Academic staff awards announced

Academic Staff Excellence Award winner Larry Hubbard, Medical School opthalmology and visual sciences researcher, explains age-related eye degeneration as research specialist Mary Webster uses a stereographic viewer to look at computer images. Photo: Jeff Miller

For their outstanding work in leadership, public service, research and teaching, seven university professionals have been honored with the 2000 Academic Staff Excellence Awards.

The seven winners will be honored at a chancellor’s reception Wednesday, March 29, and recognized by the Academic Staff Assembly April 10. The winners were nominated by colleagues and chosen by a special selection committee.

There are five award categories overall. Six awards carry $2,500 stipends; the Award for Excellence in Teaching carries a $5,000 stipend.

The 2000 Academic Staff Excellence Award recipients are:

Sybil Better
Wisconsin Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Leadership (first of two award winners)

The complexities of health sciences at UW–Madison are many, and Better navigates them as well as anyone. As special assistant to Chancellor David Ward and Medical School Dean Philip M. Farrell for health sciences, Better helps shape this important field at the university.

Better was instrumental in the effort to create the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority to operate UW Hospital. She also helped establish new coordinating bodies to facilitate communication among health sciences units after the elimination of the Office of Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences.

In addition, Better played a significant role in the initial planning of new health sciences instructional facilities, including consolidating three libraries into a single location. Finally, she continues to be involved in the planning regarding the use of proceeds from the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield United to improve public health in the state.

Richard Daluge
Robert Heideman Award for Excellence in Public Service
Daluge is a servant of the highest caliber.

Currently the assistant dean in the Office of Student Affairs at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Daluge has worked at UW–Madison since 1972. His accomplishments during that time are numerous and notable.

He directs the Farm and Industry Short Course; manages the Jorns and Humphrey Agricultural Residence Halls; serves as executive secretary/treasurer of the Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association; speaks at several Future Farmers of America events each year; and handles a number of other responsibilities in CALS.

That is just a snapshot of his service. Daluge is also an active volunteer in a number of Madison community organizations. In fact, the Madison Council of Service Clubs last year recognized him with their award for excellence in public service.

“Rick is one of the most energetic people I know, and all of that energy is directed toward helping the people of Wisconsin benefit from the education and knowledge of the university,” wrote CALS Associate Dean Richard Barrows in a nominating letter.

Larry Hubbard
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research (first of two award winners)

Hubbard is an outstanding researcher and manager in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Medical School. He joined the department’s Fundus Photograph Reading Center in 1979 and became associate director in 1983.

His research has been essential on several fronts. One example is his work in developing an ordinal scale to express the severity of diabetic retinopathy. This study was instrumental in establishing certain medicinal effects for various types of diabetes. Another example is his design of the Reading Center’s grading program for evaluating treatment of an infection that can lead to blindness in AIDS patients.

In addition, Hubbard is a competent and successful manager, and is co-investigator on all of the Reading Center’s grants. He also manages all grants and writes major portions of the grant applications.

“The results of the studies in which Larry has played an essential role are preventing visual loss from diabetes and AIDS in thousands of people with these disorders,” wrote Professor Emeritus Matthew D. Davis in a nominating letter.

Debra Hullett
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research (second of two award winners)

Hullett is a distinguished scientist in the Department of Surgery, the only person to earn this prestigious title at the Medical School. She earned her title by proving herself a researcher of high renown. In fact, Hullett’s research has resulted in two pending patent applications: one related to gene therapy for the treatment of diabetes, the other for applying the use of vitamin D as an immunosuppressive agent in transplantation.

Hullett is active in research teaching activities as well. She is the research mentor for medical residents, undergraduate students, foreign doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows. In addition, she is on the editorial board of “Transplantation,” the most prestigious journal in the field, and was editor of the “Yearbook of Transplantation.” In spite of her rigorous schedule, Hullett also serves as director of the department’s newly renovated research facility at the Veterans Hospital.

“Dr. Hullett’s coworkers overwhelmingly respect her knowledge, solicit her opinions and trust her judgment,” wrote professors Layton F. Rikkers and Hans W. Sollinger in a nominating letter.

Ronald Kuka
Chancellor’s Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching
When Kuka’s students describe his teaching, they use words like “excellent,” “incredible,” “wonderful” and “great.” Kuka’s faculty colleagues concur: He is an outstanding teacher.

Kuka serves as an associate faculty associate for the Program in Creative Writing, housed in the Department of English. He teaches halftime and handles administrative duties halftime – and excels at both duties.

He teaches fiction writing workshop classes; directs senior creative theses; and supervises student staff on The Madison Review, the program’s national literary magazine that sponsors two prizes.

He also assists with the Brittingham and Pollak Prizes in Poetry and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing fellowships; trains teaching assistants; helps run the creative writing reading series; and coordinates the program’s course registration procedures.

Co-workers say Kuka is devoted to his students and a valued staff member. “His administrative assistance is indispensable. His teaching continues to be among the best in the department, and he is truly beloved by his students,” wrote Professor Ron Wallace.

Ray Sommers
Wisconsin Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Leadership (second of two award winners)

Sommers specializes in caring for animals – and his dedicated approach has earned him the respect of colleagues on campus and nationwide.

As associate director of the Animal Resource Center at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Sommers oversees care for small and large animals alike, including wild animals such as iguanas and wild ponies.

Since he assumed responsibility for the animal care program in 1988, Sommers has led the school through three reaccrediations from the American Association for the Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. He also led the school’s adoption of the Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

During his tenure, research support for the school has grown an average of $1 million per year, and now stands at almost $12 million.

“Ray provides long-range vision, expertise in regulatory matters, and daily administration and supervision. The program and dedicated animal caretakers are a reflection of Ray,” wrote Daryl D. Buss, dean of the school, and Norman J. Wilsman, associate dean for research, in a nominating letter.

Ann Wallace
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service to the University
Wallace’s influence is felt far and wide throughout the university.

An administrative officer in the School of Education, Wallace is an Academic Staff Assembly representative and chairs the assembly’s personnel policies and procedures committee.

Her many activities have included assisting in increasing the scope of academic staff involvement throughout the campus, and helping establish personnel rules that define the relationship of academic staff within the university.

She has also helped develop several new initiatives, including the staff mentoring program and the creation of committees in schools and colleges to define important staff issues. Other duties include her service on the advisory board of the university’s Equity and Diversity Resource Center.

“She works tirelessly, defines issues and seeks common ground, calms those who are frantic around her, and constantly seeks to complete projects that seem to have no end,” wrote Henry S. Lufler, executive assistant to the chancellor, in a nominating letter for the award. n