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NEWS SUMMARY

Son of longtime faculty member leaves $6 million gift to Foundation

The photo at left of George L. Simpson Jr. appears in the Eau Claire State Teachers College 1942 yearbook, the Periscope. The 1943 Periscope includes the photo at right, of Col. George L. Simpson Sr. and his wife, Marie Simpson.

The UW-Eau Claire Foundation announced Dec. 9 that it will receive at least $6 million in estate gifts — the Foundation’s largest contribution to date — from the son of a longtime faculty member who retired more than a half century ago. The Foundation recently was notified it will receive at least $4 million as a beneficiary of a trust from the estate of Lt. Col. George L. Simpson Jr. He was the son of Col. George L. Simpson Sr., one of UW-Eau Claire’s first faculty members, and Marie (Stannard) Simpson, a member of the university’s first graduating class in 1917. The Foundation also will receive $2 million this month as an outright gift from the estate. Full story.

UW-Eau Claire one of few to host Eastern scholars
UW-Eau Claire is one of 12 universities in the United States bringing faculty from newly independent states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to their campuses to help the scholars learn about Western-style higher education. Teimuraz Papaskiri, a history professor from Tbilisi State University in Georgia, will join UW-Eau Claire’s history department in January. He will be the university’s fourth fellow through the Open Society Institute’s Faculty Development Program. Full story.

Campus researchers explore sites’ links to Jesus, Lewis and Clark

At left, geography major Bryan Frenz used ground penetrating radar equipment last summer in Israel during exploration of a site that could be a 2,000-year-old Roman bathhouse. At right are members of the UW-Eau Claire research team who spent a week this fall searching for a lost Native American encampment where it's believed Lewis and Clark stayed 200 years ago. (Contributed photos)

A UW-Eau Claire geographer and student researchers are helping to determine the historical significance of two sites on opposite sides of the globe:

• Last summer Harry Jol, associate professor of geography, and Bryan Frenz, a geography major from Tomah, performed ground-penetrating radar surveys in Nazareth, Israel, for an American archeological excavator exploring what he believes could be a 2,000-year-old Roman bathhouse in the town where Jesus was raised. The excavator, Richard Freund of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford, recently put aside his other excavation projects to concentrate on the Nazareth site near the Mary’s Well church because of its significance for archeology and for the knowledge of the life of Jesus. Full story.
• This fall 11 UW-Eau Claire students spent a week on the West Coast studying the Washington and Oregon coastlines and searching for a lost Native American encampment that explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited during their three-year expedition 200 years ago. Full story.

University plans for future physical development
A draft master plan for future development of physical facilities at UW-Eau Claire has been created with input from students, faculty and administrators, as well as representatives from the UW System and state government. The final draft of the plan, which has been under development since 2000, will be presented to the UW-System by March 1. Included are the razing and replacement of aging and outdated buildings, expansion of some existing facilities and construction of new buildings to meet the academic and program needs of the university. For more information about the specifics of the plan, go to the Planning for the Future Web page, which includes answers to 10 commonly asked questions and links to several informative documents.

Recent gifts boost fund-raising campaign effort
In addition to the recent gifts from the estate of Lt. Col. George L. Simpson Jr. (see story above), the UW-Eau Claire Foundation announced in November two other major gifts: $615,000 from the Wayne Canar Trust and a $1 million planned gift from an anonymous alumni couple (full story). All the gifts are recognized as contributions to the Foundation’s ongoing fund-raising campaign, Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence. They, along with the contributions of many alumni and friends, have brought the campaign total to $33.4 million as of Dec. 1. While the Foundation is very close to its $35 million campaign goal, it will continue to move forward with the campaign through June 2005, Chancellor Donald Mash announced Dec. 9. “We are very grateful to these donors who’ve recognized the importance of private support in ensuring the future of UW-Eau Claire as a place of excellence in learning and service,” Mash said. “Their generosity inspires us as we continue our efforts for the university through June 2005.”

Student project will send school kits to impoverished regions Matt Goethel, left, and Renee Rollman are working with other UW-Eau Claire Geography Club members to provide school kits for children in Iraq and other countries. In the background is Paul Kaldjian, assistant geography professor and the club’s co-adviser. The project was featured in a Dec. 9 article in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. (Leader-Telegram photo by Andi Stempniak)

Putnam Park trail closes after partial collapse The Putnam Park walking trail on the UW-Eau Claire campus along the south bank of the Chippewa River was closed in November until further notice after a section of the trail and river bank collapsed following heavy rains. The trail collapse occurred several hundred yards west (down river) of where Little Niagara creek flows into the Chippewa River, said Terry Classen, director of facilities planning and management at UW-Eau Claire. Approximately 25 feet of the trail collapsed and the area remains unstable, Classen said. Full story.

Erica Eul

New center, crisis hotline offer help with sexual assault issues
UW-Eau Claire students who are dealing with sexual assault issues can now get help at any time thanks to a crisis hotline that has been staffed 24 hours a day since Nov. 24. Students dealing with sexual assault issues are encouraged to call the hotline at (715) 836-HELP for support and information, said Erica Eul, the university’s newly created Center for Awareness of Sexual Assault’s (CASA) victim services coordinator. Full story.

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

Schofield Hall, as it looked in 1916. Formerly known simply as the Eau Claire State Normal School and then as Old Main, in 1960 the building was named in honor of Harvey A. Schofield, first president of Eau Claire State Normal School.

When did our professors become buildings?

Schofield Hall. Kjer Theatre. McPhee Physical Education Center. Hibbard Humanities Hall. All UW-Eau Claire alumni recognize these places, but do they know about the people after whom they are named? An online exhibit titled "When Did Our Professors Become Buildings?" features the history of 18 campus buildings named for former UW-Eau Claire faculty members or administrators.

• Phoenix area golf outing: Plan to attend the Alumni Associaton's golf outing and/or picnic on Saturday, March 27, at West Brook Village Vista Golf Course, Peoria, Ariz. You will join hosts Ken and Gloria Anderson, as well as Chancellor Donald Mash and many UW-Eau Claire alumni and friends. Arrange tee times and payment (approximate golf outing cost: $52) by calling Ken Anderson at (623) 566-5851. The picnic will be from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Vistas Restaurant (picnic cost: $10 adults, $5 children). Picnic reservations must be made by calling Anderson at the number above or the alumni office at (715) 836-3266.
• Phoenix reception: Join Chancellor Donald Mash at a complimentary luncheon reception for UW-Eau Claire alumni and friends on Sunday, March 28, at the Blue Sage Restaurant in the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, Phoenix.