UW-Eau Claire shows significant "brain gain" among graduates

While many Wisconsin communities struggle to keep college graduates from moving out-of-state, an increasing number of UW-Eau Claire students are staying to live and work in Wisconsin after graduation, according to a recent alumni study.

Nearly three-quarters of the 1,849 graduates in UW-Eau Claire's class of 2001 are living in the state, the study shows. That's the highest percentage of students ever shown to have stayed within the state in the 13 years of study.

"These numbers support our belief that UW-Eau Claire is playing an increasingly important role in Wisconsin's long-term economic well-being," Chancellor Donald Mash said. "We are instrumental in educating Wisconsin's workforce and community leaders of the future."

Nearly 20 percent of the 2001 graduates have made their homes in the Chippewa Valley cities of Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls and Menomonie, the alumni study showed.

The study shows that the campus Career Services center, which connects area employers to UW-Eau Claire students, can make a real difference, said Career Services director Jeanne Skoug.

Approximately 25 percent of UW-Eau Claire students are Minnesota residents, in part due to a tuition reciprocity agreement between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Many of the 27 percent of UW-Eau Claire alumni who do move out-of-state relocate to the Twin Cities area, Mash said.

Freshmen celebrate success as graduates of PEOPLE program

Among the students in UW-Madison's current freshman class are the first graduates of a successful initiative to change the face of the student body.

Twenty-four of UW-Madison's new freshmen are graduates of the PEOPLE program, a campus partnership with Milwaukee, Racine and Madison public schools that seeks to increase diversity and identify students with strong academic potential. The program was designed in 1999 to serve African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino and disadvantaged students.

More than 200 students currently participate in PEOPLE, or Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence. The program focuses on academic skills, classroom experience, campus orientation and cultural enrichment. High school and middle school students work year-round at home and take part in summer sessions on campus.

"After watching this group work so hard, we're very excited that many will be coming back to Madison," said Paul Barrows, UW-Madison vice chancellor for student affairs. "We're hopeful that they'll be the first of many PEOPLE graduates who go on to become UW-Madison graduates."

Of the first 45 graduates, the 24 accepted to UW-Madison are eligible for a five-year tuition grant. Out-of-state universities recruited many of the other 21 students.

UW Day at the State Fair Howard Spearman, UW-Oshkosh, answers admissions questions at the UW HELP booth during UW Day at the State Fair Aug. 2 in West Alis. More than 10,000 people visited UW exhibits and received information about the UW System. (UW System/Jennifer Moore)

Students make dual connections to UW-Madison and UW Colleges

More than 60 students who made their college debut at UW Colleges this fall are also being treated to a taste of student life at UW-Madison.

The students are part of the first full year of the UW-Madison Connections program, which allows students to continue their undergraduate education at UW-Madison after two years at one of the 13 freshman/sophomore UW Colleges.

Twenty-five students participated in a pilot of the program last year at four UW Colleges.

The 62 students accepted into this year's dual admissions program were invited to participate in UW-Madison orientation sessions and will receive some of the same campus benefits as students who start college at UW-Madison.

"We want these students to realize that they are members of the UW-Madison campus community, just as they are members of their respective UW Colleges campuses," said UW-Madison Connections coordinator Noel Radomski. "That's why we want to involve them in activities on this campus from the beginning of their college careers."

The Connections program was created to help more academically qualified students gain admission to UW-Madison, where student capacity has remained steady over the past 10 years. Applications have risen about 55 percent in that time.

Underkofler Awards Four University of Wisconsin System professors have been awarded the 2002 Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards. The annual awards go to outstanding teachers from UW System campuses within the Alliant service area. The awards were presented during a ceremony in Madison Oct. 17. Pictured (from left) are Barbara Swan, executive vice president and general counsel, Alliant Energy; Underkofler award winners James Ferris, associate faculty associate in communication arts, UW-Madison; Wayne Weber, assistant professor of biology, UW-Platteville; Ronald Wallace, professor of English, UW-Madison; Mark Zidon, professor of agricultural education, UW-Platteville; along with Cora Marrett, UW System senior vice president for academic affairs, who presented the awards to the winners. (Jay Salvo)

UW-Oshkosh to host Badger Girls State

UW-Oshkosh will open its Gruenhagen Conference Center to more than 900 female high school students next summer as the new host of Badger Girls State, an annual eight-day conference about government and citizenship.

UW-Oshkosh's conference center was chosen as the new site after extensive study of several campuses, said Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary President Virgina Kodl.

"We are proud that our campus was chosen from the many that were considered," said Carol Kozlowski, Gruenhagen's university conference coordinator.

UW-Madison previously hosted Badger Girls State for nearly 60 years.

University officials hope Gruenhagen Conference Center can be central to further incorporating the campus into the community. The center hosts more than 800 events and 70,000 guests each year.

The center won a 2002 Oshkosh Cares Award from the Chamber of Commerce for years of housing participants in Special Olympics Wisconsin. The center also provides housing for visitors to the annual Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture.

Convocation UW System President Katharine C. Lyall discusses her priorities for the coming year at the sixth annual convocation in September. She presented the 2002 Eugene Craven Award to Betsy West (right), special assistant in Academic and Student Services. (Jay Salvo)

UW-Stout boots up new class of e-Scholars

The newest generation of UW-Stout students were the first in the state to begin fall classes with a unique orientation—an introduction to laptop learning.

The laptops are at the core of the UW-Stout e-Scholar program, now in its first full year. The program equips every student with a course-compatible laptop computer, giving them instant access to communication and campus resources.

"These students will spend their entire career here linked to their academic programs, their faculty members and each other through digital technology," Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen said.

A campus wireless network enables students to access personal records and campus resources through a customizable Web portal, at escholar.uwstout.edu. Project leader Jeff Ohvall says the portal makes the laptop more effective because it allows better communication with students who've grown up using such technology.

"We wanted to build community and involve students by offering them one place where they can access everything they need," Ohvall said.

The e-Scholar program ensures that students, who are now e-mailing, conducting research and accessing course materials from all over campus, will have critical technology skills when they graduate, organizers say. The laptops also make it possible for students to reach instructors, fellow students and their course work while off campus.

UW-Stout launched e-Scholar following two years of successful pilot programs. Students pay a $36 per-credit user fee for the computers and received three hours of user training. The laptops will be upgraded every two years.

Regents Meet at UW-Whitewater UW System President Katharine C. Lyall speaks with Board of Regents President Guy Gottschalk during the Board's October meeting, held on the UW-Whitewater campus. (UW-Whitewater/Craig Coshun)

UW-Eau Claire researchers use radar to discover ancient gravesite

Harry Jol, UW-Eau Claire associate professor of geography (right), and senior geography major Robert Passow (left) conduct ground-penetrating radar surveys at Qumran, Israel. (UW-Eau Claire/Harry Jol)

Using radar able to locate objects deep underground, a team of UW-Eau Claire researchers has discovered an ancient gravesite in Israel they estimate could be 2,000 years old.

Harry Jol, associate professor of geography, and senior geography major Robert Passow, specialize in using Ground Penetrating Radar, which uses radio waves to locate objects in the ground. While conducting research this summer in Qumran, Israel, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were unearthed in 1947, the radar alerted the team to an underground object.

Jol convinced the team of researchers from Israel, the United States and Canada to excavate the site. Their discovery included a body, bones and a pot dated to the first century. The site was a cemetery that was reserved for persons of high importance, researchers said.

Some experts believe the body could be that of the "Teacher of Righteousness," founder of the ancient Jewish sect, the Essenes; James the Just or John the Baptist. All were from the time period 150 B.C.E. to 68 C.E., researchers said.

Jol and Passow's research indicates that other archeological finds remain buried in the area, and they've spoken with researchers in Israel about future collaborations using GPR.

"Without radar, we wouldn't have found this body," Jol said.

Presidential Visit President George W. Bush and Chancellor Nancy Zimpher enjoy their time together during the president's visit to UW-Milwaukee Aug. 14. During his visit to UWM, the first ever by a sitting president, Bush stressed America's efforts to curb terrorism and strengthen the economy. (UW-Milwaukee/Alan Magayne-Roshak)

UW-Platteville Foundation kicks off mini-campaigns

Fundraising volunteers at UW-Platteville this fall are looking for a strong start to several "mini-campaigns" for campus projects.

The UW-Platteville Foundation successfully raised $8.75 million through a major gifts campaign that ended in December 2001. The mini-campaigns will raise funds for specific campus projects, including a $1.4 million Pioneer Farm Swine Center and a $500,000 horticulture garden.

Other initiatives will seek funding for a $350,000 constructional materials laboratory in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science and $500,000 for the Pioneer Farm.

Patrick Hundley, UW-Platteville Foundation president and assistant chancellor for university advancement, says volunteers with specific interests in each project are heading up the mini-campaigns.

Recent grants among the largest ever awarded to UW-Madison

Youth across the country stand to benefit from the insight of UW-Madison researchers, thanks to two recent grants that are among the largest ever awarded to the university.

The first award, a $55.8 million contract to the UW Medical School, will fund a nationwide study of what experts say is an "asthma epidemic" affecting inner-city youth.

The contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will allow an initiative, called the Inner-City Asthma Consortium, to study the disease at eight sites around the country.

The consortium aims to explain why children who live in inner cities are at higher risk to develop severe asthma than youth who live outside urban areas, according to William W. Busse, director of the UW Medical School Asthma Allergy Clinical Research Center, which is heading up the consortium.

"We hope that this research will get to the root of what is happening to these children by developing a better understanding of the biological and environmental mechanisms underlying development of the disease," Busse said.

The second award, a $35 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, will engage more than 80 faculty and staff members in working to improve how science and math are taught in the nation's schools.

The project is called System- wide Change for All Learners and Educators, or SCALE. Project director Terrance Millar, a UW- Madison math professor and Graduate School associate dean, said the initiative will draw upon the expertise of scientists, mathematicians, education researchers and teachers to improve math and science education in the United States.

"Children in the U.S. today are not receiving the rigorous science and math education they need to become scientifically and mathematically literate adults," Millar says.

UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley said the award allows Wisconsin to continue its leading role in national reform of math and science education.

UW-Oshkosh wins grant to expand program helping students kick the habit

A $550,000 grant from the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board will allow UW-Oshkosh to expand an anti-smoking program that's credited with a 34 percent decline in smokers on campus last year.

UW-Oshkosh will use the grant to expand a unique "social-norm" marketing program to other Wisconsin campuses that want to reduce tobacco use among 18-24 year olds, officials said.

"We are excited to get this chance to work with other campuses in the state and test our approach in different settings," said Joe Abhold, director of the UW-Oshkosh Counseling Center.

After finding that 96 percent of student smokers at UW-Oshkosh wanted to quit before graduation, experts creating the campaign used surveys, focus groups and one-to-one interviews to grasp student attitudes and behaviors.

The program will expand to UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, UW-Stevens Point and Marian College of Fond du Lac, as experts work to understand how to provide the most successful tobacco-control efforts for youth.

UW-Whitewater wIns record amount in external grants

UW-Whitewater brought in a record $6.7 million in external grants through active pursuit of awards from federal, state and private foundation sources in the 2002 fiscal year, university officials said.

Interim Provost Richard Telfer said the campus has been aggressive about applying for funds in order to maintain excellence. The funds don't replace state support, he said, but rather supplement the campus's budget.

One of the largest awards, a $3 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, was awarded to the Colleges of Education and Letters and Sciences for English-as-a-Second-Language programs. The campus also won awards to support research, professional development, curriculum reform, technology, graduate training and community service.

A large database and grant-writing workshops at UW-Whitewater's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs have been instrumental in helping faculty and staff attract external funding, officials said.

State Building Commission approves UW-Superior Aquaculture Center

Construction of a $3 million Aquaculture Demonstration Facility at UW-Superior is scheduled to begin next spring, following the State Building Commission's approval of the project in October.

UW-Superior will operate the facility, which will be constructed on land near Bayfield owned by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The center is a cooperative effort among the UW System, the Red Cliff Band and the Wisconsin aquaculture industry.

"The facility will showcase for the state best practices in the aquaculture industry, and serve as a meeting and learning ground for all interested parties," said UW-Superior Provost David Prior.

Plans for the 40-acre site include a building for a hatchery, research facilities, classrooms and meeting rooms, a resource center and external water and well capabilities.

The facility's operations will be funded by state Native American Gaming Funds totaling approximately $1 million per year.

Students agree to pay for new UW-Whitewater advising center

Freshmen and 'undecided' students are among the first to benefit from a student-funded advising center launched this fall at UW-Whitewater.

The advisers at the Academic Advising and Exploration Center are working to increase student retention from the first year to the second, as well as through graduation, by guiding students as they choose classes and careers, Chancellor Jack Miller said.

"These have been areas which require great improvement on our campus and I appreciate the students' willingness to step forward," Miller said.

The student body agreed to pay about $800,000 in increased tuition per year to fund the center, which includes six advising staff positions.

"Greater advising support has been the number one student request for years," said Theresa Ehle, president of the Whitewater Student Government.

In addition to course selection, the center's advisers coordinate first-year programs in residence life, student leadership and health and counseling.

A long-time member of the faculty and the intercollegiate athletic program, Bruce Bukowski, is heading up the center. The new advisers offer students and faculty a "win-win" situation, he said. The center will be fully operational by next fall.