UW System Clipsheet

February 27, 2009

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UW System

"Three years to finish school," Badger Herald, Feb. 27.

...In an effort to make college more financially accessible during the recession, Hartwick College in New York has implemented a three-year degree programs to cut costs and save time for students...The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has considered instituting similar programs, said Vice President Chuck Pruitt. "About two months ago (UW System) President Reilly announced that three-year degrees were one of the things we were going to aggressively be looking at and exploring as part of a series of economic measures to benefit students," Pruitt said...

On Campus

"New rules on conflicts proposed," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 27.

Major changes to conflict-of-interest rules, including a ban on doctors giving promotional talks for drug companies, have been recommended by a task force of doctors and health professionals at the University of Wisconsin-Madison...

"University of Wisconsin-Madison physician group considers stricter rules to avoid conflicts of interest," Wisconsin State Journal, Feb. 27.

Doctors would have to disclose the total amounts they get paid by drug companies or makers of medical devices and stop giving talks sponsored by industry under recommendations before the University of Wisconsin-Madison's physician group...

"Surgeon's royalties bring heat to a medical school with a strict ethics policy," Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 27.

The University of Wisconsin enjoys a sterling reputation for policing the ethics of its medical school faculty and staff. "They're one of our stars," said Susan C. Chimonas of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University, which ranks institutions on the quality of their programs to avoid and disclose ethical conflicts of interest, like taking money from companies while treating patients with their products. Some university officials were thus unpleasantly surprised by recent newspaper articles that detailed how Thomas A. Zdeblick, a renowned spine surgeon who is chairman of the university's department of orthopedics, collected $19.4 million between 2003 and 2007 from Medtronic, a medical-device supplier that sells spinal implants developed by Dr. Zdeblick... (paid subscription required)

"Grant integrates Stout's FAB LAB into many programs," Leader-Telegram, Feb. 26.

UW-Stout is sharing a $670,000 National Science Foundation grant with two other institutions to help quickly translate ideas into reality...

"Senate previews changes to Chapters 17, 18," Student Voice, Feb. 26.

The UW System Board of Regents is in the process of reviewing Chapters 17 and 18. The chapters are part of the UW System administrative code; Chapter 17 outlines the student nonacademic disciplinary procedures and Chapter 18 details conduct violations and sanctions on University lands...The UW-River Falls Student Senate dedicated the first hour of their Feb. 24 meeting to a preliminary discussion previewing the proposed changes to the two chapters...

"Student groups back domestic partner provision," Wisconsin Public Radio, Feb. 27.

Students at one UW school are standing behind the statewide domestic partner registry in Governor Jim Doyle's budget proposal...

"Applications down at UW-Green Bay, Madison," Green Bay Press-Gazette, Feb. 27.

Fewer prospective freshmen have applied for admission to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay compared with a year ago, reflecting a trend also evident in Madison...

"Changes to UW-P Student Senate amendment met with opposition," Exponent, Feb. 26.

Students, staff and faculty protested a proposed amendment to the Student Senate constitution at the Senate meeting Feb. 23. The amendment would combine Senate's diversity and gender issues executive board positions to make room for a new current issues director position...

"UW-P aiming to reduce impact on water pollution," Exponent, Feb. 26.

Those involved say rain gardens and pervious concrete are greatly helping the effect that the campus has on the local environment. The university is required through the UW System to use management programs such as these to lessen the effect they have on the surrounding community's water...

"UW-P unveils cell phone alert system," Exponent, Feb. 26.

As technology continues to progress and new methods of communication become widely used, the UW-Platteville administration continues to look for ways to improve emergency response protocol. One of these steps includes implementing a new Pioneer Alerts text-message emergency alert system that will start testing members of campus early in March...

"New service connects area businesses with workers," WKOWTV.com, Feb. 26.

A pilot project is in the works to match up Madison area businesses with a qualified workforce...

"Hyer Hall meets its demise; new hall plans unfold," Pointer, Feb. 26.

Soon students won't just be living in apartments off-campus, but on-campus. Plans are unfolding as to a new residence hall being constructed on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus, with the beginning of development starting with the demolition of Hyer Hall this summer. The new residence hall will have 330 beds available for students and be aimed toward primarily junior, senior and graduate students...

"Drinking beyond the hangover," Daily Cardinal, Feb. 26.

...Unless UW-Madison students are able to relieve stress in less harmful ways, these drinking habits will damage an undeveloped brain and increase stress levels even more, UW-Madison professor of physiology Dr. Kevin Strang said. According to Strang, drinking to relieve stress is not as simple and harmless as it seems...

"Going green, one moped at a time," Racine News, Feb. 26.

...Yet, even for a Vespa, there's room for improvement, and 16 University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering students spent last fall figuring out how to make the already environmentally friendly Vespa even more green...

State

"Wis. DOJ says no wrongdoing in 2 contract deals," NBC26, Feb. 26.

The state Department of Justice has closed a review of 2 investigations into whether Governor Jim Doyle's administration steered state contracts to campaign donors' companies. Investigators found no clear evidence of wrongdoing. The agency released memos today that say agents couldn't find anyone who would verify that Doyle's top aide at the time, Marc Marotta, exerted any improper pressure in selecting a builder for a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dorm...

National

"Obama aims high for higher education," USA Today, Feb. 27.

Here's what's perhaps most unusual about President Obama's big budget proposals for higher education: That he's thinking about higher education at all...

"Obama's Budget Blockbuster," Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 27.

The 2010 budget blueprint released by the Obama administration Thursday was decidedly bare bones, lacking detailed numbers for most federal programs and clocking in at about one-tenth the normal number of pages of explanatory material. But while the administration's proposal might have skimped on specifics, its proposal for the Education Department had no shortage of blockbuster ideas that, taken together, would begin to radically transform federal higher education programs...

"President's budget would end bank-based student lending and significantly expand Pell Grants," Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 27.

To the dismay of lenders and the delight of students, President Obama on Thursday unveiled a budget blueprint that would abolish the bank-based student-loan program and use the savings to raise the maximum Pell Grant and make it an entitlement... (paid subscription required)

"Big changes on the way in lending to students," New York Times, Feb. 27.

The Obama administration outlined a vast overhaul of financial aid programs for college students, one that would end years of federal support to banks and other lenders, in its budget proposal unveiled on Thursday...

"College makes new connections with service-learning program," Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 27.

Stuffing envelopes instills many qualities: humility, patience, tough fingers, and a pasty tongue. It is not, however, known for expanding the intellect. That's what college is supposed to do. And there's the rub. It has been a persistent tension since the 1990s, when service learning became de rigueur on college campuses... (paid subscription required)

"GI Bill Progress Report," Inside Higher Ed, Feb. 27.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs officials assured members of Congress Thursday that when it comes to implementing the mammoth new Post-9/11 GI Bill, they are on schedule...