January 2000

Author and MTV star Powell kicks off Black History Month

GREEN BAY - Author and cultural critic Kevin Powell, formerly of MTV's "The Real World," will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wednesday, Feb. 2. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Phoenix Room of the University Union.

Powell is perhaps best known for his stint on the first year of MTV's docu-soap, "The Real World." He works as a cultural critic with Quincy Jones' Vibe Magazine and is the author of the recently published and critically acclaimed collection of essays, Keepin' It Real — Post-MTV Reflections on Race, Sex, and Politics. His UW-Green Bay appearance will focus on issues raised in the book.

Powell has been interviewed and has given commentary on CNN, PBS, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and the BBC. His comments on a range of social, political, and cultural issues have appeared in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others. As a senior writer for Vibe, Powell profiled the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team, General Colin Powell, Mike Tyson, Snoop Doggy Dog, and others. He is also the author of a volume of poetry called recognize, published in 1995.

The program is the second in a series at UW-Green Bay in support of Black History Month. The first is African American Appreciation Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the Cofrin Library's first-floor alcove, with distribution of educational material and lapel ribbons.

Also scheduled for this week is a Soul Food Luncheon from Noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4, in the Phoenix Room of the University Union. Advance registration for the $7.50 meal is required. Call 465-2400 for information.

On Feb. 9, the Black Student Union will sponsor The Night that Dr. King Died, in which faculty, staff and invited guests are welcome to recount, share and reflect upon their memories on the night of the death of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in Phoenix Room C of the University Union.

A civil rights exhibit will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21 in Phoenix Room C. The exhibit's purposes is to teach about those who fought for freedom and equality for all Americans.

In addition, Brown Bag Discussions will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 16, 23 and 29, in Alumni Room A of the University Union. Guest speakers will be Prof. Thomas Williams presenting, The Black Male Athlete: Archetype, Stereotype, Role Model; James Felton, coordinator of the American Intercultural Center, leading a one-hour discussion on race; and Prof. John Salerno and local musician Mark Patel, discussing the unique style of sousaphone player Wardell Grey.

The Black Student Union, the American Intercultural Center and the Office of Student Life sponsor Black History Month Events at UW-Green Bay. All events are free with the exception of the Soul Food Luncheon.

GREEN BAY - Mathematics and science learning for middle school and high school students will gain from a $159,941 grant to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

UW-Green Bay faculty members, CESA 7 teachers and staff, and concerned community members will spend two years working through the Eisenhower Professional Development grant. Their goal will be to develop "real-world" learning units to help middle- and high school students learn math and science and understand how those subjects relate to issues in their own lives, explains project director John Katers, an assistant professor of Natural and Applied Sciences at UW-Green Bay.

The funding comes from federal dollars designated through Title II of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 and channeled through the University of Wisconsin System, which makes the grant awards.

To develop the learning units, teams led by a UW-Green Bay or UW-Extension faculty member will tackle specific issues. Each team will develop four units: one in math and and one in science for middle-school level and high-school level students. Team members will include CESA 7 teachers, community members, UW-Green Bay faculty consultants, and students in UW-Green Bay's professional program in Education.

Katers says the process of selecting team members will continue through the end of May. Teams begin work in June. About 20 CESA 7 teachers will serve on the teams.

The themes and team leaders are:
• "Solid and Hazardous Waste Management," Keith West, industrial recycling specialist for UW-Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center

• "Renewable Energy," Thomas Van Koevering, professor of Education and Chemistry

• "PCBs and Contaminants," Brian Merkel, assistant professor of Human Biology and Biology

• "Trucking Industry," Gregory Davis, associate professor of Natural and Applied Sciences and Mathematics

• "Molecular Biology," Angela Bauer-Dantoin, assistant professor of Human Biology and Biology.

Judy Sargent, director of the CESA 7 Standards and Assessment Center, and Jerry McNeill, curriculum and instruction coordinator for the Center, will work with the teams on curriculum development and assessment issues.

Katers explains that the project stems from a Mathematics and Science Task Force of CESA 7 teachers and UW-Green Bay faculty members, chaired by Natural and Applied Sciences Prof. Emeritus Robert Wenger, that met from January through June of 1999. Wenger was the principal author of the Eisenhower Grant proposal.

The "real-world" theme responds to a belief that students learn better if they understand how what they are learning prepares them for life, notes Katers, adding that different people learn in different ways. "Some can learn abstract material," he says. "Others need to have something to 'put their arms around'." He points out that the Task Force expressed concern that Wisconsin students' math and science performance is shown to decline when they reach middle school level.

The timetable has teams working from June through December 2000 to develop the learning units; then teachers will test and assess the materials in classrooms from January through May 2001. The new units will be shared with all CESA 7 teachers at a conference to be scheduled in June or July of 2001. Teachers throughout Wisconsin will be invited to a June 2002 conference, "Community Problems and Issues as a Source of Instructional Materials for Addressing Science and Mathematics Learning," sponsored by UW-Green Bay's Institute for Learning Partnership.

GREEN BAY - University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student vocalist Gwen Weyenberg will present her senior recital at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, on the UW-Green Bay campus. Admission to the program, to be held in Fort Howard Hall in the Weidner Center, is free.

Among other pieces, Weyenberg will sing three songs from Handel's Messiah: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion, Thall Shall the Eyes of the Blind, and He Shall Feed his Flock. Judy O' Grady and Jennifer Gumz will accompany her.

Weyenberg is a music education major who studies with Professor Sarah Meredith. In past semesters she has participated in University Choir, Concert Choir, Vocal Ensemble and Opera Workshop.

GREEN BAY - "Songs of Love" is the theme for a recital by the three members of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay voice faculty at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11, at St. John the Evangelist Church, 427 St. John St. The event is free and open to the public.

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Meredith, tenor William Witwer, and baritone Jeffery McGhee will be featured in a program of songs and poetry readings about different kinds of love. They will be joined by guest artists Rita Baretta, soprano, who has performed with Pamiro Opera Company and the Green Bay Symphony, and Amy Haines, also a soprano, a faculty member at Carthage College.

The program will include compositions by Brahms, Dowland, Dvorak, Ravel, and UW-Green Bay faculty member Terence O'Grady, along with traditional spirituals.

Assisting will be Arthur Cohrs and Janice Cusano, both on piano; Barbara Beechey, viola; Catherine Henze, viola da gamba; and Dan Weaver, guitar.

Meredith, who joined the UW-Green Bay faculty in 1988, has performed as a soloist and recitalist throughout the Midwest and in eastern and western Europe. She was a Fulbright scholar in Germany in 1989-90, and has served as a judge for the International Dvorak Voice Competition in the Czech Republic.

Witwer became director of choral activities at UW-Green Bay in 1997. He has been a choral director, music director and conductor in public high schools, with community music organizations, and for churches. He came to Green Bay from Christopher Newport University in Virginia where he was director of choral studies.

McGhee joined the teaching staff in September. He is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UW-Madison. McGhee is an experienced performer of art song, opera, oratorio, musical theater, and gospel.

GREEN BAY - Countless hours attending lectures, spending time in the library and sitting patiently in study groups didn't earn "Rusty" a diploma but it did give him the right to cross the stage during University of Wisconsin-Green Bay commencement in December.

Rusty is a golden retriever who aided Human Development major Vicky Lasch in her quest for a diploma. So, garbed in their commencement robes, Rusty and Lasch crossed the stage together. They also commanded the biggest applause of the day.

"He has been with me every minute since I started here, and was the first service/helper dog on campus," said Lasch of Rusty. " I thought 'he's got to wear a gown too.' I wanted him to receive a diploma but they said he couldn't. I made one for him anyway, and it is hanging on the wall in his room. Rusty has more certificates than I do."

Lasch has had to share her attention with Rusty since becoming a full-time student at UW-Green Bay in spring of 1996. Lasch, who suffered a spinal cord injury as a child, depends on a wheelchair for her mobility and on Rusty for "the little things."

"He helps me pick things up when I drop them, like soda cans and papers, and he can open doors," said Lasch. "He can also wear a backpack and carry books, but he doesn't like to. He's kind of spoiled. But really, he can do just about anything I train him to do."

Their days of maneuvering through the University are over, but Lasch looks back with fond memories of her experience. "The professors in the program made it a great experience," she said. "Especially Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges. She is the coolest lady and was my favorite professor."

Lasch credits the concourse system and the services for disabilities office as "real benefits for people with disabilities. In fact, I think we should publicize it more often."

For now, Lasch is eyeing the future and is counting on having Rusty by her side to make the transition to the next phase of her life a smooth one. She hopes that she and Rusty can partner on a successful career in her field or maybe tackle graduate school together.

"My hope is to find a job in Milwaukee at an Independent Living Center, or pursuing my master's degree and interning at a hospital with a spinal cord injury unit. I would like to work with people who have been injured to help them feel comfortable by making their homes more physically accessible. And I hope to show them that they can gain back their independence, self-esteem and motivation, so they can continue to do all the things they want to do."

Lasch's self-confidence shines as she speaks about her hopes for the future. A confidence she gained, she says, with Rusty's help.

"He's kind of an ice-breaker," she says. "He breaks that barrier. Sometimes people are uncomfortable approaching or starting a conversation with a person with a disability, but they'll come right up and start talking about Rusty. Everybody loves dogs.

"Since I've had him I feel more confident. I'm not worried about what people think anymore."

Lasch benefits from the self-confidence and Rusty delights in the attention. "He's a lot like me," said Lasch. "Our personalities are pretty much the same. He's friendly, outgoing, energetic and happy. And he's so arrogant. Like when he was walking across the stage you could tell that he knew it was 'the moment.'"

GREEN BAY - Dying, death and bereavement will be the focus of a breakfast discussion series designed for professionals interested in sharing research findings and current practices in the care and treatment of those encountering loss.

It will be held Thursday mornings from 7:15 to 9 a.m. beginning Feb. 24, and continues on March 9 and 23, April 6 and 27, at the Ecumenical Center on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. The UW-Green Bay Office of Outreach and Extension sponsors the series. Cost is $25 per session or $125 for all five sessions. A light continental breakfast will be provided.

On Feb. 24, UW-Green Bay Human Development Professor Jane Bock and bereavement specialist Kathy Baumann will present, "Grief and the Family." The session will examine the grief process in general, the impact of loss within the family system, and its relationship to family life cycle issues.

On March 9, UW-Green Bay Human Development Prof. Illene Noppe will present, "Male Grief, Female Grief." Noppe's presentation will outline some of the differences between people who grieve and the important implications for interpreting the behaviors of those who are dealing with loss.

The March 23 session, "Dealing with Death in Diverse Cultures," will be a panel discussion with the focus on learning to respond to clients' death-related cultural diversity by understanding the impact of regional, generational, spiritual, economic and other social indicators. Presenting are Sanjuana Aguillon, housing education specialist for the city of Green Bay; Debbie Danforth, registered nurse for Oneida Health Center; and Jai Vang, director of the Hmong Association.

On April 6, Dr. Robert Bendiksen, director of the Center for Death Education and Bioethics at UW-LaCrosse, will present "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Ethical Decision-Making at the End of Life." Current practices and evolving issues about attitudes and policies of euthanasia will be discussed.

The final session on April 27 will be "Spiritual Resources when Facing Death," by Prof. Michael Lukens of the religious studies program at St. Norbert College. Discussion will include the religious and spiritual issues that arise in final illness and grief, and useful resources for the helping professional.

Attendance earns .15 continuing education units per session. To register, contact the Office of Outreach and Extension, UW-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 or call 920-465-2102 or 1-800-892-2118.

GREEN BAY - The man who served as admissions director of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay during a period in which it grew from 3,600 students to more than 5,500 is retiring this week after three decades with the University.

Myron Van de Ven retires Wednesday as the University's assistant vice chancellor for enrollment services. He joined the UW-Green Bay staff in 1970 as a financial aid counselor after teaching in the Green Bay School District. He became director of financial aid in 1975 and in 1977 became director of admissions and financial aid.

Van de Ven has been a frequent speaker at college fairs and gatherings for parents and prospective students across Northeastern Wisconsin, where he promoted not only UW-Green Bay but the value of higher education in general. He says he took satisfaction in increasing opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students of the region, telling a newspaper interviewer in the early 1990s, "There seems to be, as I talk now with students in high schools, a stronger interest in and recognition of the value of higher education."

For three decades he has been a volunteer and driving force in the local organization Scholarships Inc. Founded in 1963 with $7,500 in seed money and a total of 16 small awards for graduating high school seniors with financial need, the organization has grown to today's levels of a $3.5 million endowment and annual awards of more than a quarter million dollars to nearly 250 scholarship recipients. Van de Ven served in a variety of leadership capacities as Scholarships Inc. extended its reach to serve both continuing and non-traditional students.

He has been active in many UW-Green Bay committees and statewide professional organizations. In 1974 he was elected president of the Wisconsin Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. He was named the recipient of the UW-Green Bay Founders Association Award for Excellence in academic support services in 1977. In 1979 he was elected to a three-year term on the executive committee of the Midwestern Regional Assembly for the College Board.

In the mid- to late-1980s Van de Ven helped the University transition from an era of rapid growth to one of "enrollment management," in which state-imposed limits required careful management of the enrollment mix to maintain academic quality and relatively open access despite level or declining resources. It was also an era of increased academic recognition for UW-Green Bay. The University moved near the top of state schools in the preparedness of its incoming freshmen as indicated by ACT scores and class rank.

A native of Schijndel, Holland, Van de Ven received his bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., and his master's in education from the University of Wyoming. He and his wife, Carol, make their home in Luxemburg.

GREEN BAY - Five music honors students at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will perform in a recital at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5 in Forth Howard Hall of the Weidner Center on the campus at 2420 Nicolet Drive. A reception will follow the program.

The performers are: Sarah Danek, South Milwaukee, flute. Danek, a student of Nancy Collins, will perform selections by Carl Reinecke and Darius Milhaud. She is a music education and performance major. Robert Awe was her instructor at South Milwaukee High School.

Tim Patterson, Park Falls, percussion. A student of Cheryl Grosso, Patterson is working toward a degree in music performance and education. His program features a work by Harald Genzmer. Patterson graduated from Park Falls High School where John Hinkley was his instructor.

Ellen Simon, Johnsburg, percussion. A music education major, she will perform a composition by Alan Hovhaness. Simon is a student of Cheryl Grosso. Daniel Witt was Simon's instructor at New Holstein High School.

Heidi Volkmann, Elm Grove, mezzo soprano. A student of Sarah Meredith, Volkmann will perform works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Fredrick Handel, and Armstrong Gibbs. She is a music education major. Her instructor at Brookfield East High School was Mary Bigus. Volkmann won second place in the freshman women's division of the 1999 Wisconsin National Association of Teachers of Singing competition.

GREEN BAY - Nine members of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay art faculty and staff will open an exhibit of their work with a reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Lawton Gallery on the campus at 2420 Nicolet Drive.

The artists and their media are: David Damkoehler, stainless steel sculpture; Kristie Deetz, painting; Jerry Dell, photographic digital prints; Carol Emmons, mixed media; Dan Hatton, photographs; Curt Heuer, ceramics; Jennifer Mokren, small mixed media sculpture; Christine Style, etching/mixed media; and Karon Winzenz, fiber/mixed media.

The exhibit continues through February 17. Lawton Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The gallery is located in Theatre Hall just east of the Weidner Center.

GREEN BAY - Poet and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay faculty member Dee Sweet is co-host, along with George "Bud" Caldwell, Fond du Lac, on Fond du Lac County, The Gathering Place, a new hour-long video history released by the Fond du Lac County Historical Society. The video will have its first public showing at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 in the auditorium of Theisen Junior High School, 525 E. Pioneer Rd., Fond du Lac.

The video, produced by Connie Weiss and Jay Capelle, was funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Original music for the score was composed by Marian College faculty member David Thompson.

The video script and a companion 266-page resource guide were written by Historical Society researchers Maureen Betz and John Ebert. The video and book are being sold for $39.95, plus tax, with profits going to the Fond du Lac County Historical Society.

GREEN BAY - Foundation work is under way this week as crews have begun to pour footings, column bases and foundation walls for the new $18.5 million academic building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Foundation walls will be poured in stages as excavation progresses on the hillside just east of the University's Cofrin Library. The foundation walls nearest the library will be completed first, with the main slab poured in early March. By the time excavation is completed, approximately 85,000 cubic yards of soil, sand and clay will have been removed from the site or set aside for use in fill or landscaping.

Contractors for the project are:
• Jacob C. Basten Construction Co. Inc., Green Bay, general contractor;
• Reeke-Marold Co. Inc., Green Bay, plumbing;
• Paul Van Zeeland Heating, Little Chute, HVAC; and
• Van den Heuvel Electric Inc., De Pere, electrical.

"We're delighted that local contractors were successful bidders for this project," UW-Green Bay Chancellor Mark Perkins says. "The new building is not only a boost for our University, its construction will have a positive economic impact and the finished product will be a tremendous asset for our community."

The 120,000-square-foot building will become the University's primary classroom facility, housing 20 classrooms, a variety of special computer-based instruction spaces and academic program offices. It will also be the home to some of the University's special collections: the Richter Collection, the University Herbarium, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Breeding Bird Atlas and headquarter offices for the new Cofrin Arboretum Center for Biodiversity.

Occupancy is expected in the summer of 2001 with classes beginning in fall of 2001.

GREEN BAY - "Crimes Against Nature," a humorous and personal solo performance focusing on the pressures of masculinity, will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26 at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Christopher Kilmartin, an associate professor of psychology and former stand-up comedian, will base his performance in part on his own funny experiences of adolescence and young-manhood combined with heartfelt stories to point out what he sees as the absurdities and contradictions of growing up male in America.

A discussion titled "Sports, Sex and Relationships: Emphasizing the Positive," follows at 9 p.m. Both programs will be held in Phoenix Room B of the University Union, on campus. Kilmartin will also lead a discussion, "What Planet Did You Say They Were From? Understanding Gender in the Workplace," for UW-Green Bay faculty staff and employees at noon Thursday, January 27 in Phoenix Room A of the University Union. All events are free and open to the public.

Kilmartin is an associate professor of psychology at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va. He is considered an expert on men's issues and is the author of The Masculine Self, a book which offers an overview of the psychology of men. He is also a co-author of a newly published book, The Pain Behind the Mask: Origins, Consequences, and Remedies for Masculine Depression.

Kilmartin had been a professional standup comedian since 1985; having performed opening acts for many nationally know comedians including Richard Lewis, Paula Poundstone, Martin Lawrence, George Miller and Norm MacDonald.

The events are sponsored by UW-Green Bay's Employee Assistance Program. For more information call 465-2380.

University of Wisconsin System, Wisconsin Technical College System and Department of Defense form partnership to enhance anytime, anywhere learning

MADISON, WI - The University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System sealed a partnership agreement Monday (January 10) with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to collaboratively develop, demonstrate, and evaluate the next generation of learning technologies that enable web-based learning, also called "distributed learning."

University of Wisconsin System President Katharine C. Lyall and Wisconsin Technical College System State Director Edward Chin were joined by representatives of the Department of Defense at a signing ceremony at 3:00 p.m. in Room 235 of The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison.

The "Memorandum of Agreement" establishes a "Wisconsin Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratory (Co-Lab)" to serve as a focal point for academia and the workforce in Internet-based distributed learning. The Wisconsin Co-Lab will be housed at the Pyle Center, a state-of-the-art, wired conference facility operated by UW-Extension on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. It is the Defense Department's first ADL Co-Lab in an academic environment.

The Defense Department is a major consumer in the education arena, spending approximately $14 Billion per year on classroom education for its 3 million active duty and reserve members of the military service and civilian personnel around the world.

The DoD wants to expand its educational opportunities and enhance performance for the nation's service men and women by offering "anytime, anywhere" on-line education and training.

Both the UW System and Technical College System have been developing web-based instruction to serve the education and training needs of the students served by both systems. The Wisconsin ADL Co-Lab will support collaboration, especially in the area of testing, evaluation and demonstration of tools and technologies to enhance teaching and learning over the Internet.

"This partnership means that Wisconsin will have more influence in shaping the future on-line learning environment," said UW System President Lyall. "The benefits will extend to students who will have greater access to education and training and to businesses which are increasingly turning to on-line learning to train employees for higher performance," Lyall added, "This is a natural fit given the history of the UW-Extension as the oldest distance learning institution in the nation."

"Collaborating on these projects gives both the UW System and Technical College System the unique opportunity to be major players in this highly competitive, ever-evolving world of distributed learning," said WTCS State Director Edward Chin.

Michael Parmentier, director of Readiness and Training in the Office of the Secretary of Defense said, "We believe it is in the Department's, the Nation's and the taxpayers' best interests to establish, operate and support the Wisconsin ADL Co-Lab Node for Advanced Distributed Learning."

Parmentier added that Secretary of Defense William Cohen's vision for the 21st Century learning environments is "one in which Advanced Distributed Learning technologies and methodologies will provide access to the highest quality education and training that can be tailored to individual needs and delivered cost-effectively, whenever and wherever it is required."

DoD signatories to the agreement are Parmentier and Paul Jesukiewicz, director of the Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory located at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia. Also attending from DoD were Royal Thomas Goodden, director of Institutional Learning in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Donald Brock Johnson, senior program analyst for the Readiness and Training Directorate in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The ADL strategy is to:

• Pursue emerging, network-based technologies and learning software and content that are accessible, adaptable, interoperable, durable, and reusable

• Foster the development of an open architecture based upon standards adopted by industry

• Lower development costs

• Promote widespread collaboration to find common solutions to common problems to satisfy common needs

• Enhance performance with next-generation learning technologies

• Establish coordinated implementation process

The Wisconsin ADL Co-Lab will begin work on projects immediately, said Judy Brown, emerging technology analyst for the WTCS and primary liaison for the project. The first projects relate to learning management systems and intelligent tutors, Brown said.

The University of Wisconsin System consists of two doctoral institutions at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, 11 four-year comprehensive universities and 13 two-year colleges. The Wisconsin Technical College System consists of 16 technical colleges, with 47 campuses, providing career and continuing education, college transfer, basic education, as well as contract training for business and industry.

GREEN BAY - The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at noon on Friday, Jan. 21 in Phoenix Room B of University Union on the campus at 2420 Nicolet Drive. The free event will be followed by a reception.

Chancellor Mark L. Perkins will open the ceremonies, followed by keynote speaker James R. Coates Jr., an associate professor of education who joined the UW-Green Bay faculty in September. A former member of the faculty at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, Coates is director of clinical field experiences for education students at UW-Green Bay.

The theme for the celebration comes from Dr. King's words, "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve."

"The theme reminds us that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is not a day off, but a 'day on,' that is, a day to be involved in community service initiatives," says Sheila Carter, program coordinator in the Office of Student Life. The Office will announce a project to collect donated art supplies and other materials for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Green Bay. Donations may be dropped off during office hours at the Student Life Office, University Union 153, through January 28.

The UW-Green Bay observance for Dr. King falls after the official Monday holiday because classes are not in session. Spring semester begins on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

GREEN BAY - Two University of Wisconsin-Green Bay students are among eight undergraduates from throughout the state to be awarded $2,500 grants from the University of Wisconsin System Solid Waste Research Program.

Meleesa Johnson, Mishicot, and Katie Parmentier, Green Bay, will use the funds to complete individual research projects during the spring semester beginning January 18.

Johnson will examine existing legislation, rules and regulations that apply to feeding food wastes generated by the hospitality industry, grocery stores, and other sources, to animals. Much of the waste currently goes into landfills, says Johnson. The focus of her study is to reduce the amount of waste entering landfills, while ensuring a safe food supply for animals. A senior majoring in Environmental Policy and Planning with an Environmental Science minor, Johnson will work with faculty adviser Scott Furlong. She transferred to UW-Green Bay from the UW College at Manitowoc in September 1999.

Parmentier will survey the cheese industry in Wisconsin to learn how cheesemakers dispose of by-products, what costs are associated with by-product disposal, and what innovative solutions to the problem industry members have developed. Parmentier says this information has not been previously assembled. Her project adviser is Keith West, industrial recycling specialist with UW-Extension. Parmentier, who is completing majors in Biology and Environmental Science, plans to graduate in May.

The Wisconsin Legislature established the Solid Waste Research Program to fund research into methods for reducing the amount of material going into the state's landfills. The program provides grants to UW System faculty and includes a competitive grant program for junior and senior students enrolled at any UW System campus.

GREEN BAY - Researchers working with space-age technology will demonstrate its application to local and regional planning in Northeast Wisconsin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 24, in Phoenix Room C of the University Union at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive. The program is free.

Wil Orr and Hoyt Johnson of Prescott College, Prescott, Ariz., will present NASA and Prescott College's "Decision Support System for Land Use Planning and Growth Policy Development," and show how it could be applied here. Six cities around the country already are using the system to aid in managing issues of growth, sprawl, water, transportation, economic growth, and land use.

In an afternoon session beginning at 1 p.m., Orr and Johnson will open the floor to discussion of the technology and the steps communities need to take to use these tools in their planning.

Officials, planners and others interested are invited. The session is open to the public. Because a light lunch is provided at noon, persons who want to attend should make reservations no later than Friday, Jan. 21 to the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission by phone to (920) 448-2820 or by FAX to (920) 448-2823. There is no charge for the lunch.

Hosts for the event include Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, Door County Land Use Forum, Inc., Sustainable Green Bay, Inc., Door Property Owners, Inc., Door County Stewardship Council, Oneida Nation Environmental Planning Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources/Lakeshore Basin, UW-Green Bay Center for Public Affairs, and UW-Green Bay academic departments in Social Change and Development and Urban and Regional Studies.

GREEN BAY - Saturday, Jan. 29, is the date the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Alumni Association will celebrate its annual Alumni Day with sports-related events on campus and at the Brown County Arena.

The day begins with a pair of alumni basketball games on campus at the Phoenix Sports Center. Admission is free. The men's game begins at 10 a.m. and will feature "old-timers" including recent grads Ryan Borowicz, Luke Kiss, Matt Hill and Mike Nabena and 1970s standouts Bryan Boettcher and Dan Walter. The women's game follows at 11 a.m. with rosters featuring recent players as well as Phoenix Hall of Fame inductees Sue Bodilly, Dawn LeClair-Taddy and Kathy Mertz.

Action shifts across town to the Brown County Arena for the 1 p.m. varsity game between Midwestern Collegiate Conference rivals UW-Green Bay and the University of Detroit Titans, the league's defending champions. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN.

UW-Green Bay alumni are invited to purchase special reserved seating for the game by calling the Athletics Ticket Office and Marilyn McCarey at 465-2625. Tickets are $12, $10 or $8 in advance, while the supply lasts. An alumni reception with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will follow the game in the Arena's lower concourse.

Wrapping up the day's activities will be the second game of a varsity doubleheader, with the Phoenix women's basketball team facing MCC challenger Illinois-Chicago. Tipoff time will be at about 3:30 p.m., or approximately one half hour after the conclusion of the men's game.

Alumni Day events are organized by Intercollegiate Athletics and the UW-Green Bay Alumni Association. The Association's membership consists of the 17,000 graduates of the University, with alumni residing in every state and numerous foreign countries; about two-thirds live and work in Wisconsin.

GREEN BAY - The state Assembly's Committee on Colleges and Universities will hold a public hearing on proposed legislation affecting higher education at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Among the sites where testimony will be accepted via videoconferencing technology is Room 1034 of the Instructional Services Building at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive.

Bills scheduled to receive hearings include Assembly Bills 244, 432 and 592 and LRB 4017/4. Topics of these proposals are the creation of tax credits for businesses that cover educational expenses (AB 244); "auditing" privileges for citizens 60 years of age or older (AB 432); grants for high school students who have received an International Baccalaureate Diploma (AB 592); and amendments to the college tuition prepayment program and the college savings program board (LRB 4017/4). Text of the bills may be found online at the Legislature's home page at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/

The Committee on Colleges and Universities is chaired by state Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire. Wednesday's meeting will convene at the state Capitol with committee members hearing from sites including Green Bay, La Crosse and River Falls.

Those interested in testifying at UW-Green Bay will be asked to submit a registration slip and reserve a slot as part of the compressed-video proceedings. Daniel Spielmann of UW-Green Bay, 465-2622, is coordinating details at the local site.