Rick retired from an accomplished career at the UW after 23 years, where he made an impact on every person (and animal) he came in contact with.
Lane, Richard “Rick” “Rich”
Wisconsin State Journal
Author: gbump
2017 recruiting class paved road to 2019 Final Four for Badgers volleyball team
Wisconsin State Journal
It’s taken six years for the Badgers to make a return trip (to the Final Four). They will compete in their third national semifinal Thursday when they face No. 1 seed Baylor at PPG Paints Arena.
Plain Talk: No one knew the UW’s value better than Joel Skornicka — too bad the GOP doesn’t
The Capital Times
Many people who had worked for and with him when he was Madison’s mayor from 1979-83 were there to pay tribute. But just as noticeable was the number of folks there to pay their respects from the University of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin, UW employee pay raises to be approved
Wisconsin State Journal
A 2% pay raise in each of the next two years for University of Wisconsin and state employees were slated to be approved Wednesday by a Republican-controlled committee of legislative leaders.
Rankings attract best researchers — Gregory Moses
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: National rankings for university research expenditures matter a lot. That’s why the Dec. 8 story in the State Journal “UW hopes to reverse research ranking slide” was so disturbing.
The Voter Theft That Wasn’t
Wall Street Journal
Enforcing the state law will merely help ensure that a liberal University of Wisconsin student doesn’t vote in both Madison and Milwaukee—or a Trump supporter in Wisconsin and Iowa.
The Best Comics of 2019
The New York Times
Does the comics legend Lynda Barry’s MAKING COMICS (Drawn & Quarterly, 200 pp., $22.95) belong on a list full of more traditional narratives? The newly minted MacArthur genius teaches “interdisciplinary creativity” at the University of Wisconsin, and this slim volume — mimicking the feel of the composition notebooks that she requires her students to keep — initially appears to be a glorified lesson plan.
Scientists Seeking Cause of Huge Freshwater Mussel Die-Off
Associated Press
Quoted: University of Wisconsin epidemiologist Tony Goldberg is helping with the investigation. He specializes in wildlife diseases of unknown cause — and recently he’s been busy.“ Along with invasive species, we’re seeing invasive pathogens,” Goldberg said. “Often it’s the coup de grace for a species that is holding on by a thread.”
Video: UW unveils new Nielsen tennis facility
Wisconsin State Journal
The University of Wisconsin unveils its new Nielsen tennis facility.
Rainwater in parts of US contain high levels of PFAS chemical, says study
The Guardian
“There were folks not too long ago who felt the atmospheric transport route was not too important,” says Martin Shafer, principal researcher with the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The data belies that statement.”
Malaysian student shares inspiring story to a crowd of 7,000 people at US graduation
Malay Mail
Lisa Nur Marini Mohd Kamal was sharing her story at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) Winter Commencement (convocation day) to a crowd of over 7,000 people, including 1,200 graduates who were joined by family members and friends.
As epilepsy drugs fail nearly one-third of patients, scientists seek root causes of seizures
Science Magazine
Two years later came VonMarkle. “I heard about this woman in the adult neurocritical care unit who was seizing, seizing, and wouldn’t respond,” says David Hsu, a pediatric neurologist at the University of Wisconsin.
Coming up roses: UW launches Rose Bowl website
NBC-15
Badger fans don’t need a ticket to take in the Rose Bowl experience. A new UW-Madison website can take fans to Southern California virtually.
Interactive glass laboratory helps people create ornaments for upcoming holidays
WISC-TV 3
People made their own ornaments Sunday with the help of University of Wisconsin-Madison art students at the sold-out UW Glass Lab.
2019 wettest year recorded for Wisconsin, Midwest
WISC-TV 3
Quoted: The amount of rain and snow so far this year broke the previous record of 40.09 inches set in 1938, according to Steve Vavrus, senior scientist with the Nelson Institute’s Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW police investigating after man found in Vilas Hall with blood on face
WISC-TV 3
The man reportedly told officers he was sleeping when an unknown person approached him and struck him in the face several times.
Madison school board approves buying $4.5 million building for Intensive Intervention Programs
WISC-TV 3
Andrea Ruppar, an assistant professor in special education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, urged board members not approve the purchase, saying the Madison Metropolitan School District has been becoming less inclusive for students with disabilities over the years.
UWPD issues crime warning, continues to investigate Vilas Hall battery
Badger Herald
After checking security cameras and interviewing the alleged victim several times, UWPD said it is still unclear what happened.
Stephen Porter, lawyer active in D.C. civic life, dies at 80
The Washington Post
Stephen William Porter was born Feb. 22, 1939, in Milwaukee, where his father was a buyer for the New York-based Gimbels department store. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1960 and from its law school in 1966. (He worked as an accountant between degrees.)
How Madison, Wisconsin Cultivated a Quietly Booming Startup Scene
Inc.com
For years, the Badger State bemoaned its post-graduation “brain drain” from schools such as University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now, a burgeoning startup scene, plentiful tech jobs, and an abundance of remote work are compelling graduates to stick around and enjoy the city’s vibrant culture and reasonable cost of living.
Words Of Wisdom For UW-Madison’s Class Of 2019
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s winter commencement is this weekend. We talk with the keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal sports columnist and UW alum Jason Gay, about his advice for this year’s class – including why he says it’s “essential to avoid (University of Michigan) Wolverines.”
How to avoid an Election 2020 misinformation nightmare
Quartz
According to a study I published this year from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, these Russian trolls are more coordinated than we thought when the news first broke.
Frail Older Patients Struggle After Even Minor Operations
The New York Times
Quoted: Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a vascular surgeon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies doctor-patient communications, has too often heard patients say they had no choice but surgery, or were blindsided by how debilitated they felt afterward.
Thousands of Thanathorn backers rally against Thai establishment
Al Jazeera
Quoted: “The establishment has gone after Thanathorn with such force because FFP has catalysed a change in how citizens imagine the Thai polity and their role in it,” said Tyrell Haberkorn, associate professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an expert on state violence and dissident politics in Thailand.
Grocery-carrying robots are coming
Associated Press
So far, the best habitat to find Starship’s six-wheelers are confined spaces such as college campuses; the University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Madison rolled them out this fall.
A freshwater mussel apocalypse is underway—and no one knows why.
National Geographic
Quoted: Tony Goldberg, a wildlife disease expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, puts mussels’ importance more bluntly. Without them, he says, “the freshwater ecosystem will change forever.”
40 notable people who attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
A gallery of notable alums.
2019 Is The Wettest Year Ever Recorded For Wisconsin And The Midwest
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin received 41.75 inches of precipitation through last month. The amount of rain and snow so far this year beat out the previous record of 40.09 inches set back in 1938, according to Steve Vavrus, senior scientist with the Nelson Institut’s Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mysterious Denisovans emerged from the shadows in 2019
Science News
Quoted: Discoveries reported in 2019 brought Denisovans into focus — but left plenty of room for interpretation. As fossils accumulate, investigators will grasp how Denisovan anatomy influenced the skeletal makeup of its mating partners in the Homo genus. Thanks to Denisovan discoveries, “we can now see that hybridization contributed to our own origins,” says paleoanthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Wisconsin lawmakers continue heated debate on campus free speech bill
The Capital Times
Seven speakers testified Thursday at a public hearing on a Wisconsin Assembly bill that more strictly defines and sets mandatory punishments for free speech disruptions on the state’s college campuses.
Business school can do more on climate — Mark Starik
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: As a UW-Madison double alumnus, I was pleased to join a couple of hundred UW climate activists rallying to urge the university and its stakeholders to better address our local and global climate crises with significant and immediate action to lower carbon emissions.
2 kids, 2 jobs, a deployment to Afghanistan. That didn’t keep her from a UW-Madison degree
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison nursing student Cassie Dietrick graduates Sunday, and she cannot pinpoint the School of Nursing building on campus.
Blumer, Diane K.
Wisconsin State Journal
Diane had worked at WPS and then later the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and the UW Department of Psychology.
Vulgar chant insults UW football team — Richard Riley
Wisconsin State Journal
I found out from a Wisconsin fan that this cheer is done at all the team’s home games, and it seems to be acceptable to the university. If this is the case, I find it hard to understand why the university would allow this.
Curtain call: Seniors on Badgers volleyball team enjoy special moment in front of home crowd
Wisconsin State Journal
As coach Kelly Sheffield pushed his five seniors toward center court for a curtain call after the University of Wisconsin volleyball team’s victory over Nebraska in the NCAA regional final Saturday, M.E. Dodge had a flashback to a similar scene during her freshman season.
Student speaker spins songs from Hamilton at UW-Madison’s 2019 winter commencement
Wisconsin State Journal
Raise a glass to freedom. Raise a glass to all of us. Telling the story of today. Those slightly modified lyrics to “The Story of Tonight” from the musical “Hamilton” kicked off Lisa Kamal’s speech to her fellow graduates and a crowd of more than 7,000 people Sunday at the Kohl Center for UW-Madison’s 2019 winter commencement ceremony.
Malaysian student shares story at UW-Madison Winter Commencement
NBC-15
Lisa Kamal shared the story of how she got to UW-Madison in front of her classmates, as the chosen student speaker at the commencement ceremony.”I came here on a scholarship, a long way from my home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,” Kamal told her peers.
Graduates fill Kohl Center for winter Commencement
WKOW-TV 27
Student speaker Lisa Kamal shared her story, of how she get a full-ride scholarship from the Malaysian government.”I think in college, truthfully there’s going to be a lot of times where you get bummed down, things get really hard. You just have to keep going. Take it one day at a time, and you’ll get to the end,” Kamal said.
Nearly 1,800 students graduate at UW-Madison winter commencement
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin-Madison conferred 1,770 degrees Sunday to undergraduate, graduate and professional school students at the winter commencement in the Kohl Center.
UW-Whitewater Veteran Services Coordinator Placed On Leave; Alleges Racism, Retaliation
Madison365
The Coordinator of Student-Veteran and Military Services at UW-Whitewater has been placed on administrative leave following an altercation with a student, but the coordinator says the allegations against him are false and part of a pattern of racist and hostile behavior by students and staff.
Sports columnist Jason Gay urges 2019 graduates to embrace life’s chaos
Badger Herald
The keynote speaker Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal sports columnist and University of Wisconsin alum, began his speech by taking a selfie with the graduates.
Updated renderings and timeline released for Camp Randall Project
NBC-15
The project calls for loge boxes, club seats, access to indoor hospitality and outdoor terraces. There are plans for climate-controlled amenities, and there will be premium food and beverage offerings.
UW athletics expects to sell out rose bowl tickets
NBC-15
The Rose Bowl has allocated the University of Wisconsin Athletics Department with 22,000 tickets and employees say they’ve already sold 17,000.
Protecting ourselves from worst of winter with ‘hygge’
WISC-TV 3
Quoted: Kathy Farid, a Danish native, has lived in Madison for the last 20 years, working as a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Scandinavian studies department.
UW-Madison invites dogs to campus to help alleviate student stress during finals
WISC-TV 3
Dogs on Call brings in dogs of all shapes and sizes. Its UW-Madison coordinator, Todd Trampe, said Dogs on Call was first invited to the university six years ago, after research showed that dogs can help a student’s academic performance.
Wisconsin Badgers center Tyler Biadasz wins Rimington Trophy
Wisconsin State Journal
It didn’t seem plausible that there was an award for an offensive line position that a University of Wisconsin football player hadn’t won yet.
Wisconsin Badgers tailback Jonathan Taylor wins Doak Walker Award
Wisconsin State Journal
Jonathan Taylor added another piece to his already stunning college football resume on Thursday.
Elgin fires back: UW-L art professor was ‘cancelled’ after sexual misconduct complaint, attorney says
La Crosse Tribune
An attorney representing Joel Elgin, the former UW-La Crosse art professor accused of sexually assaulting a student, says he was ousted by that student and “her minions” despite “glowing reviews from his art students.”
Jason Joyce: UW volleyball is killing it
The Capital Times
Coming off decisive victories over Illinois State and UCLA in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament last weekend, Wisconsin, the fourth seed, faces 13th seeded Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Friday. The winner of that match will face, on Saturday, the winner of the 3:30 p.m. Nebraska/Hawai’i tilt for a trip to the Final Four next week in Pittsburgh.
UW hero Becky Blank risks all with cheese wager
Badger Herald
Hopefully, the Wisconsin football team will make “gouda” on Blank’s wager.
Ramer, Sandy
Wisconsin State Journal
She worked for the UW-Madison Sociology Department for over 20 years and was proud of her work supporting graduate students.
UW’s Zack Baun, Tyler Biadasz, Jonathan Taylor earn AP All-Big Ten first-team honors
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin senior Zack Baun and juniors Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Biadasz were named first-team All-Big Ten selections by the Associated Press. Senior linebacker Chris Orr was a second-team selection.
Updated renderings show latest concepts for Camp Randall Stadium renovation
Wisconsin State Journal
The University of Wisconsin is getting closer to a design for upcoming renovations to Camp Randall Stadium.
Barry Orton: Save us, Jim Sensenbrenner
The Capital Times
As impeachment hearings proceed in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, one key member could upend the fiercely partisan stalemate and fundamentally recenter the rule of law. U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R- Menominee Falls, can save our Constitution.
Badgers’ Jonathan Taylor again named an All-American by Football Writers Association of America
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin junior running back Jonathan Taylor was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America for the second year in a row on Tuesday.
UW-Madison academic staff pass resolution opposing UW presidential search committee
The Capital Times
Staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison passed a resolution Monday objecting to the composition of the UW System president search and screen committee.
NCAA volleyball: Open practices for Badgers, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Hawaii set for Thursday
Wisconsin State Journal
All four teams participating in the NCAA Madison volleyball regional will have an open practice Thursday at the UW Field House.
Badgers assistants Alando Tucker, Joe Krabbenhoft take teaching to next level as members of scout team
Wisconsin State Journal
It’s all worth it to Krabbenhoft and Tucker, who seem to thoroughly enjoy their time on the scout team that goes against UW’s rotation players in practice. Not only does it help fill a competitive void for two of the more cutthroat players in program history, Krabbenhoft and Tucker see it as a great, on-court teaching mechanism as they try to get the Badgers ready for the next game.
Pay raises for Wisconsin state workers up for approval next week
Wisconsin State Journal
The panel of legislative leaders is scheduled to meet Dec. 18 to act on the pay plans, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ office said Tuesday.
Age discrimination lawsuit against UW System moves forward
Wisconsin State Journal
One job candidate was 53 with nearly three decades of marketing and communications experience with the University of Wisconsin System. Another was a 23-year-old college student with less than a year of experience and weeks to go before earning her degree.