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Tip Sheet for the week of Oct. 23, 2006

RELEASED: Oct. 23, 2006

Story Idea
The UW-Eau Claire Foundation has received three $500,000 gifts in the last six months. The gifts are contributions to Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence, the ongoing campaign to benefit UW-Eau Claire's people and programs. The $500,000 gifts came from:

  • David and Marilyn Karlgaard. The couple who gave $4.5 million to UW-Eau Claire in 2002 has donated another $500,000. The initial gift established a charitable trust and the Karlgaard Excellence in Computer Science Program. The new gift will extend those initiatives. David Karlgaard, a 1967 graduate and Rice Lake native, was co-founder, CEO and president of PEC Solutions Inc., an Internet technology consulting firm.
  • Ann Gunderson Thornburg. The 1971 graduate will use annual gifts and a bequest from her estate to fund the Thomas and Mavis Gunderson Scholarship in honor of her parents. It will provide need-based scholarships to high-achieving students. Thornburg had great success at PricewaterhouseCoopers, becoming the first female partner in Boston, and the first woman elected to the firm's Board of Partners and Principals.
  • Vicki Lord Larson. Larson's gift will establish the James Larson and Vicki Lord Larson Fund, which will provide need-based scholarships for high-achieving Wisconsin students. Another gift will support scholarships for communication sciences and disorders majors. Larson spent most of her career at UW-Eau Claire as a professor, administrator and most recently interim chancellor.

Foundation President Carole Halberg is available to talk about the three $500,000 gifts and how they will benefit students. You can reach her at 715-836-2327 or halberca@uwec.edu.

Story Idea
A talk titled "Nanotechnology: The Reality Behind the Hype" will begin at noon Oct. 25 at Sweetwaters restaurant in Eau Claire. Douglas Dunham, director of UW-Eau Claire's Materials Science Center, will lead the discussion. Products like stain-resistant pants that use nanotechnology are now on the market. The hype is that soon everything will involve nanotechnology. Dunham will talk about the potential advances nanotechnology may bring in materials.

Story Idea
Dr. Harold Koenig, co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center, will give two lectures Oct. 24 in Davies Theatre. He'll present "Faith and Health: How Religious Beliefs Influence Mind and Body" from 7:30-9 p.m. for a general audience. From 5-6:45 p.m. he'll present "Religion, Spirituality and Health: Background, Research and Clinical Applications" to medical and mental heath professionals, and nursing and pre-med students. Koenig has published extensively in the fields of mental health, geriatrics and religion. Koenig was invited to campus by the Chippewa Valley Dialogue on Science and Religion, an initiative established by faculty and community members to help people better understand issues that relate to science and religion. The initiative will support organized discussions, bring science and religion experts to campus, and help high school science teachers better address questions that touch on religion. For details about the initiative or Koenig's visit, contact Charlene Burns, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, at 715-836-2930 or cvdsr@uwec.edu.

Photo Idea
A student organization that promotes eating disorder awareness and positive body image will host "Smash the Ideal" from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 23 on the Central Campus Mall. Students can use a sledge hammer to smash a bathroom scale as part of the event.

Photo Idea
The International Folk Fair, the largest festival of its kind in the area, will run from noon-4 p.m. Oct. 29 in Davies Center. For details, contact Fay Bobb at 715-836-4411 or bobbfa@uwec.edu.

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