UW System Clipsheet

July 16, 2009

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On Campus

"Fresh out of college, graduate creates UWSP scholarship," Stevens Point Journal, July 16.

Finances can be tight for recent college graduates...That's why what Steven Heller is doing has people taking notice. Just a few months after his May 2007 graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Heller began planning a scholarship at his alma mater to support a student. Just into his job as an account executive in Madison, he couldn't afford the thousands of dollars it typically takes to create an endowment that annually funds a scholarship. But he was able to make a small personal sacrifice to help a student pay for college. "I chose not to pay $60 a month to have cable TV," Heller, 24, said. "Instead, I can help someone get through school more easily"...

"Seven get UWM Catalyst grants to push science toward its commercial potential," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 15. 

...Her efforts received a boost from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Catalyst grant program, which, for the second consecutive year, is awarding $500,000 to research projects that have scientific promise and strong commercial potential. The grants are funded by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the state's largest foundation...

"Chancellor talks furloughs," River Falls Journal, July 15.

New UW-River Falls Chancellor Dean Van Galen sent communication to university employees Wednesday that outlines how to manage the days of unpaid leave each worker will be required to take in light of state budget cuts...

"On Campus: Michael Jackson didn't own U.S. rights to 'On Wisconsin,'" Blog, Wisconsin State Journal, July 15.   

Since Michael Jackson died last month, old rumors have resurfaced that he owned the rights to UW-Madison's fight song, "On, Wisconsin!"  It's not true, at least in the U.S., said Nancy Lynch, senior university legal counsel for UW-Madison. The song is in the public domain here, she said.  "On, Wisconsin!"  -- which is also the official state song of Wisconsin -- was composed in 1909 by W.T. Purdy. Under U.S. copyright law, works published prior to 1923 are considered in the public domain, Lynch said...

State

"Lawmakers renew push for elected tech college officials," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 15.  

A group of Republican lawmakers is renewing a push for technical college board members in Wisconsin to be elected rather than appointed. Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), Sen. Alan Lasee (R-De Pere) and Rep. Jim Ott (R-Mequon) are circulating the draft bill, which is virtually the same as previous bills that have been introduced but failed to gain adequate support...

"Community college officials respond to Obama initiative," Wisconsin Public Radio, July 15.

President Obama has announced a $12-billion plan for the nation's community colleges. It has some Wisconsin tech school officials excited, and others cautiously optimistic. The President's initiative includes $9 billion for challenge grants and improving retention. Morna Foy, executive assistant for the Wisconsin Technical Colleges Association, calls the prospects "absolutely awesome," but adds the Obama Administration will insist on accountability for schools that get funding...

National

"Fund-raising offices make people a priority as budgets are cut," Chronicle of Higher Education, July 13.

In the face of declining revenue and institutional budget cuts, college advancement chiefs are working to protect their most-valuable assets: frontline fund raisers. To do so, they are reshuffling resources, streamlining operations, and learning to do without -- something many have not had to do for a while...

"Fund raisers see drop in giving in 2008-9 but expect a turnaround," Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16.   

As colleges calculate their fund-raising totals for the fiscal year ending June 30, fund raisers are predicting that private money raised during that time will be about 4 percent less than the amount raised the year before, according to a survey by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education released Thursday. The fund raisers surveyed said they expected that trend to start turning around sometime in the next year...

"College athletes stuck with the bill after injuries," New York Times, July 15. 

After years of concerns about inadequate health coverage for college athletes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association started requiring universities to make sure their athletes had insurance before competing. But the association never established clear standards for that coverage when it introduced the rule four years ago, leaving colleges to decide for themselves. While some colleges accept considerable responsibility for medical claims, many others assume almost none, according to a review of public documents from a cross section of universities and interviews with current and former athletes, trainers, administrators and N.C.A.A. officials...

"California approaches a deal on budget cuts," New York Times, July 15.

California lawmakers neared a deal on Wednesday with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to close the state's $26 billion budget gap in ways that would profoundly alter the state's relationship with its cities and millions of residents who receive basic services...Public colleges and universities across the state have prepared for millions of dollars in cutbacks by furloughing employees. Statewide furloughs of three days a month for government employees are likely to continue through the rest of the fiscal year...

"Students report widespread violence, abuse from `intimate partners'," Vancouver Sun, July 15.

North American university students are at high risk of being victimized by "intimate partners" who've been drinking heavily, a new University of B.C. study says. The study, led by UBC researcher Elizabeth Saewyc, says almost 20 per cent of young men and women on subject campuses have reported being targets of "physical or emotional violence (which) is often linked to drinking" in the past six months...Saewyc worked with researchers at the University of Wisconsin and University of Washington in Seattle to survey more than 2,000 students who attended campus health services for routine appointments...

"'All the bells and whistles'," Inside Higher Ed, July 16.

As community colleges enroll more full-time and traditional-age students, many are building stand-alone student centers in the mold of those found on the campuses of four-year colleges and universities. Given that some two-year institutions have begun building dormitories, some see the promulgation of these multi-use facilities as yet another step in the ongoing transformation of the community college...

"Counselors make their tour of colleges a long workout," New York Times, Juy 16.

...But this was hardly the Tour de France. The participants were six college counselors from high schools across the country, in the midst of a 12-day, 400-mile bicycle tour of more than a dozen colleges in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware...