A $6.6 million pixel camera for taking detailed research photographs of the night sky is scheduled to be built for the Kitt Peak National Observatory with help from the University of Wisconsin.
Author: jplucas
Weigh natural alternatives to lawn pesticides (Newhouse News Service)
Quoted: Warren Porter, a professor of zoology and environmental toxicology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
GOP support for embryonic stem cell research grows (Chicago Tribune)
Quoted: Charles Jones, a retired political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Lawyer to become education dean (AP)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
MADISON, Wis. ââ?¬â? The top lawyer for the National School Boards Association has been chosen as the next dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, Chancellor John Wiley said Friday.
Julie Underwood, associate executive director and general counsel for NSBA and a former faculty member at UW-Madison, is expected to begin work in early August.
Fluno Center Training Programs Touted at Home and Abroad
www.wisbusiness.com
MADISON — Managers at the Sheboygan-based Acuity insurance company have attended executive education courses at Harvard, the University of Chicago and other prestigious private schools.
But as far as John Signer – head of Acuity’s human resources department – is concerned, some of the best professional-level programs he has encountered are run by the UW-Madison School of Business at the Fluno Center.
UW, Legislature crossing swords (AP)
MADISON ââ?¬â? When an audit showed University of Wisconsin System chancellors received a $700 monthly car stipend, outraged lawmakers called on system administrators to explain the policy.
Instead of apologizing for what lawmakers called an abuse of taxpayer dollars, UW System officials defended the payments and pleaded for more money to keep their executive compensation competitive.
Colleges Change Their Views on Meningitis Vaccination Now That CDC Recommends Immunization
Chronicle of Higher Education
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took a more proactive stance to prevent the spread of meningococcal meningitis last week by issuing a recommendation that all children over the age of 11 be immunized against the potentially fatal disease with a newly licensed vaccine.
Bills in Congress Could Lead to Federal Role in Testing College Athletes for Drugs
Chronicle of Higher Education
College athletes have been noticeably absent from Congressional debates over performance-enhancing drugs. New legislation pending in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, however, could trigger government oversight of drug testing in college sports.
Refinancing Frenzy Hits Student Loans
Chronicle of Higher Education
On the 16th floor of the Boston University School of Law building one recent afternoon, three law students took a break from their studies to eat lunch and reflect. They discussed classes that could have been better, the impending bar exam, and the foremost question in their minds: how to pay off their student loans.
Each was looking at the attractive option of consolidating her debt by locking in the current low interest rate for up to 30 years, either with the U.S. Education Department or a private lender that provides government-backed loans. But the students had plenty of questions and concerns.
Proposal Would Ban Emergency Contraception at Campus Health Facilities (WPR)
Wisconsin Public Radio
(MADISON) Critics say there will be more unplanned pregnancies if campus health services in the University of Wisconsin System are prevented from advertising or dispensing emergency contraception. But supporters of such a law say the UW should be focusing on education, not family planning.
Outrage Over Diversity Plan (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
A committee at the University of Oregon unveiled the first draft of a diversity plan, to the dismay of many faculty members who object to its approach and the surprise of some members of the committee that prepared it.
Lawmakers clash over pill, UW (WSJ, 5-27-05)
A state lawmaker said Thursday the Legislature needs to send a message of disapproval to the University of Wisconsin System after a school clinic urged students to get advance prescriptions for emergency contraception before leaving on spring break. (Associated Press)
City planners dream of ‘new urbanist’ Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Now the Madison community can speak out.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and city planning staff Thursday unveiled a 600-page draft comprehensive plan for the next two decades designed to preserve the best of the inner city, redevelop blighted lots and dated strip malls and promote “new urbanist” neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts.
“We have an opportunity here in the city of Madison to build something that is really special,” Cieslewicz told about 100 people gathered for the event at Monona Terrace.
Tayo Oyegbile: Graduating with dual degrees
Tayo Oyegbile is graduating with a Ph.D. in psychology and has completed coursework for an M.D. At 27 years old, she has completed the joint program in an almost unheard-of amount of time: six years rather than the usual 8-10. Tayo is quick to point out that she likes to have fun, too: watch movies, hang out with friends, and read novels. Before heading out to New York City to complete a 5-year medical residency, Tayo took a break to participate in an interview with The Madison Times
Tales from E3: Spider-man’s maker a humble guy
Wisconsin State Journal
E3 is a sensory bombardment of gargantuan displays, lights, noise and stars. Madison was represented by not only Raven, but also the Human Head Studio guys, and UW-Madison professors Jim Gee and Kurt Squire. (Squire snapped a cell-phone photo of rapper Coolio surrounded by the conference’s ubiquitous Booth Babes.)
Proposal would allow in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
Wisconsin State Journal
Nine states have passed similar legislation allowing illegal immigrants to avoid paying costly out-of-state rates.
UW/Falk Elementary Pen Pal project: The power of the pen
On April 28, 27 students from the University of Wisconsin-Madisonââ?¬â?¢s Posse Program and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., entered the hallways of Falk Elementary eager to meet with their second and third grade pen pals for the last time as the culmination of their yearlong writing experience. As a teacher of second and third grade at Falk Elementary and a mentor of college students in the University of Wisconsin-Madisonââ?¬â?¢s Posse Program, I decided to bring both of my dynamic groups of students together through a yearlong writing experience. Aware that meaningful learning takes place through culturally relevant experiences and projects, last October I designed the Pen Pal Project as a unique opportunity to encourage and motivate students to write and to connect them with an outstanding group of college students of color to serve as role models. After initially only involving my students I was approached by another teacher of second and third grade who hoped to get her students involved. Mrs. Carolyn Bakula stated that she wanted to become involved because it would allow her students to ââ?¬Å?communicate biweekly on a meaningful and authentic level as well as gave them a purpose for writing beyond the classroom.ââ?¬Â I eagerly expanded the project to involve their peers, and involved more UW Posse scholars including freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from Chicago and Los Angeles and a group of students from the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Evjue grants of nearly $2M awarded
Capital Times
The Evjue Foundation Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times, today announced it has made grants totaling $1,964,341 to the University of Wisconsin and 76 community organizations in the newspaper’s circulation area.
The grants, which are made possible by the will of the late William T. Evjue, the founder and longtime editor and publisher of The Capital Times, include $754,041 to the university for projects ranging from the renovation of Camp Randall to the UW’s efforts to attract more minority students and $1,210,300 to local civic, cultural and nonprofit organizations, mostly in Madison and Dane County.
NCAA: Basketball staffers can’t coach non-scholastic teams
USA Today
The coaching career of Will Ryan will be placed on hold Aug. 1.
Ryan, the recently promoted director of men’s basketball operations for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, coaches the AAU Wisconsin Swing, a team named after the offense designed by his father, Badgers head coach Bo Ryan.
UW FOOTBALL: Eight is enough for Big Ten football
Wisconsin State Journal
The advent of a 12th regular-season game in 2006 will not affect the Big Ten Conference football schedule.
The notion of devoting the extra game to league play, then crafting a 10-game round-robin Big Ten schedule, was dismissed by conference coaches and athletic directors.
UW Credit Union is ‘phishing’ target (WSJ, 5/26/05)
UW Credit Union customers were targeted by a “phishing” identity theft scam this week, a credit union official said Wednesday. Criminals sent out emails to local residents that included the UW Credit Union logo and urged customers of the credit union to “verify personal information” by providing confidential details.
Spectrum: Debate heats up on pharmacy ‘conscience clause’ (WSJ, 05-26-05)
The right of pharmacists choosing not to dispense certain prescription drugs that they morally object to providing has received considerable public attention recently. This issue of Spectrum covered a variety of background and reader views on the topic.
UW NOTES: Fans, donors could have to dig deeper
Wisconsin State Journal
A preliminary report outlining University of Wisconsin Athletic Department finances for the next five years includes some potentially ominous news for UW ticket-buyers and donors.
For the first time since the Badger Fund was introduced in 2001, there is talk of possibly increasing the donation levels for the fund to balance future UW Athletic Department budgets.
Lampert Smith: It’s about what families value
Wisconsin State Journal
Now that Assembly Speaker John Gard and his pals have killed health insurance for domestic partners of University of Wisconsin System employees, can we please stop pretending?
It’s not about the money.
If it was about the money, legislators would have accepted language from Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, to allow the System to compete for employees by offering the benefits, providing they did so with existing money.
He’s got game ââ?¬â? on his cell
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Stephen Chenney, assistant professor of computer science at UW-Madison.
Housing tower near UW proposed
Wisconsin State Journal
A developer wants to build Madison’s tallest and most densely populated private residential tower near UW- Madison.
But city planning officials are concerned the building will set a precedent and invite similar projects that could rapidly change the area between Camp Randall and Park Street. The city has no detailed neighborhood plan for the area.
The girl with eyes in the back of her head (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph (UK)
Quoted: Dr Paul Bach-y-Rita of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
We Talk to Foreign Students in the United States (Voice of America)
Voice of America
We are getting close to the end of our Foreign Student Series on American higher education. This week, we report comments from foreign students in the United States who have experienced the process we have been describing.
We talked to four students attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Two are undergraduates — Ometere Omoluabi from Nigeria and Chilwin Tanamal from Indonesia. The others are graduate students — Rogerio Mazali from Brazil and a young woman from China who does not want her name broadcast. (Audio.)
Regents will re-examine Sorensen’s ROTC decision (Dunn County News)
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will apparently review UW-Stout Chancellor Charles Sorensen’s decision not to permit a Reserve Office Training Corps (ROTC) program on campus for a four-year period.
Atheist’s son deserves a job on own merits (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune
It couldn’t be–could it?–that officials at High School District 211 in Palatine yanked a job offer away from a prospective teacher this week simply because administrators don’t like the religious views of that teacher’s father?
I’m open to other interpretations, but Supt. Roger Thornton declined to comment Wednesday and seven other officials didn’t respond when I sent them a detailed outline of the story Richard Sherman is telling:
Sherman, 23, is the son of civil rights activist and atheist leader Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove, whose relentless crusades of the last 20 years, most over church-state issues, have alienated many who don’t share his interpretation of the Constitution or God.
But the family tie didn’t come up, Sherman said, when he interviewed with the district in January and again in mid-April as he prepared to graduate from the University of Wisconsin, where he concentrated on science and earned a teaching certificate.
US funding of fusion reactor in doubt (New Scientist)
New Scientist
Quoted: Raymond Fonck, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US.
No more benefit bumps for state workers (Beloit Daily News)
BY NOW, MOST PEOPLE know these two facts: (1) the cost of health care and insurance premiums is rising at break-the-bank rates, and (2) government employees receive better benefits, usually at little or no cost to workers, than those in private-sector jobs.
College Students Continue Heavy Use of Credit Cards, but Carry Lower Balances, Study Finds
Chronicle of Higher Education
A majority of college students frequently use plastic for purchases, but they are carrying slightly lower credit-card balances than they did four years ago, according to a study released on Tuesday by Nellie Mae, a major provider of student loans.
Judy Ettenhofer: Wisconsin Idea trip shows passion in state, for state
Assessing their weeklong trip around Wisconsin last week, new faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison kept choosing the same word: passion.
Glimpses of Wisconsin
Here are some highlights of the 2005 Wisconsin Idea Seminar.
Is a dream college worth waiting for? (csmonitor.com)
Christian Science Monitor
When she applied to 13 colleges last year, Carly Chase thought she was wise to all the possible responses she would get: deferment, early acceptance, regular acceptance, or rejection.
But when she opened up the envelope from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., – her top choice – she thought, “Oh, that’s a new one.”
Campus Fires Draw Congressional Scrutiny (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
With a backdrop of poster-sized front pages blaring headlines like ââ?¬Å?House fire kills 3 studentsââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Penn State student fies in house fire,ââ?¬Â several members of Congress gathered Wednesday to say that they were teaming up to push a package of legislation aimed at improving fire safety on college campuses.
Ease U.S. restrictions on stem cell research (WSJ, 5-24-05)
Wisconsin State Journal
Four years ago, when President Bush placed severe restrictions on the types of embryonic stem cell research eligible for federal funding, he made it tougher for scientists to pursue potentially life-saving medical advancements.
Four protesters removed from Capitol (WSJ, 5-25-05)
Four UW-Madison students were detained briefly by Capitol police Tuesday after they disrupted the Legislature’s budget committee, demanding that lawmakers protect state funding for higher education.
Ballet slipper-inspired shoes are hot
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Gail Brassard, professor of costume history at UW- Madison.
Thai royalty welcomed at Edgewood
Wisconsin State Journal
Edgewood College welcomed Thai royalty to campus Tuesday, hosting a visit by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn that was intended to highlight ties between the college and Thailand.
Princess Sirindhorn, 50, is the third of four children of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. She was described Tuesday as a hard worker for poor people and the environment, pushing reforms in education, conservation and health care.
Dispute over lab devices bound for court
Wisconsin State Journal
A federal trial is scheduled next week in Madison involving major makers of scientific equipment, UW- Madison and an entrepreneur, all over who can profit from a device most people know from high school chemistry.
At stake is millions of dollars in U.S. sales of the adjustable pipette, the syringe-like instrument that researchers around the world use to measure and transfer liquids from one container to another.
Wineke: In the stem-cell debate, ‘ethics’ truly are in play
Wisconsin State Journal
Most debates about “ethical” issues aren’t debates at all; they’re arguments that no one ever wins.
You either think abortion is right or you think abortion is wrong – but endless discussion of the matter is unlikely to change your mind.
Questions of whether gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry legally might not quite be so clear in people’s minds – but most of us have a pretty firm idea of where we stand.
But, when it comes to the issue of using embryonic stem cells to develop cures for dreaded diseases, things aren’t nearly so clear for many of us.
Georgia academic to be Whitewater chancellor
Wisconsin State Journal
A special committee of the UW Board of Regents on Tuesday picked Martha Dunagin Saunders, a Georgia academic, to be the next chancellor at UW-Whitewater.
Saunders, 56, was one of five finalists for the job. She is vice president for academic affairs at Columbus State University, a campus of the University System of Georgia with 7,000 students, slightly smaller than UW-Whitewater’s enrollment of roughly 10,500.
UW-Stout chancellor says no to ROTC on campus
Wisconsin State Journal
The chancellor at UW-Stout says the military, which does not accept openly gay recruits, is not acceptable on his campus.
The University of Wisconsin System on Monday began a review of Chancellor Charles Sorensen’s decision to reject an Army ROTC program as a means of protesting the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays, instituted by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
Four students detained by Capitol police (AP)
Duluth News
MADISON, Wis. – Four University of Wisconsin-Madison students were detained briefly by Capitol police Tuesday after they disrupted the Legislature’s budget committee, demanding that lawmakers protect state funding for higher education.
Donald Kettl named Fels Center director (Univ. of Pennsylvania Almanac)
Dr. Donald Kettl, Stanley I. Sheerr Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences, and professor of political science, has been named director of the Fels Institute of Government beginning July 1, SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell announced.
Increasingly, evangelists are embracing environmentalism (Philadelphia Inquirer)
PHILADELPHIA – (KRT) – One of Calvin DeWitt’s favorite Bible verses is Revelation 11:18:
“… The time has come for judging the dead … and for destroying those who destroy the Earth.”
DeWitt, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin, is a leader in a growing evangelical Christian movement to protect the environment in the name of God.
House vote on stem cells a boost for UW-Madison (Gannett News Service)
WASHINGTON ââ?¬â? A House bill passed Tuesday that would loosen President Bushââ?¬â?¢s restrictions on medical research on human embryos would be a boon for scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the nationââ?¬â?¢s leader in the field.
Tom Still: Academic R&D pays for itself in terms of jobs and economic growth
www.wisbusiness.com
MADISON ââ?¬â?? As the Legislatureââ?¬â?¢s budget-writing committee wrestles with balancing the stateââ?¬â?¢s biennial budget, calls for additional cuts in spending by the University of Wisconsin System will likely move front and center. In some ways, thatââ?¬â?¢s logical: The UW System budget is one of the stateââ?¬â?¢s five biggest spending programs.
In 238-194 Vote, House Members Challenge Bush Limits on Embryonic-Stem-Cell Research
Chronicle of Higher Education
In a move that could help resolve one of the most politically controversial issues in science, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to overturn President Bush’s limitations on federal financing for research on human embryonic stem cells.
Student Protest at Joint Finance
WIBA Newsradio
Four UW-Madison students interrupted yesterday meeting of the legislature’s budget committee…demanding lawmakers act to protect state funding for higher education. The students were detained briefly by Capitol police after they stepped in front of the podium and unfurled a banner reading…”cut tuition…not the budget.” Several members of the committee responded to the protesters with their microphones off.
UW-Madison Scientists Hope for $1 Billion in Building Expansion
www.wisbusiness.com
MADISON — Over the past dozen years, the UW-Madison campus has seen a building boom of more than $1.6 billion, with two-thirds of the funding coming from federal and other sources. Many of the new and renovated structures were for the sciences.
UW Behind in Domestic Partner Benefits and Portable Retirement (WPR)
Wisconsin Public Radio
(MADISON) The Legislature�s budget committee voted 13 to 3 yesterday (5/23) to reject the Governor�s plan to spend one million dollars to provide domestic partner benefits for University of Wisconsin System employees. (Second item.)
Longer Stays for Foreign Professors (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
After years of complaints from universities, the State Department has issued final regulations that permit some visiting scholars from abroad to obtain visas to work in the United States for as many as five years, up from the current limit of three years.
Getting Drunk = Getting Hurt, Study Finds (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
College students who get drunk regularly are likelier than other students ââ?¬â? even those who drink alcohol ââ?¬â? to physically injure themselves, or to be hurt by other drinkers, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
House passes stem cell bill
USA Today
The House of Representatives defied President Bush’s veto threat and voted Tuesday to expand federal funding for stem cell research using human embryos.
Madison Man Accused Of Hit-And-Run
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — A Madison man is in the Dane County jail today after a hit-and-run crash involving a bicyclist Sunday.
The victim, Jamie Peck, 42, remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Peck is a UW-Madison professor.
Editorial: Preserving UW’s vitality
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed to boost state funds for the University of Wisconsin System by $49 million over the next two years – a proposal a key legislative committee is weighing today. Steep cuts at UW the last two years helped enable the state to close a huge budget deficit.
Legislators dump domestic partners
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Madison – Legislative leaders voted Monday to not provide health insurance coverage to domestic partners, despite being told that the University of Wisconsin System has lost talented faculty members because of the current policy.