COEHS names new dean, associate dean

Dr. Gail Scukanec

Dr. Dwight C. Watson

UW-Eau Claire's College of Education and Human Sciences recently announced appointments to two administrative positions:

Dr. Gail Scukanec (pronounced su KAN ik), a professor of communication disorders who has a decade of administrative experience in higher education, has been named the new dean of the college. Scukanec currently serves as interim dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. She will begin her duties at UW-Eau Claire July 15. Full story.

Dr. Dwight C. Watson, a longtime educator who taught in public elementary and middle schools and at higher education institutions, has been named associate dean of the teacher education program and chair of the departments of curriculum and instruction and foundations of education. Watson currently serves as associate professor of education and chair of the education department at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. He also is the interim director of the Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching in St. Paul. Watson will begin his duties at UW-Eau Claire in July. Full story.

Joint Finance Committee approves UW funding
The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee June 5 approved $149 million of state money for UW System campuses for the 2007-09 biennium. The funding, which also must be approved by the full legislature and governor, includes support for Gov. Jim Doyle's Wisconsin Covenant program; the Nano-STEM initiative, a cooperative effort between UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and the Chippewa Valley Technical College to progress in nanotechnology; and the expansion of UW-Eau Claire's nursing education program at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. Also included is increased UW systemwide funding for faculty recruitment and retention. Not included in the committee's proposed budget were health care benefits for the domestic partners of state and local government workers. Read Leader-Telegram, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Business Journal articles, as well as a joint statement by UW System Board of Regents President David Walsh and UW System President Kevin Reilly.

UW System regents elect board president,
approve financial aid policy for system campuses
UW System Regent Mark Bradley assumed the presidency of the Board of Regents after a vote by the board June 8. Bradley, who had previously served as board vice president for two years, was elected with a unanimous vote. Bradley, a Wausau attorney, has been a regent since 2003.

Also during its June meeting, held at UW-Milwaukee, the Board of Regents approved the implementation of a policy seeking to eliminate conflicts of interest between UW System financial aid employees and private educational lenders and create an equitable set of options for students seeking loans from those firms. On June 7 the board's Business, Finance and Audit Committee had unanimously approved a resolution calling for the creation of the policy.

Job outlook is good for UW-Eau Claire graduates
Business growth and expansion over the past several years have meant good news for UW-Eau Claire graduates, according to the university's most recent Career Services survey.

Ninety-five percent of the 2005-06 UW-Eau Claire graduates responding to the survey were employed or continuing their education a year after graduation, said Jeanne Skoug, director of Career Services. And according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the outlook for 2006-07 graduates is even better. NACE's Job Outlook 2007 Spring Update shows that employers have revised their earlier hiring projections up by almost two percent, indicating they expect to hire nearly 20 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than they did in 2005-06. Full story.

Student wins UW System essay contest

Brian Reisinger

UW-Eau Claire student Brian Reisinger, a senior journalism major from Spring Green, has been selected as one of two winners of the Second Annual UW System Liberal Arts Essay Scholarship Award. The award is sponsored by the UW System Advisory Group on the Liberal Arts.

Study shows benefits of small increase in exercise
UW-Eau Claire assistant professor of kinesiology Lance Dalleck and a team of student researchers have conducted a number of fitness studies over the past several years, but according to Dalleck, the most recent one, conducted with menopausal women aged 45-75, yielded some of the most exciting results yet.

In the study, volunteers aged 52-74 participated in supervised the exercise programs at the university's indoor track every weekday morning for 12 weeks. The women were monitored for blood pressure, aerobic or cardiovascular fitness, cholesterol and changes in body composition.

The group of women who exercised for 30 minutes five days a week showed a 10 percent increase in cardiovascular fitness and 2 percent decrease in body fat, Dalleck said, but the women who added only 15 more minutes to their routine showed a 30 percent increase in cardiovascular fitness and a 5 percent decrease in body fat.

"This time, the biggest surprise was in what a difference just a little more time invested could make in the overall results," Dalleck said. Full story.

Concert, summer film series begin this week

Steven Hobert

Howard "Guitar" Leudtke

"The Fog of War" poster

Jazz at Noon and Music on the Mall concerts today will kick off an eight-week series of free Summer Session Programs at UW-Eau Claire. The Summer Cinema "Documentaries and Dialogue" series will begin Tuesday.

Throughout June, jazz groups will perform from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays on the Central Campus Mall under the direction of UW-Eau Claire alumnus Steven Hobert. The rain site for Jazz at Noon concerts is The Cabin in Davies Center.

Howard "Guitar" Luedtke and Blue Max will open the weekly Music on the Mall concert series at 7 p.m. on the Central Campus Mall. Audience members are invited to bring blankets or folding chairs for lawn seating. The Cabin in Davies Center is the rain site for Music on the Mall concerts.

Combining documentaries with thoughtful dialog, the Summer Cinema series will open Tuesday with "The Fog of War" (2003), winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, an examination of the life and times of Robert S. McNamara, secretary of defense during the Vietnam War, will screen Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m. in Davies Theatre. Wednesday's screening will be preceded by an informal discussion beginning at 6 p.m. in The Dulany, Davies Center. Free food and beverages will be provided during the discussion, which will be led by Stephen Gosch, UW-Eau Claire professor of history. Full story.

Classified staff scholarship deadline is July 16

Each fall and spring semester, a $250 scholarship is awarded to a classified staff member who is employed at least half time at the university and enrolled as a student at UW-Eau Claire. Those qualified for the fall 2007 scholarship are encouraged to apply by 4:30 p.m. July 16 by sending a resume, a one-page essay and two letters of recommendation to Barb Bowers, Human Resources. The essay should address why support is needed, what courses will be taken, how the experience will benefit the applicant personally and professionally, and future goals and plans. More information.

The UW-Eau Claire Foundation's Classified Staff Grant Fund, which supports the scholarship, was created by Susie Warden, Registrar's Office, and Linda Haag, who retired after working as a UW-Eau Claire classified staff member for almost 37 years. Both women completed bachelor's degrees at UW-Eau Claire while working as full-time members of the university's classified staff. After completing their degrees both women wanted to make certain other classified staff members had a similar opportunity, so they created the Classified Staff Grant Fund.

Event recognizes volunteer note takers

From left: Students Kansas Romportl, Kate Donnelly and Amy Seeland were among the 32 volunteer notetakers recognized at an event hosted by Service for Students with Disabilities. (Contributed photo)

UW-Eau Claire's Services for Students with Disabilities hosted an event May 15 to thank 32 volunteers who provided note-taking services on a volunteer basis during the 2006-07 academic year to students in need of the service. (See list of volunteers.)

"The volunteers' assistance allowed fellow classmates who have a substantiated need for this accommodation obtain equal access to education," said Kathy Hurley, Services for Students with Disabilities director. "Federal law and UW System policy identifies assistance taking notes as an appropriate accommodation for some students with disabilities."

Students may require note-taking assistance for a variety of reasons, including vision, hearing or physical limitations or learning disabilities, said Tricia Tollefson, Services for Students with Disabilities academic coordinator.

"Without the provision of notes, some students with disabilities just simply would not have a fair chance at academic success," Tollefson said. "Services for Students with Disabilities proudly recognizes the time and effort contributed by the volunteers to increase accessibility at UW-Eau Claire."

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. Thursday for publication in the following week’s issue. E-mail submissions to Julie Poquette at poquetjm@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a space-available basis.