THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN- MADISON AND THE UW FOUNDATION

SUMMER 2008

Front Page News Grads bow at commencement Approximately 5,000 students received their degrees at five spring commencement ceremonies the weekend of May 16-18. Chancellor John Wiley observed in his Cornell provost named new chancellor address that the weekend also marked a commencement Biddy (Carolyn A.) Martin (‘85 PhD L&S) will become for him. After seven years, he will step down from his the 29th leader of the University of Wisconsin-Madison post on September 1. Wiley called this year’s graduates this fall. She was recommended by a special board of “emissaries of the ” and urged them to regents committee and was approved by the full board contribute to making the world a better place. on June 5. She will assume her duties on September 1. This year’s commencement speakers were Shirley Abra- Martin has served as provost at Cornell University, hamson (‘62 JD Law), chief justice of the Wisconsin Su- Ithaca, New York, since 2000. Prior to that, she spent preme Court, and Kay Koplovitz (‘67 BS L&S), founder four years as senior associate dean in Cornell’s College of cable television’s USA Network and the first woman of Arts and Sciences. A professor of German studies and network president in television history. women’s studies, she served as chair of German studies from 1994-97. Two alumni received honorary degrees at the May 16 ceremony. John W. Rowe (‘67 BS L&S, ‘70 JD Law), a The 57-year-old Martin is a native of Virginia and did successful builder of utilities companies, was awarded her undergraduate work in her home state at the College a Doctor of Human Letters and Science degree.John E. of William and Mary. She earned her master’s degree at Ahern (‘58 BS L&S), head of a Wisconsin mechanical and Middlebury College and attended the UW-Madison for fire protection contracting company, received a Doctor of her doctorate. Science degree. View photographs and webcasts of the ceremonies at www.news.wisc.edu/commencement/. Martin sees a bright future for the campus as the de- mands of the 21st century call for educational excel- Board of Regent actions lence and innovation. “Despite all of the problems and Meeting in Milwaukee the first week in June, the regents challenges, there is an emerging knowledge economy also conducted their annual perfomance review of UW across the globe. Higher education has never been more System President Kevin Reilly. Reilly received a salary important,” she said. “The numbers make it apparent increase of $72,729. His new salary of $414,593 is just how absolutely critical UW-Madison is to the economic below the median of $421,500 for peers at comparable well-being of the state of Wisconsin.” institutions. However, he pledged to keep only the same 3 percent salary increase that UW System non- Martin also said she is “thrilled to have this opportunity represented employees will receive in fiscal year 2008-09. to return to a place where I have such significant and He and his wife, Kate Reilly, will donate the remaining emotional connections.” $70,000 to the Reilly Family Scholarship Fund at the UW Foundation. The Reillys established this endowment in To learn more about Chancellor Martin, visit 2007 to provide grants to students at all 26 UW System www.chancellorsearch.wisc.edu. campuses. Page 2 Digest

The board approved a tuition increase of 5.5 percent. Despite the increase, tuition at the UW-Madison remains Health & Biotech News the second lowest in the Big Ten. Undergraduate tuition Clinical doctorate in nursing slated will rise $348 to $6,678. Tuition plus mandatory fees for The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) will become part in-state students will be $7,564 for the 2008-09 academic of the UW-Madison School of Nursing’s curriculum year. This is the second consecutive 5.5 percent annual in the fall of 2009 or 2010. The school will join the UW increase. Of that, 3 percent will help pay for the state System schools of pharmacy, audiology and physical program that provides free tuition for veterans who therapy in offering a doctorate. enroll in the UW System.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has The board also approved a differential tuition plan for pushed for schools nationwide to phase in the DNP as students in the College of Engineering. Beginning in fall the standard for advanced practice nursing by the year 2008, engineering students will pay an additional $600 in 2015. Currently, there are 57 existing DNP programs, tuition. This will increase by an additional $400 in each with more than 140 programs under development. It is of the next two years for a total differential of $1,400. expected that within the decade, all nursing programs The UW-Madison is the only public Big Ten school that in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the Big does not have a differential for engineering students. Ten’s academic arm, will offer the DNP. The increased revenue will be allocated to hiring two dozen more engineering faculty and staff, updating Both the UW-Madison and the UW-Milwaukee have equipment and adding more lab classes. Dean Paul been granted entitlement to plan their programs by the Peercy stressed that additional need-based financial aid board of regents. The UW-Madison is finalizing details will be made available to students. of its program. The current master’s program, with the exception of the MS/MPH option, will be phased into Wiley heads to WID the DNP and will be similar to the post-master’s degree John Wiley has been named interim director of the option, allowing students who have a master’s degree to Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the public half of the specialize in another clinical area. interdisciplinary research center now under construction in the block bounded by University and Randall av- The DNP and PhD programs prepare nurses for dif- enues and Johnson Street. The private half of the center ferent roles. The DNP provides academic preparation is the Morgridge Institute for Research. The twin in- for advanced nursing practice and leadership; the PhD stitutes are scheduled to open in 2010. UW-Madison program prepares students for research careers. Graduate School Dean Martin Cadwallader made the announcement. Biochemist named Searle Scholar Doug Weibel, assistant professor of biochemistry, Wiley will assume his new post November 1, taking over College of Letters and Science, won the prestigious from Marsha Mailick Seltzer (‘72 BA L&S), who has Searle Scholar Award, a prize recognizing the academic guided the development of the Institute for Discovery excellence of young faculty in medicine, chemistry and for almost two years in addition to her duties as director the biological sciences. He is one of 15 Searle Scholars the Waisman Center. nationwide named this year and the first UW-Madison recipient since 1997. Wiley also will be a professor in the Department of Edu- cational Leadership and Policy Analysis and the LaFol- The award, one of the top monetary prizes in the bio- lette School of Public Affairs. He will continue research medical sciences, provides $300,000 over the next three on policy-related matters, including the finance and eco- years in research funding. nomics of higher education. In addition, he will have a zero-dollar appointment as senior scholar at the Wisconsin Weibel’s research is unusual because he has developed a Center for the Advancement of Post-secondary Education. Digest Page 3

broad program that integrates several areas of his exper- study, conducted by researchers from academia and tise. His interdisciplinary research fuses techniques from industry, extends those findings, showing that resvera- chemistry, materials sciences, engineering and microbi- trol in low doses and beginning in middle age can elicit ology. He is trying to unlock the fundamental mysteries many of the same benefits as a reduced calorie diet. of cells using bacterium E. coli as a model. Weibel said he plans to use the money to investigate the changes in “Reveratrol is active in much lower doses than previ- gene expression that occur as bacteria move from liquid ously thought and mimics a significant fraction of the to solid surfaces. This may help explain how infection- profile of caloric restriction at the gene expression level,” causing bacteria latch onto surfaces in high-flow envi- said Tomas Prolla, a senior author and professor of ronments, such as bladders and catheter tubes. genetics, SMPH and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Weibel earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Utah and his master’s and doctoral In short, a glass of wine or food supplements that con- degrees from Cornell University. He was a postdoctoral tain even small doses of resveratrol are likely to repre- researcher at Harvard University before joining the UW- sent “a robust intervention in the retardation of cardiac Madison faculty in 2006. aging,” the authors noted.

Stay young at heart. Drink wine. Around Campus Despite a diet loaded with saturated fats, the French are a heart-healthy people. The answer to this paradox may Microsoft comes to Madison be found in red wine, or more specifically in resveratrol, Microsoft, the world’s largest computer software com- a natural constituent of grapes, pomegranates, red wine pany, is opening an advanced development laboratory and other foods, according to a new study by an interna- in Madison as part of an academic partnership with the tional team of researchers. UW-Madison. The lab will help expand on a 20-year research and alumni relationship between the company Writing in the June 3 open-access journal Public Library and the University’s computer science department. of Science One, the researchers report that low doses of resveratrol in the diet of middle-aged mice has a wide- The Microsoft Jim Gray Systems Lab, located in down- spread influence on the genetic levers of aging and may town Madison, is named in honor of the Microsoft confer special protection for the heart. executive who was a founding father of the database industry. David DeWitt,emeritus professor of computer Specifically, the researchers found that low doses of sciences and Microsoft Technical Fellow, will direct the resveratrol mimic the effects of what is known as caloric lab, which opens with six full-time employees. DeWitt is restriction, or diets with 20 to 30 percent fewer calories one of the world leaders in database research. than a typical diet, which in numerous studies has been shown to extend lifespan and blunt the effects of aging. The development lab adds a prestigious name to Wis- consin’s technology company portfolio. “This brings down the dose of resveratrol toward the consumption reality mode,” said senior author Richard In addition to the lab, Microsoft has made a commitment Weindruch, professor of medicine, School of Medicine to support a number of graduate research assistantships and Public Health (SMPH) and a researcher at the Wil- in the computer sciences department beginning this liam S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital “At the fall. DeWitt anticipates the partnership also will provide same time it plugs into the biology of caloric restriction.” internships to UW-Madison students.

Previous research has shown that resveratrol in high “Creating a facility of this kind around a faculty member doses extends lifespan in invertebrates and prevents and a research group at a university is a very rare occur- early mortality in mice given a high-fat diet. The new Page 4 Digest

rence for Microsoft,” said computer sciences department features editor for The Badger Herald and is characterized Chair Gurindar Sohi. “From Madison’s perspective, it by one of his teachers as remarkably talented and com- will be the first time a Fortune 100 company has estab- pletely unaware of his gift. lished a presence in the city to directly tap into the talent coming from the University.” The 100 best student journalists in the country were nominated by their peers and advisers for their potential What’s Chinese for slam dunk? to shape the media industry in the years ahead. UW-Madison senior Matt Beyer already had plenty on his plate with a triple major in Chinese, East Asian stud- Center for Retailing Excellence to open ies and journalism when he got an opportunity to use Kohl’s Department Stores has provided a $3 million gift his language skills in the National Basketball League. to the School of Human Ecology (SoHE) to establish the From last October to April of this year, Meyer served as Kohl’s Department Stores Center for Retailing Excel- the interpreter for Milwaukee Bucks rookie Yi Jianlian. lence. This marks the largest corporate gift to the school. In addition to an endowment to provide administrative Beyer, who grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Elm and programming support, the gift will fund a state-of- Grove, was introduced to Chinese culture at age 10 the-art facility within the expanded and renovated SoHE when his family traveled to China to adopt his brother building, scheduled to begin construction in 2009. and sister. He spent two years studying there after high school, before enrolling at UW-Madison in 2005. While The center creates a link between the retail industry and in China, Beyer taught English to help pay his way. He UW-Madison faculty, staff and students, allowing stu- heard of the interpreter position while interning at a dents to interact with industry professionals and explore Milwaukee public relations firm. professional job opportunities. The UW-Madison is one of only a few institutions in the nation to offer a bachelor The Bucks needed an interpreter to help their star with of science retailing degree and is one of the nation’s lead- media interviews and to assist visiting Chinese reporters ing retail programs. who wanted to speak with Bucks players and personnel. Beyer would usually be at Yi’s side before games when In addition to academic support, Kohl’s offers college media members have access to locker rooms for pre- students experience through its internship programs. game interviews and again after every game for more This summer the program employed more than 280 interviews. students nationwide, many of whom will become Kohl’s managers-in-training and executives. “Yi was certainly a stranger to Wisconsin and the NBA, so we’re very fortunate we were able to find someone Biocore celebrates its 40th like Matt,” said Bucks Vice PresidentRon Walter. The Biology Core Curriculum program, known as Biocore, is an intercollege honors program started in 1967. It is a Two named top collegiate journalists four-semester sequence of laboratory and lecture courses University of Wisconsin-Madison students Amanda developed to encourage students to view science as a dy- Hoffstrom and Alec Luhn were honored as two of the namic process and to focus on critical thinking rather than top 100 journalists on U.S. college campuses by UWIRE, memorization of facts. The program draws faculty and an organization that supports college student media. students from biological disciplines across campus includ- The students were chosen for the top 100 out of a pool of ing the colleges of Letters and Science and Agricultural and more than 500 students from 132 schools based on their Life Sciences and the School of Medicine and Public Health. excellence in the field of journalism. In its first four decades, the program has taught roughly Hoffstrom of Plymouth, Minnesota, is the campus editor 6,000 students, many of whom have gone on to medical for and is known for her fierce dedi- and graduate school. cation to journalism. Luhn of Stoughton, Wisconsin, is Digest Page 5

Union South demolition to begin these items. The grant was matched by the School of The existing building at 227 N. Randall Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Academic Affairs. Avenue is scheduled to be demolished beginning in January 2009. It will be replaced by a new $82 million Once upon a time in Africa building designed with extensive student input. New In June, the ResearchChannel began airing “The Story- Union South will feature outdoor terraces, a conference teller with Professor Harold Scheub,” based on Scheub’s center, bowling alley, retail space and a climbing wall. experiences with African storytellers.

CG Schmidt, the construction management firm, will Forty years ago, Scheub, professor of African Languages seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Literature, College of Letters and Science, walked silver certification for the project, which will include thousands of miles along the southeastern coast of natural lighting, energy-efficient systems and recycling Africa recording native Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele and Zulu demolition waste. storytellers.

Wanted: Large animal vets In this program, Scheub tells the story of his journey and As the size of dairy herds nationwide is increasing, there of the storytellers using his original photography, video are fewer family farms. This means that fewer young and audio recordings. The program is a single channel people are exposed to farming and those who do grow video delivered via the Web using eTeach, a new tech- up on farms are choosing a more predictable lifestyle. To nology developed at the UW-Madison that allows in- ensure that Wisconsin’s dairy industry will not be left structors to create dynamic and engaging course presen- without professional veterinary care, a group of students tations that sync PowerPoint with audio, video or both. at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine has Visit www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent. partnered with the School’s Office of Academic Affairs aspx?rID=24761&fID=345 to view the program. and dean’s office to introduce youngsters to the positive side of a career in agriculture, including that of large- ResearchChannel was founded by a consortium of lead- animal veterinarian. ing research and academic institutions to share their valuable work with the public. It is now available to The group, Veterinary Medicine Outreach, Recruitment more than 30 million U.S. satellite and cable television and Education (VetMORE), has organized several out- subscribers. More than 1.6 million visitors visit its Web reach events. site each year. The channel is available on 70 university and school-based cable systems worldwide. Viewers “We’re targeting key agricultural events, like the state also can access programs online via a live webstream as FFA convention and various farm breakfasts,” said through an extensive video-on-demand library. Stephanie Jicinsky, one of the group’s organizers. “We organize local veterinarians for Q&A sessions and have Class project helps protect state lakes hosted Saturday workshops for both students and teach- Last spring, teams of students in Dominique Brossard’s ers. We give them samples of what veterinary medicine strategic communication class got some real-life experi- can be like, through hands-on use of anatomy lab speci- ence by preparing public awareness campaigns aimed at mens, case presentations, physical exams, reproduction educating citizens about the threat of invasive species in and hoof trimming.” Wisconsin lakes. Brossard, assistant professor of journal- ism and mass communication, School of Life Sciences VetMORE also received a grant from the Wisconsin Farm Communication, and her class tailored multimedia cam- Bureau Federation’s Wisconsin Agriculture in the Class- paigns to help the state’s non-profit Clean Boats, Clean room program to develop a veterinary resource library. Waters mission. The group, headquartered in Stevens The library, which targets middle and high school age Point, Wisconsin, encourages boaters to inspect and children, will provide teaching materials and resources wash their boats after each use so they don’t transport for teachers in districts that cannot afford to purchase invasive species from lake to lake. Page 6 Digest

The project was helped by a grant from the UW-Mad- The UW-Madison students designed a new Wing 2, ison’s Morgridge Center for Public Service. Brossard which includes elements similar to Wing 1. The students’ wrote the grant proposal with Assistant Professor Bret design makes the structural collapse more realistic, more Shaw, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. intense and easier to reset after the exercise.

Brossard divided her class into six project teams of about Although they originally thought they had signed up to five students. Each team produced a multimedia cam- design a road, the four students became excited about paign to raise awareness of the problem and encourage building a pile of rubble. They constructed a 40-by- behavior change. The campaigns had a hypothetical 160-foot design that simulates an apartment building budget of $200,000 and included media options from collapsing on a parking garage. “You couldn’t just go print and radio ads to advertisements on social network- to a manual and it’d tell you how to design any of this ing Web sites. The students also developed promotional stuff. You just needed to think and use your engineering events. The campaigns were based on actual survey and judgment,”said Schmitz. focus groups conducted with lake users. Designing the disaster was not only educational, it Brossard said she hopes to get students involved in landed three of the students jobs as project managers to more of these service-learning projects that reach out to make sure the project is built correctly. the state in the tradition of the Wisconsin Idea.

Alumna pilots largest U.S copter Sports Roundup Marine reservist Major Jodi Miller Maroney (‘97 BA L&S) returned to Madison in June at the controls of the Badgers picked for pros largest and most powerful helicopter operated by the Former Badger football players Jack Ikegwuonu, Tay- U.S. military—the CH-35 Super Stallion. lor Mehlhaff, Nick Hayden and Paul Hubbard (‘07 BA L&S) were selected during the annual National Foot- Maroney, who majored in sociology and participated ball League draft in April. Former Badger punterKen in study abroad in Spain, is the first person to pilot the DeBauche (‘08 BA L&S) went undrafted but signed with 33,000-pound transport helicopter into Iraq. She will the Green Bay Packers. continue her military flying career in California. Ikegwuonu, the overall 131st pick, was chosen by the Disasterous design Philadelphia Eagles, although his future is in doubt be- Students in the College of Engineering often take on cause of a knee injury. Mehlhaff was chosen 178th by the design projects for real clients. When the Wisconsin New Orleans Saints and was the first place kicker taken REACT Center requested a special project, civil and in the draft. The Carolina Panthers selected defensive environmental engineering students Dan Zignego (‘07 tackle Hayden in the sixth round. Wide receiver Hub- BS EGR), Jake Varnes, Bill Schmitz and Nick Bobinski bard was the overall 191st pick by the Cleveland Browns, created a disaster, which was exactly what the client where he will join fellow Badger Joe Thomas. wanted. Although Brian Butch (‘07 BS ALS) was not selected in Operated via the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance the recent National Basketball Association draft, he did and located near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, the REACT accept an invitation to play for the Atlanta Hawks’ sum- Center provides specialized disaster- and complex-res- mer league team. The 6-foot-11 Butch, who averaged cue training for state firefighters. Among its key facilities 12.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds last season in is Wing 1, a jumbled mess of steel, concrete, wrecked leading the Badgers to a school-record 31 victories, said vehicles and mannequin victims that enables trainees to he also will take part in a pair of mini-camps, one hosted simulate a structural collapse rescue. by the Boston Celtics and the other by the Hawks. Digest Page 7

Another sip from the Directors’ Cup After discussions with top administrators, it became The UW-Madison finished 18th in the 2007-2008 U.S. apparent that the University needed a much broader Sports Academy Directors’ Cup, marking the 13th time initiative, one that focuses on supporting the entire intel- in the 15-year history of the competition that the Bad- lectual capacity of the campus. As a result, the “Great gers have finished among the top 25. people.” project was born.

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of “Great people.” focuses on three simple, yet synergis- Athletics (NACDA) announced that Wisconsin’s 830.50 tic elements: Undergraduates, graduate/professional points ranked them fourth among Big Ten schools. students and faculty. The project combines support Michigan (1,161.50 points), Penn State (1,041.00 points) for outstanding faculty with support for outstanding and Ohio State (1,034.75 points) finished ahead of the students—the core of the University’s greatness. Badgers. Wisconsin finished 16th a year ago. “Great place.” refers to the East Campus Gateway. Per- The Director’s Cup was developed as a joint effort haps no area of campus is earmarked for more change between the NACDA and USA Today. The United States than its eastern edge, with the current design reflecting Sports Academy is the program sponsor. Points are a synthesis of people, spectacular physical settings and awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 10 dynamic activity. The East Campus Gateway will help women’s and 10 men’s sports. unify new structural elements in the area with existing and traditional spaces such as the Memorial Union State all-stars face Olympic hopefuls Terrace and Library Mall. The Gateway will have gather- ing spaces, plantings, plazas, public art and a vibrant Badger softball team membersLynn Anderson pedestrian mall linking the lakeshore with Regent Street. and Leah Vanevenhoven joined the Wisconsin ASA Regional All-Star team against Team USA, the United Exciting new elements of the East Campus Gateway States Olympic team, at the UW-Stevens Point. The exhi- include an expanded , a music bition game was one of 46 stops for the U.S. team on its performance facility, a hockey facility, unified art facili- way to the Olympic games in Beijing, China. ties and the demolition of the Peterson Building along with a row of aging storefronts facing University Anderson, a shortstop from Neenah,Wisconsin, fin- Avenue. The plan includes new academic building for ished the 2008 season with a best-ever .266 batting the School of Music. aveage. Southpaw pitcher Vanevenhoven, a native of Kaukauna,Wisconsin, posted a 4.47 ERA last season. Adding to the liveliness of the area will be the University Square redevelopment project, a public-private partner- Heading into the game, Team USA had a 43-1 record and ship now under way. This project will bring University bested the All-Stars 20-1. Health Services, a new Student Activities Center and Student Services together under one roof. Private-sector development will provide new retail, commercial and Foundation News housing space. These developments, along with a major remodeling of Memorial Union, will bring new activ- ity, usefulness and a sense of educational vitality to this nIn 2007, the University of Wisconsin Foundation critical campus junction between the University and the Board of Directors voted unanimously to segregate $20 city of Madison. million for a need-based financial aid challenge program. As a public university–one of the best in the world–we The “Great people. Great place.” initiative was officially -an want the brightest, most promising students to believe nounced on June 19. See www.greatpeoplegreatplace.com that a UW-Madison education is possible. The matching for complete information. gift funds from the Foundation’s board of directors is helping to make this dream attainable. Page 8 Digest

nWe welcomed Kelly Sitkin, director of development, In Rememberance School of Medicine and Public Health; Gillian Fink, administrative assistant, and Anne Leahy, director of Reid Bryson, senior scientist, Center for Climatic Stud- development, both in the College of Engineering; Toni ies, Institute for Environmental Studies, June 11; Kath- Drake, director of development, Steve Wald, director ryn M. Buck Anderson Sayles (‘44 BA L&S, ‘47 BLS of development, Dianne Cooke, development assistant, L&S Library Science), rare books cataloger, University and Stephanie Schmid, development assistant, all in Library, May 16; Dr. Darren Bean, physician; Mark the College of Letters and Science;Aaron Zitzelberger, Coyne, registered nurse and Steven Lipperer, pilot, all director of development, Corporate and Foundation on UW MedFlight, May 10; Marguerite Christensen (’38 Relations; Mordecai Tolbert, investment analyst, and BA L&S, ‘39 BLS L&S Library Science), head, general Dominic Moore, summer intern, both in Finance; Jane reference, Memorial Library, May 6; John H. Dexheimer Engelhart, receptionist, Administration. (‘49 BS EGR), president, Cochrane Foundry, Inc., April 30; August Eckhardt (‘39 BA L&S, ‘46 LLB Law, ‘51 DJS Law), professor, School of Law, April 23; Fannie “Fan” Taylor (‘38 BA L&S) professor, Consortium for the Arts, April 15.

You can now easily update your contact information by going to www.uwfoundation.wisc.edu/survey. Use the ID number located above your name on the mailing label below to log into the Web site. Thank you!

Digest is published by the University of Wisconsin Foundation for alumni, friends and faculty of the UW-Madison. Address comments or questions to Merry Anderson, editor, at 608-263-4545 or [email protected].

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