News
“News from Around the UW System”
April 13, 2012
Report by President Kevin P. Reilly to the Board of Regents
At this time, I’d like to share some news from around the UW System …
- We often talk
about being responsive to the workforce needs of the state. A new online
program being offered by a consortium of four UW campuses and coordinated by UW-Extension is a great example of doing just that. Starting this fall, the new online
Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management and Technology will
provide students with the opportunity to earn a degree in one of the fastest
growing professions – health information. Students can receive their degrees
through UW-Green Bay, UW-Parkside, and UW-Stevens Point. UW-La
Crosse will also contribute courses. According to Dan McCarty, academic
director at UW-Stevens Point, this collaboration recognizes and responds to the
state’s need to grow its pool of IT professionals. According to Bureau of
Labor statistics, employment of medical records and health information
technicians is expected to increase 20 percent by 2018 – much faster than the
overall average – so this is a very timely addition.
- The Wisconsin
Institutes for Discovery, the innovative 330,000-square-foot public/private
facility that opened just over a year ago on the UW-Madison campus, has
been named the 2012 Laboratory of the Year. The international competition,
sponsored annually by R&D Magazine since 1966, is
judged by a panel of industry experts to recognize the highest standards in
architecture, laboratory design and “push-the-envelope” concepts in science
buildings. The unique facility which houses the twin research institutes
– the private, nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison’s
public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery – features architecture that’s designed
to encourage human interaction and foster new interdisciplinary research
collaborations. The facility was made possible due to the generosity of
UW-Madison graduates John and Tashia Morgridge whose funding was matched by the
state of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the
private nonprofit patent and licensing organization for UW–Madison.
Congratulations to Chancellor Ward and the UW-Madison campus community.
- For the fifth
time since 2006, UW- Eau Claire has been recognized for its outstanding
community service programs by a federal agency charged with fostering an ethic
of volunteerism and service in America. UW-Eau Claire was among about 500
public and private colleges, universities, and professional schools named to
the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the
Corporation for National and Community Service. Launched in 2006, this honor
roll is the most prestigious federal recognition a higher education institution
can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. The
program is designed to increase public awareness of the contributions that
college students are making within their communities and across the country
through volunteer service. As Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich has noted,
(QUOTE) "Our service learning, integrated in large part into our
curriculum, is truly unique, and it makes our university an essential support
for the community agencies and organizations that serve the Chippewa
Valley."
-
UW-Stout is reporting an unexpected benefit
of some long ago car-pooling. Two UW-Stout alumni recently contributed more
than $1 million in scholarship funds to the institution they say launched them
into a successful business – and brought them together as a couple. Brian
Jennerjahn, a 1964 graduate, and his wife, the former Ruth Hopfensperger, first
connected while sharing rides back and forth between the university and their hometowns
in the Fox Valley. Explaining why they were interested in making the donation,
Brian credits the very practical education he received at Stout. “Everything I
was taught, I would put to use in my career,” he said. Brian went on to launch
his own business, Jennerjahn Machine, in Matthews, Ind. The company, which
began as a two-person operation – with Brian designing and building the machines,
and Ruth acting as bookkeeper and "gofer" for parts – now produces
machines that are used in countries around the world, including China, the United
Arab Emirates, and South Africa. The couple said that their UW-Stout education
contributed a lot to their success, and they wanted to extend that opportunity
to others. Congratulations to Chancellor Sorenson and the UW-Stout community.
- New statistics
from the U.S. National Science Foundation show that scholars at UW-Madison continue to be among the nation’s most successful at securing support for their
research. Research expenditures at UW-Madison for fiscal year 2010 topped out
at slightly more than $1 billion, an increase of about $15 million from the
previous year. That ranks UW-Madison third among all U.S. universities. It
trails only Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan. This is no
flash in the pan, either. UW-Madison has consistently ranked among the top five
universities reporting research expenditures since NSF began collecting
statistics more than 20 years ago. As UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Research
and Graduate School Dean Martin Cadwallader noted, (QUOTE) “We still see
growth, which is a big positive in an environment that continues to be
extremely competitive.”
-
UW-La Crosse reports that its new academic
building, Centennial Hall, has been selected by the Wisconsin State Department
of Facilities as its Best Project of 2011. Gov. Scott Walker recently recognized
the building’s architect, River Architects, with the award at the State
Building Commission. The honor salutes the firm for its outstanding work as
part of the design team for the $40-million project. Centennial Hall, which
opened in August 2011, is the university’s largest academic building. It’s
expected to receive at least a silver rating for Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (or LEED), which recognizes features to save annual
operating costs and conserve energy. The hall is the first built predominantly
with state funding on campus since 1974. Acknowledging the award, Chancellor
Joe Gow said, “This award helps to solidify the building as the heart and soul
of our academic programs during the university’s second century.”
- As
part of ongoing efforts to encourage increased student interest in the
sciences, UW-River Falls recently hosted about 600 high school students
from Wisconsin and Minnesota at the UW-River Falls “Border Battle” Science
Olympiad Open Invitational Tournament. The event, organized by physics
Professor Earl Blodgett, featured 39 high school teams competing in 23 National
Science Olympiad events. Unlike many other competitions, the international
non-profit Science Olympiad mixes the various science disciplines of
biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology together in one
competition. Now in its 29th year, the Science Olympiad has become the largest
team science and technology competition in North America. It should be noted
that the competition also highlights UW-River Fall’s strength in the sciences, including
its physics program, which in 2010 ranked fourth in the number of graduates
compared to all comprehensive institutions across the nation. Hats off to
Chancellor Van Galen, and the UW-River Falls campus community.
- You
will recall at our last meeting, we honored UW-Green Bay’s First Nations
Studies Program with a Regents Diversity Award. I have a follow-up. Later this
month, UW-Green Bay will present one of its Distinguished Alumni Awards to
Maria Hinton, a 1979 graduate in Communication and the Arts. What is probably
more remarkable is that Maria is 101 years of age – and will turn 102 in June.
She is a revered tribal elder, who remains an active force in preserving Oneida
stories, language and culture. Her keen memory was critical to the Oneida
preserve-the-language movement, which UW-Green Bay has been closely involved in.
One of Wisconsin’s last surviving native speakers, Maria grew up on old Seymour
Road in a household that spoke only Oneida, learning English at the government
school at age 10. After receiving her UW-Green Bay diploma she helped found the
tribe’s Turtle Elementary School, and worked there well into her 90s. Only two
years ago, Mrs. Hinton and Professor Cliff Abbott – who spoke at our last
meeting – completed their invaluable, long-awaited recording of a spoken-word
dictionary of Oneida, regarded as one of the world's most endangered languages.
- Next
week, UW-Whitewater will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the
Innovation Center at Whitewater University Technology Park. By all accounts,
it’s had a very successful first year. The $5.7-million, 38,000-square-foot
business incubator is apparently nearly 70 percent full. Robert Young,
executive director of the technology park, recently told the Wisconsin State
Journal that most of the tenants being recruited are technology
innovation-based companies … adding, (quote) “I’m looking for companies that
are looking to take advantage of the resources we have at our university.” The
park and innovation center, which are collaborative projects of the city,
Whitewater Community Development Authority, and UW-Whitewater, are an example
of UW-Whitewater’s commitment to regional engagement, economic growth, and the
Wisconsin Idea.
- While they’re
into building, UW-Whitewater might also consider another project –
expanding its trophy shelf! UW-Whitewater is proving to be a very formidable
force in the world of college athletics these days. In the past few months, the
Warhawks have claimed national championship titles in men’s football, men’s
basketball, men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball, and gymnastics. I
understand there were some real thrillers along the way. The men’s basketball
team, for one, overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Cabrini College 63-60. That
win, incidentally, makes UW-Whitewater the first school in Division III history
to win a national basketball championship and football title in the same year.
Meanwhile, the women’s wheelchair basketball team also rallied when it really
mattered. After having lost to University of Alabama twice earlier in the year,
the Whitewater women came through when the championship was on the line, trouncing
the Crimson Tide 63-34 to claim their first national championship. That same
weekend, the men’s wheelchair basketball team routed University of Illinois
101-60 to defend its national title … and claim its 10th overall championship.
And finally, in late March, the Whitewater gymnastics team tied The College at
Brockport (in New York) for a share of the National Collegiate Gymnastics
Association championship. All in all, a very impressive run! Congratulations
to Chancellor Telfer and the UW-Whitewater campus community!
- Speaking of
athletic pursuits, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Michael Lovell – well known for
lacing up his sneakers – has accepted a friendly challenge from Concordia
University President Patrick Ferry to see which university will field the
largest team of faculty, students, and staff at the Milwaukee Lakefront
Marathon next October. Under the “Claws vs. Paws Challenge,” the university
team with the fastest team average at the end of the race will be declared the
winner. Chancellor Lovell is Captain of Team Paws, which I understand includes
about 100 runners! It sounds like pretty serious business. Group training runs
are offered three times a day during the week, and there are also marathon
seminars, clinics, and other support resources. Many people claim that their
best ideas come when they’re out pounding the pavement – so we’ll be expecting
big things, Mike!
- That concludes my report for today …