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Author: jplucas

Dean Showers: It’s no crime to sell your Rose Bowl tickets

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Wisconsin State Journal

Oh the fun, and the self-righteousness, of being a university student! The Badger Herald has expressed outrage that some students are selling their Rose Bowl tickets at a profit under a system that does not violate UW rules against scalping. Herald editors went so far as to name some of the students who sold their tickets online. Greed aside, where?s the harm if students in need sell their tickets to those who can afford the price bump?

Attorney seeks $115,000 from state for man cleared by DNA evidence

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Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin should pay Robert Lee Stinson $115,000 for sending the ?soft-spoken young man? to prison for 23 years for a murder he didn?t commit, Stinson?s attorney told a state claims board Thursday. The only evidence tying Stinson to the murder were bitemarks on Cychosz?s body that the state?s experts said came from Stinson, but a panel of four experts assembled by the Wisconsin Innocence Project demonstrated that the marks found on the 63-year-old woman could not have come from Stinson. Stinson also is seeking $14,000 to repay the UW-Madison-based Innocence Project for the 200 hours it spent to help free him.

UW-Madison warns 60,000 of card data theft

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Wisconsin State Journal

Records with the names and identification card numbers of 60,000 people affiliated with UW-Madison were hacked into, compromising Social Security numbers. UW-Madison became aware of the problem Oct. 26 and notified the mostly former students, faculty and staff members in a letter dated Nov. 30, said UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas.

UW-Madison chancellor ‘plays catch-up’ with China visit

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin took two trips to China this year, in part to play “catch-up” to other universities that had already established strong relationships with the growing superpower, she said. “We?re there to elevate the brand, not only of the university, but also of the state of Wisconsin itself,” Martin told the UW Board of Regents Thursday, during a presentation on UW-Madison?s connection to China. More so than other colleges, Martin said she wants the university?s relationship with China to extend beyond academic collaborations to include community and economic development. She wants to bring the Wisconsin Idea ? that the university?s borders extend beyond the classroom ? to China.

UW regents panel backs 2% pay raise for faculty, staff

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Wisconsin State Journal

University of Wisconsin faculty and staff should receive a 2 percent pay raise in each of the next two years, a Board of Regents committee recommended Thursday, even though the incoming Republican governor has called on the school to do more with less and a key lawmaker has called for no increases. That decision by the regents? business committee will likely be approved by the full board on Friday, but ultimately it?s up to the state Legislature to decide how much money is available to the university for salaries. A 2 percent increase in pay costs about $19 million a year, which comes both from tuition and state taxpayer money. The state faces a two-year $3.3 billion budget shortfall.

Straight A’s in high school may mean better health later in life

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Time

Class rank is important for more than just wowing college admissions officers and securing bragging rights. According to new research out of UW-Madison, the better your grades were in high school, the healthier you are years later. It’s not the first time that education has been associated with physical well-being ? more degrees equal better health ? but a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that it’s not only more schooling but performance that makes a difference.

Unconventional Wisdom

Posted on
Inside Higher Education

Rather than throwing up their hands about dwindling resources, college leaders could steer cash away from some beloved feel-good programs and into strategies that have proven to be more cost-effective in helping students graduate, a new research analysis suggests.

In a working paper, entitled ?The (Un)Productivity of American Higher Education: From ?Cost Disease? to Cost-Effectiveness,? two University of Wisconsin at Madison professors test the relative costs and benefits of popular student success measures, such as reducing student-faculty ratios. What the researchers found, among other things, is that a college may well get more bang for its buck by replacing adjuncts with full-time faculty than by reducing class sizes ? a strategy smiled upon in the influential U.S. News & World Report rankings.

UW regents committee supports 2 percent pay raise (AP)

Posted on
Associated Press

University of Wisconsin faculty and staff should receive a 2 percent pay raise in each of the next two years, a Board of Regents committee recommended Thursday, even though the incoming Republican governor has called on the school to do more with less and a key lawmaker has called for no increases.

Walker and the unions

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Governor-elect Scott Walker is talking tough – even talking about essentially abolishing public unions. One thing is sure: State workers should pay more for their benefits.

Know Your Madisonian: UW limnologist is a strong voice on climate change

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Wisconsin State Journal

Though he retired 10 years ago from his work as a limnologist at UW-Madison, John Magnuson remains one of the most recognizable and authoritative voices on issues related to climate change in Wisconsin. As a zoologist and as director of the Center for Limnology, Magnuson focused on long-term ecological research on lake systems and the influence of climate change on inland waters.

Big Ten commish on football playoff: What’s in it for us?

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Madison.com

The Big Ten commissioner says his conference has already sacrificed much for the good of college sports by giving up some access to the Rose Bowl, and he sees no reason why it should give even more to create a football playoff. Jim Delany was joined by several other commissioners Wednesday in Manhattan at the IMG Intercollegiate Athletic Forum. They covered topics ranging from conference alignment to the NCAA to the Bowl Championship Series. Delany, a hard-line opponent of a major college football playoff, says many conferences made sacrifices to create a system that could benefit all the leagues.

On Campus: Badger Herald expunges ‘worst people’ list

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Wisconsin State Journal

The Badger Herald has removed the names of the UW-Madison students it dubbed “the worst” on campus. Lest you forget, the student newspaper published a list of about three dozen students who purchased Rose Bowl tickets, then tried to sell them for a profit online. But today, the editors removed the list of names in the online article and replaced them with a note.

On Campus: ‘We’re Smelling Roses’ composer hopes it becomes Badgers Rose Bowl anthem

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Wisconsin State Journal

Once we got official word that the Badgers were headed to the Rose Bowl — could an anthem be far behind? Anthony Lamarr Brown wrote, “We?re Smelling Roses,” to fill that role. The catchy rap number celebrates the Badgers victorious season and pokes fun at their opponents (“We?re smelling roses/We treat the other teams like a pocketful of posers”). Directed by “Teach Me How to Bucky”?s Logan Cascia, the music video features UW-Madison notables such as Chancellor Biddy Martin, UW Marching Band Director Mike Leckrone, and former Rose Bowl standout Ron Dayne. It also features lyricist JDante and singer LaVar Jovan Charleston.

Poll: Public blames grad rates on college students

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Madison.com

The public pins most of the blame for poor college graduation rates on students and their parents and gives a pass to colleges, government officials and others, a new Associated Press-Stanford University poll shows. All sectors of American higher education received high marks for quality. That extends to for-profit colleges, despite recent criticism of dubious recruiting tactics, high student loan default rates and other problems at some schools. Quoted: Sara Goldrick-Rab, assistant professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Study shows more college students have more debt today

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Recent college graduates have borrowed at a much higher rate than their counterparts did more than a decade ago, a trend also happening at one of the state?s major universities.

Susan Fischer is the Director of Financial Aid for the UW-Madison. She says one reason for the uptick is that since 1996, the government has simply provided more opportunities for students to borrow.

Official UW Rose Bowl travel watched closely

Posted on
WKOW-TV 27

UW-Madison officials and other state officials said the composition of UW?s official Rose Bowl traveling party, and costs associated with that travel are being monitored closely, especially after budget-busting travel in connection with the Badgers? 1999 Rose Bowl appearance.

Will Scott Walker beat the unions?

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Isthmus

Looking at the headlines today, I wondered how many people were as taken aback by Scott Walker?s threats against public sector unions as I was. Does Walker?s apparent confidence on the issue suggest that he doesn?t anticipate any meaningful political backlash?

The Billion-Dollar Conference

Posted on
Chronicle of Higher Education

With help from its own thriving television network, the Big Ten Conference pulled in $905.2-million last year, up more than 50 percent from six years ago. The league received help from Ohio State ($123-million), Michigan and Penn State (both with $107-million), and Wisconsin ($94-million). (See the full Top 10 here.)

Coaches’ contracts carry bonuses, provisions for unusual tasks

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USA Today

Coaches’ contracts with Football Bowl Subdivision schools can be more than a matter of money. Some of the more unusual provisions of current deals:
Wisconsin: Bret Bielema?s contract includes an article titled “Medical Decisions.” It says the coach “understands and agrees the final decision regarding student-athlete participation in organized practices and/or competitions shall be made” by the athletic department?s medical and training room staff.

The Rose Bowl and capitalism

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Badgers are returning to the Rose Bowl after an 11-year absence to face undefeated Texas Christian University. Everyone should be happy, due to the amount of money that is going to be spent in preparation for the big game. Souvenirs will be bought, and tickets for the game and flights will be purchased – not to mention food and hotel rooms. Everyone should be happy with the boost to both the local and the national economy.

In ranking, U.S. students trail global leaders

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USA Today

United States students are continuing to trail behind their peers in a pack of higher performing nations, according to results from a key international assessment. Scores from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment to be released Tuesday show 15-year-old students in the U.S. performing about average in reading and science, and below average in math. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.

As salaries rise, Fresno State coach Pat Hill takes pay cut

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USA Today

Pat Hill will take a more than $300,000 cut in guaranteed pay in 2011, an extraordinary concession to a school budget stretched thin by the troubled economy. Other schools are eyeing the concept, but the question is how many will follow through and resist the compulsion in big-time college athletics to spend big in search of success. This year, USA TODAY?s analysis of coaches? salaries finds, at least 59 head football coaches make $1 million or more annually plus bonuses ? just shy of half of the 120 in the NCAA?s top-tier bowl subdivision.

Radomski begins campaign for Madison mayor

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Wisconsin State Journal

Flanked by his wife, three kids and friends at an East Side technology center, Noel Radomski launched his campaign for Madison mayor on Tuesday, promising to focus on quality-of-life issues and job creation. Radomski, a 44-year-old UW-Madison administrator who served one term on the Madison City Council from 2005 to 2007, said Cieslewicz has done a “fabulous job” in his eight years as mayor. But he said it?s time for a change.

UW football: ‘We’re Smelling Roses’ puts a nice ‘rap’ on this Rose Bowl run

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Madison.com

The musical tributes to University of Wisconsin Rose Bowl berths have come a long way from the Torpedos? 1994 tribute cassette tape “The Big Red Badgers Go To Pasadena” played exclusively on WOLX (94.9 FM). On the heels of the regular-season smash “Teach Me How to Bucky,” Anthony Lamarr Music gives us a catchy rap tune “We?re Smelling Roses.” It includes appearances from UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, UW Marching Band Director Mike Leckrone, former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne and menbers of the UW Marching Band. It includes footage shot inside and around Camp Randall Stadium, on Bascom Hill, State Street Brats and at the UW Memorial Union.

Wis. students march to protest hate crimes

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Madison.com

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are condemning an outbreak of racially motivated hate crimes on campus this semester.More than 200 students marched on campus Tuesday. The students stepped out of class during finals week to attend the rally organized by graduate students.

Alvarez is inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

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Madison.com

University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez plans to stop and smell the roses. But first, he had to attend a rather significant event in New York City Tuesday night, where he was to be officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.Alvarez was selected as the speaker for the 14-member 2010 class at the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner at the Walforf-Astoria. UW quarterback Scott Tolzien was recognized as one of 16 NFF Scholar-Athletes.

UW will see a big bowl payout

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It?s been a very good year for the Big Ten Conference, at least in terms of the payout each member university will receive from the two BCS bowls.

Survey maps the life of a generation

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Carol and Gregory Schill flip through their high school yearbooks and an entire era comes roaring back to life, Bermuda shorts and saddle shoes, rock ?n? roll on the radio and quiz shows on TV.