Featured Articles

Prestigious Dreyfus award goes to Stephen Drucker

Journalism class creates election Web site

River walk explores possible safety hazards

Soccer team takes WIAC title; both soccer and volleyball teams advance to NCAA tournaments

Jazz students to perform in China

Environmental author to speak Nov. 12
and 13

Student ensembles to present fall concerts

United Way/SECC update

Trick-or-treaters 'haunt' campus hallways

Prestigious Dreyfus award goes to Stephen Drucker

Stephen Drucker

Stephen Drucker, UW-Eau Claire associate professor of chemistry, has received the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation of New York. The award honors him for his accomplishments in teaching, mentoring and research with undergraduate students.

With Drucker's award, UW-Eau Claire becomes one of just four public and private undergraduate institutions in the country to have four or more Dreyfus teacher-scholar winners on its faculty.

"I'm very excited," Drucker said of the $60,000 award. "This will allow me to expand the experimental techniques I'm using, which will make them more like what is happening at many of the more ambitious research institutions in the country."

A first-rate teacher and scholar, Drucker is exactly the kind of scientist that the Dreyfus award is intended to honor, said Scott Hartsel, chair of the chemistry department.

"This award says that Dr. Drucker is doing everything right," Hartsel said. "He's doing a great job in his teaching, mentoring and research. He's also serving the institution well, involving himself in department and universitywide initiatives. This is a very special award because it honors his work in all of these areas." Full story.

Journalism class creates election Web site
Mike Dorsher, UW-Eau Claire assistant professor of communication and journalism, and students in his Public Affairs Reporting class have published a Web site providing information on every candidate in every local legislative race, the major statewide races and the ballot measures on same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Along with in-depth print stories on all the candidates and issues, the site includes audio recordings of the candidates explaining their policies; a VoteSmart blog, where visitors can comment on any of the stories or post a question for a candidate; and maps and links to information about polling places and legislative candidates.

River walk explores possible safety hazards

Jodi Thesing-Ritter, UW-Eau Claire associate dean of student development, and Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich were among university and city representatives who participated in a Nov. 3 walk along the Chippewa River to identify potential safety hazards. (Leader-Telegram photo by Dan Reiland)

UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich led a walk along the Chippewa River Friday, Nov. 3, to gather information about potential safety hazards and identify possible action items.

The walk began at the Haas Fine Arts Center and ended at the boat landing near Hobbs Ice Center. Participating in the walk were representatives of UW-Eau Claire and the city of Eau Claire. UW-Eau Claire representatives were Levin-Stankevich; Christopher Wagner, Student Senate president; Andrew Soll, vice chancellor for business and student services; Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of student development; Peggy O'Halloran, director of the Center for Alcohol Study and Education; David Sprick, chief of university police; and Mike Rindo, executive director of university communications. City of Eau Claire representatives included Mike Huggins, city manager; Brad Venaas, deputy police chief; Lucie McGee, assistant city attorney; and Richard Thoune, director of the City-County Health Department.

Levin-Stankevich organized the walk to ensure the university and city are working together to prevent tragedies such as the recent drowning of UW-La Crosse student Lucas Homan. Read/view coverage of the walk by the Leader-Telegram, WEAU-TV and WQOW-TV.

Soccer team takes WIAC title; both soccer and volleyball teams advance to NCAA tournaments

UW-Eau Claire's soccer team defeated UW-Oshkosh Nov. 4 to win its second consecutive WIAC championship and to advance to the first round of the NCAA tournament. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS)

UW-Eau Claire came away with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference soccer title after hosting conference championship tournaments in both volleyball and women's soccer Nov. 3 and 4, and both Blugold teams will advance to their respective NCAA tournaments, to be hosted by UW-Eau Claire next weekend. The Blugold soccer team will advance to the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament following its 3-0 win over UW-Oshkosh Nov. 4. (Full story, tournament results and photo gallery links.) The Blugold volleyball team, which lost to UW-Whitewater in the Nov. 4 WIAC volleyball final (full story, tournament results and photo gallery links), has received an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA volleyball playoffs.

The NCAA volleyball playoffs will run Thursday, Nov. 9, through Saturday, Nov. 11, in McPhee Physical Education Center. The soccer playoffs will be Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11 and 12, at Bollinger Fields. Links to complete tournament information will be available on the Blugold athletics Web site.

Jazz students to perform in China

Five UW-Eau Claire student musicians and Robert Baca, UW-Eau Claire director of jazz studies, will perform in China in November. Pictured, from left, are Baca and students Sean Carey, Ben Herpel-Dobay, Scott Currier, John Raymond and Jeremy Boettcher. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS)

Five UW-Eau Claire jazz students will perform in China in November as part of Jinan University's centennial celebration.

The jazz students and Robert Baca, UW-Eau Claire director of jazz studies, will perform during the Nov. 17 opening ceremony of the university's 100-year anniversary celebration and again during a Nov. 18 centennial event. Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich also will give a speech during the celebration, which will include representatives from many of Jinan University's international partners.

The student musicians are music majors Jeremy Boettcher, a senior from Eau Claire; John Raymond, a junior from Golden Valley, Minn.; Ben Herpel-Dobay, a senior from Salem, Ore.; Scott Currier, a senior from Brookfield; and Sean Carey, a senior from Lake Geneva.

A $12,000 gift from an anonymous donor to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation's Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence campaign will pay the travel expenses for Baca and the students. Full story.

Environmental author to speak Nov. 12 and 13

Dan Chiras

Dan Chiras, a prominent author and lecturer on environmental issues, will speak at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek, and at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at UW-Eau Claire. The university's departments of biology and geography and anthropology are among the sponsors of Chiras' talks.

Chiras' Sunday evening presentation will be titled, "EcoKids: Raising Children Who Care for the Earth." His Monday presentation, "Re-Energizing America: Curing America's Addiction to Fossil Fuels," will be held in UW-Eau Claire's Schofield Auditorium.

Chiras has published 23 books and hundreds of articles on renewable energy, green building and related topics. His books include college textbooks such as "Environmental Science" and "Natural Resource Conservation." Full story.

Student ensembles to present fall concerts
Three UW-Eau Claire music ensembles will present fall concerts this weekend in Gantner Concert Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center:

• The university's all-male chorus, The Singing Statesmen, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10. The group, directed by Gary Schwartzhoff, professor of music, will release its eighth CD, titled "A Testament," at the concert. The concert will include a second-half performance by The Innocent Men, an all-male a cappella group auditioned from the members of the Singing Statesmen. More information.

• The Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nobuyoshi Yasuda, associate professor of music, will perform its annual fall concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. The program will include "Procession of the Nobles" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; Jurij Abramovitsj Levitin's Concerto for Clarinet, Bassoon and Orchestra, op.34; and Piotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op.64. More information.

• The Concert Choir will present a concert at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. The performance, under the direction of Schwartzhoff, will include three sets by the full choir and one set by Impromptu, a mixed voice a cappella group auditioned out of the Concert Choir. More information.

United Way/SECC update: Still time to contribute
As of Oct. 31, UW-Eau Claire employees contributed a total of $20,210 in cash and pledges to the United Way campaign. The total received for the State Employees Combined Campaign is $7,130 in cash and pledges.

There still is time to send in your pledge card with a donation to get your 2006 tax deduction. If you wish to make a contribution but have lost your pledge card, contact Barb Bowers at 836-3871 or bowersba@uwec.edu to request another card.

Trick-or-treaters 'haunt' campus hallways

Ed Young, economics, handed out candy to trick-or-treaters from the UW-Eau Claire Children's Center Oct. 31. Faculty and staff received visits from approximately 85 costumed children who made their way through Schofield Hall, Schneider Hall and Davies Center. "The Children's Center thanks all the faculty and staff who helped make Halloween such a fun and memorable time," said Amanda Pachal, a teaching assistant at the Children's Center. (Contributed photo)

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 Julie Poquette at poquetjm@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a space-available basis.