Moving away from home for the first time and starting college can be difficult for many young adults. It?s not always an easy time for parents, either. On Thursday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Parent Program is hosting a live web chat designed for parents of first-year students.
The Spring Harbor Neighborhood Association is telling the developer of University Crossing, the proposed $100 million mixed-use redevelopment of 14 acres at University Avenue and Whitney Way, that it can?t back the project until it gets more information and time to review it. Specifically, the neighbors want information on traffic projections and storm water management plans, a commitment on monitoring of contaminants during construction and clarification on options for tax increment financing.
Ahh, August. The month that brings the hustle and bustle of UW-Madison students moving in and out of their Downtown apartments. And with it, comes the garbage. This year, there will be a few locations for people to donate unwanted items to community groups during the hectic August shuffle. The idea is minimize the amount of materials going into landfills.
Braveheart?s remarkable recovery will be on display on UW-Madison Day at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis on Wednesday, Aug. 10. In addition, Braveheart, along with UW?s Bucky Badger will lead the daily parade around the fairgrounds that day.
It had been a few weeks since I spent much time thinking about Gov. Scott Walker and Biddy Martin?s attempt to break the University of Wisconsin-Madison away from the UW System. But on Sunday, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a commentary headlined “Why flagship public universities should stay public.”
The opinion piece is penned by Kevin Carey, the policy director of Education Sector, a think tank in Washington. It examines the topic of public flagship institutions looking to garner more autonomy from state oversight, and focuses much of its attention on the debate that took place earlier this year in Wisconsin.
Senior transfer quarterback Russell Wilson has already been dumped in the ice tubs that sit outside the locker room by his new University of Wisconsin teammates. He also took part in an impromptu dance contest with some of the guys. And when UW coach Bret Bielema had Wilson get up at the first meeting and state his name and where he is from ? a ritual normally limited to the freshmen ? there were good-natured catcalls and hooting.
BARABOO, Wis. — A new pilot study in Sauk County will test whether specially-trained paramedics can reduce visits to the local emergency room. The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the Baraboo District Ambulance Service are working with several partners on a study of community paramedics. The idea is to train paramedics to do in-home evaluations of patients that may suffer from asthma, pulmonary disease or other conditions.
While President Obama has been successful in getting women and minorities confirmed to federal judicial posts, as this NPR story shows, two nominees in Wisconsin, a woman and an African-American, are going nowhere. That?s because of a Senate procedure that allows a single senator to thwart judicial nominees that would serve in the senator?s home state.
In this case that senator is Ron Johnson, a Republican businessman who narrowly defeated veteran Democrat Russ Feingold last fall. Johnson has vowed to block the confirmations of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler and UW law professor Victoria Nourse.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it will be celebrating the Year of the Wisconsin Idea over the next 12 months. The Wisconsin Idea is the principle that the university should improve people?s lives beyond the boarders of the classroom. Kicking off the year-long event is UW-Madison Day at the Wisconsin State Fair on Wednesday.
Professor Y. Austin Chang passed away Aug. 2, 2011, at age 78. He was a University of Wisconsin-Madison Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2000, and elected a member of Academia Sinica of Taiwan in 2010.
William Davis, age 81, passed away on Saturday, July 30, at his home in Madison. William was the Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Madison, from 1973 to 1985.
Newell J. Smith, 93, died on Friday, Aug. 5, at HospiceCare. He served as the university’s director of Housing from 1955-83 and was regarded as a national expert on student housing during an era of tumultuous change. Newell J. Smith Hall, which opened in August 2006, was named in his honor.
Donald O.M. Sorensen, age 85, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Aug. 4. He once worked for UW-Madison for 26 years as Planning and Construction Field Engineer.
Richard Lyman Cates Sr. died surrounded by family of natural causes Wednesday morning, Aug 3, 2011, in Madison, finishing his 85-year adventure that began on Nov. 22, 1925, in New York City. He prosecuted corrupt police officers, defended both the University and students during the uprisings of the 60’s. In addition to his practice, he taught law at the University of Wisconsin from 1956 until 1980.
Longtime state Rep. Spencer Black has returned to his roots – in more ways than one. Black, 61, retired in January from the state Assembly after spending 26 years fighting though the maelstrom that is politics in Madison. These days, if Black is not in his garden (his biggest passion), he is teaching an urban and regional planning class at UW-Madison.
With its fiscal agenda mostly complete, members of the state?s Republican leadership now are turning their attention to social issues. On Tuesday, Assembly Republicans introduced a bill backed by an anti-abortion group that would make it illegal to provide or use for experimentation a “fetal body part.” Many fear the legislation would have a “chilling effect” on a range of biomedical research conducted at places such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
…. “I think what’s particularly concerning is the motivation behind this legislation; it’s based on either a lack of understanding or misplaced view of what actually goes into the research that goes on at the university,” says Mark Bugher, the director of University Research Park and a special assistant to new UW-Madison interim chancellor David Ward. “I read the memo from Rep. Jacque and it sounded pretty ominous but not based on any evidence or fact.”
Former University of Wisconsin men?s basketball player Jon Leuer has signed a pro contract with a top-level German team, but will be allowed to return to the NBA if and when the lockout ends, according to multiple reports.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced three finalists for its dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences opening on Wednesday, and none of the candidates currently work at the university.
…. (Peter) Hanson does have strong ties to UW-Madison as he earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in veterinary science from the university. Hanson also has been a member of UW-Madison’s CALS board of visitors for the past three years.
According to this Huffington Post article, a good number of young people, mostly women, are paying for college or paying down student debt by hooking up with “sugar daddies” ? wealthy men who pay for companionship and sex. And according to information provided to the Huffington Post, the University of Wisconsin is among the national leaders in producing “sugar babies” ? young adults willing to provide these services.
Quoted: Janet Hyde, UW-Madison professor of psychology and women’s studied
Edgewood College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison each were named a “Best Midwestern College” by the Princeton Review. However, a whopping 153 institutions in a 12-state region received this “best” recognition.
UW-Madison will provide the seventh most Teach for America participants among similar colleges and universities, according to a UW-Madison news release. The 70 recent graduates from UW-Madison joining Teach for America is up from 56 last year.
The man who was electrocuted while working on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus last week, has been laid to rest. 40-year-old Brad Krause died last Tuesday while working in the Humanities building. Krause had worked as an electrician for the school for seven years. UW officials say he was hardworking and competent. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Ruth Stahmer Hirsch, age 87, went to heaven peacefully Aug. 1, 2011. During her high school years Ruth met the love of her life…Elroy Hirsch. Ruth followed Elroy’s football career from Chicago to Los Angeles to the University of Wisconsin Athletic Director.
Julius Murray Marks, age 96, passed away Saturday, July 30, 2011, at Ingleside Nursing Home in Mount Horeb. Murray had an early career in finance, and concluded his career working in administration for veteran?s affairs for the UW-Madison. He retired in 1980.
A 22-year-old Madison man was beaten Monday night by three men, one of whom the victim had an ongoing dispute over money with, Madison police reported. The trio fled when police arrived, but two suspects were found and arrested. The home invasion happened Monday at 7:20 p.m. at an apartment in the 400 block of West Johnson Street, police said.
Arrested were Peter Lorenz, 22, of Madison, on charges of strangulation-first degree endangerment, substantial battery and burglary, and Ander Saleh, 21, of Madison, on charges of substantial battery and burglary.
Many in the Vilas Park area are mourning the loss of one of the city?s most magnificent oak trees, which they say was butchered by the city this morning even as neighbors were lobbying to save it. City crews lopped off the tree?s last remaining branches around 8 after park officials deemed them to be a hazard.
Late last week, the top of the tree crashed to the ground in the middle of the night, leaving it looking like a headless torso with arms askew. But it was still alive and it was still beautiful, says Bill Barker, a parks commissioner and a geology professor at UW-Madison who happened to be biking past Friday when city crews first tried to cut it down.
Sandwiched between Klinke Cleaners and Check ?n Go in a strip mall in Sun Prairie is one of the biggest financial players in Wisconsin?s historic round of recall elections. But don?t be fooled by the 1223 W. Main St., #304 address. The conservative, pro-business Wisconsin Club for Growth boasts no posh suite, just a simple mailbox at a UPS store. While its office presence may be lacking, its political influence is not.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison professor of political science
A 22-year-old man was kicked and beaten by three men during a home invasion on West Johnson Street Monday night, according to the Madison Police Department. The victim and Peter L. Lorenz, 22, of Madison, were in a dispute over money at about 7:30 on Monday, police said. Both were inside the victim?s apartment, when two other associates of Lorenz burst through the door.
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) — Some students will start owing more on their loans while they?re in school under a last-minute debt ceiling deal to keep the country out of default and reduce deficits by at least $2.1 trillion over a decade.
As part of the savings to trim the deficits, Congress would scrap a special kind of federal loan for graduate students. So-called subsidized student loans don?t charge students any interest on the principal of student loans until six months after students graduated. Congress would also nix a special credit for all students who make 12 months of on-time loan payments.
Chris Chelios and Gary Suter just missed being on the same University of Wisconsin men?s hockey team, but the two record-setting defensemen managed to get a great friendship out of the deal and have had a spectacular time collaborating ever since.
It?s clear that a crucial path to healing historic racial injustices and overcoming current ones is to create more educational opportunities so people of color can compete in employment markets. At a time when radical forces are pushing for less funding for public schools, creative solutions are especially needed now.
So for me, last Friday was a red-letter day. Few events have so clearly showcased creative, responsive government at its best as the luncheon I attended for UW-Madison?s PEOPLE program, which stands for Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence. The program was launched in 1999 with 66 high school students from Milwaukee and has grown to engage over 1,300 students statewide, from second-graders to undergrads.
University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology professor Richard Davidson?s research on how meditation can alter the brain in amazing ways was recently featured in an ABC “Nightline” piece examining the power of meditation. Davidson tells “Nightline” that through meditation, “we can rewire our brains to be happier and nicer.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the process of eliminating most free handicapped parking spaces across campus in a move that?s being criticized by some with mobility disabilities.
“It?s just a shame the university wants to put in another obstacle, in this case a financial one, limiting my ability to have independent access to the campus,” says Monica Kamal, the founder of Madison?s Spinal Cord Injury Group and a volunteer on the UW-Madison campus.
Brad R. Krause, age 40, died on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, from the result of an accident at work. Brad was an accomplished and respected journeyman electrician for more than 20 years. He was an advocate for his union brothers and sisters in Local No.159.
CHICAGO ? As a brash, young head football coach who got his first job with the University of Wisconsin in 2006, Bret Bielema was never reluctant to make his voice heard.
“I probably spoke too much when I was a rookie,” Bielema said with a chuckle on Thursday, during the first day of the Big Ten Conference Football Media Days.
“I?m sure the conference coaches would agree with that.” The difference now, entering his sixth year, is people pay more attention to what Bielema has to say.
CHICAGO ? When Jim Delany started the national discussion on cost-of-attendance scholarships in May, it was perceived as the Big Ten Conference commissioner trying to divert attention from the NCAA-related mess at his premier football school, Ohio State. If the proposal was a smokescreen, however, it hasn?t blown away yet. At separate media days events in the last week, Delany?s counterparts in the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences trumped him by calling for far-reaching changes in the way intercollegiate sports are conducted.
Brad R. Krause, age 40, died on Tuesday, July 26, while working on the UW campus. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, at the Tuschen-Newcomer Funeral Home in Sun Prairie. A visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the funeral home on Monday, Aug. 1. A full obituary will be in Sunday’s paper.
Madison area local businesses and nonprofits have come through once again for the Dane County Boys and Girls Club. Some 24 high school boys and girls have summer job internships where they can explore career paths and gain some valuable on the job work experience to become productive citizens in adulthood.
After returning from a summer break, it?s time to catch up on some higher education-related items …
The dozens of readers who responded to my whimsical ?Good Doug/Bad Doug? column Monday about the Camp Randall Stadium sculpture known as ?Nail?s Tales? should take heart. In the words of one, Carl Strayer of Fort Atkinson, ?Dreams can come true.?
The overwhelming majority of respondents agreed with my contention that after a fair trial ? more than five years ? the Donald Lipski sculpture that resembles nothing so much as a diseased appendage unique to the male anatomy remains so reviled in Madison that it needs to be moved to someplace less prominent.
One combatant was stabbed and several others were battered in bar-time fights at University Avenue and Frances Street early Thursday morning, according to Madison police. A Brooklyn man, 27, was stabbed when he tried to break up a fight at about 2:15 a.m. A hospital visit confirmed the injury, which was described as a flesh wound.Two other men reported being battered trying to break up related disputes.
A professor at UW-Oshkosh has been awarded the 2011 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Prize, in a contest that asks writers to submit the worst possible opening sentence to an imaginary novel.
Madison police are investigating a stabbing and battery that occurred outside Wando?s Bar, 602 University Ave., around bar time Thursday morning.
If Russell Wilson leads the University of Wisconsin to a Big Ten football title, Tom O?Brien pledges to be cheering for his former quarterback all the way, with no regrets about what might have been. At the ACC preseason media gathering Tuesday, the North Carolina State coach was barraged by a series of questions regarding Wilson, who landed in Madison this summer in one of the more unusual developments in recent college football history.
Aaron Olver has been appointed Madison?s new director of economic development by Mayor Paul Soglin.Olver has held the post of interim director for the past five months. Previously he served as Wisconsin?s secretary of Commerce under Gov. Jim Doyle, as well as in other positions within the state Department of Commerce.
The electrician who was shocked Tuesday afternoon while working in the Humanities building on the UW-Madison campus has died, university officials reported Wednesday.A preliminary autopsy showed Brad R. Krause, 40, of Sun Prairie, was electrocuted, the Dane County Medical Examiner?s Office said Wednesday. Additional testing is underway.
Officials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are investigating after an electrician died in an apparent electrocution. The Dane County medical examiner?s office identified the man Wednesday as 40-year-old Brad R. Krause of Sun Prairie. The office says preliminary autopsy results were consistent with a death due to electrocution.
It wasn?t until he interned for the Madison Mallards in 2003 following his junior year at UW-Madison that Caloia decided he wanted to run a baseball team. Despite being just 29 years old, he has been doing that for the past two years as the general manager of the Mallards, a summer college baseball team that competes in the Northwoods League.
The electrician who was shocked Tuesday afternoon while working in the Humanities building on the UW-Madison campus has died, university officials reported Wednesday. His name is being withheld until his family is notified, according to a UW-Madison press release.
MADISON, Wis. — An electrician working at a building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus has died after being shocked Tuesday. UW officials confirmed that medical staff at UW Hospital was unable to revive the man after the incident at the UW Humanities Buildling.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison electrician involved in a suspected electrocution on Tuesday has died, according to authorities. At about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, UW and Madison police officers and the Madison Fire Department responded to a reported electrocution at the Humanities Building in an attic above Mills Concert Hall. The employee was transported to UW Hospital and Clinics but he was not able to be revived. He was pronounced dead at approximately 5:50 p.m. His name is being withheld until the completion of notifications of his family.
David Gilreath probably spoke for the rest of the NFL?s undrafted rookie free agent class Tuesday afternoon when he took some time to reflect on a 24-hour stretch of chaos that followed three months of agonizing uncertainty.
?I?m just relieved,? the former University of Wisconsin wide receiver/returner said after signing with the Indianapolis Colts. ?To finally get a chance to sign somewhere and be somewhere instead of playing the waiting game, it?s definitely a relief right now.? Gilreath wasn?t the only former UW player to find a home Tuesday.
An electrician was shocked Tuesday afternoon while working in the Humanities building on the UW-Madison campus, according to the Madison Fire Department. Firefighters were directed to an area above the concert hall stage in the building at 455 N. Park St. when they arrived shortly after 4:15 p.m. They immediately called the fire department?s Heavy Urban Rescue Team to assist in retrieving the man, who was in an attic area two stories above the stage.
John Drake easily glides the shiny red bike into an open slot at a kiosk near the City-County Building after spending his lunch hour biking around the UW-Madison campus. His cycling jaunts to places like Picnic Point, which he makes a couple times a week if the weather permits, are thanks to B-cycle ? the new bike sharing program.
In 1998 law professors Keith Findley and John Pray founded the Wisconsin Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Since then, with the help of law students, the project has reviewed thousands of cases and helped free 16 people who were imprisoned for crimes they didn?t commit.
Findley, a former public defender, now serves as president of the Innocence Network, which includes 55 innocence projects in the U.S., and 10 others in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
The University of Wisconsin football team was the overwhelming choice to win the Big Ten Conference?s Leaders Division in a media poll released on Monday. But given the media?s track record at picking the conference race, that might not be a good thing for the Badgers.
A professor and orthopedic surgeon from the UW-Madison veterinary school received a prestigious award for lifetime achievement in canine research. Peter Muir was honored with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation/American Kennel Club Career Achievement Award in Canine Research from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Muir is renowned for his research in canine cruciate ligament rupture, which is similar to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in humans. He specializes in orthopedic surgery on small animals.
A UW-Madison professor says that climate changes will likely cause changes in vegetation at one of the country?s most famous parks. Monica Turner, a professor of ecology at UW co-authored a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month on the forecasted affects of wildfires at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Turner has been studying Yellowstone for over 20 years.
Gov. Scott Walker?s top administrator said Monday that Wisconsin is well positioned to continue providing services to residents, even if federal lawmakers fail to increase the U.S. debt ceiling by the Aug. 2 deadline.
….Some have argued that if Congress fails to approve an increase to the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, the government will be forced to stop paying for services. Federal money makes up almost 30 percent of Wisconsin?s $66 billion budget, much of it earmarked for programs such as Medicaid, UW-Madison research grants and student financial aid.
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky, UW-Madison professor of public affairs and applied economics
Norway?s tragedy has struck a chord in Wisconsin, where we have historical, cultural, economic and institutional connections with a nation known for promoting peace and understanding. Our kinship with Norway is rooted in our communities and remains vital today through educational, governmental and other official relationships, as well as individual ties.
For UW-Madison, these ties are institutional and personal, with our students and scholars involved in research and exchange there, and Norwegian scholars and students coming here to study and live.
