Featured Articles

Committee announces finalists for associate vice chancellor/dean of graduate studies post

UW System Board of Regents April update

Students receive esteemed Goldwater awards

Juried Student Art Show winners named

Women's studies awards recipients announced

'Last River Rat' to appear at film screening

The Forum to present author, social critic Kunstler

Event to address concerns of student veterans

More guest speakers this week

Hmong Culture Fest, Honoring Education Pow-Wow to be held April 19

Committee announces finalists for associate
vice chancellor/dean of graduate studies post

The search and screen committee for UW-Eau Claire's associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies has announced five finalists for the position.

Each finalist will make a campus visit in the coming weeks, during which the campus community will have the opportunity to listen and speak to each candidate during an open forum in Davies Theatre. The topic for candidate presentations will be "The Role of Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Graduate Studies in a Comprehensive Liberal Arts Institution."

The first finalist visit is today and tomorrow by Dr. Bruce Petrie.

The complete list of finalists is as follows:

• Bruce Petrie, associate professor of psychology and director of universitywide assessment at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D.
  
• Kenneth Paap, associate  vice president, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at San Francisco State University.
• Jeanne Clerc, associate provost for extended studies and distance learning at Western Illinois University at Macomb and Moline.
• Andrew Phillips, interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies at UW-Eau Claire.
• Colleen Willard-Holt, director of initial teacher certification programs and coordinator of elementary education program at Penn State Harrisburg.

UW System Board of Regents April update
At its April meeting in Madison, the UW System Board of Regents engaged student leaders, including UW-Eau Claire Student Senate President Ray French, in a discussion about priorities for the upcoming 2009-11 biennial budget. Among the items identified by the students was the need for increased state investment in financial aid. (See related stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Badger Herald.) In other business, the regents also:

• directed the UW System to explore the implementation of a private fundraising campaign to supplement the need-based financial aid provided by the state and federal governments;
• approved policies that would apply to all UW System information technology projects costing $1 million or more; and
• heard highlights from the UW System's annual accountability report, "Achieving Excellence," which revealed that the system met or partially met 19 of its 20 goals last year.

Find more details in the Day 1 and Day 2 summaries of the regents' April meeting.

Students receive esteemed Goldwater awards
Katie Klotz, a UW-Eau Claire senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from St. Cloud, Minn., and Eric Weber, a senior mathematics major from Rochester, Minn., have received 2008-09 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. A third student, Lee Behling, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Amery, received an honorable mention.

This is believed to be the first time a UW-Eau Claire student has received a Goldwater Scholarship, considered to be the premier undergraduate award of its type in the United States in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Students who receive Goldwater Scholarships have strong academic qualifications, in-depth research experience and a commitment to a career in science. Goldwater scholars receive awards that cover the cost of undergraduate tuition, fees and room and board up to $7,500 for one or two years. Full story.

Juried Student Art Show winners named

	"Here Comes the" by Lauren Faust (top photo) and "Morning, Day, Night" by Eric Lee (below) won first- and second-place honors, respectively, in UW-Eau Claire's Juried Student Art Show. The show, which includes 80 works by 55 student artists, runs through April 30 in the Foster Gallery of the Haas Fine Arts Center. (Photos by UW-Eau Claire student Glenn Terpstra)

UW-Eau Claire's 51st annual Juried Student Art Show opened April 10 with a presentation of awards during a reception in the Foster Gallery of the Haas Fine Arts Center.

Foster Gallery director Tom Wagener said 206 works were entered by 101 artists. Eighty artworks by 55 artists were accepted into the show.

Senior Lauren Faust, Verona, won first place for her ceramics piece "Here Comes the." Second place went to junior Eric Lee, Eau Claire/Mondovi, for his oil on canvas "Morning, Day, Night." Senior Hanna Agar, Westby, took third place with her digital color photo "Unneeded." Honorable mentions were awarded to senior Natalie Janssen, Oshkosh, for her inkjet photo "Creature Series"; senior Kerri Kiernan, Seymour, for her drawing/installation "See You Around"; senior Dan Krenn, Madison, for his untitled wood sculpture; senior Pamela Rindo, Eau Claire, for her sculpture "Comes in Handy"; and senior Kathleen Spaeth, Mondovi/Cadott, for her sculpture "Homage to Kraut Cutter."

The exhibit, which will run through April 30, is free and open to the public. Full story.

Women's studies awards recipients announced
UW-Eau Claire students were honored for their undergraduate and graduate research and creative projects on women's issues during the 2008 Women's Studies Awards Celebration held April 2 in Davies Center. Recipients of first-place awards were as follows:

• Aryn Widule, Helen X. Sampson Undergraduate Research Paper Award;
• Avril Flaten, Helen X. Sampson Undergraduate Project Award;
• Israel Howard, Helen X. Sampson Graduate Student Award;
• Nicole Humphrey, Virgiline and Joseph See Poetry Award;
• Elizabeth Vindedahl, Tillie Olsen Award for Fiction or Creative Nonfiction;
• Dana Bertelsen, Mary Katherine and Caroline Kessler Award;
• Jenelle Haddad, Donna C. Turell Award;
• Stephanie Hormig, Cecelia M. Belter Award;
• Andrea Nelson, Mickey Crothers Award.

'Last River Rat' to appear at film screening

Kenny Salwey

Author, river guide and veteran woodsman Kenny Salwey will make an appearance at the airing of a BBC film celebrating his life at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, in Schofield Auditorium at UW-Eau Claire.

The film screening and appearance by Salwey will be part of the university's Earth Week celebration, which will run April 14-18.
The Emmy award-winning film "Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat" depicts Salwey, an Alma native who has lived his life close to the land, getting by as a river guide, trapper, fisherman, hunter, woodsman and root and herb collector along the Mississippi River.

"The film's conservation message is extremely relevant to the Chippewa River in UW-Eau Claire's own backyard," said Daniel Langlois, assistant director of the University Recreation & Sports Facility and a member of the Chippewa River Alliance. The event is sponsored by the UW-Eau Claire Environmental Adventure Center, UW-Eau Claire Chippewa River Confluence Center, Alumni Association and the Chippewa River Alliance. Full story.

The Forum to present author, social critic Kunstler

James Howard Kunstler

Author James Howard Kunstler, a social critic who argues that declining oil production and climate change will force people to live in sustainable local communities, will speak Thursday, April 17, at UW-Eau Claire. The Forum will present his address, "The Long Emergency: The Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century," at 7:30 p.m. in Zorn Arena.

February 2008 saw the release of Kunstler's 10th novel, "World Made by Hand," about a group of people adapting to the world foreshadowed in his 2005 book, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of the Oil Age, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century." Set in an upstate New York town in the not-distant future, "World Made by Hand" shows what life may be like after the coming catastrophes — the end of oil, climate change, global pandemics and resource wars — converge.

A pre-Forum hors d'oeuvres reception with the speaker, hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio, will take place in The Dulany of Davies Center from 6-7 p.m. Tickets for the reception are $5 in advance or at the door. Full story.

Event to address concerns of student veterans
The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues of concern to university students who are returning military veterans will be the focus of a presentation and panel discussion from 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Davies Theatre, Davies Center.

Presenters at the event will be Daniel McCann, clinical social worker for the Veterans Health Administration at the Chippewa Valley VA Clinic, and Maj. Cynthia Rasmussen of the U.S. Army Reserve Combat Operational Stress Control Program at Fort Snelling, Minn. In addition, a panel of students who also are military veterans will discuss their experiences. Full story.

More guest speakers this week
The following guest speakers also will appear on campus this week:

• Terry Roe, a health and safety instructor for the American Red Cross, will discuss simple steps to care for emergencies such as bleeding, burns and broken bones at noon April 16 in the Arrowhead Room, Davies Center. More information.

• Michael Leahy, a recovering pornography addict who lost his wife, kids and job due to his addiction, will present "Porn Nation" at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Schofield Auditorium. His multimedia presentation is designed to help students examine their own attitudes regarding pornography and sexuality and bring the effects of pornography on individuals and relationships to the forefront. Full story.

• Dr. Shoua Yang, a visiting minority scholar and assistant professor of political science at UW-Stevens Point, will present "A Residual Issue of the Cold War: The 8,000 Hmong-Lao in Thailand," from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, April 18, in the Alumni Room of Davies Center. Full story.

• Dr. Urmila Malvadkar from St. Olaf College will give two presentations on Friday, April 18, as the distinguished visiting speaker during UW-Eau Claire's 17th annual Mathematics Retreat. At 1 p.m. in Hibbard Hall Room 100, she will speak on "Mathematical Experiments." At 5 p.m. in Hibbard Hall Room 102, she will present "How Math Can Help Save the Planet, or at Least Prevent Extinctions." Full story.

• Slam poet, writer and pop culture feminist Aya de Leon will perform her original poetry at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 19, in Schofield Auditorium. Full story.

Hmong Culture Fest, Honoring Education
Pow-Wow to be held April 19
UW-Eau Claire's Office of Multicultural Affairs, along with various campus organizations, offices and departments, will sponsor the Hmong Culture Fest and the Honoring Education Pow-Wow on Saturday, April 19.

• The 19th annual Hmong Culture Fest will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Council Fire Room, Davies Center. The event is an opportunity for the UW-Eau Claire community and general public to experience and learn about Hmong culture, food, arts, music and dance. Cultural workshops will occur throughout the day as well as a raffle drawing to win prizes. Journalist and human rights activist Thua Vang will present "Laos: The Lost Hmong" at 2 p.m.  Full story.
  
• The 2008 Honoring Education Pow-Wow will be held in Zorn Arena. Doors to the event will open to the public at 11 a.m. Activities will include the grand entries at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., with a feast at 5 p.m. Also scheduled are the fifth annual hand drum competition; the men's traditional special competition, sponsored by Dan Prescott; the men's fancy, grass and traditional dance contests; and the female fancy, jingle and traditional dance contests. Full story.

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.