September 2009

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Paint the town blue and gold for Homecoming 2009

The UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association invites all Blugolds to Homecoming 2009, to be held Oct. 16-17. From the parade on First Avenue to the Blugold Fever Fest, football game and Fifth Quarter postgame party in Carson Park, you won't want to miss a thing! (Check the Homecoming Web page for details.)

Alumni planning to attend Homecoming are encouraged to complete the online Homecoming 2009 Attendance Form. Names, class years and favorite UW-Eau Claire memories of those who submit the form will be included on the Homecoming 2009 Attendance List, which alumni can check regularly for names of old friends and classmates.

Also scheduled during Homecoming weekend are a Golden Blugold celebration and a reunion of the classes of 1969-89.

Plan now to join your UW-Eau Claire friends for Homecoming 2009!

Fall issue of The View to arrive in Blugold mailboxes soon

Watch for the fall 2009 issue of The View, UW-Eau Claire's award-winning alumni print magazine, which should be in the mailboxes of Blugolds during the week of Oct. 5.

The issue includes feature stories about Native doll maker Ramona Morrow ‘05, retired physician Bill Klish ’63, children’s advocate Reggie Bicha ’92 and a group of alumni working at Commercial Testing Laboratory.

And remember, feature stories from past issues of The View are always accessible in the magazine's online version. Happy reading!

UW-Eau Claire continues to attract and retain bright students

UW-Eau Claire continues to be a popular choice for talented students in the Midwest, with 10,900 students enrolled for the fall 2009 semester. That number includes 2,000 incoming freshmen selected from 7,400 applicants, 550 transfer students and 500 graduate students.

"That's an increase of about 180 students from this same time last year," said Kristina Anderson, director of Admissions. "That increase in enrollment can be chalked up to a higher retention rate among continuing students."

The average ACT score for the incoming freshman class is 24.5, well above the average for both Wisconsin and Minnesota, with about 20 percent of the students coming from the top 10 percent of their high school classes and 66 percent coming from the top 30 percent of their classes. Full story.

Science faculty members receive NSF funding

Gingerich	Drucker

Two science faculty members at UW-Eau Claire have received National Science Foundation funding for their research projects.

Dr. Derek Gingerich, assistant professor of biology, has received a $150,000 NSF grant, which was made possible by federal stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has provided some unexpected additional grant opportunities this year," said Dr. Karen Havholm, assistant vice chancellor for research at UW-Eau Claire. "Dr. Gingerich's award was the first project at UW-Eau Claire to be funded by the stimulus dollars. The funding enhances faculty scholarship and provides additional opportunities for students to engage in research."

The funds, which will be distributed over three years, will be used to continue Gingerich's research related to how plants respond to light. Gingerich said the research will be of particular interest to the agriculture field. Learn more.

Dr. Stephen Drucker, professor of chemistry, has received a $222,318 grant from the NSF.

Drucker said his project's goal is to improve the understanding of photochemical reactions, chemical reactions that are initiated by the energy from light. For example, light from the sun promotes a variety of reactions in the atmosphere. In his experiments, Drucker uses light from a high-precision laser to mimic the sun but under the well-controlled environmental conditions of the laboratory.

New sales center rooms in College of Business dedicated

A number of rooms that make up a sales center in UW-Eau Claire’s College of Business were dedicated and College of Business donors were recognized during a special program Sept. 25 at UW-Eau Claire.

Campus Autism Program to expand thanks to federal grant

A UW-Eau Claire behavior analysis student works with a young client in the university's Campus Autism Program.

A program at UW-Eau Claire that provides behavior intervention services to young children who are diagnosed with autism will expand thanks to a $263,340 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Most of the grant funding will be used to renovate and equip the Campus Autism Program's space in the Human Sciences and Services building on lower campus. The renovation will include adding observation and therapy rooms as well as technical equipment and furnishings, said Kevin Klatt, associate professor of psychology and director of CAP.

Memorial fund established to honor golf coach

Douglas Georgianni

The first coach of UW-Eau Claire women's golf team has been memorialized with a new fund through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

The Douglas Georgianni Memorial Fund was established in memory of Georgianni, who was killed in April while working in Cave Creek, Ariz. The fund will support the general needs of the women's golf program.

Georgianni directed the UW-Eau Claire women's golf program from 1995-2001 and was instrumental in developing it into a nationally recognized program. He led the team to its first conference title in 1998 and was named the conference coach of the year that season. Full story.

Graduate and Professional School Fair scheduled

Golden Key International Honour Society will host UW-Eau Claire's fourth annual Graduate and Professional School Fair from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center.

New this year are expanded evening hours, offered to make the fair more accessible for members of the Eau Claire community who may be considering graduate programs at UW-Eau Claire. The primary focus of the extended hours will be UW-Eau Claire's graduate programs in English, history, business, nursing, psychology, special education, communication sciences and disorders, and education studies. Full story.

'Let's Do Lunch!' series to feature mystery novelist

Jon Loomis, a critically acclaimed mystery novelist and poet, will discuss the pitfalls and rewards he experiences as a crime writer and professor during a Sept. 30 "Lets Do Lunch!" presentation hosted by the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association.

Loomis, an assistant professor of English at UW-Eau Claire, will present "The Art of Killing: Crime Writing in the Academy" from noon to 1 p.m. at Sweetwaters Restaurant in Eau Claire. During the presentation he will discuss his experiences writing two mystery novels set in Provincetown, Mass. — "High Season," published in 2007, and "Mating Season," published in 2009. Full story.

Grand reopening ceremony planned for McPhee Center

UW-Eau Claire photo by Bill Hoepner '98

UW-Eau Claire photo by Rick Mickelson

With the $6.8 million renovation on UW-Eau Claire’s McPhee Physical Education Center now complete, a grand reopening ceremony has been scheduled for Oct. 16 in the McPhee facility on UW-Eau Claire’s upper campus.

The event will run from 2 to 3 p.m. in the McPhee foyer.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 2 p.m., followed by remarks by guest speakers. Refreshments will be served and prizes will be given away beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Visitors are invited to tour the facility beginning at 2:30 p.m. Tours will be conducted by Kinesiology Club and Student Athletic Advisory Committee members, athletic trainers and sport club members.

Alumni success stories

Read about the accomplishments of these and other UW-Eau Claire alumni on the Alumni Success Stories Web pages:

	Jeff Noe '01, a UW-Eau Claire managment information systems graduate, is president and owner of My Receptionist, an answering and appointment service based in Eau Claire. (Photo by Shane Opatz of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram) Full story.
	Dennis Overby '67, a UW-Eau Claire social science graduate, has had Chetek's city field named in his honor. Full story.
	Kim Rooney '85, a UW-Eau Claire journalism and psychology graduate, has been named president of UnitedOne Credit Union in Manitowoc. Full story.
	Brandon McBeain '08, a UW-Eau Claire mass communication graduate, was a business public relations intern this past summer at Major League Baseball headquarters in Manhattan. Full story.
	John Frizzell '93, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, was named activities director at Chippewa Falls Senior High School in August. Full story.
	Melissa Sedo '09, a UW-Eau Claire biology (teaching) graduate, is a new teacher this year at Randolph (Minn.) High School. Full story.
	Melissa Olsen '08, a UW-Eau Claire elementary education graduate, is the first Spanish teacher ever hired at O.H. Schultz Elementary School in Mishicot. (Photo by Doug Sundin of the Herald Times Reporter) Full story.
	Maggie Schumacher '06, a UW-Eau Claire elementary education graduate, is a special education teacher at Jack Young Middle School in Baraboo. Full story.
	Bobbie Schmidt '76, a UW-Eau Claire elementary education and special education graduate and principal of Richmond Elementary School in Appleton, has been named Wisconsin's 2009 National Distinguished Principal by the U.S. Department of Education and National Association of Elementary Principals. Full story.
	John Noltner '90, a UW-Eau Claire journalism graduate and Minneapolis-based freelance photographer, has created a documentary project titled "A Peace of My Mind." Full story.
	Sandra C. Nelson '82, a UW-Eau Claire history and economics graduate, has been named president of Monitor Liability Managers LLC by W.R. Berkley Corp. Full story.
	Kay Zastrow '75, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, has been named Wisconsin Special Services Teacher of the Year. (Photo by H. Marc Larson of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 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 stadium cushion. The name of this month's Blugold Trivia winner will be published in the October issue of e-View.

September Blugold Trivia question:

Homecoming's Varsity Night Live! is a variety show featuring the talents of UW-Eau Claire students. Who is hosting this year's show?

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!

August's winner:
Congratulations to Jessica (Lahti) Schumacher, a 2004 UW-Eau Claire communication disorders graduate! Jessica has won the August Blugold Trivia prize in a drawing from among those who correctly answered that the Blugolds will face UW-Platteville in this year's Homecoming football game.