus on responsibility, communication and customer service. Full story.
Student Research Day to feature 260 projects
UW-Eau Claire students will display their faculty-mentored student research as well as scholarly and creative projects at the 19th annual Student Research Day May 2-4.
Nearly 260 student projects will be on display from noon-6 p.m. May 2, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. May 3 and from 8 a.m.-noon May 4 in Zorn Arena. The event highlights student research and creative accomplishments and the important role that faculty and academic staff serve as mentors. The public is welcome to attend. Students will be at their posters to answer questions from noon-4 p.m. May 2.
"A strong theme this year is international immersion and global learning," said Dr. Karen Havholm, assistant vice chancellor for research and director of the Center of Excellence for Faculty/Student Research Collaboration.
Full story.
Know your benefits!
Your alumni benefits include a special discounted rate on car and home insurance from Liberty Mutual. Find out more and get a free quote on auto and home insurance at www.libertymutual.com/uweauclaire. Alumni in Minnesota and Wisconsin can also contact Darlene Von Arx, executive sales representative, directly at 1-800-465-4064, ext. 55018, or email her at Darlene.VonArx@Libertymutual.com.
Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.
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Alumni success stories
In addition to the alumni below, you can read about the accomplishments of other UW-Eau Claire alumni on the Alumni Success Stories Web pages:
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Justin Vernon '04, a UW-Eau Claire comparative studies in religion graduate, was recently featured in a Rolling Stone magazine story about his next album. Full story. |
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Ryan Dahlgren '97, a UW-Eau Claire criminal justice graduate, has been promoted to the position of sergeant of police in the Eau Claire Police Department. Full story. |
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Scott Holman '87, a UW-Eau Claire marketing graduate, recently connected with his bone marrow transplant donor. (Photo by Dan Reiland of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram) Full story. |
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John Russell '92, a UW-Eau Claire accounting graduate, has been hired as CEO of Columbus (Wis.) Community Hospital. Full story. |
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Daniel Scholz '82, a UW-Eau Claire psychology and comparative studies in religion graduate, has been named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cardinal Stritch University. Full story. |
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Holly Andrews '98, a UW-Eau Claire marketing graduate, launched her wholesale gluten-free bakery, Sweet Q's Creations, last year. Full story. |
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Phyllis Beebe '29, a UW-Eau Claire graduate who received an academic diploma in education and in 1953 a bachelor's degree in English, recently celebrated her 102nd birthday. (Photo by Steve Kinderman of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram) Full story. |
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Beth Korth '79, a UW-Eau Claire English graduate, has been promoted to director of treasury management services for First Business Bank. Full story. |
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Emilee Planert '06, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, is the new softball coach at Altoona High School. (Photo by Dan Reiland of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram) Full story. |
Show how much you know about UW-Eau Claire — AND win great Blugold prizes! E-mail your answer to this month's question to the Blugold Trivia mailbox (trivia@uwec.edu). Those sending correct responses to this month's question will be entered in a drawing for a UW-Eau Claire T-shirt. The name of this month's Blugold Trivia winner will be published in the May issue of e-View.
April Blugold Trivia question:
Columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. will be the featured speaker at the 2011 Ann Devroy Memorial Forum. What is the title of Dionne's most recent book?
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!
March's winner:
Congratulations to Mary Heimstead, a 1975 UW-Eau Claire journalism graduate and winner of the March Blugold Trivia prize! Mary's name was drawn from among those who correctly answered that Dr. Oscar Chamberlain, a senior lecturer of history at UW-Eau Claire, was the featured speaker at the Alumni Association's March 30 "Let's Do Lunch!" presentation. |
