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UW-Eau Claire student named Rhodes Scholar

$40,000 gift to
UW-Eau Claire Foundation establishes Spanish language program

NET receives formal status on campus; combines resources with TLTDC

Survey indicates faculty, instructional staff value professional development

Ethan Nadelmann to speak on drug policy reform

Still time to register for Winterim session

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UW-Eau Claire student named Rhodes Scholar
Chauncy S. Harris Jr., a senior at UW-Eau Claire, is one of 32 Americans chosen as 2005 Rhodes Scholars. Harris, a geography and history major, is the first Rhodes Scholar to be elected from UW-Eau Claire.

"I was very calm and at peace with the whole process," Harris said of his reaction to being elected Saturday. "I don't see myself as an extraordinary person but I'm motivated to do more than some of my peers. It's a love of life and a love of learning that drives me to do things."

Harris, a native of Eau Claire and a 1999 graduate of Memorial High School, has won numerous academic awards, is a leader in multiple campus organizations, is an Eagle Scout, and served as a missionary in the Mediterranean for two years, an experience that he describes as "the greatest time of my life."

"I'm thrilled that a UW-Eau Claire student is among those elected to be a Rhodes Scholar," Chancellor Donald Mash said. "It's a highly competitive process involving exceptional students from prestigious universities throughout the country. This is a wonderful recognition for Chauncy and for UW-Eau Claire." Full story.

National and regional coverage
    • ABC News — "32 U.S. students named as Rhodes Scholars."
    • New York Times — "32 U.S. students chosen as Rhodes Scholars"
    • Star Tribune — "Rhodes Scholar from Eau Claire follows great-uncle"
    • USA Today article — "Rhodes Trust names 32 American students to study at Oxford"
    • Rhodes Trust news release
    • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — "Student is Eau Claire's 1st Rhodes Scholar"

$40,000 gift to UW-Eau Claire Foundation establishes Spanish language immersion program
Elementary students from the Eau Claire Area School District will have the opportunity to begin learning Spanish language and culture, thanks to a $40,000 gift from the Presto Foundation to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

The language immersion program, starting in January, will match a total of 40 first graders in two classes at Robbins and Roosevelt elementary schools with a student in the foreign language program at UW-Eau Claire and with a native Spanish speaker. The classes will meet once a week for an hour and include age-appropriate language instruction as well as cultural experiences. The program will continue to offer these students instruction in Spanish in grades two through five and enroll at least 40 new first graders each year.

"This is a great opportunity for elementary students to develop a significant interest in Spanish, and because there will be a longer exposure to the language there will be more development of language proficiency," said Paul Hoff, professor of Spanish and foreign language education and director of the Honors Program. Full story.

NET receives formal status on campus; combines resources with TLTDC

Linda Carpenter, NET	Kathy Finder, TLTDC

UW-Eau Claire's Network for Excellence in Teaching organization, first established in 1993 to promote high quality and innovative teaching, received official university status this summer.

NET also was incorporated into the Teaching and Learning Technology Development Center in an effort to improve support of faculty and instructional academic staff as they work to enhance student learning.

Incorporating NET and the TLTDC was the first phase of a faculty and instructional academic staff professional development reorganization process that will continue throughout the academic year, said Linda Carpenter, NET coordinator.

The incorporation of NET into the TLTDC formalized the two program's long-standing partnership, said Kathy Finder, TLTDC interim director. "The missions of both organizations were similar," she said. "By working together, we can work smarter and more effectively to support the teaching and learning activities at UW-Eau Claire." Full story.

Survey indicates faculty, instructional staff value professional development
UW-Eau Claire's faculty and instructional academic staff are interested in professional development programs and events that relate to enhancing teaching and student learning, but barriers often prevent them from taking advantage of those opportunities, a survey of faculty and instructional staff found.

The Teaching and Learning Technology Development Center and the Network for Excellence in Teaching conducted the survey this fall. The TLTDC and NET have combined their resources in an effort to help the campus focus on student learning and learner-centered teaching.

"Results of the survey suggest that faculty and teaching academic staff are motivated by a major internal incentive to become better teachers and to enhance student learning, and they recognize the kinds of professional development events that would contribute to that outcome," said Linda Carpenter, NET coordinator. Full story.

Ethan Nadelmann to speak on drug policy reform
Ethan Nadelmann, widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform in the United States and abroad, will speak Tuesday, Nov. 30, at UW-Eau Claire. The Forum will present his address, titled "Building a Political Movement to End the War on Drugs," at 7:30 p.m. in Zorn Arena.

Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts, Nadelmann uses a healthy dose of criticism against current U.S. drug policy by giving basic statistics and drug war facts, balanced with well thought out alternatives, stressing treatment and effort to minimize the harm drugs and drug policy cause to individuals and society.

Referring to Nadelmann's book, "Cops Across Borders," Lawrence M. Friedman of the Stanford Law School said, "I don't think any student of social history, diplomatic history or legal history can ignore this book, which sheds so much light on a wide variety of important policy issues, including, very notably, drug enforcement policy. It deserves a wide readership." Full story and ticket information.

Still time to register for Winterim session
The 2005 Winterim session offers 65 classroom courses and five online courses during a three-week session that runs Jan. 3-21, 2005.

UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff are encouraged to remind students of the many benefits of Winterim (things like, up to three credits in three weeks, smaller classes, a chance to catch up or move ahead with their degree).

Winterim Class Bulletins are available on the Web and outside the Registrar's Office. Full story.

There's a new bottled water on campus — "University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Natural Springs Water." A portion of the purchase price goes to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation to provide support for student scholarships, so drink up.

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.