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Last update: 5/12/08

Vol. 39, No. 115, May 8, 2008 / Log Archive

Today is Thursday, May 8. We're looking right now at the newly published Sheepshead Review, a nice piece of work by UW-Green Bay students, from Jenna Neumann's perfectly composed "Pink Drifter" railcar scene on the cover to the dozens of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual contributions throughout. It's worth picking up, but first this:

• A fun surprise for Graduate No. 25,000
• 'Degrees of Excellence' section
• The road to 25,000
• International grads
• A first for the Kress

• Honorary doctorate for Verna Fowler
• Educator Nerad, Shorewood-champion Seidl earn awards
• Environmental leader, then and now
• Outstanding: Southern
• Math/poetry star Hansen is student speaker

• Thinking of a gift for a May grad, student worker or retiree?
• Chancellor's Medallions
• University Leadership Awards
• New Music, Hand Drumming highlights
• Choral reminder

• UW-Green Bay student lands NASA internship
• Introducing... Prof. Regan Gurung
• Welcome, Founders members and scholarship donors!
• Solar Olympics coming to UW-Green Bay
• Pangea Day films

• Coverage of Social Work students' homeless forum
• 'Wear Yellow Day'
• Services announced for Naumann
• New FVTC president
• 'State workers travel despite warning'

• Og Ha prtly dwn
• Editorial: 'Solve budget problem, don't just pass it on'
• Other editorial: public higher ed needs more
• Seattle Times editorial mentions Shepard
• Briefs: Breznay, Sutton

A celebration of UW-Green Bay, a surprise for Graduate No. 25,000
As most are aware, UW-Green Bay will achieve a significant milestone at spring commencement at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at the Kress Events Center. The awarding of degrees will pause briefly for alumnus No. 25,000 to receive a gift packet from the Alumni Association. Assisting in the presentation will be special guest Nancy Deprey, the University's first graduate. About 700 students are eligible to graduate, with about 575 signed up to march; the milestone will be reached about one-fourth of the way into the diploma ceremony.

Look for special 'Degrees of Excellence' section next week
Readers of the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Appleton Post-Crescent will open their newspapers May 15 to find a celebration of UW-Green Bay and its outstanding alumni. The special section, "Degrees of Excellence," is supported by local advertisers and private funds. The piece spotlights 25 alumni and will draw community attention to the way UW-Green Bay contributes to our world, one graduate at a time.

The road to 25,000
It all started with Nancy Deprey on June 1, 1970. Then Nancy Ably and first in line thanks to alpha order, she received her bachelor's degree in regional analysis. In case you were wondering, other graduation milestones were: 100th on Dec. 20, 1970; 1,000th on May 27, 1973; 5,000th on Aug. 31, 1979; 10,000th on June 1, 1989; 20,000th on Dec. 21, 2002.

A diverse and far-flung graduating class
This year's graduating class is particularly diverse in terms of international participation. Students from 18 countries are expected to take part in spring commencement. Additionally, at least three Native American nations will be represented among the graduates.

A first for the Kress Events Center
Holding the spring 2008 commencement inside the new Kress Events Center means more parents, friends and family will watch the ceremony live and in person. The Kress Center holds slightly more than 4,000 spectators (above and beyond floor seating for the 600 or so seniors participating), compared to a total of about 2,000 at the Weidner Center, the former location for indoor commencements. The added capacity will mean only one ceremony this spring instead of holding two back to back. Overflow space will be made available if necessary, with the graduation shown on closed-circuit monitors.

Honorary doctorate for College of Menominee Nation founder, president
Dr. S. Verna Fowler, College of Menominee Nation founder and nationally known advocate for the educational advancement of American Indians, will become the sixth person honored with a UW-Green Bay honorary doctorate. Fowler helped start the growing college from scratch, from a few dozen students 15 years ago to more than 500 today. She has worked in education as a teacher or administrator since 1964 and has served the Menominee Indian Tribe as superintendent of education, director of the credit and finance department and as executive director of the Menominee Restoration Committee. She has served the causes of higher education and tribal colleges at the national level, as well. For more on UW-Green Bay's choice to receive an honorary doctorate on May 17, http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2008/08-128.htm.

Educator Nerad, Shorewood-champion Seidl earn Chancellor's Awards
Green Bay's top school official and the man who helped secure the land where UW-Green Bay now stands will receive Chancellor's Awards, the institution's highest community honor, on May 17. Daniel Nerad, outgoing superintendent of the Green Bay Area Public School District, is recognized for his success in that capacity and for helping promote the Institute for Learning Partnership and Phuture Phoenix. Len Seidl, founder of Len Seidl Realty, is honored for his role more than 40 years ago in selecting and securing the scenic bayshore site that would become UW-Green Bay, and for his continuing support of the institution. The campus location story, incidentally, is interesting reading at http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2008/08-129.htm.

Environmental leader, then and now, will deliver commencement address
Prof. David Kriebel of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a 1977 summa cum laude biology graduate of UW-Green Bay, a leader of the student environmental movement of the '70s and today a prominent scholar on the prevention of workplace injuries, cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease, will give the commencement address. Kriebel holds a master's and doctorate from the Harvard School of Public Health. We'll have more on him in our next LOG.

Green Bay native, EP&P grad is Outstanding Student
Rachael Southern, of Green Bay, is the May 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Student Award as selected by the UW-Green Bay Alumni Association. Southern is a returning adult student who excelled in the classroom while holding down a full-time job and managing a family. She graduates summa cum laude with a major in Environmental Policy and Planning and minors in Economics, Environmental Science and Spanish. She plans to pursue a master's degree and perhaps a doctorate at UW-Madison.

Niagara's Samuel Hansen is student speaker
Samuel Hansen, a mathematics student and self-described performance poet of Niagara, Wis., is this year's graduating class speaker. Hansen, who will graduate with highest honors in Mathematics with a minor in Humanistic Studies, studied math and computer science and served as a nonfiction editor for the campus literary journal Sheepshead Review. He expects to pursue a master's of science degree in mathematics from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Thinking of a gift for a May grad, student worker or retiree?
The Friends of the Cofrin Library reminds people to consider the Books in Honor program as a fitting tribute to a graduate, student worker or retiring faculty member. Here's the link: http://www.uwgb.edu/library/friends/giftbook.html.

UW-Green Bay students to be awarded Chancellor's Medallions
Thirty UW-Green Bay students will be awarded Chancellor's Medallions at a ceremony on campus Friday evening, May 16. The medallions are a career achievement award, of sorts, honoring both academic excellence and leadership demonstrated throughout the students' tenure at UW-Green Bay. The students are eligible to graduate in May or August 2008. Recipients, listed in the order of their hometowns, are:

Belgium - Margaret Utecht; Berlin - Molly Cox; Colbert, Wash. - Janet Weidert; Elkhart Lake - Andrew Kopitzke; Faribault, Minn. - Betty Slinger; Florence - Robert Kranzusch; Franksville - Melissa Merkovich; Green Bay - Laura Buntman, Zach Loritz, Marc Seidl; Hustisford - Michelle Lehmann; Kendall - Megan Witt; Laona - Shanna Casperson; Madison - Renee Dodge; Manawa - Ryan Smith; Manitowoc - Ryan Bahnaman; Marathon - Trista Seubert; Medford - Eric Fehlhaber; Merrill - Andrea Roets; Oconto Falls - Susan McCabe; Oshkosh - Benjamin Kotenberg, Michael Blum; Phillips - Cassandra Heizler; Port Washington - Crystal Jushka, Jennifer Schanen; Rhinelander - Katie Grafelman; Ringle - Sarah Beckman; Rockford, Ill. - Megan Gregory; Slinger - Jessica Derenne; and Weston - Zach Roush.

University Leadership Awards
Forty students will receive University Leadership Awards in recognition for achievements during the current academic year at an end-of-semester ceremony on the campus Friday, May 16. They are:

Algoma - Annette Zastrow; Appleton - Andrea Heiting; Brillion - Stephanie Mayer; Beaver Dam - Jamie Stephenson; Birnamwood - Stephanie Steinke; Bryant - Anton Williams; Champaign, Ill. - Brooke Wikgren; Elkhart Lake - Jamie Froh; Fairwater - Brittany Broder; Green Bay - Antonio Castillo, Jr.; Greendale - Cassandra Byerly, Nicholas Schwei; Greenfield - Stephanie Sabinash; Hartland - Jacqueline Johannes; Hatley - Lindsay Jozwiak; Howards Grove - Jaimie Henschel; Hudson - Allison Knutson; Hustisford - Melissa Will; Kohler - Charles Simon; Manitowoc - Allen Voelker, Pha Thao; Medford - Brad Zuleger; Menasha - Nicole Mader; Park Falls - Nick Skeen; Phillips - Michelle Skotzke; Pulaski - Nicole Braun; Rhinelander - Erica Teclaw; Ripon - Molly Lubinsky; Shawano - Zachariah Zopp; Sheboygan - Ellen Cook; South Milwaukee - Betsy Daharsh; Stoughton - Brian Bar; Sun Prairie - Brooke Borchert; Three Lakes - Megan Baumann; Two Rivers - Michael Charles, Sarah Penke; Wauwatosa - Amanda Crump; Wayzata, Minn. - Kari Helland; Wind Lake - Anna Bluemel; Wisconsin Rapids - Bridget Koeshall.

UW-Green Bay student compositions highlight New Music, Hand Drumming
A world premier, student compositions and selections influenced by Nigerian funeral music and a Columbian rumba are all part of the UW-Green Bay New Music and Hand Drumming Ensemble set for 7:30 p.m. Friday (May 9) in the University Theatre. Prof. Cheryl Grosso directs and composed four of the pieces by the Hand Drumming Ensemble. Prof. Adam Gaines directs the New Music Ensemble, which will include "Persistence of Time," a piece composed by student Timothy P. Keifer. For more, http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2008/08-123.htm.

Reminder: spring choral concert
The UW-Green Bay Concert Choir and University Chorale perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (May 10) at the Weidner Center. Prof. Randall Meder directs. For ticket and program info, http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/archive/2008/08-132.htm.

UW-Green Bay student lands NASA internship in jet propulsion
The Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium is proud to announce that a UW-Green Bay student has been selected by NASA for a summer internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Joseph Aldrich is a senior majoring in mathematics with an emphasis in statistics, and minoring in chemistry, accounting and business administration Education. He will work with the Instrument Flight Software and GE group at JPL. The internship is funded by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.

Introducing... Prof. Regan Gurung
Kaleidoscope II, the newsletter of the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity, is just out with its spring issue. In the spotlight is award-winning UW-Green Bay Prof. Regan Gurung, Human Development, who shares his fascinating story of growing up in Bombay, living in England and Australia, attending school in the United States, and pursuing an academic career with a specific interest in health, psychology and cultural diversity. It's on page 14 at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/IRE/publications/kaleidoscope/Spring2008.pdf.

Welcome, Founders members and scholarship donors!
If you see visitors in the vicinity of the Weidner Center after 4:45 p.m. today, treat 'em as friends. Because they are. Today (Thursday, May 8) is the annual scholarship reception that brings together generous donors and student beneficiaries. That event is followed by the Founders Association annual spring reception, an invitation-only celebration that expects a crowd of nearly 200 for socializing and interaction with student presenters.

Solar Olympics competition coming to UW-Green Bay
More than 30 Wisconsin high schools are expected to go for the gold in a green energy competition on the UW-Green Bay campus next Wednesday (May 14). The 12th annual Solar Olympics, the largest Solar Olympics to date, will be headquartered at the Kress Events Center. It is free and open to the public. The competition, sponsored by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission Community Foundation, challenges competitors to design, construct and demonstrate a solar cooker, a solar water heater, a solar-powered model racecar, and a sculpture with a solar theme. In addition, the students compete in an essay contest, a "solar jeopardy" quiz game and events for solar building design, solar T-shirt design, solar photography, community presentation and a marketing campaign. We'll have more details next week.

Pangea Day Film Screening
It's sponsored by the HUS and PEA academic units and organized by student Brianna Robb, a communications major, who shares the following:

"Pangea Day is a global initiative to bring the world together through film. The screening will be broadcast across the world from Cairo, London, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and other locations. The whole world can tune in at the same time. We will all be watching together. The screening is composed of 24 short films submitted by global citizens from across the globe. The films tell stories and comment on our rapidly globalizing world. Broadcast speakers will include, among others, Robin Williams, David Blaine, Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, and Queen Noor of Jordan. Screening is this Saturday, May 10, 1-5 PM in the Christie Theatre and is free and open to all interested members of the University community. For more details, please contact Brianna Robb, ROBBBC06@uwgb.edu.

Press-Gazette coverage of Social Work students' homeless forum
Here's local newspaper coverage of this week's forum on homelessness organized by UW-Green Bay Social Work students:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/GPG0101/805070730/1978/GPGsports.

'Wear Yellow Day' for cancer awareness is May 13
The Preble High School group Sting Cancer (founded, incidentally, by a UW-Green Bay grad) and The Breast Cancer Family Foundation invite one and all to a press conference outside of historic Lambeau Field at noon Monday (May 12). Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt will declare "Wear Yellow Day" for May 13.

Services announced for accident victim Naumann
Services have been announced for Harvey Naumann — husband of longtime Cofrin Library staff member Mary Naumann — who died Tuesday as the result of a farm accident. The full obituary is online at http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080508/GPG010301/805080612/1212.

FVTC names new president
One we missed last week: Our NEW ERA partners at Fox Valley Technical College have appointed Susan May their new president, effective July 1.
See http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/OSH0101/805030419/1128/OSH01.

'State workers travel despite warning'
That was the headline earlier this week over an AP report detailing the Department of Administration's findings that Wisconsin state employees have spent at least $900,000 on travel between January and March: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/OSH/80507009/1987.

Og Ha only prtly dmlshd
The UW-Madison high-rise dormitory Ogg Hall is still standing, barely. The state terminated the contract with the demolition company for falling behind schedule and for safety concerns: http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/285081.

Editorial: 'Solve budget problem, don't just pass it on'
The Sheboygan Press is calling on the Governor and state legislators to make cuts in state spending that will curtail budget problems in the future.
See: http://www.sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080505/SHE06/805050431/1109/SHEopinion.

On the other hand, public higher ed needs more lawmaker support
That's the message from the La Crosse Tribune in an editorial this week:
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/05/06/opinion/editorial/00edit0506.txt.

Seattle Times says Shepard a good fit for his new university
A Seattle Times editorial said Monday that Chancellor Bruce Shepard's accomplishments at UW-Green Bay will "dovetail well" with Western Washington University's values and challenges. The column mentioned how Shepard built community partnerships, increased the number of students of color on campus and oversaw a $21 million fundraising campaign. Shepard will take over the presidency at Western on Sept. 1.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004389153_westerned05.html

Briefs
Prof. Peter Breznay (ICS - Computer Science) gave a talk on "Theory of Mind in Artificial Neural Networks and Related Systems: Toward a Science of Consciousness" at the International Consciousness Studies Conference held in Tucson, AZ, April 8 - 12, 2008. The abstract of the presentation is published in a dedicated volume of the Journal of Consciousness Studies, released at the conference.

Prof. Brian Sutton, Humanistic Studies, has a short story in the current issue (issue #58) of the literary magazine Apalachee Review. The story is "Kev Hlub," and all the central characters are of Hmong heritage. The piece is prefaced by an author's note thanking former UW-Green Bay staff member Shaw Vue Kong of the American Intercultural Center for her invaluable help in seeking an accurate portrayal of the Hmong characters and their culture.

The Log News is a twice-weekly publication e-mailed to all UW-Green Bay faculty, staff and off-campus subscribers on Monday and Thursday afternoons. The scope is broad, with news, activities, achievements and events of general interest.

You can submit material for inclusion to the Office of Marketing and University Communication at Log@uwgb.edu. Past issues are achived at http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/news/logarchive/logarch.htm.