A woman who graduated from UW-Green Bay and made a mark through business and civic involvement is Saturday's commencement speaker. Diane L. Ford, vice president and controller of Wisconsin Public Service, earned her degree in Managerial Accounting in 1975. She is active in many professional and community organizations and was named the 1999 Outstanding Business Alumna at UW-Oshkosh, where she completed her MBA.

The UW-Green Bay Alumni Association selected Ryan C. Johnson, Green Bay, to receive the Outstanding Student Award. Johnson won't be present to receive it, because he is finishing his studies in Mexico, where he spent his final semester. Johnson completed two majors, in Human Biology and Spanish, and will attend medical school. Student speaker Timothy Marc Skinner, Manitowoc, also earned his degree in Human Biology. He had an exercise science emphasis and will pursue advanced studies to prepare for a career as a physical therapist.

Mary Bowers, president of Reading Connections Inc., of Green Bay and Mary Wyman, a language arts teacher at Edison Middle School, will be the first to receive degrees from the master's program in Applied Leadership for Teaching and Learning. Wyman has successfully defended her thesis, "Self-Assessment and its Impact on Learning." Bowers will complete her degree work this summer. Both will take part in commencement ceremonies Saturday. The master's was launched in the fall of 1998, as one of the first master's degrees in the country to incorporate the new National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Titles of "Emeritus" will be conferred Saturday on seven individuals who are retiring from the faculty. Carol A. Pollis, dean of liberal arts and sciences, and a member of the Social Change and Development and Sociology faculties, will be named Dean Emerita. Professor Emeritus titles will be awarded to Arthur L. Cohrs, COA and Music; Donald W. Larmouth, COA and Communication Processes; and Richard J. Stevens, HB and Biology faculties. Titles of Associate Professor Emeritus will go to Susan M. Kline-Heim, COA and Theatre; Lorraine Noll, Nursing; and Nikitas L. Petrakopoulos, NAS and Mathematics.

A reminder: The Ecumenical Center offers its "Baccalaureate Ceremony" Saturday for graduates and their families at 9 a.m. this Saturday at the Center, followed by brunch at the Union. Call 465-5133 for info.

Winners in the Friends of the Cofrin Library "Books and Baskets" drawing are: Cook's Night Out, retired Social Work Prof. Betty Baer; Home and Lawn Care Prof. Alla Wilson, Business Administration; Home Office, Kris Belsser Matthies, Green Bay; Kids' Stuff, Eleanore Juza, Green Bay; Night Out, Ginny Heim, Green Bay, a Learning in Retirement member (and Friends Board member); and Pamper Yourself, student Jeane Smits. The Friends Board expresses thanks to all those who supported this successful fund-raiser by purchasing and selling tickets.

Could there be a more appropriate winner than student Jeane Smits, one of six lucky ticketholders in last week's Books and Baskets raffle drawing? Her $1 ticket turned into a package valued at nearly $700. The Pamper Yourself Basket includes fresh flowers for a year, catering service, chocolates, and various beauty and day-spa treats. The reward is timely: Smits concludes her UW-Green Bay career this Saturday when she receives her diploma, summa cum laude, in Social Change and Development.

Elon College in North Carolina is likely to have a rocky transition as it steps up to NCAA Division I competition; most programs do. Elon makes the jump, however, with a proven winner as its new athletics mascot. It was announced last week that the former Elon College Fightin' Christians (a news-making nickname in itself) will become...the Fighting Phoenix. They paid a consultant to help with the choice. For Elon's take on Phoenix symbolism they have two webpages, at http://www.elon.edu/e-net/content.htm and http://www.elon.edu/e-net/content2.htm

Marlys Brunsting of the Cofrin Library has still more great new databases she'd like to publicize as available to the campus community. This week's entries:

* NIST Chemistry WebBook This site provides thermochemical, thermophysical, and ion energetics data compiled by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program. It provides users with easy access to chemical and physical property data for chemical species through the internet. The data provided in the site are from collections maintained by the NIST Standard Reference Data Program and outside contributors. Data in the WebBook system are organized by chemical species. The WebBook system allows users to search by various means. Once the desired species has been identified, the system will display data for it. Coverage: current.

* PubScience This Web service was developed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) to facilitate searching and accessing peer reviewed journal literature in the physical sciences and other energy-related disciplines. Coverage: last 10 years.

Southwestern, a Tennessee company that has been the target of frequent complaints, is recruiting college students in Wisconsin for door-to-door sales. The Wisconsin Trade and Consumer Protection agency has issued an alert for students and others at all Wisconsin schools. The bureau warns that advertisements touting five-figure summer incomes disguise the reality of questionable tactics and most sellers earning less than minimum wage.

Prof. Catherine Henze's interdisciplinary study "How Music Matters: Some Songs of Robert Johnson in the Plays of Beaumont and Fletcher" is the lead article in the Spring 2000 issue (vol. 34 #1) of Comparative Drama.

LOG ONline is prepared for University of Wisconsin-Green Bay faculty and staff by the Office of Marketing and University Communication. To submit a Brief, a Publication, a news item, an announcement, or just plain feedback, UW-Green Bay employees can call ext. 2626 or e-mail us at Log@uwgb.edu.