UW-Green Bay signs pledge to address impact of global warming
UW-Green Bay pledged Wednesday (Dec. 20) to take a progressive stance in addressing the critical issue of global warming. Chancellor Bruce Shepard signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a pledge to develop a long-range plan to reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on the campus. The pledge also commits institutions to educating the next generation on the competitive payoff for a proactive approach. "This pledge is one more way for UW-Green Bay, long known for its commitment to environmental awareness, to express its desire for and commitment to a sustainable future," Shepard said. Click http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2006dec.htm#pledge.
As a result, we'll be LEED silver on all construction
Among the actions directed by The Presidents Climate Commitment is adherence to the use of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver standards in all new campus construction. Dean Rodeheaver, UW-Green Bay assistant chancellor for planning and budget, said UW-Green Bay is using the LEED standards in the newest campus construction projects: the Kress Events Center and expansion of the University Union.
Click here for videos of speeches by King, Bacelis
A terrific speech by TaylorMade CEO Mark King '81 and the impressive story of student speaker Carolina Bacelis'06 were crowd-pleasers at mid-year commencement. King and Bacelis spoke, Mike Schmitt captured the video, and Paula Ganyard put it up on the Web at http://www.uwgb.edu/commencement/podcasts/.
Lockard textbook takes new look at world history
Societies, Networks, and Transitions, published by Houghton Mifflin, is the product of 10 years of research and writing by Craig Lockard, UW-Green Bay professor of Social Change and Development. The textbook encourages students of history to think about the broad implications of people, events and changes throughout world history. To be used primarily in college freshman and sophomore world history classes and high school Advanced Placement classes, the book covers history "from the Big Bang to the Baghdad bombings," according to Lockard, and features a strong focus on culture and religion. Lockard's book emphasizes more parts of the world — from Europe, Asia and Africa to North and South America — than most previous world history textbooks have. One reviewer said no previous world history textbook has had as much coverage of the 20th century. For more, click http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2006dec.htm#historytext.
Friday's Phoenix makeup game has early start
Tickets remain available for the UW-Green Bay women's basketball home game against Illinois State. Postponed by snow earlier this month, the tipoff is set for 6 p.m. this Friday (Dec. 22) at the PSC. It's yet another attractive home matchup against an upper-echelon opponent: Both teams are 7-3. See http://www.greenbayphoenix.com/sports/w-baskbl/wigb-w-baskbl-body.html.
Does Space Grant have a grant for you? Read on
Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium announces grants available for UW-Green Bay faculty and staff. Proposals from a wide variety of disciplines are encouraged, including climatology, chemistry, astronomy, engineering, remote sensing, conservation, physics, education, and other disciplines.
Research Seed Grants — Proposal deadline: February 23, 2007
Faculty Research Seed Grant and Proposal Writing grants are available up to a $5,000 direct stipend per year. In addition, one such grant up to $10,000 is available. Other Research Initiative awards will be made up to $1,000. Awards will be based on the proposal topic, quality, credentials of the investigator(s), and probability of success in developing space-related research infrastructure. Additional information is available on the WSGC Web site at http://www.uwgb.edu/wsgc/research/ri.asp.
Higher Education Grants — Proposal deadline: February 23, 2007
Higher Education grants of up to $8,000 are available for value-added, higher education teaching/training projects related to any space or aerospace discipline. This is a seed-grant program for undergraduate education projects that support the innovative ideas on how to increase the space and aerospace content of undergraduate university and college offerings. Additional information is available on the WSGC Web site at http://www.uwgb.edu/wsgc/faculty/he.asp.
Student scholarship opportunities are also available through Space Grant
The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium announces Scholarships, Fellowships, Student Research opportunities for 2007-2008.
The Undergraduate Scholarship Program purpose is to support outstanding undergraduate students pursuing aerospace, space science, or other space-related studies or research.
The Undergraduate Research Awards purpose is for qualified students to create and implement a small research study of their own design as academic year, summer, or part-time employment that is directly related to their interests and career objectives in space science, aerospace, or space-related studies.
Graduate Fellowships purpose is to support outstanding graduate students pursuing aerospace, space science, or other interdisciplinary space-related graduate research.
Further information and application materials can be found at http://www.uwgb.edu/wsgc.
Connerly, students debate UW admissions, affirmative action
Hundreds of university students from across the state appeared at a committee hearing at the State Capitol to show their support for the use of affirmative action. Former California Regent Ward Connerly was invited to speak. For more, click http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=543701.
Growing the pipeline: Christensen reports on project with Latinos, tribes
Mona Christensen, coordinator of youth opportunities for the Office of Outreach, shares a summary of last year's UW-Extension-funded project that had her working with students of color in Oneida, Green Bay and Menominee County. Her impact report suggests participating students now hold more positive attitudes toward education and their own potential to continue beyond high school.
• A group of Latino students at Green Bay East High School — 14 freshmen identified as being moderately proficient in English — worked weekly with UW-Green Bay Spanish majors who served as mentors and checked on homework, progress reports, and attendance. The freshmen shadowed mentors for a half-day at UW-Green Bay, and also took a ropes leadership course. Mentors also met with the students' families. About 90 percent of the students indicated an interest in college or technical school after graduation.
• The initiative also involved a partnership with the Oneida YES program, the Oneida Planning Committee and the principal of Menominee High School to bring an American Indian author, speaker and leadership consultant, D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas, to the area. The teachers at both locations used his book in their classrooms, and Vanas spoke to 1,000 students at Seymour High School and another 500+ at Menominee High School.
Buy a ticket for Friends of the Cofrin raffle
Before you leave for the holidays, remember to buy into the raffle sponsored as a fundraiser by the Friends of the Cofrin Library. Win a $500 shopping spree on clothes, merchandise and even books at the Phoenix Bookstore. Order a ticket now at http://www.uwgb.edu/library/friends/2007raffleinfo.html.
Older set suffers Facebook fatigue
Well, how long did you think somebody was going to maintain a "cat diary" online? Here's a San Francisco Chronicle report making the case that blogs and social networks are a young person's game; that older netheads tire quickly. Click http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=543086.
Heard about the free Faculty Development Conference on Jan. 12?
Didn't think so. Here's what seems like your 15th reminder. Click http://www.uwgb.edu/outreach/facultydev/.
Oshkosh newspaper raves about new tech-school plan
Calling it a "Grade A move," the Oshkosh Northwestern weighs in on this week's announcement of a new agreement involving Green Bay, Oshkosh and the tech colleges. Read the editorial at http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/OSH06/612190358/1189.
More editorial support for UW System's 'growth agenda'
An editorial in the small-town Marshfield News-Herald is fairly representative of recent newspaper support for President Kevin Reilly's proposal to grow the economy by strengthening the UW System. See http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061217/CWS06/612170340/1786/MNHopinion.
Reminders: Introductory Spanish; deadline for immigration ideas
The next "Introductory Conversational Spanish" class begins Feb. 13. Sign up now. For details, click http://www.uwgb.edu/outreach/events/spanish/.
Friday (Dec. 22) is the deadline for proposals for the UW System's spring conference on immigration. Click http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/logarchive/logarchive38/2006nov21.htm#immigration.
Students warned of tax-refund loans
Wisconsin consumer protection agencies are asking UW schools to spread the warning about a new tactic some tax preparation firms are using to lure new customers into high-cost advancement loans. Tax preparation firms and their banks are offering a new type of tax Refund Anticipation Loan available before the traditional tax season even begins. Experts say that, essentially, taxpayers who use RALs are paying a high price to borrow their own money. A Revenue Department scam-alert is at http://www.revenue.wi.gov/news/061220.html.
Closed or open? If in doubt, call ahead
Generally speaking, it appears that many smaller offices and most academic units will be closed Tuesday through Friday (Dec. 26-29). Many service offices will remain open, but a survey shows even many of these will take a day off on Tuesday the 26th. The Garden Café, Common Grounds and Cloud Commons will be closed all week.
Finally, a holiday treat: a Sweet poem
Someone mentioned they were having trouble finding the link (previously advertised here) for the commissioned poem by Prof. Dee Sweet honoring the return of a migrating whooping crane flock to Wisconsin. It is, in fact, now archived at the Wisconsin Public Television site, under the Nov. 16 edition of "In Wisconsin." Go halfway down the page at http://www.wpt.org/npa/transcripts/index.cfm?did=24920. Or read it here:
"All The Animals Came Dancing"
Somewhere between nowhere and shadow
You held still and quiet; a quick slip and
You would totter over the edge of
The world, taking with you ancient
songs of love, of devotion, of longevity,
songs that celebrated the simple elegance
of living in balance.
So many whimpered in your absence:
The throatsingers tried in vain to
call you back, other winged creatures
felt lost and cut off from the harmonious
cranesong that once trumpeted
across the marshlands
It was in our ignorance we fell silent,
Helpless anxious to be of use;
we began to think of bogs and swamps
As eerie, ugly and useless.
We drained those windigo wetlands, paved
Them over with asphalt or planted crops
that floundered or refused to take root
Believe us, aashigsug,we tried to fill
and give function to the emptied camps
of the Whooping Crane. Or were we
fumbling to fill that empty nest
in our hearts shaped by your absence?
* * *
We are told by the Old Ones
That it is inborn in all beings alive
to return to the place of its beginning,
to rise and sweep with what strength
is left and begin that wondrous trek
towards home, no matter the distance
no matter how difficult the passage.
And so it is aashigsug. Shy, secretive
And cryptic in coloration, one day
In the bright mist you appeared.
As in your own emergence account,
You stood before us, waiting for us
To send out a simple prayer, to properly
greet you by simply standing still
You stood before us
elegant, erect and majestic in form.
You stood before us, a hooded shaman
From the farthest sky, a stellar space
Out of range of the naked eye.
Through the bulrushes and overgrowth
Of slender reeds, your mate steps forward
and with a slight but mutual bow and brief
address, you wander together, winding through
the wet meadows, springing unto a sandbar
and then suddenly a flawless lift into flight
punctuating the sky with prehistoric
angles some have never seen.
It has been 400 seasons since you have
presented a clutch of chicks, treasures
of the horicon. Some indispensible
guiding spirit came into the hearts
of humankind and coaxed you out
of the shadows. This joyous birth
is a ripple away from the impossible.
While you nudge your brood into
Thicker, safer confines, we sang songs
Once again worshipping the ground
you walk on--
and all the animals came dancing.
Denise Sweet
Wisconsin Poet Laureate
