Women's Basketball Inc. — winners on, off the court

Step inside Phoenix Sports Center Room 112 during May, the off-season, and you recognize immediately: There's no off-season.

Phones ring off the hook. The coaches game-plan for the final signing period, their last chance to convince the best high school seniors to play for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Summer camps are drawing near. Civic groups, schools and non-profits are requesting players and coaches to speak, run clinics and help with fund-raising activities.

Now, step inside the mind of the man behind the mission, Phoenix Coach Kevin Borseth, where reality is not only planning for the days and months ahead, but for the future of a program.

Borseth, fresh off a 23-8 season, admits to taking no time off despite the end of the most grueling stretch of his coaching career.

A year earlier it had been, well... not exactly easy, but somehow anticipated: a first-ever Top 25 ranking, a first-ever win in the NCAA tournament, a spectacular season all around with a deep, senior-laden squad (above). Big things were expected again of this year's team, even minus the graduated stars. Then, just a few games in, two starters are lost to season-ending injuries. And instead of sailing to a third straight Horizon League title and NCAA tournament bid, the team has to scratch and claw. They get there just the same, a feat some regard as a near-miracle.

But Borseth and his staff and players have little time, yet, to relax and reflect.

• They are busy working events such as Big Event for Little Kids, an Encompass Child Care fundraiser.

• After months on the road they are catching up on study time to maintain their 3.0 and 4.0 gradepoint averages. Collectively, those GPAs place them among the nation's most academically successful Division I programs over the last decade.

• They are traveling the region promoting their program through demonstrations, clinics, speaking engagements and autograph signings.

• They are planning for their youth camps and clinics — in such high demand that they turn away hundreds of kids who hoped to connect with their local heroes.

Borseth says the extracurriculars come with the territory if you want to fill the stands, and win championships.

"We are in the entertainment business," he says. "I think we put out a good product, a family product, at a reasonable cost and at a convenient time. It's an exciting environment, and for those who like sports, they can appreciate the hard work and good play."

Among the fans is Chancellor Emeritus Edward Weidner, who hired the first head coach, Carol Hammerle, and for 30 years has supported the program's growth as an NAIA and NCAA Division I tournament contender.

"The atmosphere we have today is one Carol and I envisioned for the program," Weidner says. "Not just in the crowds, but the development of the student element to the crowd. I see some people (at other games) who don't move the entire game. I can't, for the life of me, understand it. It should be fun. Spectators should get involved. I think our students are on the doorstep of that now... The future is only going to be brighter."

For his part, Borseth pauses before predicting greater things to come. Partly because of the limited resources at a smaller school. Mostly because of current facilities not conducive to Division I success at the very highest level.

"I'd like to say that our athletic facilities are not an embarrassment, but they are," Borseth says. "Right now we are able to sign only about 1 percent of the number of kids we are working hard to recruit. We have little to show when they walk in that Sports Center door. We take them to a locker room that isn't much bigger than a closet. Other schools show them locker rooms with computers, study areas, media centers. Whether we like it or not, whether it is right or not, kids like the flashy stuff, the bright lights and toys.

"Really, though, what we're talking about is even more basic than that. The real issue (with the PSC) is that we're not able to provide the experience, the recreation activities, the energy they envision when they come to a college campus... These types of recreation centers are the center of activity at other campuses. We need that here, not just for our program, but because it will greatly improve life on campus for our general student population."

Nicole Soulis, a local freshman who became an all-Horizon League star her first year, says energy lights the PSC on game days, but it could be better.

"It's exciting to play in the environment we do," she says of the bandbox gym, "but I sometimes wonder if we're not turning people away. Next year we've got Minnesota (a Final Four team), Illinois and Marquette coming in, and we might have to move those games to the Resch Center to accommodate the fans. A couple thousand fans at the Resch is loud and everything, but 3,000 fans at the Phoenix Sports Center for those games would be amazing."

While Borseth and his players are intensely interested in progress toward a long hoped-for expansion of the PSC, they don't dwell on it. When your program gets by on overachieving, there's not time.

"If you're at a big school, you achieve because of all the resources you have," he says. "If you're at a small school, you over-achieve to be successful. Period. If you want to be part of this program, you expect to overachieve to do well."

Karen Stack-Umlauf, a former Big Ten standout at Northwestern, has broadcast numerous UW-Green Bay games over the years.

"There's a magic with women's basketball at Green Bay," she observes. "The program has always been great, from the Carol Hammerle years right on through today.

"Borseth's teams always execute extremely well. They have great shooters and they are tough defensively. It's just a matter of time before they figure out your weaknesses and take advantage of them. That says a lot for a coach when you make players play to the best of their ability. There are so many teams with a lot of talent and more potential, but they are not achieving a similar level of success."

She believes in an upside — that the Phoenix can soar higher yet.

As for Borseth, he's sitting in his office in PSC 112 on an out-of-season day when he really should be enjoying some down time. But he has goals to accomplish and dreams to achieve, and he knows that can't happen in an over-achiever's world if he spends too much time on the golf course or at his favorite fishing hole.

"They say you either inherit it or steal it, and I can tell you, I haven't inherited it," the Upper Peninsula native says proudly of his work ethic.

"No one has handed me a thing, I've made my own path. I've earned it every step of the way. I feel good about it... but at the same time, if you're not careful, you can feel a little bitter. You wonder why others don't have to jump through the same hoops. Mostly, though, I've learned to not worry about things I don't have control over.

"I hope to take this program further into an NCAA Tournament," he says. "Maybe even a Final Four. I think it might be second to impossible, but not impossible. We need better facilities. We need more national exposure. We need to get ourselves in front of a national audience. We need some on-air time. With hard work, a little luck, and if we can land the right people, and the shots go down when they count, you never know."

The task is a huge one, but Borseth and company already have their court shoes laced up. Truth be known, they never take them off.

Team GPA

Individual Academic All-Americas

On the court

Hall of Famer Lieberman: For women, it's about leadership

Nancy Lieberman — WNBA and NCAA commentator, Olympic medalist, ESPN writer, a women's basketball Hall-of-Famer widely regarded as the game's first great player — is a traveling ambassador for girls' and women's athletics. She no longer competes professionally but still plays occasionally on a touring AAU team. Lieberman visited the UW-Green Bay campus last season for an exhibition game and shared a few thoughts with Inside.

Green Bay basketball

"The basketball in Wisconsin is getting better every year. At Green Bay, I think you've invested in a terrific coach. His players are smart and fundamental; they play hard, and obviously enjoy playing for him. The mark of a sound coach is that he gets the most out of his talent. I don't know if there are 10 all-Americans on the bench, but he makes an average player a good player and a good player a great player."

Facilities

"It's important to not only build your program but facilities to match... Sports is a business — a $3- to $4-billion-a-year business. A good program will make your school, your community and your alumni proud. Obviously, academics come first and foremost... But when you have both, it's something to really be proud of."

Women's sports, and leadership

"This is 2004. Most of the young women who go through the doors of UW-Green Bay are likely to end up in a two-income family. Women still only earn 75 cents to every dollar a man does. We have to be the best prepared, and better in the same jobs, just to receive equal credibility. Women are moving mountains. There are 58 million women in the workplace earning a billion dollars. We are decision makers and empowered. Sports makes you competitive, stronger and more self-confident in the business world."

Cramped, faded facility is prime for a makeover

Karen Stack-Umlauf has seen a few college gymnasiums in her day.

A TV analyst and former college and pro player, she still loves to play. A few weekends each fall she barnstorms the Midwest with a traveling AAU team for exhibitions against college teams. She played in Green Bay earlier this year.

"We've been to a lot of different facilities, and I'd have to say that those are some of the worst," is how she rates the outdated Phoenix Sports Center.

"They had to kick the volleyball team out to make room for us... I felt bad for them... And then when the game was over, we had to stand outside (the locker room) and wait for a male referee to have his turn to shower. You never want your visiting team to be comfortable, but that's probably the worst conditions we've ever been in."

The original PSC, downsized by budget cuts even before it was completed in 1976, has been showing its age to community and campus users alike.

Limited space, well-worn facilities and scheduling conflicts are everyday issues. The building can be closed for days by a special event or basketball tournament, leading students to grumble. Aerobic equipment is jammed in a converted racquetball court, storage is non-existent, and visitors sometimes have to sidestep athletes stretching in the halls.

Freshman Nicole Soulis came from a new gym at Bay Port High School with a full fieldhouse and spacious weight-training and fitness areas. It put the PSC to shame. Actually, Bay Port's old gym, now in use as a junior high facility, almost put the PSC to shame, too.

"All the area high schools that have been building or renovating have better facilities than we do," Soulis says. "An expansion is something that will really benefit all students at UWGB."

PSC also a priority for men's basketball

They don't play their home games there, but an improved Phoenix Sports Center could take the high-profile UW-Green Bay men's basketball program to a new level, nonetheless.

The 2003-04 season was the best in five years. At 17-11 and third place in the Horizon League, the Phoenix men averaged nearly 5,000 fans per game down the stretch at the Resch Center.

Coach Tod Kowalczyk has described the prospect of first-rate practice facilities — with a new "sprung-wood" surface, expanded weight and cardio training areas, and team locker rooms — as necessary to stay competitive at the NCAA Division I level.

Athletics Director Ken Bothof says a new Student Sports and Event Center would lift all sports and not just the women's basketball and volleyball teams that use the PSC as home floor.

Students have $15 million riding on plans

When they learn UW-Green Bay students are "lead donors" on a proposed makeover that will essentially create an all-new Student Sports and Events Center, some people are astonished.

Students raising their own fees? Hundreds of dollars per year, accounting for $15 million over two decades?

"It's simple," responds student body president Jon Virant. "Students understand and recognize the value of top-quality facilities... not just for academics, but across campus. And for that reason, students are willing to sacrifice and pledge more for the happiness and success of future students."

One supporter is Brandon Nelson, who will graduate before a new center is reality. He's glad to contribute for future students' benefit because he views the current PSC as a poor value.

"I'm here a lot," he says. "I play intramural softball, volleyball, basketball, racquetball, and flag football. In addition, I like to come to the PSC during the lunch hours and play noon-ball. I use the weight rooms on occasion. It meets the basic needs, but just barely."

Nelson says it seems the general student body, which supports PSC operations through memberships and mandatory fees, sometimes "takes a backseat when it comes to primetime facility use" because the building is too small and overbooked.

That's a sentiment shared by Kristen Stafford. A student fitness instructor, she says even when open, facilities are lacking.

"They're too small to accommodate the needs of the students and the athletes," she says. "There is also a very limited supply of equipment... and the weight-training area is so small it is almost not safe to use it."

At a time when more students, especially young women, are discovering that fitness can be a positive factor in their total college experience — work, study and recreation — Stafford says UW-Green Bay students are finding barriers.

Civic leader Mike Meeuwsen says the University, and community, can't have that happen. Without high-quality facilities across the board, recruiting and retention of the best students slip, with fewer graduates returning to the community. That's why Meeuwsen, a former officer of Bank Mutual Corp., is volunteering his support for a $7.5 million community fund-raising effort.

"It's a terrific enhancement for the University campus, and a great opportunity to provide a facility that will largely be paid for by the students and the state of Wisconsin," he says. "For every $1 that the community invests, they'll get another $3 in their investment. That's a great partnership."

Union revamp is also in the works

The proposed new Student Sports and Events Center is just part of UW-Green Bay's vision for upgrading and expanding student-life facilities on campus.

Planning for a $6 million renovation and expansion of the University Union also continues to move forward. After meeting with students and other users of the Union, consultants will lay out their ideas for a new and improved facility later this spring. Work on design alternatives may begin in fall.

Student fees, other program revenue and private gifts will fund the project.

The renovated and expanded University Union will promote more student interaction, provide improved dining areas and consolidate campus retail operations.

Planning turns to architecture, cost and '07 target

Hopes are soaring that the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay can finally take a long-overdue step in rounding out its campus.

A fully equipped Student Sports and Events Center — in reality an expansion and total makeover of the existing Phoenix Sports Center — could be under construction as early as 2005 and open by '07 if private fund-raising efforts now under way are successful.

UW-Green Bay students provided the foundation by agreeing to commit $15 million through higher fees. Then the state Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle got on board by committing $7.5 million of state-supported bonding in the 2005-07 biennium.

The state funding comes with a catch: the University must match the state commitment with $7.5 million in gifts by early 2005. UW-Green Bay is seeking to exceed that, with a target of $10 million in pledges from private donors.

Steve Swan, UW-Green Bay assistant chancellor for university advancement, said he is confident the community will see the merits of the project and help make the Student Sports and Events Center a reality.

"I really believe in our alumni and community friends," Swan said. "As has always been the case at UWGB, when they hear and see our case and realize the difference they can make, they will want to become a partner in this project."

Swan described the Sports and Events Center project as "critically important" to the future of UW-Green Bay. The center will serve as a focal point for student life on campus and give student-athletes the tools to compete with other Division I athletic programs.

The existing Phoenix Sports Center, scaled back because of state budget cuts and economic recession, has been undersized and outdated almost since it opened in1976.

As fundraising efforts go forward, the University is positioning itself to be ready to move on the project once fundraising is completed. Two architectural firms with extensive experience have been selected to design the UW-Green Bay Student Sports and Events Center. Venture Architects of Milwaukee and Moody-Nolan of Columbus, Ohio, have numerous major projects to their credit, including Milwaukee's Bradley Center and Madison's Kohl Center. Sessions on campus are already occurring.

If all goes as planned, ground will be broken for the UW-Green Bay project in fall 2005 and the doors will open by fall 2007 — in plenty of time for the 2007-08 basketball season.

What's in the plan?

• Nearly triples the size of the facility, from 76,000 square feet to 216,000 square feet
• Central area with seating capacity of 3,000 to 4,000
• Home court for UW-Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball, volleyball teams
• Practice court for Phoenix men's basketball team
• State-of-the-art facilities for cardiovascular and aerobic activities
• Multipurpose courts for racquet sports, intramural basketball
• Swimming and diving pools
• Climbing wall
• Facilities for important campus events like commencement, summer orientation, career fairs, concerts, multicultural activities

Phoenix Sports Center memories?

"It was about 10 p.m. on the night (Feb. 22, 1996) we were scheduled to play Detroit at midnight on ESPN2 — the program's first nationally televised game. I parked in the back of the PSC and walked the main hall past the gym, and one side was already filled with students and community members. It was still two hours before tip-off! It was packed that night — standing room only and an electric crowd. And we beat the Detroit Titans pretty handily, too (71-53).

"The other time was in 1991-92 when we were hosting Georgia — the No. 4 ranked (preseason) team in the nation — led by an All-American point guard. There wasn't a person in the country that believed we could win that night. Mariann Van Den Elzen shut down Georgia's guard Lady Hardmon (an honorable mention all-America and future NBA player) and we went on to win that game by 24 points."

I can remember when the place was being built. We put our hardhats on and toured the construction site saying, 'Wow, this is going to be incredible.' Of course, it was downsized from three gyms to two, and there were some other cuts even before it was completed. But we still thought, 'Look at this great place, these great offices.'

"I knew within four years of being there that the University had already outgrown that facility... I wish I would have had the forethought, way back then, to realize what women's athletics could become. But really, because of Title IX, we were just trying to field a couple of teams — field hockey and basketball — to simply give women an opportunity to compete. That's why there were men's basketball and men's soccer team rooms but not any for the women. They were already competing seriously (on a national level), and we were still at a play-and-socialize state. But it wasn't long after that it really took off."

— Carol Hammerle
Athletics administrator, women's basketball coach, 1973-1998
Now head coach at Northern Illinois University

"I think of the Phoenix Sports Center fondly. You can bet that when I bring my children, ages 9, 7 and 5, to the PSC, I show them with pride that we labored in that building. We had so much pride in the program and one another and an absolute love for our coach in those days that facilities meant so little.

But that was 15 years ago. And in order for the Phoenix to compete at the next level, I think the facility expansion is crucial. Now that I have one of my high school players there (Ryan Werch, a transfer from Utah), I want the best for the best."

— Dean Vander Plas
Men's basketball, 1988-1991, Starter on first basketball team to earn a bid to the NCAA Division I tourney
Insurance executive, varsity boys' basketball coach, Ripon High School

What's your favorite memory of the Phoenix Sports Center?

We've started a list of PSC highlights, nostalgia and trivia. We'd like to know some of your favorite memories of the Phoenix Sports Center. E-mail us your thoughts and additions at alumni@uwgb.edu.

• February 1996, when women's basketball hosted its first and only nationally televised game, an electric, sold-out "midnight madness" affair on ESPN2?

• The time Hillary Clinton campaigned there, and drew a near-capacity crowd, in October 1996?

• The time the bus pulled in with the Phoenix women's swimming and diving team, carrying the 1984 NAIA national championship trophy... to this date UW-Green Bay's one and only national championship?

• A professional wrestling show? (Yup. Several times, featuring a regional tour and the billing as "Duel at the School!")

• The Rainmakers concert, or any other concert?

• The first (and in some ways, most memorable) Bayfest concert, featuring Wilma Lee Cooper, "The Mother of Bluegrass," in 1980?

• The final winter commencement ceremony held there, before moving to the Weidner Center? National prominent political figure Henry Cisneros (newly appointed to President Clinton's cabinet) delivered the address and received an honorary doctorate.

• The commencement you received your degree? (Mid-winter ceremonies were held there 1976-1992)

• In March 2003, when the super-successful Phoenix women clinched an NCAA bid for the first and only time on their homecourt, winning the Horizon League post-season tourney?

• The only men's basketball regular-season game played there, a 78-55 win, over Missouri Baptist, 1979, when freshman Casey Zakowski hit about eight straight shots to blow the game open?

• A particularly thrilling, or brutal, noon-ball game? (Some still remember the game Prof. Phil recorded his first assist, although others disputed that scoring and say it is a milestone as yet unreached.)

• A fond memory of the UWGB Powwow, held every year (for the last decade) at the PSC in April?

• A UWGB women's volleyball game from their storybook 2003 season, when the program made its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I volleyball tournament?

• A racquetball, handball, basketball or any other sort of class or lesson with Bernard Starks, Bob Goemans, Aldo Santaga or anyone else?

Commencement address:
For Weidner, home is 2420 Nicolet

After all, that's been his platform from the beginning, and still is.

It began with groundbreaking at the Nicolet Drive site in November 1967. Moments before bulldozer hit dirt, Weidner thanked members of the Green Bay area community for their determination in bringing a UW campus to their hometown. He invited their continued involvement. He told them their work had just begun. And so had his.

That open invitation to community leaders to stay connected and interested in their regional public institution of higher learning has continued to reap rewards for campus and community alike.

"Green Bay is a wonderful place to be," Weidner says, simply. "It is a very caring community."

Nearly two decades have elapsed since his last "official" day on the job, in 1986, after 20 years as founding chancellor, but Weidner remains one of UW-Green Bay's busiest ambassadors.

His calendar includes most major University functions and plenty of smaller ones, too. He regularly takes in student and touring performances at the on-campus performing arts center that bears his name. He spends much of his winter, front and center, at the Phoenix men's and women's basketball games.

"Wherever the Phoenix is playing, including NCAA Tournament games around the country, you can count on Ed and Marge to be in attendance, decked-out in their UWGB attire," says Pat Duescher, Fast Break Club president and a logistics analyst at Schreiber Foods, Inc. "When the Phoenix Fight Song is playing they are up clapping to the beat. It's easy to tell where their season tickets are because they always draw a crowd. They are among the Athletic Program's most loyal fans, no doubt."

Weidner says travel, the performing arts, birding and basketball keep him and Marjorie busy. This year the couple journeyed to Maui in February. They went to Santa Barbara in March to watch the Phoenix women's team. They will travel by car to North Dakota in May and fly out to Tucson, a mecca for birders, in July. But he is never too busy to actively promote the University he watched develop from wheat field to well-established, well-respected institution of higher learning.

Great vision and passion for the University and its students — embraced over the years, as well, by community friends such as the Rose Family, Rudy Small, John and Dorothy Blair, David and Mary Ann Cofrin and so many others — remain as much his trademark as technicolor neckties.

At commencement May 15, Weidner says, he is likely to speak about vision, the dream University founders had from the beginning, and the importance of having a dream that seems even beyond the possibility of ever achieving.

With that, he may reflect on a prediction made at that original ground-breaking, when it was said, "With care and cultivation, there is no reason (the University) should not grow and grow, and each year produce a bumper crop of graduates."

It would be the University's and the community's good fortune if Weidner chooses never to remove his gardener's gloves.

Regional demand drives new master's program

The professors are from University of Wisconsin campuses in Green Bay and Oshkosh.

The classrooms are at UW-Fox Valley.

The students? Social workers and human services professionals from Green Bay, Oneida, Appleton, Manitowoc, Wausau, Oshkosh and points in between. And they're greeting the new Collaborative Master's of Social Work as they would a family friend.

Finally, they have advanced education in their field that doesn't require a career hiatus or a killer commute to Madison or Milwaukee.

"Location was the biggest thing for me," says Tera Williams, who juggles studies, parenting, and case management work for an Oshkosh career-counseling service. "I've always wanted to do this, but when you're working a lot it's difficult to commute a great distance."

The road she's chosen isn't easy. The M.S.W. is rigorous. Classes can occupy entire Saturdays and three-hour blocks on Tuesday nights. Unpaid field placements in public social-services agencies are an additional time commitment.

Still, that's no discouragement to students, who regard the credential as their profession's gold standard.

Christy Webster of Green Bay jumped at the first class. She holds a bachelor's in human services from another UW school and worked several years in a group-home setting with cognitively disabled and mentally ill adults.

"I enjoy what I do, but I saw that the sort of challenging job that appealed to me would require an M.S.W.," she says. "I want to have a direct impact on decisions that contribute to quality care."

Echoes Jenny St. Aubin of Appleton, "You have more opportunity to be in a leadership position, to make a difference."

This month, Williams, Webster, St. Aubin and classmates are wrapping up year one of their two-year sequence. Next year, additional students — those with bachelor's degrees in social work, who get to bypass the "foundation year" — will join them as they finish up with a single year of full-time studies.

Williams, the career adviser, is expanding her view of social work through field duties with Fond du Lac County social services. Webster holds down a position with the Oneida Nation's adolescent treatment center along with her field placement at Brown County Shelter Care. St. Aubin works at Lutheran Social Services in addition to her placement assisting the child protective services unit in Waupaca County.

The program's coordinator, Prof. Judith Martin of UW-Green Bay, says the curriculum, the emphasis on serving the region, even the scheduling of classes at a midway point between the two universities... all speak to serving people of the region.

"The human services people in this region have lobbied for this (master's) program for years, telling us about the demand. Now that we've arrived, we appreciate just how serious these students are. They are enthusiastic and engaged. It bodes well for the future."

NEW ERA of cooperation

The Collaborative M.S.W. signifies a new era involving UW-Green Bay and UW-Oshkosh.

NEW ERA, or Northeast Wisconsin Educational Resource Alliance, is a commitment by sibling campuses to pursue a strategy of regional cooperation.

"Arguably, this is something that historically has not been practiced widely by public or private entities in the Fox Valley," Chancellor Bruce Shepard says.

It would have been a plum for either university to launch its own master's, but a race to be first would have had only losers. Campus budget cuts argue against going it alone. UW System officials have been stingy about new programs that don't involve partnerships. And crucial legislative support might have been halved. The badly needed M.S.W. program — the first outside Madison or Milwaukee — could have been derailed, or awarded to another region of the state.

The NEW ERA group consists of Shepard, Chancellor Richard Wells of Oshkosh and the leaders of two-year UW College campuses, technical colleges and others interested in building a clear agenda for Northeast Wisconsin.

Collaborative Master's of Social Work Degree

Single program offered jointly by: UW-Green Bay and UW-Oshkosh (Student choice as to which campus awards degree)

Notable features: Draws upon resources of two respected social work programs; encourages graduates to leadership roles; emphasizes need to serve transforming region's increasingly diverse population, both metropolitan and rural

Accreditation: In candidacy for 2005

Sample courses: Generalist Practice II; Ethical Issues; Social Welfare Policy; Practice Competence in a Diverse Community; Multi-Level Family Intervention; Advanced Research Applicatons

Teaching faculty:
Tom Ebert, Dorothea Epple, field coordinator Ann Gammon, Melinda Gushwa, program coordinator Judy Martin, Kevin Roeder, Fredi Staerkel, Quintin Sullivan, Carolyn Wells

Total tuition per term: About $3,000

Scholarships: Available

More info: www.uwgb.edu/socwork/CollaborativeMSWProgram.htm.

Alumni news

Transplant assistance blossoms during her reign

Tina Sauerhammer '99 shared thoughts on her alma mater, organ donation and her reign as Miss Wisconsin during a campus stop last month.

She has spent much of the last nine months on the road promoting her Miss America platform, "The Importance of Organ Donation," to schools, Rotaries, hospitals, and anyone who will listen. She tells the tragic story how her father died awaiting a transplant that never came.

Her efforts have already paid off with new help for organ donors. Wisconsin becomes the first state in the country to assist individuals and families with the financial cost of a transplant. Assembly Bill 477 creates a one-time income tax deduction of up to $10,000 for living donors for expenses related to donating an organ. The deduction can be claimed for donating a kidney, a lung, bone marrow, or part of the liver, pancreas, or intestine, and applies to travel expenses, lodging, and lost wages. A donor must be a resident of Wisconsin, and can claim the deduction only once. Sauerhammer was among those whom the governor thanked during the bill signing ceremony in January.

Last May, Sauerhammer became the youngest graduate of the UW Medical School at age 22. She was third runner-up in the Miss America competition in September. When her Miss Wisconsin reign is up in three months, she will spend five to seven years in residency at UW-Madison Medical School in hopes of being a pediatric surgeon.

Despite her travels, studies and a lifetime of experiences in the few short years she's been away, Sauerhammer says her undergraduate years at UW-Green Bay will always be a favorite memory.

"I know that I wouldn't be here now, if it wasn't for the wonderful support of this campus and the individual attention I received and the wonderful friendships I made with faculty while I was here. I don't think I could have gotten this experience anywhere else."

Moua lands spot as assistant attorney general

Today, Moua is an assistant attorney general with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in Madison. She works in the civil litigation unit, representing the state, its agencies and state employees, on a variety of cases such as judicial reviews. She's thrilled about the newly created position.

"When assigned a case, I have to determine what type of legal action in regards to proceeding with the case; whether I need to meet with the clients; and how best to proceed including court appearances or trials," she says.

At UW-Green Bay, Moua graduated cum laude in philosophy and earned accolades for her academic research involving role models for Hmong adolescents in Green Bay and St. Paul. She worked on campus (photo, facing page, from 1999) as an advocate for multicultural issues and cross-cultural understanding, and developed and edited a magazine for Hmong teens. She showed her advocacy skills in coordinating a gang prevention program for at-risk minority girls, and serving as a mentor for the Green Bay Public Schools. Moua earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2002 and practiced family law in the Fox Valley before accepting her current position.

Old mill celebrates paper heritage, new approach

The discovery center — a hands-on educational museum dedicated to the paper industry — is on target to open later this year. It will house the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame and occupy a portion of the historic Atlas Mill in Appleton, donated by Kimberly-Clark Corp.

"Using the mill as a discovery center is consistent with celebrating the paper industry's heritage and our economic strength," Stadtmueller says. "The good life we have here started with forestry and paper production and it has sustained us for well over 100 years. This project preserves something for the future and animates it to serve children."

The project is located on a picturesque part of the Fox River and is expected to be a destination for tourists, school groups and national and international travelers. Stadtmueller, who doesn't like the connotation brought forth by the word "developer" (thoughts of someone slashing and ripping through a community, he says) calls himself a community developer.

The revitalization of the mill is one in a string of projects he heads in Neenah and Appleton. Former careers as a farmer, retail business owner, and executive director of Future Neenah, Inc., helped shape his vision of what the heart of a community should look like.

"I came this way through community development," he says. "The work that I'm doing creates community value. We're beginning to learn that we should not tear into the fabric of our communities... We also know that our urban waterways have been taken for granted and it is a struggle to bring them back. We've grown up surrounded by rivers and ravines and dams but they have not been easily accessible. The Atlas Mill project will become an important riverfront destination for both visitors and residents of the local communities."

Historian is hip to Studebakers' classic allure

He remembers as a child how his father packed up the car — a vintage 40-year-old Studebaker — and with family in tow, headed to Studebaker meets across the country, with occasional stops at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Ind. Becker's grandfather, father, and four out of five uncles drove the classic cars, and Beckman needed little convincing to embrace the passion himself.

Pursuit of a history degree led the Manitowoc native to UW-Green Bay. When he graduated in 1994, he worked as a historian at the historic Wade House in Greenbush and as a part time registrar at the Sheboygan Historical Society. When he learned the Studebaker National Museum — a playing field of sorts from his childhood — was searching for an archivist, it was a perfect fit.

Beckman's responsibilities lie in preservation and organization of the archives, research and writing for the exhibits, and fulfilling public requests for information on the classic cars. The Museum has 70 tons of paper associated with Studebaker and Packard history including factory records, photographs, literature and memorabilia, and a substantial collection of Studebaker and Packard blueprints.

Considering his love for history and for Studebakers (he owns a 1964 Daytona), Beckman says it's an ideal job, depending what time of day you ask him.

"When we're pushing around the cars, preparing for an exhibit, I may tell you differently," he jokes.

Beckman speculates that Studebakers are so fondly thought of because the company went out of business in the 1960s and many people remember the Studebaker that a parent or relative drove.

"They were affordably priced during their time and are also relatively affordable in the collector car market today," he says.

A career highlight was in 2002 when thousands of people and more than 800 Studebakers found their way to South Bend for the sesquicentennial of the wagon-maker turned car company. He says it was a bit surreal to glance out the window of a downtown restaurant and see hundreds of Studebakers parading past.

"It was like being thrown back into a different time period," he says.

The perfect place to be... if you're a historian.

Starring role in NBC pilot has Gallagher smiling

UW-Green Bay theatre students welcomed a visit from one of their own making her way in Hollywood.

Actress and stand-up comedian Mary Gallagher '90 led workshops and presented a free comedy show at her alma mater on April 12. She carried home news of being cast with Josh Radnor ("The Court") as the leads in Rob Reiner's comedy pilot for NBC, "Everyday Life." The show blends improvisation and scripted dialog, and centers on a newlywed couple, both of whom are psychiatrists.

Gallagher has worked on several network shows over the years — a sizable speaking role in the megahit "Friends" remains a highlight, along with guest spots on "Becker" and "Mad About You" — and has hosted shows on the Game Show Network.

While it's still a long way from pilot to network broadcast, the Milwaukee-area native is hopeful because of Reiner's status in the film and television industry.

Gallagher has always been confident in her ability, and proud of her alma mater. She has been back to campus a few times since her graduation, but never in the capacity of mentor, performer and master teacher as she was in her April visit.

"I offered to come back just a few weeks after I graduated to tell current students what I had learned, but Jeff (Entwistle) said 'stay there, Mary, and get some experience first,'" she joked.

"The faculty have always been great. When I landed a role on 'Friends,' there was a bouquet of flowers sent to me from Jeff and the other faculty members. They've always been wonderful.

"I love this place. I feel like this is where I grew up."

First of its kind for a one-of-a-kind professor:
Alumni say 'thanks' with Laatsch Geography Room

Room 237 of the University's newest classroom building, Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, was renamed the William G. Laatsch Geography Room to honor the cultural geographer and his 35-year-plus career. It is the first time a classroom has been dedicated in honor of a current faculty member at UW-Green Bay.

A large crowd of colleagues, community members and alumni gathered for the dedication. The campaign to donate money to the University in Laatsch's honor was started by alumni of the Extended Degree Program. Laatsch has been a popular instructor in the program emphasizing distance learning opportunities for nontraditional adult students. A luncheon marked also the 25th anniversary of Extended Degree.

Akiwowo is 'Distinguished'

Christian Akiwowo '74 is the recipient of the UW-Green Bay Alumni Association's 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award. He is founder, president and CEO of Alajobi Rehabilitative Services, a nonprofit organization that intervenes for, treats and supports abused and neglected children in the Chicago area. He won praise for promoting qualities that UW-Green Bay stands for: creativity, innovation, service, interdisciplinarity and diversity, and having "transported the name of UW-Green Bay around the world through his professional work."

Akiwowo came to UW-Green Bay as an international student from Nigeria and achieved success on campus as a student and as a Phoenix Hall of Fame soccer player. After graduating, he earned a master's degree from UW-Milwaukee, and went on to gain a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. His work with the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse has taken him to Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa. He was selected 2002 Man of the Year at the Chicago-area Minority Business Expo.

Aw 'shucks,' ain't we clever?

Go to the Alumni Association Web site at www.uwgb.edu/alumni. Select Alumni Events and volunteer online by filling out the registration form. Shifts are only three hours. Parking and admission into Bayfest are free. You're likely to hear an earful of old memories and great music. Bring a friend, or two, or more. Call Mark Brunette at (920) 465-2586, or e-mail alumni@uwgb.edu if you have questions. Don't back yourself into a corner by waiting until the good shifts are taken. Set your corneas on Bayfest, June 10-13!

Riddle me this

What do you have after 23 years of alumni golf outings and $75,000 generated for student scholarships? The answer is a long history of fun and fellowship for a great cause. Shorewood Golf Course is the site of the 2004 Annual Alumni Association Scholarship Golf Outing, June 12. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. and tee-off is at 1:30 p.m. It's a best-ball outing with food, beverages, prizes, contests and more. Following the outing, head just a tee shot away to Bayfest for an evening of music and entertainment. Register online at www.uwgb.edu/alumni. Click on Alumni Events. Holes sponsors and door prizes are appreciated. Call Mark Brunette at (920) 465-2586, or e-mail alumni@uwgb.edu if you have questions or would like to contribute.

A second option: Scott Podsednik Bobble Head Doll Night

Milwaukee-area alumni and those not taking part in Bayfest or the scholarship golf outing have yet another option on June 12: UW System Day at the Brewers. Graduates of any UW System campus are invited to tailgate, take advantage of group rates and attend the Brewers' 6 p.m. game vs. the Houston Astros (complete with bobble-head doll giveaway). Contact Mark Brunette for details at alumni@uwgb.edu.

Recruiting season is on for out-of-state 'legacies'

A unique form of recruiting letter has gone out this spring to as many as 1,000 UW-Green Bay alumni living outside Wisconsin, promoting discounted out-of-state tuition for their non-resident children and grandchildren.

"We are already getting inquiries," says Registrar Steve Neiheisel. "Long-term, this has the potential to increase our non-resident numbers."

Those numbers have dropped at nearly every UW System campus in recent years as the Legislature has widened the gap between non-resident and in-state tuition. This year, a Wisconsin resident paid about $4,650 in tuition and fees, a non-resident, $14,700. With the new offer, out-of-staters with alumni ties would have paid a more competitive $11,300.

Known as "Return to Wisconsin" and available at select UW campuses, the program entices students with Wisconsin roots to come back for college and stay here to pursue careers. Benefits are several:

• The state needs to reverse its "trade deficit" of college graduates leaving its borders;
• Revenue from out-of-staters, even with the 25 percent tuition discount, helps subsidize Wisconsin enrollment; and
• Attracting students from outside the area enhances diversity and the college experience for all students.

Details are at http://www.uwgb.edu/policies/return_WI.htm.

Alumni answer the call

Donors were up 10 percent and pledges up 6 percent for this year's UW-Green Bay Alumni Phone-a-thon. Donors numbered 1,190 and pledges totaled $57,613. Student callers said that a dollar-for-dollar match offer by philanthropist Craig Mueller '71 was incentive to many. Mueller's match brings the campaign to over $100,000 for the first time. Proceeds go to the Founders Association unrestricted fund for student scholarships and academic excellence.

Alumni notes

An archive of alumni notes is available online at www.uwgb.edu/alumni/outreach/classnotes.htm. Check the Website often for the latest news on your fellow graduates.