News in Brief
MILESTONE
 Seema Kapani of the Equity and Diversity Resource Center talks with faculty, staff and students during the monthly Retention Action Project coffee hour, most recently held at Chadbourne Residential College on the topic of globalization and diversity. The discussions, organized by Richard Davis in August 1998 to improve the retention of students of color on campus, are open to all in the campus community. Photo: Jeff Miller
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Four receive Fulbrights
Four university professors have received Fulbright scholarships for 1999-2000, giving them an opportunity to pursue research and teaching in other countries.
The Fulbright Scholar Program awards grants to college and university faculty to conduct research, teach or study abroad. The 54-year-old Fulbright programs also fund graduate students and scholars visiting the United States. Eight scholars from other countries are visiting the university this year.
The four UW–Madison participants already have begun their work abroad. They are:
- Nancy R. Forster, Institute for Environmental Studies, will do lecturing and research at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, through June.
- Charles Graham Hill, chemical engineering, will do lecturing and research at Institute of Catalisis, Madrid, Spain through this June.
- Thomas Popkewitz, curriculum and instruction, will do lecturing and research at University of Helsinki, Finland, through May.
- John D. Strasma, agricultural and applied economics, will lecture at University of New Brunswick, Frederiction, New Brunswick, Canada.
A university chapter of the Fulbright Association was founded in the fall of 1999. Information: Bob Skloot, 117 Bascom Hall, 262-5246; skloot@mail.bascom.wisc.edu.
LEARNING
Scholarship created for nonprofits
The School of Business has created a special executive master of business administration scholarship for someone currently working for a Wisconsin non-profit organization.
The scholarship will pay 75 percent of the student’s tuition for both years of the Executive MBA program beginning in fall 2000. Program fees are $20,000 per year.
“By establishing this scholarship, we hope to provide opportunities for individuals who will lead the nonprofit sector,” Dean Andrew J. Policano says. “Non-profit organizations are critical to our community. Managing them requires a high level of management and business skill.”
The Executive MBA program is a rigorous two-year advanced business program designed for mid- and upper-level managers. It meets on Fridays and Saturdays every other weekend for two school years. About 30 students are admitted each fall.
Applicants for the scholarship must meet the program’s criteria and be employed full time with a not-for-profit group. Deadline: June 1. Information: 265-2034; crieben@bus.wisc.edu
New series to explore frontiers of scholarship
From children’s literature phenomenon Harry Potter to the regional vagaries of the English language to closing the gulf between science and the humanities, the range of fair game for modern scholarship continues to grow.
A new dinner-lecture series at the University Club will explore some of the innovations of academic pursuit in two remaining events this spring:
- “Harry Who? The Harry Potter Phenomenon,” father-daughter team David A. Riley, UW–Madison professor of child and family studies, and Hannah B. Riley, April 4. The pair will debate the psychology of the books, a sensation (and cause of alarm among some parents) around the world.
- “In Unam Pluribus: American Regional English,” Joan Houston Hall, associate editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English, May 11. Hall will draw upon her experience with the dictionary, produced at UW–Madison, to offer insight into the diversity of our language and the way it has changed over the last 400 years.
Sponsored by the UW Literary and Philosophical Society, the series differs from other lecture events on campus because this one seeks to “cultivate an engaged dialog in a social setting and to look for speakers on subjects worthy of wider attention,” says organizer Martin Spillane.
Cost: $20. Reservations: 256-8113; spillane@facstaff.wisc.edu.
COMMUNITY
Program promotes compliance with hazard handling rules
In a time of increased federal enforcement of rules on hazardous materials shipment, the Safety Department is strongly urging faculty and staff to get the basic training needed for compliance.
Federal law requires that all persons involved with the shipping and receiving of hazardous materials must be trained, tested and certified. The federal Department of Transportation has started a more aggressive campaign to inspect universities and other public institutions for violations.
Such an unannounced inspection came last month to the State Laboratory of Hygiene, according to Jan Klein, a biosafety specialist with the Safety Department. Staff there were not cited with violations, and in fact were complimented for taking the training commitment seriously.
However, Klein estimates that many faculty and staff on campus still need this basic certification to avoid compliance problems. Fines for seemingly minor violations in documentation and packaging can run $2,600 or more per case. “Some staff will do anything they are asked in order to comply,” Klein says. “Others think it can’t possible apply to them, and still others just don’t get the message.”
The Safety Department has already certified more than 700 people in three training programs. Klein says regulations covering this area are confusing and training may help staff determine whether the rules apply.
Information: 263-9026; jan.a.klein@ccmail.adp.wisc.edu.
ON CAMPUS
Menand, Nussbaum to mark center opening
Two leading philosophers will discuss ”Why the Humanities Matter” Tuesday, March 8, to mark the opening of the Center for the Humanities. Both speeches are free.
- Louis Menand, professor of English at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, will speak about “The Marketplace of Ideas” at 3:30 p.m. in the On Wisconsin Room, Red Gym, 716 Langdon.
- Martha Nussbaum, a professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago, described as an activist philosopher, will speak about “Women and Justice: The Case for Universal Values” at 7:30 p.m. at the State Historical Society, 816 State St.
The Center for the Humanities is headquartered in 4217 Humanities, 455 N. Park St. Phone: 236-9259.
Times ad columnist to visit
Stuart Elliott, the advertising columnist of the New York Times since 1991, will serve as this semester’s business writer in residence March 20-24.
During his week’s residency Elliott will speak to classes in journalism and business, consult with individual students and faculty, and talk with Madison business and media professionals.
Elliott writes the weekday advertising report for the Times as well as other news articles and features. He also delivers an advertising report on WQXR-FM radio in New York and has appeared on such television programs as “Nightline” and “Biography.” He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Elliott’s residency is part of the ongoing Business Writer in Residence program, sponsored by the School of Business, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Office of News and Public Affairs, with support from the UW Foundation.
Visiting economists to forecast trends
Top economic experts will offer forecasts for 2000-2001 at an executive briefing at the university Friday, March 17. Sponsored by the School of Business, presenters at “Economic Outlook: 2000-2001” will assess the current financial boom cycle, and make projections for various segments of the international, national and regional economies for the next two years.
Five experts will present business leaders with their insights on the trends affecting business and markets, which is known for its research on leading economic indicators.
Don Nichols, professor of economics and public policy, and director of the La Follette Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy at UW–Madison, will conclude the program with a summary of the business, employment, and economic conditions in Wisconsin and the Midwest. A prolific writer and nationally recognized speaker, Nichols is known for his consistent record of accurate forecasting at Economic Outlook conferences.
The all-day event, a 26-year tradition at UW–Madison, will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Morgridge Auditorium, Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave. Cost: $295.
OUTREACH
Training program orients legislative staff
For many years, new state Assembly staff had almost no training to prepare them for their work with the state’s lawmakers.
A collaborative effort between the Certified Public Manager program and the Assembly Speaker’s Office has changed that by providing a two-week training session, covering a range of public management skills as well as several discussions on governmental processes and policies.
In kicking off the program, Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha, says the program fills a gap in what was an absence of training for legislative staff. The speaker’s office funds the training.
The 30 legislative staff members who took part in the first round of the program were enthusiastic about its value. The Leadership Development Certificate they received can be applied to the requirements for the Certified Public Manager designation.
The program is led by associate professor Susan Paddock, director of the Certified Public Management Program in the Division of Continuing Studies. A broad group of UW–Madison faculty participated in the training, including John Witte, Dennis Dresang and Ken Mayer from the La Follette Institute, and Roger Williams from the Professional Development and Applied Studies Department.
Mordecai Lee and Stephen Percy, UW-Milwaukee, and Robert Lang, director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, also joined in teaching as did directors and representatives of nine other state agencies.
Policy discussions were also a cooperative effort. Representatives of Alliant Utilities, the Environmental Decade, the Public Service Commission and the Wisconsin Community Action Program explored policy questions relating to utilities deregulation. Representatives of the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities, Wisconsin Towns Association, Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, and the county executive offices of Dane and Waukesha counties looked at relationships between state and local officials. The program is likely to be repeated for another group of Assembly staff.