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UW-Eau Claire participates in National American Democracy Project

UW-Eau Claire commencement set for Aug. 2

Alumni Association to present awards Aug. 2

Four faculty and academic staff members retire

Record number of children attend Summer Institute

Final issue of Summer Bulletin

UW-Eau Claire chemistry department busy with summer research

Stephen Drucker (left), assistant professor of chemistry, has spent his summer conducting research with Nathan Pillsbury, a May chemistry graduate from Peshtigo, and Emily Gilles, a senior chemistry major from Plum City. They are trying to understand how molecular properties change when the molecules absorb energy from laser light.

The UW-Eau Claire chemistry department is quietly humming with activity as 13 faculty members and more than 25 undergraduates engage in a wide range of summer research projects involving organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, photochemistry, and surface and analytical chemistry.

Chemistry majors Kristy McNitt, a senior from Spooner; Grant Sormunen (back), a junior from Duluth, Minn.; and Nick Deprez, a senior from Green Bay, are working with David Lewis, professor of chemistry, on a variety of organic chemistry research projects. UW-Eau Claire photos by Rick Mickelson.

David Lewis, professor of chemistry, who has six students currently assisting him with several ongoing research efforts in organic chemistry, described himself and his students as "molecule builders." One of their research efforts involves developing a strategy for synthesizing certain aconite alkaloids that are highly toxic but have been used in China for more than 10 years to help suppress withdrawal syndrome in heroin addicts. Read full story featuring other chemistry faculty/student research projects taking place on campus this summer.

UW-Eau Claire participates in National
American Democracy Project
As many as 700 UW-Eau Claire first-year students and their instructors will participate in a national initiative this fall aimed at increasing student participation in civic life.

"Civic engagement is a term often mentioned on college campuses -- often in the sense that we need more of it," said Provost Ronald Satz. "Students are seen as disconnected from the world of politics and the communities where they live. Knowledge of current events is at an all-time low and, if you are to believe several polls, voting levels for college-age men and women are among the lowest of any age group."

To help increase the level of civic engagement among college-age students the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, The New York Times and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching are coordinating the American Democracy Project. Full story.

UW-Eau Claire commencement set for Aug. 2
Summer commencement exercises for 234 candidates for graduation will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, in UW-Eau Claire's Zorn Arena.

The ceremony is open to everyone, and tickets are not required. A total of 194 undergraduate students will receive bachelor's degrees, including 82 from the College of Arts and Sciences, 52 from the College of Business and 60 from the College of Professional Studies.

Forty graduate students will receive master's degrees. The graduates include 15 from the College of Arts and Sciences, including three specialist in education degrees. One student will receive a master's degree from the College of Business. Within the College of Professional Studies, 22 students will receive master's degrees from the School of Education and two from the School of Nursing. Full story.

UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association to present awards Aug. 2
The UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association will present awards to five alumni and friends of the university Aug. 2 at a special luncheon and ceremony in conjunction with summer commencement.

The following alumni and honorary alumni will be recognized as alumni award recipients:

Dennis Schwab will receive the President's Award, which recognizes outstanding professional or personal achievements or service to UW-Eau Claire. Schwab, a 1965 accounting graduate of UW-Eau Claire, has been a business leader and educator in the Oshkosh community for four decades. He has been the owner and operator of the Oshkosh Coldwell Banker real estate office since 1973 and previously was a full-time instructor in real estate and accounting at Fox Valley Technical Institute, where he since has been a guest instructor.

Betty Cowley, Eau Claire, will be one of two recipients of the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the community, state or nation in a manner that brings credit upon the recipient and the university. Cowley received both a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in teaching from UW-Eau Claire, in 1964 and 1971 respectively. Her 35-year career in education included teaching social studies at Altoona High School from 1966 to 1999. She also was an instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College and a guest lecturer at UW-Eau Claire.

Larry Weber is co-owner of Bauer Built Inc., a family-owned tire sales and retreading company based in Durand. He has helped lead Bauer Built to become one of North America's largest independent tire dealers. Before joining Bauer Built in 1970, he worked for two years with the Minneapolis office of Touche Ross (now Deloitte Touche), a national accounting firm. Weber was inducted into the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants 2002 Business and Industry Hall of Fame, and he is a past president of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also has been an active volunteer in support of causes in the Durand area, and he has served on the UW-Eau Claire Foundation's Investment Committee and the UW-Eau Claire Business Advisory Committee.

Marcia Weber will receive the Honorary Alumnus Award, presented to a non-alumnus who has demonstrated great love of and service to UW-Eau Claire. She has played an integral role in nurturing - along with her husband, Larry - a family of UW-Eau Claire graduates. Of the couple's eight children, seven have attended UW-Eau Claire, and most of their spouses hold UW-Eau Claire degrees as well.

Douglas Chickering, Stevens Point, will receive the Lifetime Excellence Award, presented to UW-Eau Claire alumni who have demonstrated longtime and successful commitment to their career and community, who have made a positive impact through dedication to service and whose lives are a testimony to UW-Eau Claire's motto, "Excellence." Chickering, who has been executive director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association since 1986, is a 1963 mathematics and physical sciences graduate of UW-Eau Claire. He went on to earn a master's degree in school administration from UW-Superior in 1971. Full story.

Four faculty and academic staff members retire from UW-Eau Claire
The following faculty or academic staff members have retired or will retire shortly from UW-Eau Claire.

• Angelo Armendariz, professor of foreign languages
• James Clute, lecturer of music and theatre arts
• David Hansen, associate professor of communication and journalism
• Katherine Mc Intyre, assistant professor of library services

More information about the retirees will be included in the Aug. 25 University Bulletin.

Record number of children attend Summer Institute

Students enrolled in the SmArt (summer art) program titled "The Little People: Multi-Media Fantasy Installations" were busy with their hands and minds creating a fantasy ancient culture. UW-Eau Claire photo by Rick Mickelson.

A record number of nearly 1,300 Chippewa Valley students spent part of the summer pursuing their special interests at the 26th annual Summer Institute, coordinated and sponsored by UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education and UW-Extension.

Morning and afternoon classes, offered June 16-26 and July 14-24, gave first grade to senior high school students the opportunity to explore a variety of topics ranging from languages to arts and sciences.

“Students are able to find something that piques their interest and that they love learning,” said Sharon Hildebrand, Continuing Education/UW-Extension Pre College and Youth Programs coordinator. Hildebrand noted that the students learn through socially interactive situations and hands-on experience — gathering data, observing, developing projects and providing demonstrations. Full story.

Final issue of Summer Bulletin
This is the last issue of the 2003 Summer Bulletin. The first issue of the University Bulletin will be distributed Aug. 25 to coincide with the opening of the 2003-04 academic year.

Summer Bulletin
Published weekly during the summer session by the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau. News items and notices should be sent to the News Bureau, Schofield 201, by 10 a.m. Monday for publication in the following week’s issue. E-mail submissions to Liz Wolf Green at greenew@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a space-available basis.