Tom Falk and Karen Falk are donating $10 million to fund need-based scholarships and endowed faculty positions, according to a news alert.
Couple donates $10M to UW for scholarships, faculty positions
Channel3000.com
Category: Top Stories
Couple donate $10 million to UW-Madison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A couple who worked their way through the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 1970s are donating $10 million to their alma mater for need-based scholarships and endowed faculty positions in the schools of education and business to help future students get a similar education.
2 UW-Madison alumni will donate $10M for students, faculty
Madison.com
The university says the gift from Tom and Karen Falk, who graduated in 1980, will pay for two scholarships and two endowed faculty chairs in the schools of education and business.
Controversial UW-Madison flu research yields new vaccine model
Wisconsin State Journal
A controversial technique to create flu viruses, now effectively banned, led to the discovery of a flu vaccine model that could be more reliable than today’s main method using chicken eggs, according to a study by UW-Madison scientist Yoshihiro Kawaoka.
UW-Madison nanotech center receives $20 million
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A Madison-based research hub devoted to evaluating the environmental effect of nanotechnology has received $20 million in National Science Foundation funding over the next five years.
On Campus: UW-Madison police start sexual assault prevention campaign aimed at men
Wisconsin State Journal
Called “Don’t be that guy,” the UW-Madison police campaign includes hundreds of posters in dorms and other campus buildings, as well as ads on scores of Metro Transit buses, emphasizing the importance of consent and telling men alcohol isn’t an excuse for sexual assault.
New director looks to expand “Badgers Give Back” program
NBC-15
Madison, Wis. — Students are back on campus and the fall sports season is up and running at UW-Madison. While many of these student-athletes already have a lot on their plate between classes, practices, and games; some are adding another extra-curricular activity – community service.
Researchers, Industry Groups Add To Chorus Against Fetal Tissue Bill
Wisconsin Public Radio
Opposition is growing to a bill that could effectively ban the use of fetal tissue in research in Wisconsin.
UW campus officials prepare for new year after tumultuous summer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After a summer of turmoil over budget cuts and tenure protections, chancellors in the University of Wisconsin System now must convince faculty and staff that all is not doom and gloom as a new academic year begins this week.
A defiant UW-Madison Chancellor Becky Blank, who won’t address her faculty in person until Oct. 5, has vowed to do everything possible to fend off competitors who attempt to lure away her best and brightest researchers. Wisconsin’s higher education woes were widely broadcast to a national audience as Gov. Scott Walker launched his presidential bid while he and state lawmakers were cutting education spending.
Tom Still: Higher education key for state’s economy
MADISON — A working group of Republican lawmakers in the Assembly is examining whether the state’s technical college system should be merged with the University of Wisconsin’s two-year campus network, mainly as a way to save money.
American Family adds to support of University of Wisconsin-Madison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Madison-based American Family Insurance on Thursday pledged $40 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison over the next 10 years, doubling its current support of academics, research, athletics and charitable activities.
American Family doubles spending on UW-Madison
Madison.com
American Family Insurance is doubling the amount of money it spends on advertising and donations at UW-Madison, pledging $4 million annually to the university for the next 10 years.
Nearly 700 UW-Madison faculty sign letter on fetal tissue bill
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Nearly 700 University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty members have signed a letter to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel arguing that a bill being considered by the Legislature to ban the use of fetal tissue and cells would not only close off avenues of hope for patients, it would send a message to biomedical scientists and the biotechnology industry “that Wisconsin is no place to do business.”
UW ranked one of best schools in the world
WKOW TV
The University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to be considered one of the best schools in the world. Two new rankings add to that reputation.
UW-Madison second best in Big Ten, academic ranking says
Wisconsin State Journal
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is the second best college in the Big Ten and the 24th best in the world, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Abortion bill stirs medical research debate
Appleton Post-Crescent
MADISON – One of the central issues in an ongoing heated legislative debate is whether modern medical research has moved beyond the need for using tissue from new abortions.
Existence of cosmic neutrinos confirmed by Antarctic scientists
Antarctic scientists have confirmed the existence of cosmic neutrinos – ghostly particles that have traveled from the Milky Way and beyond. These particles carry messages from distant galaxies, and could potentially help solve several cosmic puzzles.
Antarctica Scientists Confirm Existence of Cosmic Neutrinos
Live Science
Buried deep in the Antarctic ice, an observatory has spotted ghostly, nearly massless particles coming from inside our galaxy and points beyond the Milky Way.
State Lawmakers Target Fetal-Tissue Research
Wall Street Journal
The release of videos about Planned Parenthood is spurring state legislative efforts to ban or restrict use of fetal tissue for medical studies and treatments. (Subscription required.)
Textbook sticker prices soar, but expanding options keep expenses in check
Capital Times
College students are increasingly staying away from buying textbooks as a way to keep their spending down as the sticker price for books continue to soar, along with other college costs. Textbook prices have climbed some 1,000 percent over the past four decades, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with some titles now costing $400 or even $500. But students have been spending less on course materials in each of the past few years, according to a survey of the National Association of College Stores. Students’ average annual spending on course materials dropped from $701 in 2007-2008 to $563 in 2014-15, according to the association.
Mergers make future uncertain for some small UW-Madison departments
Madison.com
(Smal) departments could soon be merged with similar-size programs or much larger departments — the victims, some say, of state budget cuts that are forcing the university to reduce administrative costs. Others note such mergers have happened before and reflect the normal ebb and flow of small academic programs. The mergers don’t mean the fields of study will disappear from UW-Madison. Officials are working to merge the departments of Scandinavian, German and Slavic studies, while history of science could join the larger Department of History.
Videos of Planned Parenthood officials create new political debates over fetal tissue research
Inside Higher Education
In the last week, a state legislator in Wisconsin suggested that professors defending the use of fetal tissue in research should think about the work of the notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Also in the last week, Ben Carson, formerly a professor at Johns Hopkins University known for his path-breaking research and now an anti-abortion candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, found himself questioned on his use of fetal tissue for research in 1992.
Wisconsin ban on fetal tissue research expected to move quickly, authors say
Capital Times
The bill, spearheaded by Reps. André Jacque, R-De Pere, and Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, and Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, would ban selling, donating and experimenting with fetal body parts resulting from abortions in Wisconsin.
UPDATE: Key Senate Republican opposes major portion of fetal tissue ban bill
WKOW TV
A key Senate Republican told 27 News Wednesday that she cannot support the current version of an Assembly bill designed to ban the sale and use of aborted fetal tissue, because it would stop major medical research being conducted at UW-Madison.
Sen. Alberta Darling (R-RIver Hills) made those comments just one day after the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety held a public hearing on the bill.
Walker noncommittal on fetal tissue research ban
Channel3000.com
Gov. Scott Walker isn’t saying whether he supports the current version of a bill in the Legislature that would ban research involving aborted fetal body parts. Walker was asked Wednesday about the measure, which drew opposition from University of Wisconsin and private researchers at a public hearing Tuesday.
UW reviewing fetal tissue suppliers
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison, which says it gets fetal tissue for research from four licensed tissue banks, is reviewing whether the banks meet federal regulations and university requirements.
Ban on use of aborted fetal tissue could face court hurdles
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A bill to ban some research on aborted fetal tissues at Wisconsin universities could face challenges in federal courts, which have struck down similar laws around the nation for failing to spell out what’s a crime and whats not.
Wisconsin Republicans push fetal tissue ban that medical groups oppose
AP
MADISON — Republican lawmakers sponsoring a bill to ban research on aborted fetal tissue in Wisconsin — a proposal medical groups oppose — said Tuesday they were working on changes to protect work at the University of Wisconsin that uses existing cell lines.
Fetal tissue ban would halt life-saving research, officials warn Assembly panel
Wisconsin State Journal
Planned Parenthood and other groups could not profit from selling the tissue of aborted fetuses under a bill banning its sale and use, proponents of the measure told a state Assembly panel Tuesday.
Legislators, UW Medical School dean spar on fetal tissue bill
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Research in Wisconsin could still be conducted on tissue derived from fetuses aborted more than five years ago while the state would ban some current research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that uses more recently aborted tissue, under a proposal that came before lawmakers Tuesday.
GOP lawmakers spar with UW over fetal parts bill
Wisconsin Radio Network
Republicans in the state legislature want to ban research in Wisconsin, using tissue from aborted fetuses, legislation which opponents fear could damage the biomedical industry in the state.
Abortion Opponents, Medical Researchers Pack Hearing On Fetal Tissue Bill
Wisconsin Public Radio
Abortion opponents and medical researchers packed a public hearing Tuesday to testify on a bill banning the sale and use of aborted fetal tissue.
UW dean: Fetal tissue bill would cause ‘abrupt stop’ to research
Channel3000.com
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said a bill banning the use of fetal tissue would bring a halt to medical research on campus. The dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Medical College of Wisconsin and a trade association representing biotech companies are all lobbying against the measure.
Steven Walters: Wisconsin legislators quietly consider realigning colleges, universities
Janesville Gazette
Wisconsin legislators have begun quietly and unofficially discussing how the state’s 42 public universities and colleges—the 26 UW System campuses and the 16 technical colleges—might be realigned to deal with dwindling state aid. If approved, any shift would be the biggest realignment of higher education since the UW System was stitched together in 1971 by merging state colleges, the Madison and Milwaukee campuses, and two-year centers.
Legislators consider merger of Wisconsin Technical College System, UW Colleges
Madison.com
A group of Republican legislators will meet this week to discuss the possibility of merging the Wisconsin Technical College System and the University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension, lawmakers said Monday.
Legislative panel to hold hearing today on fetal tissue bill
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
All transfers of fetal tissue in Wisconsin could be banned, under a bill coming before lawmakers Tuesday that could affect medical research in the state.
Fetal tissue ban could impact medical research in Wisconsin
Madison.com
A bill to ban the sale and use of aborted fetal tissue in Wisconsin could halt important medical research, UW-Madison and biotech leaders say, but sponsors of the bill say such research could continue with other tissue.
Fetal tissue bill imperils medical breakthroughs, researchers warn
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In the late 1990s, Gail Robertson, a researcher studying irregular heartbeats at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discovered the reason for unexplained cardiac deaths occurring in some patients who had used approved drugs.
Hillary Clinton to Offer Plan on Paying College Tuition Without Needing Loans
New York Times
With Americans shouldering $1.2 trillion in student loan debt, and about eight million of them in default, Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday will propose major new spending by the federal government that would help undergraduates pay tuition at public colleges without needing loans.
Clinton proposes $350 billion plan to make college affordable
Inside Higher Education
Hillary Clinton will today unveil a massive plan to make higher education more affordable, student loan debt less burdensome and states accountable for supporting their public colleges. The plan — which would cost $350 billion over 10 years — is one that campaign officials say will be central to her candidacy for the presidency.
$52M UW Memorial Union upgrade nears
Wausau Daily Herald
I’m not a University of Wisconsin alum, but I love to linger at Memorial Union Terrace on a sunny day or evening, facing pretty Lake Mendota. The Terrace is one of the most-loved outdoor destinations in Madison, but on Sept. 1 most of the area closes until next summer.
UW-Madison, two-year campuses to increase associate degree holders
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A unique agreement between the state’s flagship university, its public two-year colleges and a Madison technical college aims to increase the number of residents who hold at least an associate degree. The new “reverse transfer” agreement will allow students who transfer to the flagship before completing an associate degree to complete the requirements and pick up that degree while also working toward a bachelor’s degree.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire responds to massive cuts in state support
Inside Higher Education
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is not a particularly wealthy school.
3D scanning technology at UW is helping with crime scene investigations
NBC-15
Technology originally designed to study homes and heath with UW-Madison’s School of Nursing is now being used at crime scenes. Researchers at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery are hoping 3D scanning will make some of the most complicated crime investigations more efficient.
UW researchers break ground with Alzheimer’s study
Isthmus
Jeanne Bristol and Kay Cronin remember their dad as a proud man who worked hard to get ahead. “He put himself through college in his 50s,” Kay says. “It was important to him.”
Wisconsin’s first enologist to spice up the state’s wine, cider industries
Big Ten Network
Wisconsin’s “cheeseheads” might someday have a wealth of local options to pair with the state’s most popular food. And they may have Nick Smith to thank for it.
Video: Supper Clubs 101
Wisconsin Public Television
They’re a culinary tradition in the Upper Midwest. Hometown restaurants serving hearty meals and a taste of nostalgia. Dine in any one of these unique Wisconsin establishments and enjoy a winsome journey that goes beyond the food. WPT serves up the supper club experience with a bit of history, culture, and cutting edge research that’s making sure time-tested favorites stay on a classic menu. The show interviews UW faculty.
Marching Band Gives Cancer Patient Fanfare She Deserves After Her Chemotherapy
Huffington Post
This marching band has played plenty of winning games, but Monday’s performance celebrated the greatest victory of all.
Cancer Patient Gets Marching Band Fanfare for Final Chemotherapy Treatment –
ABC News
When Ann Trachtenberg started chemotherapy at the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center about five months ago, she jokingly said a marching band should be on hand when she got through her final treatment.
Controversy over Sara Goldrick-Rab’s tweets continues, gains national attention
Capital Times
Professor Bill Tracy got right to the point when asked for his thoughts on a controversy that arose this week involving statements from University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Sara Goldrick-Rab on Twitter.
“It’s a mess,” said Tracy, a member of the steering committee for PROFS, an advocacy organization for UW-Madison professors.
Chris Rickert: Tenure comes with responsibility to rise above the din
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison professor Sara Goldrick-Rab’s tweets comparing Republican Gov. Scott Walker to Adolf Hitler and suggesting the governor and “many” state lawmakers are “fascists” are the kind of thing you’d expect to see in anonymous online comment sections and other gutters of the Internet.
So it’s a good thing her colleagues at the university are willing to stand up for a smarter, more civilized form of political discourse.
Uncertainty, concern over future of tenure draw national attention to UW System
Wisconsin State Journal
The state budget signed by Gov. Scott Walker last week envisions broad changes to how the University of Wisconsin System is run, experts say, allowing for a more corporate management structure that empowers chancellors while professors with fewer protections take a back seat.
It’s a model that has incensed faculty, drawing national attention to the UW System as legislators stripped tenure from state law, weakened shared governance and expanded justifications for laying off professors.
UW-Madison professor regrets how views came off on Twitter
Channel3000.com
A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor says she now regrets how her views on academic freedom came across on Twitter. Sara Goldrick-Rab is under fire for encouraging prospective students to go elsewhere because she believes academic freedom is in jeopardy at Wisconsin.
U. of Wisconsin Professor’s Tweets Draw Criticism From Her Own Colleagues
Chronicle of Higher Education
A professor’s tweets to incoming students at the University of Wisconsin at Madison have drawn the ire of the campus’s College Republicans as well as a prominent faculty group, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
How Traditional Colleges Compete to Enroll Student Veterans
Chronicle of Higher Education
Traditional colleges are working hard to improve their outreach to service members before and after the application process. The U. of Wisconsin at Madison holds numerous orientation sessions for student veterans over the summer. “Our goal,” says John G. Bechtol, assistant dean of students, “is to remove their military affiliation as being any kind of burden.”
Bats, cows and grapes all part of UW Ag Research Field Days
Madison.com
One of the prime examples of UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Idea, sharing knowledge in all parts of the state, will be on display starting this week, courtesy of the university’s Agricultural Research Station.
Scott Walker signs state budget with 104 vetoes day before 2016 kickoff
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As he prepared to kick off his presidential campaign, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed the state budget Sunday after using his veto powers to excise grants for conservation groups and a provision that would have given payday lenders new authority.
Walker Signs State Budget Bill Ahead Of Expected Presidential Bid
Wisconsin Public Radio
Gov. Scott Walker signed the next two-year state budget on Sunday, just a day before he’s expected to announce his bid for the Republican nomination for president.
Stakes High, Scott Walker Signs Wisconsin Budget
New York Times
Gov. Scott Walker signed Wisconsin’s budget on Sunday afternoon, more than a week after the new budget year began and only hours before he was to announce his presidential campaign.
Budget Disproportionately Cuts Funding For UW-Milwaukee, Says Student President
Wisconsin Public Radio
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student president said his school is bearing too much of the UW-System’s $250 million budget cut, ultimately threatening the school’s core mission.