Rindskopf Parker Serving on National Task Force on Terrorism and Law

Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker

UW System General Counsel Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker has been named to a national task force to provide legal counsel to the country's political leaders in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Created by the American Bar Association, the Task Force on Terrorism and the Law began working just days after the terrorism at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

"We need to make sure the mechanisms exist that will permit prompt and effective investigation and prosecution of those responsible for these heinous acts, while at the same time ensuring we preserve the fundamental principles of our system of Constitutional law," says a statement from the ABA.

Prior to joining the UW System in 1999, Rindskopf Parker was counsel to the international law firm of Bryan Cave LLP where she focused her practice on counseling clients on public policy and international trade issues, particularly in the areas of technologies through the process of technology transfer.

Previously she served as the general counsel for the CIA; principal deputy legal adviser, U.S. Department of State; general counsel, National Security Agency, Department of Defense; and as acting assistant director (mergers and acquisitions) at the Federal Trade Commission.

Rindskopf Parker is also a frequent speaker on subjects dealing with the law of national security. She is representing the ABA's Standing Committee on Law and National Security on the task force.

At the state level, Dennis Maki of the UW Hospital and Clinics is one of 20 members recently named by Gov. Scott McCallum to a Wisconsin task force on terrorism preparedness.

UW System Receives Record Amount of Gifts, Grants, Contracts

The UW System received $867.4 million in gifts, grants and contracts during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001. That was a $99.3 million increase, or 29.3 percent, over 1999-00.

Of last year's total, $540 million (62.3 percent) came from federal government sources and $327.4 million (37.7 percent) from nonfederal sources. UW-Madison generated the largest amount of external income: $693.5 million, or 80 percent of the total. UW-Milwaukee generated $43.6 million, while UW-Extension generated $32 million.

Federal awards were $68.5 million higher than the previous year, while non-federal gifts, grants and contracts grew by $30.9 million. Federal awards for research increased by $57.7 million over the prior year, with UW-Madison accounting for $55 million of that increase.

Deb Durcan, UW System vice president for finance, describes last year as "extremely successful" for the institutions, while noting that most of the increase came at one campus: UW-Madison.

"It's a reminder," says Durcan, "of the economic impact a successful, nationally ranked research university can have, especially in its ability to attract federal grants to a state that would otherwise receive relatively few federal dollars."

Laptops: No Longer an Option at UW-Stout

UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen (left) and Gov. Scott McCallum celebrate the signing of an agreement to provide laptops to all Stout freshmen starting in Fall 2002. UW-Stout/Marty Springer.

UW-Stout is the first campus in the UW System to require laptops for all students, starting in Fall 2002.

A $25 million, seven-year agreement with Compaq Computers will provide the latest enterprise-class notebook computers to every UW-Stout freshman next fall. Students will have wireless access to the Internet and the UW-Stout computer network environment throughout the campus, including classrooms, hallways and some outdoor locations.

UW-Stout launched the pilot portion of its laptop program in Fall 2000.

"I applaud UW-Stout's initiative in implementing this program. Education is the key to a successful future," says Gov. Scott McCallum, who attended a signing ceremony at the Menomonie campus Sept. 24. "With a higher educational workforce, we can continue to attract the type of high-paying jobs we need to build this state, and keep our best and brightest in Wisconsin where they belong."

Online: www.uwstout.edu/

UW Colleges Confer Kaplan Awards

The UW Colleges have announced the winners of the 2000-2001 Arthur M. Kaplan Awards, which honor a retired vice chancellor of the institutions. The awards are conferred on employees who have made "significant and innovative improvement of instruction or of service to students."

The Kaplan Awards are based on campus enrollments at the two-year institutions. At smaller campuses awards may be shared by more than one person. The 2000-2001 winners are:

Regents on the Road The UW System Board of Regents went on the road to hold its October meeting on the campus of UW-Eau Claire. Above, Regent Patrick Boyle and his wife, Mary, visit with UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Donald Mash. Among other things, the board approved an additional 2.5 percent increase in tuition for non-resident undergraduates. The increase was written into law by a veto from Gov. Scott McCallum. The board will hold its next meeting on the road in May 2002 at UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Fox Valley in Menasha. UW System/Kevin Boatright.

UW-Baraboo/Sauk County: Stacey Burkhart, librarian; UW-Barron County: Renee Gralewicz, anthropology/sociology; UW-Fond du Lac: Elizabeth Hayes, biology; John Heil, physics; Michael Jurmu, geography/geology; Carla Wifler, chemistry; UW-Fox Valley: James Brey, geography/geology; David Jordahl, music; Karen Klamczynski, director of the Fox Planetarium; UW-Manitowoc: Catherine Leone, anthropology/sociology; UW-Marathon County: Christine Capista, mathematics; Ann Herda-Rapp, anthropology/sociology; Theo Koupelis, physics; UW-Marinette: David Giebler, music; UW-Marshfield/Wood County: Julie Tharp, English; UW-Richland: David Kopitzke, biological sciences; UW-Rock County: Rose Marie Galindo, Spanish; Linda Reinhardt, psychology; UW-Washington County: Sandi Brunette-Hill, anthropology/sociology; Margaret Hamilton, psychology; UW-Waukesha: Janet Brown, director of the Study Center; Karl Kosler, mathematics; Victoria Paaske, mathematics and Study Center administrator; Alan Parker, biology.

Online: www.uwc.edu/

Regents Honor Former Member Edith Finlayson

Edith Norman Finlayson, champion of social justice and former member of the UW System Board of Regents, died Sept. 19. The Regents adopted a resolution in her honor at their Oct. 5 meeting at UW-Eau Claire.

Finlayson was appointed to the board by former Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus and served from 1980-87. She chaired the board's Education Committee, was instrumental in enhancing UW-Milwaukee's doctoral programs and helped establish the Leon Sullivan Distinguished Professorship at UWM.

Finlayson was also a founding member of the National Organization for Women; served as a board member of AWARE, a Wisconsin African Relief Effort; and was board chairman of the Milwaukee Foundation.

Legislature Approves Additional Funds for Energy Expenses

The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee in September agreed to provide the UW System with $6 million toward an $8.5 million utility cost overrun from the last biennium. The funds will be transferred from unused balances in the Department of Corrections' contract fund account.

The remaining $2.5 million will be paid from the UW System's 2001-03 energy appropriation. The cost overrun resulted from higher-than-expected energy expenses.

UWM Hires Noted American Indian Educator

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu, director of the U.S. Office of Indian Education, has been appointed the first Electa Quinney professor of American Indian Education in UW-Milwaukee's School of Education. He will be a professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Community Studies.

The position, the School of Education's first endowed professorship, is funded through a $1 million gift from the Milwaukee Indian Community School. It honors pioneering educator Electa Quinney, recognized as Wisconsin's first "public school" teacher. She taught American Indian and white children at a tuition-free school, which opened in 1828 at a Presbyterian mission in Kaukauna.

Beaulieu, an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Reservation, has been director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Indian Education since 1997. Previously, Beaulieu served as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, and was the first American Indian to be appointed as a commissioner in state government. He holds a doctorate in education administration from the University of Minnesota and has written extensively about Indian education.

"David Beaulieu has outstanding professional experiences with national and state agencies and educational institutions," says UWM Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. "His extensive knowledge of Indian education and history will be a great resource for our students, faculty and staff, and our many community partners. We are deeply grateful to the Milwaukee Indian Community School for providing resources that allow us to bring Dr. Beaulieu to Wisconsin."

Online: www.uwm.edu/

NIH Provides $17 Million to Speed Protein Research

Shape is key to understanding how proteins make life work. Each gene in every organism contains information to make a specific and often unique protein.

Researchers now want to catalog the three-dimensional structures of those proteins, and a UW-Madison team led by biochemists John Markley and George Phillips has received a four-year, $17 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to accelerate the process and reduce its cost.

Scientists believe the protein information will produce major biological advances and improve understanding of health and disease. Defective proteins are responsible for diseases such as Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, "Mad Cow" and sickle cell anemia. The results could also lead to better medications.

But cataloging protein structures is a daunting task. Scientists estimate there are tens of thousands of proteins in organisms from bacteria to humans. Determining the structure of a single protein may take months or even years at an average cost of $100,000.

Joining Markley and Phillips on the project are Brian Fox, Hazel Holden and Ivan Rayment. All study protein structures at the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Online: www.news.wisc.edu/

Superior's PeopleSoft Effort Gets Noticed

A four-year effort by UW-Superior to replace its legacy computer system with the PeopleSoft student administration system is drawing national attention.

IT Professional magazine featured the PeopleSoft implementation in an article in its July/August 2001 issue. The article was written by Ilya Yakovlev, a programmer/analyst for UW-Superior's Administrative Information Services, and Mark Anderson, the university's chief information officer.

To integrate all student information processing into PeopleSoft, the university developed an implementation plan in 1998 to train staff and phase-in use of the new system in 1999. The first office to use PeopleSoft was admissions, followed by student records. Students began registering in 2000 through a link dubbed "E-Hive," a play on the university's Yellowjacket mascot.

Information technology staff and administrators consider the implementation a success, although they say more student and faculty participation would have helped speed acceptance. Critical success factors included assigning a full-time project manager, setting firm goals, providing adequate staffing, getting strong executive support and making decisions quickly to keep the project on schedule. Off-campus training was important, too.

To further assist the implementation, UW-Superior turned to Yakovlev to develop an interface between PeopleSoft and Darwin, the degree audit report program for the university's legacy computer system. He wrote software that provides a real-time integration of PeopleSoft and Darwin, and other universities are now expressing interest in the interface.

Online: www.uwsuper.edu/

NSF Award Promotes Science Outreach

Lyall Outlines Priorities, Honors Staff UW System President Katharine Lyall used the fifth annual UW System Convocation Sept. 24 to outline her priorities for the year and honor longtime staff. Lyall told employees gathered at the State Historical Society in Madison that the UW System will begin delivering on the Regents' Economic Stimulus Package as part of its continuing commitment to improving Wisconsin's culture and economy. She also gave awards to UW System employees with 25 or more years of continuous service. The full text of Lyall's speech is available on the president's website, which can be accessed through the "Administration" link at www.wisconsin.edu. Photos by Jay Salvo.

To help bridge the gap between research and teaching in science education, the National Science Foundation has awarded its highest honor for excellence in both disciplinary scholarship and undergraduate education to UW-Madison chemistry professor Arthur Ellis.

As one of seven recipients of the first Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars, Ellis will receive $300,000 to help fund projects that enhance the scientific education of undergraduate students and the general public. Ellis' research team is investigating semiconductors and metals at the nanoscale, or the scale of individual atoms.

"My co-workers and I try to take cutting-edge research in materials science and use it to help students appreciate the connections between fundamental concepts and real-world materials and devices," Ellis says.

An example involves light-emitting diodes-tiny chips made of semiconducting materials that can emit different intensities of light when exposed to certain chemicals. With colleagues in chemistry and engineering, Ellis explores how these devices can be used as chemical sensors that detect environmental dangers. The Ellis group is also developing instructional materials both demonstrating and explaining the principles behind LED colors.

Online: www.news.wisc.edu/

Jones, Burmaster on Board

Elizabeth Burmaster

Tommie L. Jones, Jr.

The Wisconsin State Senate has confirmed the appointment of UW-Whitewater student Tommie L. Jones, Jr., to the UW System Board of Regents.

The Senate voted 33-0 on Oct. 16 to confirm Jones, a senior majoring in political science. He was picked in July by Gov. Scott McCallum to succeed outgoing student regent Joe Alexander of UW-Madison.

Joining Jones as one of the newest members of the board is Elizabeth Burmaster. She became a regent in July after being sworn in as Wisconsin's 25th superintendent of public instruction. Burmaster succeeds John Benson, who did not run for re-election. She has taught at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, and from 1992 until her election was principal at Madison West High School.

The State Senate on Oct. 16 also unanimously reappointed Jonathan Barry to the Wisconsin Technical College System Board. Barry is the WTCS board representative to the UW System Board of Regents.

Wing Technology Center renovation complete The $9.9 million renovation of the Wing Technology Center at UW-La Crosse was dedicated Sept. 13. The renovation adds more state-of-the-art information technology equipment to campus and contains about 50 miles of cable. South-facing windows use louvered sunscreens and a new "cool lighting" principle that supplements outside light by indirect lighting fixtures that modulate output depending on the need. UW-La Crosse/Bob Seaquist.