Featured Articles

UW-Eau Claire senior named to All-USA College Academic First Team

WNA: Spectator is state's best college newspaper

Doyle proposes
$225 million for higher education

Geoffrey Peterson elected to undergraduate research council

Black History Month events continue

Forum to discuss university's contributions to Chippewa Valley's 'creative class''

UW System to study student alcohol/drug use

Diversity to be focus of guest speaker's lecture, faculty/
academic staff workshops

Students offer children's foreign language classes

'The Merry Widow' to open Thursday

Sichuan artists, professors to exhibit works, make presentations at
UW-Eau Claire

Ceramic artist to present workshops, lecture

Scenes from Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Reception marks opening of McIntyre Library's new Special Collections area

Lori Scardino

UW-Eau Claire senior named to All-USA College Academic First Team
A senior chemistry and biology major at UW-Eau Claire is among 20 college students nationwide to be named to the 2007 All-USA College Academic First Team. Lori Scardino - an accomplished undergraduate researcher and single mother of two from Eau Claire - was featured with the other 19 award winners in the Feb. 15 issue of USA Today and will receive a $2,500 cash award. Scardino is the only student attending a Wisconsin college or university selected for 2007 First Team honors. Full story.

WNA: Spectator is state's best college newspaper
For the second time in five years, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association has named UW-Eau Claire's campus newspaper, The Spectator, the state's best college newspaper. Current Spectator Editor in Chief Mark Schaaf, a senior print journalism major from Prairie du Chien, accepted the "general excellence" plaque Feb. 9 in Lake Delton at the WNA's annual convention.

"This is a campus paper that hits on all cylinders," WNA judges said in a published critique, "tackling tough issues, with a consistent design and interesting features stories, backed by a strong editorial voice." Full story.

Doyle proposes $225 million for higher education

Gov. Jim Doyle

In his budget address Feb. 13, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle proposed providing $225 million in new money for higher education, including nearly $150 million for UW System ongoing operations, more than $20 million for the "Growth Agenda for Wisconsin" and $44 million for expanded financial aid. Read UW System President Kevin Reilly's statement on Doyle's budget proposal; a UW System summary of the governor's budget items concerning higher education; a Wisconsin State Journal article reporting on his overall budget proposal; a Feb. 15 Leader-Telegram article on a provision that would permit university faculty and academic staff to bargain collectively over wages, hours and conditions of employment; and a Feb. 11 Leader-Telegram article about a provision that would provide group health insurance benefits to domestic partners of all state employees.

Dr. Geoffrey Peterson

Geoffrey Peterson elected to undergraduate research council
Dr. Geoffrey Peterson, UW-Eau Claire associate professor of political science and American Indian studies, has been elected as a Councilor in the Social Science division of the Council on Undergraduate Research, a national organization that supports and promotes high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.

Peterson, who will serve a three-year term with CUR, is the first social scientist from UW-Eau Claire to serve as a CUR Councilor. Peterson's election recognizes his high quality work with undergraduate researchers and his growing visibility in this area at the national level, said Karen Havholm, interim assistant vice chancellor in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Full story.

Black History Month events continue

Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton

• Selika Ducksworth-Lawton to discuss
Deacons for Defense: Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, UW-Eau Claire associate professor of history, will present "Deacons for Defense and Justice and the Louisiana Civil Rights Movement" from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the Presidents Room of Davies Center. The Black History Month presentation, which is free and open to the public, will tell the story of how the Deacons of Defense confrontation with the Klu Klux Klan in Bogalusa, La., was instrumental in forcing the federal government to intervene on behalf of the black community and enforce the 1964 Civil Rights Act and neutralize the Klan.

Carlos Wiley

• Guest speaker to examine 20 years of hip-hop
Carlos Wiley, director of the Multicultural Education Resource Center and dean of students at UW-Platteville, will present "Hip-Hop Generation" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Phillips Recital Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center. Wiley will cover the roots of hip-hop, societal influences on the earliest generation of hip-hop artists, and how and why hip-hop has changed over the past 20 years. The presentation, sponsored by UW-Eau Claire's Office of Multicultural Affairs, is free and open to the public.

Forum to discuss university's contributions
to Chippewa Valley's 'creative class'
UW-Eau Claire will help sponsor Idea Lounge 3, the third in a series of public forums on local issues, at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at Pizza Plus Eatery in downtown Eau Claire. "UW-Eau Claire's Role in Sustaining Our Creative Class" will be the topic of the forum, also sponsored by Downtown Eau Claire Inc., Volume One Magazine, Community Television and Pizza Plus. More information.

UW System to study student alcohol/drug use
The UW System will conduct a survey of undergraduate students this month to better understand the impacts of alcohol and other drug use by UW students. The UW System Alcohol and Other Drug Use Survey will gather information via a Web-based survey. Randomly selected students will be sent an e-mail the weekend of Feb. 24-25 asking them to complete an online survey. The survey is voluntary and answers will remain anonymous.

The survey is designed to examine trends in alcohol and drug use, student perceptions of use and consequences of use. The results will help university leaders work with students to determine what kinds of campus health programming and services are most beneficial. Full story.

Diversity to be focus of guest speaker's lecture, faculty/academic staff workshops

Dr. Joy Mighty

Dr. Joy Mighty, director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, will make several presentations about diversity in the university setting on March 5 and 6 at UW-Eau Claire, including two limited-seating sessions for faculty and staff for which advance reservations are required.

Her March 5 presentation, "The World Is in Your Classroom: Challenges and Opportunities of Diversity at the University," will be at 4 p.m. in Room 102 of Hibbard Humanities Hall. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will explore the relevance and importance of diversity in a predominantly white university and discuss ways of using the opportunities provided by diversity to create a broader university culture in which diversity is valued. (See presentation synopsis.)

On March 6, Mighty also will present two sessions of a workshop for UW-Eau Claire faculty and teaching academic staff. The interactive workshop, titled "Teaching for Inclusion: Implications of Diversity for Teaching and Learning at the University," will take place from 9-11 a.m. in the Presidents Room of Davies Center and again from 2-4 p.m. in the Alumni Room of Davies Center. (See workshop synopsis.) Workshop attendance is limited to 30 people per session. To reserve a space contact Kathy LaValley at lavallkg@uwec.edu or (715) 836-2025.

Students offer children's foreign language classes
UW-Eau Claire students in the curriculum and instruction course "Teaching Foreign Languages in Grades 1-9" will offer free exploratory French, German and Spanish classes for children in grades 1-5. The classes will meet on Thursdays from 4:10 to 4:50 p.m. in Hibbard Humanities Hall beginning March 15 and ending May 10. No cla sses will be held March 22 due to spring break. To enroll children in the classes, complete the online registration form, call the department of foreign languages at 715-836-4287 or e-mail Dr. Paul Hoff at hoffpj@uwec.edu.

'The Merry Widow' to open Thursday
UW-Eau Claire's production of "The Merry Widow" opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Gantner Concert Hall located in the Haas Fine Arts Center. Additional performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23-24 and Mar. 1-3, with a matinee at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 4.

"The Merry Widow," with music by Franz Lehar, performed in the English translation by Sheldon Harnick, is one of the world's most popular operettas. Set in Paris at the turn of the 19th century, the recently widowed Hanna Glawari is pursued by members of the Pontevedrian embassy who are eager for her to marry another Pontevedrian husband so her inherited millions will stay in the poverty-stricken Pontevedro. The fun and chase begin at a decadent Parisian ball in honor of the Grand Duke and continue through a Slavic garden party and on to the cabaret. Full story.

Sichuan artists, professors to exhibit works,
make presentations at UW-Eau Claire
An exhibit of photographic works by art faculty and students at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute of Sichuan, China, will be on display at the Foster Gallery of UW-Eau Claire's Haas Fine Arts Center from Feb. 22 to March 15. In addition, three artists from the Sichuan Institute will make presentations at UW-Eau Claire March 12-15.

An opening reception for the exhibit, "The Perspective of Chinese Art at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute," is set for 7:30-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Foster Gallery. The show will feature the photographic art of six faculty members and several students from Sichuan Institute, said Jian Luo, assistant professor of art at UW-Eau Claire and curator of the exhibit. One faculty member who is primarily a printmaker also will exhibit several pieces.

"The goal of this exhibit is to increase awareness about Chinese culture, art and society through a series of activities, including the exhibit, lectures and demonstrations," said Luo. Full story.

Ceramic artist to present workshops, lecture

A ceramic flower brick created by Kathryn Finnerty. (Contributed photo)

Kathryn Finnerty, a nationally acclaimed ceramic artist from Eugene, Ore., whose work was featured in last year's "Surface Tension" exhibit at UW-Eau Claire's Foster Art Gallery, will present several workshops and a lecture Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22 and 23, in the Haas Fine Arts Center.

Finnerty will give demonstrations in the Ceramics Lab, Room 112 of the Haas Fine Arts Center, from 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Thursday, and 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Friday. She will work continuously on several pieces throughout the two days and visitors may come to any or all of the demonstrations. Her lecture will be presented from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday in Haas Fine Arts Center Room 101.

The demonstrations and lecture, sponsored by the UW-Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the department of art & design and the UW-Eau Claire Clay Club, are free and open to the public. For more information contact Susan O'Brien, assistant professor of art, at 715-836-2920 or obriensm@uwec.edu.

Scenes from Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon
More than 380 faculty, staff and emeriti attended the sixth annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon Feb. 15. See photos below of some who attended the event hosted by the UW-Eau Claire Foundation. Missed this year's event? Mark your calendar and plan to attend the sixth annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon on Feb. 21, 2008. Also, read a letter of appreciation from 2006-07 Campus Campaign chairs Robert Erffmeyer and Gretchen Hutterli.

Photos by Bill Hoepner, LTS

2006 Campus Campaign chairs Robert Erffmeyer, management and marketing, and Gretchen Hutterli, College of Business, were on hand to thank faculty and staff members for their support of this year's campaign. Read their letter of appreciation to those who have made contributions and pledges.

Stephanie Pykola, International Education, left, and Jane Brownell, Admissions, enjoyed talking with colleagues, while Jeffrey Goss, Facilities Planning and Management, found some items to his liking from the dessert table.

Greg Hazen, Facilities Planning and Management, and Carla Kurz, management and marketing, put their names in the door prize drawing box.	Johng Lim, professor emeritus of biology, shared a laugh with biology professor Wil Taylor.

Lisa Schuetz, left, and Vicki Reed, both of University Recreation and Sport Facilities, were two of 30 door prize winners during the event.	Debi and Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich took a moment to read the message on a Valentine candy heart.

Reception marks opening of McIntyre Library's new Special Collections area

UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich addressed the approximately 100 people in attendance at a Feb. 16 reception marking the opening of the McIntyre Library's new Special Collections area. Next to the chancellor, from left, were Robert Fraser, professor emeritus of history; Christopher Cox, interim director, McIntyre Library; Robert Gough, professor of history; and Stephen Katrosits, professor emeritus of art. Special Collections, which houses the University Archives, Area Research Center and Rare Books, moved recently from its former Old Library location to the McIntyre Library's fifth floor. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS)

Janice Bogstad, professor and head collection development librarian, looked over an old volume with student Jennifer Sessions. The two are standing in the Special Collections vault area. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS)

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. Wednesday to ensure 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.