The photograph on the front page of Friday?s paper was apparently intended to justify UW-Madison?s announcement that it intends to spend $3 million to remodel its Dairy Cattle Center. The photo ought to have prompted the editors to ask why the university has been keeping cows in such deplorable conditions. Where is the oversight?
When Dr. Frank Greer visited the hospital room of brand-new mother Amy Hurt last month, he came bearing an unusual baby gift: Two boxes of slides from a surgery 27 years earlier that made Wisconsin history. The June 1984 operation separated the newborn Amy from her conjoined twin sister only days after their birth. It was complex, closely documented, and celebrated in local news headlines.
UW-Madison?s School of Education is phasing out many of its popular one-credit physical education classes and suspending a master?s program for those who want to become school counselors in an effort to deal with state budget cuts. “There is this perception that the state can continue to make cuts and everything at the university will run just exactly like it was,” says UW-Madison Professor Bruce Wampold, who recently concluded his term as chair of the counseling psychology department, which houses the master?s program that?s being cut. “Well, it doesn?t work that way.”
On the heels of a record-setting season at the University of Wisconsin, Russell Wilson has chosen football over baseball as his career focus, according to Pete Thamel of the New York Times. Wilson, a fourth-round draft choice of the Colorado Rockies in 2010, has informed the team that he will concentrate on improving his stock for the NFL draft instead of reporting to spring training.
A new company will run the state of Wisconsin?s two college savings programs, starting late this year. The state will put out a request for bids in the next few weeks for a firm to handle the EdVest and Tomorrow?s Scholar programs.
As the only proven scorer returning to the University of Wisconsin women?s basketball team this season, Taylor Wurtz figured to attract a lot of attention from opposing defenses. Indeed, UW coach Bobbie Kelsey would be surprised if any team focused on anyone else. “She?s proven that she can score and other people haven?t,” Kelsey said.
Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is calling on UW-Madison to make public the nature of the misconduct allegation against John Chadima, who resigned as senior associate athletic director Friday.UW-Madison officials have not released information about the allegation, citing the fact that it is still under review by an independent, four-person panel.
Madison doctor Bernie Micke has allegedly retired after practicing medicine here for 33 years, but he continues to pursue a passion that?s been with him for years ? improving the medical services in Madison?s sister city, Camaguey, Cuba. Over the years, he and the Wisconsin Medical Project, a nonprofit organization whose origins began with the Sister Cities program, have made 30 trips to Cuba, bringing with them medical equipment and supplies for doctors and nurses who do everything from basic pediatric care to treating people suffering from cancer and other major illnesses.
Interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward is defending the university?s silence about an investigation involving a former top athletic official accused of misconduct. In a statement Wednesday, Ward said he understands the public has questions about what led to the investigation of John Chadima, who resigned as senior associate athletic director Friday, but he asked for patience as an independent panel reviews the matter. But not disclosing the nature of the allegations against Chadima allows for speculation, observers said.
UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward issued a statement Wednesday afternoon regarding John Chadima, the senior associate athletic director who resigned late last week after allegations of misconduct were brought forward. Although the statement is relatively lengthy, it divulges no new information on the case.
MADISON, Wis. — A state lawmaker is taking issue with the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s investigation into allegations of misconduct against the school?s former associate athletic director. The office of State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, released a statement on Wednesday that called on interim UW Chancellor David Ward “to make immediate changes to the inquiry” of senior associate athletic director John Chadima, who resigned last Friday after the allegations surfaced.
The area around Orchard Street and Capitol Court in downtown Madison was closed to the public Tuesday as authorities investigated a suspicious package. A University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department security officer found the suspicious package at about 11:45 a.m. between the Islamic Center of Madison and the Wisconsin Primate Center at 1223 Capitol Court. Additional resources we called in to check the item, including the UWPD explosive detection K-9s.
Penn State University President Rodney Erickson will face a crowd of alumni Wednesday in Pittsburgh, some of whom aren?t happy about the way the school handled the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. It?s the first of three town hall meetings scheduled this week, two months into Erickson?s tenure as president.
During the 14 years of the Bowl Championship Series, no league has benefited more from the most flawed, detested postseason system in major American sports than the Southeastern Conference. So how ironic is it that the SEC’s domination of the BCS will be the mechanism that finally brings it down, at least in its current form?….The only possible conclusion one can draw from all this is that college football fans are tiring of a bowl system that gives them unsatisfying championship games, prevents deserving teams from having a chance at the title and renders all other bowls virtually meaningless. The greed-driven BCS system may have perpetuated the best regular season in sports ? and I’m not even sure about that anymore ? but there is no doubt it has drained college football’s postseason of any drama it once had.
Richland Center defensive lineman Logan Schmidt has a special insight into the University of Wisconsin football team?s successful walk-on program. Fullback Bradie Ewing, who just finished his senior season, is one of those success stories. Not only is Ewing from Richland Center, but his dad and Schmidt?s dad were classmates.
A suspicious item found Tuesday between the Wisconsin Primate Center and the Islamic Center of Madison caused authorities to evacuate both buildings and close campus streets for about 2½ hours while the Dane County bomb squad dealt with the item, UW-Madison police said. UW-Madison Police Sgt. Aaron Chapin said the bomb squad “disrupted the package,” but it was still not clear whether it had posed a threat. Chapin declined to describe the package and said officials were continuing to investigate what it was and where it came from.
….the recent college conference realignments don?t seem so well-intended. The NCAA has become a campus meat market at bar time, with everyone hooking up out of desperation. “You say you need a 12th school so you can establish a conference championship football game and secure a 10-year TV deal with ESPN? Here?s the key to my apartment, big boy.” As always, money and college athletics make strange bedfellows. This is why San Diego State is sleeping with Rutgers. And it?s why our kids will have to learn geography someplace other than universities.
The tipoff time for Sunday?s UW-Nebraska men?s basketball game at the Kohl Center will remain 5 p.m., despite efforts to change it to accommodate fans who want to watch the Green Bay Packers.
Dear Editor: Two articles in the Jan. 4-10 Cap Times were noteworthy because of the similar topic of their omissions. The first, ?A brighter year ahead,? looked back on UW-Madison?s past year but made no mention of the university?s successful lobbying of lawmakers to exempt its staff from Wisconsin?s crimes against animals statutes. The second article, a retrospective look at the retiring UW-Madison library director?s tenure, made no mention of the library?s role in or silence about the 2005 shredding of a cataloged 628-piece collection of 15 years of video records from the UW Primate Center, after it refused to provide a copy of one record that was requested as part of a public records request.
With seven biosafety hoods, plenty of space and a big screen to project images from microscopes, a new stem cell classroom at Madison Area Technical College is a major advance from the cramped quarters where students previously learned how to grow the cells. The expanded space, dedicated Tuesday, means up to 24 students can be trained each semester, up from eight before. The added capacity could supply more workers for the burgeoning stem cell industry in Madison and around the country.
Skylar Stecker, age 9, had arrived. Actually, she?d been arriving on stages across Wisconsin since surprising her mom and dad with an unexpected singing talent in spring 2011. Neither Aaron nor Kara Stecker are gifted singers, though there?s plenty of talent to go around in the family. Aaron, an Ashwaubenon native, and Kara, who is from Janesville, met on the UW-Madison campus and dated through college.
Most students, parents and leaders of higher education still view a college degree as a ticket to a brighter future. But as the economy continues to struggle picking up steam and as costs associated with higher education continue to soar, more and more people are starting to question whether it?s worth it. The answer? According to a new report out of Georgetown University?s Center on Education and the Workforce, it depends on your major.
….Steve Schroeder — the director of UW-Madison’s Business Career Center — isn’t sold on the notion that what one majors in is as important as some other factors. “We have seen a trend in the past decade with many employers caring less about the major and more about the leadership involvement and personal attributes of the candidates,” he says. John Archambault, an assistant dean for student development in UW-Madison’s College of Engineering, adds in an email: “I think students should study what they love — because they will do better academically.
In a generous gift, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alumni Quint and Rishy Studer have donated $1 million for scholarships for Janesville high school students who attend UW-Whitewater. The newly established Janesville Promise Fund will award $50,000 annually to graduates of Craig and Parker high schools.
A lifelong con man imprisoned in Wisconsin is accused of starting a fake university from prison. The state Department of Justice charged 45-year-old Kenneth Shong with felony fraudulent writings in Winnebago County. According to the complaint, Shong was at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in 2006 when he encouraged another inmate to enroll in “Carlingford University,” saying it granted degrees.
Kai Hirata?s parents feed him healthy foods. When cold and flu season hits, they increase his vitamin C. But they haven?t given the 7-year-old any vaccines. Diseases such as measles, which sprang up around the country last year, including in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, don?t worry them.
“As more people get waivers, our herd immunity goes down to the point where the entire community is at risk,” said Dr. James Conway, a UW Health pediatric infectious diseases specialist who is on the board of the Dane County Immunization Coalition.
ATLANTA (WKOW) — A new government report shows college-age binge drinkers average nine drinks each time they get drunk. Binge drinking is when someone consumes four or five alcoholic beverages on one occasion.
MADISON, Wis.– Wisconsin has fallen out of The Associated Press? college basketball poll after its third straight loss. Wisconsin, ranked as high as No. 9, fell out of the rankings from 18th after losing 59-41 to Michigan on Sunday.
MADISON, Wis.– A CBS News eight-month investigation found a University of Wisconsin-educated doctor promised cures that science could not provide. Dr. Dan Ecklund received his medical degree from UW in 1987, but his medical license was revoked in 2005, according to state records in Alabama. On Sunday night, “60 Minutes” accused Ecklund of peddling fake stem cell therapies to a family whose son has cerebral palsy, a disease with no known cure. With so much research done on potential therapies and stem cells in Madison, local scientists are quick to distance themselves from Ecklund. Still, Dr. David Gamm, an ophthalmologist and stem cell researcher at UW, said similar attempts at fraud are all too common.
Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday he is creating a new council to help better prepare students for college and careers. The move comes after Walker and the Legislature last year cut $71 million over two years from funding for Wisconsin?s technical colleges, whose primary mission is to train students for available jobs. Democrats and others criticized that cut and a $250 million reduction in funding for the University of Wisconsin System as harmful to worker training efforts.
The life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King will be front and center this weekend and on his official holiday on Monday as a variety of events are scheduled throughout Madison. The events kick off Friday with a free community dinner at UW-Madison and culminate Monday night with the annual King observance at the Overture Center.
Zach Azzanni, who has ties to Florida and new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, is a candidate to be the wide receivers coach for the University of Wisconsin. Azzanni is currently the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Western Kentucky. A source who has talked to Azzanni said nothing has been offered at this point, but it appears to be “heading in that direction,” pending approval by whoever becomes the new UW offensive coordinator.
A 19-year-old UW-Madison student locked himself in his bedroom while calling 911, helping police arrest a man allegedly burglarizing an apartment next door. Michael Clausen, 33, of Middleton, was tentatively charged with burglary and a parole violation after his arrest Saturday morning at an apartment building on South Bassett Street, according to a news release from Madison police.
Retired Dane County Circuit Judge Patrick Fiedler will head a four-person team that will independently review an incident that led John Chadima, a senior associate athletic director at UW-Madison, to resign late last week. UW-Madison Interim Chancellor David Ward made the members of the review team public in a university news release Monday night. The other members of the review body previously worked at UW-Madison and are now retired.
MADISON – Sharon Lynn Drugan, age 52, of Madison, passed away Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, after a long, courageous, hard-fought and stoic battle with cancer. She worked a series of library jobs at UW-Madison libraries, the longest and most recent being at College Library. Sharon was very dedicated to this job, continuing to work as much as she could even while seriously ill.
MADISON – Beverly Ann Woolhiser Steinhoff passed away Sunday morning, Jan. 8, 2012 at the Agrace Hospice after a long battle with heart problems. She worked as an instructor in the School of Nursing, teaching both undergrad and graduate level courses. Bev was active in the UW-Madison School of Nursing Alumni Association, serving as chairperson for a number of years. One of the most significant achievements was to challenge the class of 1953 to pledge over $25,000 to the new School of Nursing building program. Subsequent classes have tried to better this unbelievable amount. Bev was awarded Nursing Alumni of the year for this achievement.
UW-Madison interim chancellor David Ward has appointed a four-person panel to independently review an allegation of misconduct made against a University of Wisconsin Athletic Department administrator.Retired Dane County Circuit Patrick Fiedler will lead the group, which will look into the case against former UW senior associate athletic director John Chadima.
While State Journal columnist Chris Rickert made interesting points in his piece on the $23.5 million federal disease prevention grant UW-Madison is applying for, I take exception to his claim that fixing health insurance is a more cost-effective way to prevent disease than “disease prevention.”
This story appeared first in the Sunday edition of the Wisconsin State Journal. UW System President Kevin Reilly said the state?s universities may need to cap enrollment if budget cuts continue, possibly jeopardizing a long-term plan to increase the number of UW graduates 30 percent by 2025.
“We don?t want to send a signal we?re going to do that and push students away from considering the university,” Reilly said. “On the other hand, if we feel we have to do that at some point to maintain the quality in the System, then I think we have to consider it.”
Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday he is creating a new council to help better prepare students for college and careers. The move comes after Walker and the Legislature last year cut $71 million over two years from funding for Wisconsin?s technical colleges, whose primary mission is to train students for available jobs. Democrats and others criticized that cut and a $250 million reduction in funding for the University of Wisconsin System as harmful to worker training efforts.
MADISON (WKOW) — The Wisconsin Department of Tourism was looking for a fun way to promote the state. So, the state hired David Zucker to direct a new tourism commercial that will start airing Wednesday in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago and the Twin Cities.
MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison officials might have launched an investigation into what prompted the resignation of a top aide to athletic director Barry Alvarez last week. While questions continue to swirl after former Alvarez deputy John Chadima submitted his resignation on Friday after finding out he was facing allegations of misconduct, UW officials aren?t answering many questions. UW spokesman Vince Sweeney has said that police aren?t involved.
WATERTOWN – Gerald Maurice “Maury” Kieffer, age 79, of Watertown, passed away on Jan. 5, 2012, at Angel?s Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, surrounded by his loving family. He was a member of UW Alumni Association and WALSAA, the Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Science Alumni Association.
Scientists could better understand how solar flares disrupt cellphone calls, wipe out power grids and knock out satellites, thanks to an aluminum sphere at UW-Madison that resembles the Death Star from “Star Wars.” The 11,000-pound hollow vessel, built to stir gas at 500,000 degrees Fahrenheit and replicate the process that creates the sun?s magnetic field, was installed this week in Sterling Hall.
The stadium was alive with Badger fans. With an 80 degree temperature at kickoff, one could not have asked for more (well, maybe). After the game we roamed the parking lot singing “On Wisconsin” and “Varsity.” As we approached our car, an Oregon fan said: “You Wisconsin fans have a lot of class. You should be proud of your team and especially the Badger fans that made a great showing today.” I am not a UW-Madison alum, but it didn?t matter. I accepted the compliment for all Badgers and could not have been prouder.
Madison Area Technical College students can take Air Force ROTC courses at UW-Madison under an agreement signed Friday by campus officials. Previously, MATC students had to transfer to UW-Madison before they could enroll in Air Force ROTC. That made it difficult for them to complete officer training, which takes three years.
While UW-Madison has moped parking rules in place including a parking program requiring moped owners to purchase annual permits and park in designated areas, there are virtually no laws regarding off-campus moped parking, according to Mayor Paul Soglin. A committee will be in charge of recommending a system to manage moped parking while considering the moped use of university students, the campus parking rules, the limited availability of bike racks, the possibility of moped parking on city ramps, space and sign requirements for moped-restricted areas and the accessibility of sidewalks for citizens with disabilities.
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Edwin Young and professor James Crow died a few days apart this week. For those of us who grew up in a post-World War II neighborhood on the West Side near Hoyt Park, when Sunset Point looked out at farms, they were the last of our fathers. We have been reminiscing via the Internet. Growing up, we all knew the UW faculty was working hard to revive and make this a great university. We all salute the contributions of these two great men.
John Chadima, a top lieutenant to University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, has resigned amid an allegation of misconduct. The alleged incident took place while the UW football team was in Los Angeles to play in the Rose Bowl, say two sources close to the football program. One source asked to remain anonymous because of his relationship to Chadima and the other asked to remain unidentified for job reasons.
MADISON – Edwin Young died Jan. 2, 2012, in Madison, Wis., at the age of 94. He had a long and distinguished career at the University of Wisconsin as a student, then a professor of economics, and administrator from 1945 until he retired in 1987. He served at many levels of administration, culminating with his terms as Chancellor of UW-Madison and UW President. A celebration of Edwin Young’s life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Free Rural Eye Clinic care of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Economics care of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and to the University of Maine.
Eric John Norman, age 69, of Madison, passed quietly from this life at Agrace HospiceCare on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Eric worked at UW?s Academic Computing Center (later Division of Information Technology) for more than 41 years until his retirement in 2008. During those years Eric made significant contributions to academic computing. His expertise was pivotal in the development of the first e-mail system for students and faculty, long before the days of the internet made e-mail commonplace. In the years directly preceding his retirement, Eric became a recognized expert in the emerging fields of digital security and data encryption at UW-Madison and peer institutions across the country.
A memorial service for Mollie E. Buckley will be held from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, on the WISCONSIN UNION THEATER STAGE in the MEMORIAL UNION on UW-Madison campus.
An elite group of up-and-coming biotech companies from around the country – as well as a number of the nation?s biggest, most successful health-related firms – will be making presentations this week to the investment community at the 30th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Monday through Thursday. Cellular Dynamics International, the Madison company founded by UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson, will be among them. It will be the second year that CDI has been invited to participate in the event, considered the biggest and most prestigious in life sciences in the U.S., said CDI chief executive Robert Palay.
A man once hailed as the greatest comedy filmmaker in the world, who gave away almost everything to search his soul, now wants to make a movie about a man who stopped speaking and riding in cars for 17 years. One of them is in Madison, carrying a film script in his backpack. I bought him a cup of coffee last week.
“He asked who I wanted to play me in the movie,” John Francis said. Francis, 65, is an associate visiting professor at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and one of the more intriguing characters ever to land on the UW-Madison campus.
When students are asked to rate various aspects of UW-Madison, its academic and career advising services consistently rank as a problem area. “It?s typical across the country that students will rate advising lower than other things,” says UW-Madison?s Wren Singer. “So we?re not alone in that but the university is committed to addressing this issue.”
This group wants to surprise you. With music. In unexpected places. At unexpected times. Since its debut in 2010, New Muse ? short for “New Music Everywhere” ? has brought contemporary classical music to the Dane County Farmers? Market in the guise of a “flash mob,” performed within an exhibit at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and carried its music stands into a nightclub to put on a vaudeville show.
….Of the nine core musicians in New Muse, about half are professionals and the rest are high-level UW-Madison music students, a mix designed to give students the chance to work with pros. New Muse also taps the talents of the UW-Madison dance and theater departments to include spoken word and movement in its shows, an attempt to make “new” music more accessible to audiences who might be a little squeamish about giving it a try.
Q. I notice fewer Asian lady beetles during the warmer months. Is it typical for a population of exotic insects to explode and then decline?
A. It often is, says Phil Pellitteri, distinguished faculty associate in the entomology department at UW-Madison. “The Asian lady beetle fell off the face of the Earth this year, and we have been seeing a decline for four or five years,” Pellitteri said. “I?ve gone to places where I used to see a tremendous number, and they are few and far between.”
A. A wind gust is a sudden, brief increase in the speed of the wind followed by a lull. According to National Weather Service observing practice, gusts are reported when the peak wind speed reaches at least 18 mph and the variation in wind speed between the peaks and lulls is at least about 10 mph.
Helmets raised to Badgers football player Montee Ball for not bailing on his senior year at UW-Madison. This was certainly some much-needed favorable news to come out of Monroe Street in recent days.
University of Wisconsin junior center Peter Konz will not return next season and is entering the NFL draft, according to a source. The source said Konz “was rated very high” by the NFL?s College Advisory Committee. Konz, an All-American from Neenah, started 11 games for the Badgers.
Madison Area Technical College students can take Air Force ROTC courses at UW-Madison under a new agreement signed today by campus officials. Previously, MATC students had to transfer to UW-Madison before they could enroll in Air Force ROTC. That made it difficult for them to complete officer training, which takes a full three years.
