Featured Articles

Regional Wisconsin Entrepreneur Network office to be at
UW-Eau Claire

Chancellor's Holiday Reception Dec. 6

Human Rights Week to feature presentation by former Marine sergeant Robert Sarra

Debbie Wells named bursar at
UW-Eau Claire

Los Angeles Piano Quartet to perform Dec. 6

Annual Report may include printing error

Do your part to reduce utility expenses

Inclement weather policy

Did you know?

Last call!

Kicked out

Regional Wisconsin Entrepreneur Network office to be at UW-Eau Claire
Gov. Jim Doyle visited UW-Eau Claire Dec. 1 to announce the selection of UW-Eau Claire as one of four regional centers for the new Wisconsin Entrepreneur's Network.

The network is a joint effort among the UW Extension , the WiSys Technology Foundation, the Wisconsin Technical College System and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

It will be funded with $1 million a year through 2006, as part of a bill signed by Gov. Doyle in April. The measure provides money for the entrepreneurial centers and tax credits for early-stage investors and establishes a technology commercialization grant and loan program.

Chancellor Don Mash (right) and CVTC President Bill Ihlenfeldt with Gov. Doyle following the announcement last week in the Hormel Computer Lab in Schneider Hall. (Photos by Rick Mickelson, TLTDC.)

UW-Eau Claire's regional center will be in the Continuing Education office at 210 Water St., according to Kevin W. Jones, director of the Small Business Development Center, which also is housed in that office. At least one new staff person, a technology transfer specialist, will be in the office, Jones said.

In addition to the Eau Claire office, the network will include regional centers in Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee and several outreach centers. Doyle said the centers will open in three to six months. Governor's Office news release.

You're invited to the Chancellor's Holiday Reception Dec. 6
All UW-Eau Claire employees and emeriti are invited to attend the Chancellor's Holiday Reception held between 3:30 and 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center. Take a little time from your busy schedule to enjoy food and fellowship with your colleagues and friends.

Human Rights Week to feature presentation by former Marine sergeant Robert Sarra Dec. 6
Robert Sarra, co-founder of Iraq Veterans Against the War, will be the keynote speaker for UW-Eau Claire's annual observance of Human Rights Awareness Week, Dec. 6-12. The event is held in conjunction with International Human Rights Awareness Day, Dec. 10, which marks the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Sarra will present his talk "Supporting the Warrior, Not the War" from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, in Davies Theatre.

Sarra is a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and an urban warfare instructor who served as an infantry sergeant in last year's invasion of Iraq . He supported the war before his deployment, but after witnessing it firsthand, he joined his mother, a member of Military Families Speak Out, in fighting to end the occupation. Sarra currently lives in Chicago.

The event is free and open to the public. Full story.

Debbie Wells named bursar at UW-Eau Claire
After serving as interim bursar since August, Debbie Wells has been named the new full-time bursar at UW-Eau Claire, Vice Chancellor of Business and Student Services Andy Soll announced last week. She replaces Chuck Rumpel who retired Nov. 19 after 34 years of service.

Wells came to UW-Eau Claire in 1981, working as assistant manager in the Service Center. She later was manager of what was then called Cash Management. She also worked in Accounts Payable and most recently served as the extramural support accountant in University Accounting.

As bursar, Wells is responsible for development and implementation of Business Office policy; overseeing tuition and fees, bill payment, and financial aid disbursement; and design, development, implementation and maintenance of administrative systems related to bursar functions. In addition, she works closely with the Financial Aid Office and the Registrar's Office, and oversees a staff of eight.

"I'm looking forward to meeting the challenges of this position and working with such a competent staff in the Business Office," Wells said of her new appointment.

Wells earned her master's degree from the University of Idaho and her bachelor's degree from UW-Superior.

Los Angeles Piano Quartet to perform Dec. 6
The Los Angeles Piano Quartet, regarded as the premier ensemble of its kind, will perform Monday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Gantner Concert Hall of UW-Eau Claire's Haas Fine Arts Center.

The Artists Series concert will include Mozart's Piano Quartet in G minor, Brahms' Piano Quartet, op. 60, and Faure's Piano Quartet in C minor.

The Los Angeles Piano Quartet has been praised by the public and press in American cities coast to coast and internationally for its concert and festival performances. The ensemble has been a popular guest on Minnesota Public Radio's " St. Paul Sunday" and New York's "Live from WNCN."

"Their playing imparted the contrasting tone color and musical dialogue that are the heart of great string/keyboard chamber music interpretations," wrote the Houston Post. Full story and ticket information.

Annual Report may include printing error
The 2003-04 edition of the Annual Report of the University and UW-Eau Claire Foundation was distributed to all faculty and staff on campus last week. It appears that the printing company inadvertently included a small number of flawed copies of the publication in those distributed on campus. If you discover that you have an issue that contains pages in the donor section that are out of order, please contact Annual Report Editor Ann Hoffman at 836-2029 or hoffmaa@uwec.edu. You will be provided with a new copy of the publication. If the Annual Report also was mailed to your home address, please let Hoffman know if that copy was flawed as well.

Do your part to reduce utility expenses
To help reduce UW-Eau Claire’s costly electrical bills, the Physical Plant Planning Committee of the University Senate, Facilities Planning and Management and the Teaching and Learning Technology Development Center ask you to:
       • Turn your computer monitors off at night. Do not turn off your CPU — "log off" instead.
       • For weekends, short vacations and extended absences, turn off your monitor and "shut down" your CPU.

Be aware that when you turn your computer on after an extended absence, it will be slow, as it is processing updates from the system.

Inclement weather policy
With winter weather upon us, it's time to review UW-Eau Claire's practices in the event severe weather strikes.

In general, when inclement weather threatens operations at UW-Eau Claire, the university will remain open to the extent possible. If necessary, the chancellor may close the university to the public or cancel classes, but state employees will be expected to report to work.

In response to local weather conditions, the chancellor may release employees. In such instances, no employee will be required to remain at work.

Employees covered by a labor agreement should check their respective bargaining agreements for specifics about excusing employees from work and related issues.

Employees not covered by a labor agreement may use vacation, compensatory time, personal holidays or leave without pay to cover time lost if they are ordered to leave work or if they request or are allowed to be excused from work when they believe that weather conditions or emergency situations make it unsafe to get to or remain at work.

Local media will be notified if the chancellor decides to cancel classes. However, announcements by local media are advisory only. For official information concerning university operations, check the UW-Eau Claire Web site, call the Chancellor's Office at 836-2327 after 7 a.m. or call your supervisor.

Wisconsin recently was awarded the Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education. The award, which brings $25,000 to support Wisconsin's international education programs, recognized the state's efforts to include global knowledge and skills in all aspects of teaching and learning.

UW-Eau Claire offers rich international education resources. From the English Language Academy to the Spanish language immersion program in the elementary schools to the ever-popular study abroad programs — to name just a few.

Last Call!
The Dec. 13 issue of the University Bulletin will be the final one for fall semester. Notices for that issue must arrive in the News Bureau, Schofield 201, by Monday, Dec. 6. The first issue for the 2005 spring semester will be dated Jan. 24, 2005.

Kicked out

UW-Eau Claire Men's Hockey goaltender Steffan Braunlich kicked out 48 shots in Saturday's 2-2 tie with UW-Stout. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, TLTDC.)

University Bulletin
Published weekly during the fall and spring semesters 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.