The UW Board of Regents has approved sabbatical leaves during the 2001-02 academic year for five members of the UW-Green Bay faculty. Full-year sabbaticals were granted to Professors Carol Emmons, Communication and the Arts and art; Michael E. Kraft, Public and Environmental Affairs and political science; and Associate Professors E. Nicole Meyer, Humanistic Studies and French; and Denise H. Sweet, Humanistic Studies and American Indian Studies. Professor Ronald Starkey, Natural and Applied Sciences and chemistry, will be on sabbatical for spring semester. Sabbatical leaves provide for reassignment from classroom duties to allow for research and other activities to help faculty members improve their teaching and scholarly work.

A preliminary report by the Office of Institutional Research shows that enrollment demand remains strong at UW-Green Bay. Final numbers are weeks away, but it is clear that spring 2001 will see as many or more students enrolled as last spring. The spring 2001 FTE projection of somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 students is, as is typical, lower than the fall count (4,436) because of midyear graduations and stop-outs. The final spring-semester totals are expected to show solid progress in terms of fall-to-spring retention, and enrollment demand in all categories.

The Phoenix women play basketball Sunday (Jan. 7) vs. the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison. If you can't be there, catch it on cable via Midwestern Sports Channel, available on Time Warner Cable. For you satellite people, it's at coordinates GE3, Transponder 6. The game is a battle for bragging rights between the 7-5 Phoenix and the 7-4 Badgers, nationally ranked until recently. Game time is 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Love books? Find calendars useful? You're in luck. The Friends of the Cofrin Library group is offering copies of the page-a-day 2001 Book Lover's Calendar. The cost is $5. Tear off a new day for a fresh thumbnail summary of another book or author, and a listing of related works. Example: Monday's highlighted author is Annie Proulx, said to write some of today's most memorable prose. "The afternoon light was the sour color of lemon juice," "arms whose wrists no shirt cuff would ever kiss" and "a murderer she might be, but no one could say her house wasn't clean" are excerpts about the cowpunchers, farmhands and frustrated lovers who populate her latest collection of short stories, Close Range: Wyoming Stories. Call Deb Anderson at ext. 2539 if you'd like to order a calendar, or get one free for joining the Friends.

Enjoy cuisine and entertainment in the Hmong tradition on Friday, Jan. 26, when the Union's Phoenix Room is the site of another offering in the popular cultural-luncheon series. The menu will include egg drop soup, green chicken curry, steamed rice, fresh vegetable stir fry with oyster sauce, and banana and coconut pancakes. Tickets are in the $8 per person range. You can reserve a ticket at the University Information Center starting Monday the 8th.

If you're reading this item Monday night, it's too late. The 5th annual UW-Green Bay Faculty Development Conference takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, in the University Union. Highlights of the "Teaching Across the Generations" conference will be a keynote by Maryellen Weimer, editor of "The Teaching Professor"; lunch with Dean Mike Murphy and "Reflections on Teaching for Two Generations"; and breakout sessions led by Joyce Salisbury, Illene Noppe, Debbie and Scott Furlong, and participants in the Teaching Scholars Program. A post-workshop special event is a reception for UW-Green Bay's very own Joan Thron, recipient of the UW System teaching excellence honor this year. There is no registration fee, but call ext. 2642 in Outreach for details.

Ka Youa Kong has moved from recruitment and advising duties in Student Services to a new position with the University: lecturer in social work and outreach specialist for UW Cooperative Extension. She holds a UW-Green Bay bachelor's degree in social work and a master's in counseling. Her new home base is Cofrin Library 710E; mail: Social Work; ext. 2395.

Former and current UW-Green Bay staff member Jane Lynch joins the Academic Advising staff as a permanent hire, effective Jan. 1. She brings experience in the areas of financial aid, multicultural affairs, academic and career counseling, as well as classroom teaching. For the past several months she has been employed in the Financial Aid office, serving as People Soft "backfill". In addition to advising responsibilities, Lynch will have responsibility for coordinating the Multicultural Middle Level Pre-College Summer Program. Her new office location is in Academic Advising, SS 1930A, phone # 2738.

In response to a question overhead at commencement time regarding UW-Green Bay's alma mater, the LOG ONLine heads to the history archives. UW-Green Bay was more than 10 years old before the song was introduced, at the May 1981 commencement. Lovell Ives of the music faculty arranged the hymn-like melody and Peter Stambler of the humanistic studies faculty provided the words, which allude to the mythical Phoenix bird, the bayshore location, knowledge, wisdom, friendship and other good things.

Word has been received that Helen Yira, long-time volunteer worker at 2nd Gear, the University League shop that used to be located near the Garden Cafe, passed away on Dec. 22, 2000. Helen was 88 years old. She was well known to 2nd Gear shoppers as a tireless "rummager." She brought in many items and found special things for the University community, once she learned their interests. She helped raise the money that was used for University scholarships and grants to programs and departments. She will be missed.

Tickets are available to a pair of Weidner Center programs of interest during January. Native American "renaissance man" and flutist/vocalist/drummer Robert Mirabal performs on Friday, Jan. 12. The Regina Carter Quintet kicks off Jazz Fest weekend on Friday, Jan. 19. Call ext. 2217 for ticket information.

The name of James Coates Jr., associate professor of Education, will appear on the ballot for Green Bay School Board on April 3. Coates is one of six candidates who acquired the requisite number of signatures to enter the race. He is listed with incumbents Andrew Becker, Patrick Doherty, and Dotty Juengst, and fellow challengers Edward Jensen and William McIntyre. Three seats are up for election.