Donald Patterson receives distinguished professorship
Donald Patterson, professor of music, is the fourth recipient of the Maxwell Schoenfeld Distinguished Professorship at UW-Eau Claire.
     The award recognizes a commitment to the university, achievement in scholarship and a commitment to student learning and life.
     "Receiving the Max Schoenfeld Distinguished Professorship is an enormous honor," Patterson said. "I am very grateful to the university."
     Patterson will use the $5,000 award to research and document the life of Dora Zaslavsky Koch, a piano professor who greatly influenced his life and career.
     "Of Russian ancestry, Dora Zaslavsky Koch was a longtime faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and a teacher of bigger-than-life proportions who influenced generations of performers and teachers," said Patterson, who earned his master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. "Although I took my last lesson from her in 1972, her influence on my playing was profound and her philosophy of care and concern for the individual student helps shape my teaching to this day.
     "By investigating Dora's life, I will be able to pay tribute to her and share her with my students."
     Patterson, a member of UW-Eau Claire's music faculty since 1976, regularly presents public piano recitals, offering his listeners a diverse repertoire, said David Baker, chair of the music and theatre arts department. His approach to repertoire selection goes beyond well-known piano masterworks, extending to the seldom-heard niches in music history and new music by relatively unknown composers, he said.
     "Being a performer has enriched my life and teaching," Patterson said. "By giving recitals, I have put myself on the line on a regular basis as an example and inspiration to my students and as a means of staying skilled in my art."
     A respected author and reviewer, Patterson is a leading scholar on piano music of American composer Vincent Persichetti and an authority on piano music for one hand.
     While performing, research, publishing and recording are important to him, Patterson has always put teaching and his students first. "I have tried to see each student as an individual with individual talents and abilities, and I have encouraged them to find their own path and to succeed in ways that match their skills and intellect," Patterson said of his teaching philosophy.
     "Dr. Patterson truly has made a difference in the lives of his students," Baker said. "Under his guidance, they have received numerous awards and acknowledgement for their prowess as performers and developing scholars."
     A master pedagogue, Patterson ensures that the courses he teaches are informative but also that they aggressively and actively engage students in learning, Baker said.
     "In his 26-year tenure, Dr. Patterson has consistently been a faculty leader and unselfish advocate of the arts," Baker said. "His leadership has made a tangible impact on university-community relations, and he recently coordinated activity to create a preparatory program in the performing arts. His work with area music teachers has fostered good will and significantly enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the university and the local arts community."
     The professorship was created in honor of Maxwell Schoenfeld, a UW-Eau Claire history professor and scholar from 1964 until his death in 1996.

UW-Eau Claire part of Jumpstart national network
Jumpstart — a national non-profit organization focused on early childhood education and teacher recruitment — recently announced the addition of 12 new university-based programs, including one at UW-Eau Claire.
     One of the fastest growing national organizations in America, Jumpstart consists of a 30-site network that will engage more than 1,400 college students in one-to-one service to more than 1,400 preschool children this year.
     The Jumpstart program at UW-Eau Claire is the first AmeriCorps program in Wisconsin to use college students as Corps members, and the first to focus on early childhood development and education, said Donald Mowry, director of UW-Eau Claire's Center for Service-Learning.
     Jumpstart Eau Claire program sites include Western Dairyland Truax Headstart Center, Literacy Volunteers of America-Chippewa Valley Family Literacy Program, Children's House Montessori School and UW-Eau Claire's Children's Center.
     The program will provide four teams of 10 students at each of these sites during the academic year to work with preschoolers needing extra assistance to master school readiness skills in cognitive, emotional and social areas, Mowry said.
     As Jumpstart's official growth partner, Starbucks has made a four-year, $1 million commitment to support Jumpstart's national expansion. Starbucks' funding provides challenge grants for new university partners to launch campus-based Jumpstart programs. Through Starbucks support, Jumpstart is continuing its work with preschoolers and is actively pursuing its mission: to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.
     "The goal of our partnership is to educate the community about the importance of literacy in the lives of young children and to encourage involvement in early literacy programs," said Lauren Moore, Starbucks director of Giving and Community Affairs."
     "Imagine creating the magic of learning in one child and helping that child develop lifelong learning skills," said Rob Waldron, president and CEO of Jumpstart. "Then imagine replicating that magic for 1,400 children across the country. That's what Starbucks funding lets us do."
     After more than 200 universities expressed interest in the Jumpstart program, Jumpstart selected and awarded 10 grants for 10 new universities to launch Jumpstart programs. Additionally, Long Island University-Brooklyn and Tufts University deepened their existing partnership with Jumpstart by committing to house campus-based Jumpstart.
     This fall, the following universities will be added to the Jumpstart national network:

• Jumpstart Brooklyn at Long Island University-Brooklyn.
• Jumpstart Columbus at the Ohio State University.
• Jumpstart Eau Claire at UW-Eau Claire.
• Jumpstart Geneva at Hobart & William Smith Colleges.
• Jumpstart Itta Bena at Mississippi Valley State University.
• Jumpstart Jackson at Jackson State University.
• Jumpstart Lubbock at Texas Tech University
• Jumpstart Northridge at California State University-Northridge.
• Jumpstart Santa Monica at Pepperdine University.
• Jumpstart Tallahassee at Florida State University.
• Jumpstart Tufts at Tufts University.
• Jumpstart Washington, DC at the George Washington University.

     Jumpstart is a national non-profit organization that engages young people in service to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Jumpstart recruits, trains and supports college students to serve as part-time AmeriCorps members, working directly with and supporting young children in Head Start and other early childhood education programs.
     Jumpstart focuses on building School Success for young children by developing their early language, literacy and social skills; encouraging strong Family Involvement to help families support children's learning; and training college students to be Future Teachers and leaders in early childhood education.
     Jumpstart's national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, official outfitter; Pearson, official education partner; and Starbucks, official growth partner.
     For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site.

  

It's time for a password change
Have you changed your computing password lately? If not, it's time.
     All UW-Eau Claire computer users are encouraged to change their computing passwords at least once every semester to reduce the possibility of a computer break-in. If an unauthorized person gains access to your computer, he or she might steal or alter your documents, forge e-mail, store illegal copies of copyrighted materials or launch attacks on other systems.

• Change your password on a regular basis and any time you suspect that someone may have discovered your password.
• Make your password at least six characters long.
• Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and/or numbers and special characters.

     Instructions for changing your computing passwords may be found on the Web or by calling the CNS Help Desk at 836-5711.

  

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Liz Wolf Green, Editor
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
· Diane Walkoff, Editorial Assistant ·

Updated: February 13, 2003