News in brief

Judge rules student fees unconstitutional
UW System officials are deciding whether to appeal a decision by a federal judge that the university’s student fee system is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge John Shabaz ruled Dec. 8 that the mandatory fee system does not insure the distribution of funds to student groups regardless of their views.

Shabaz gave the university 60 days to devise a constitutional system for allocating the segregated fee. Because of the timing, the student fee will be collected for the spring semester.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that the university’s student fee system was constitutional because it distributed funds to groups on a viewpoint-neutral basis. At the same time, it sent back part of the case to the district court to review certain aspects of how the money is distributed.

Faculty Senate continues to examine staff titles
The Faculty Senate will continue next semester its discussion of modified professorial titles for research and instructional academic staff.

The senate voted, 71-42, Dec. 4 to refer back to the University Committee proposals to establish such titles, with the recommendation that standards for college and university oversight be included.

The University Committee recommends creating honorary working titles of assistant research professor, associate research professor and research professor for scientists. For academic staff in teaching positions, the committee recommends the honorary title of instructional professor.

For the proposed research titles, the University Committee suggests limiting them to academic staff whose positions are funded at least 50 percent with funding from outside the university.

The honorary professorial titles would be considered zero-dollar appointments and used in addition to regular job titles for “outstanding academic staff,” according to the proposals. Departments and executive committees would send title recommendations to a dean for approval.

University Committee Chair Tom Sharkey explained that several peer institutions offer modified professor titles for scientists and/or instructors. The recommendation reflects “national titling norms,” he told the senate.

“I do think this is the right way to go,” said Sharkey, professor of botany and director of the Biotron.

Several senators criticized the proposed titles, saying they would be confusing to the public and could erode the tenure process. John Kao, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, drew applause at the senate meeting when he said he opposed their creation.

“After three years of jumping through the hoops of teaching and research, I believe in the tenure process,” Kao said. “I see these proposed titles as a threat.”

The Academic Staff Assembly has already approved its own version of modified professor titles for staff. A UW System committee is also studying the issue.

Scholar helps launch Jewish theater in Austria
Robert Skloot, professor of theatre and drama and a leading scholar of Holocaust theater, has just returned home after a tour of Austria to help prepare for the opening of a Jewish theater next year.

Skloot presented two lectures in advance of the launch of the Jewish Theater of Austria in March. He spoke in Vienna, Innsbruck and Graz, where the new theater will be based. One lecture dealt with American playwright Arthur Miller; the other, the theater of the Holocaust. The lectures were co-sponsored by the American Embassy and coincided with the dedication of a new synagogue in Graz.

Skloot is a member of the Jewish Theater of Austria’s international advisory committee. When it opens, the theater will produce Arthur Miller’s 1964 drama, “Incident at Vichy.” Skloot says it will have a lot to say to contemporary audiences.

“The play questions the role and moral responsibility of the individual in shaping the course of society,” Skloot says. “It also examines our unfortunate tendency to pretend ignorance about the plight of others — and even ourselves when called upon for sacrifice and courage. I’m sure Austrian audiences will understand the relevance to their past history and current situations.”

Overseas study continues growth
The university hosted 4,154 international students in 1999-2000 and awarded credit to 1,204 U.S. students who studied abroad in 1998-99, according to a recent report.

The university ranks fourth among four-year research institutions in total foreign student enrollment, says the Institute for International Education.

“The presence of students from all over the globe is an indication of the university’s reputation and its global prominence,” says Sheila Spear, director of International Student Services. “These students provide opportunities for international and global educational experiences for all UW students and provide a strong presence for Wisconsin in the economies of their countries when they return home.”

Institute of International Education President Allan E. Goodman says “increasing the number of international students on U.S. campuses offers U.S. students greater opportunities to learn from, and work together with, someone from another culture.”

In addition, at UW–Madison, the number of students participating in foreign study programs increased 16 percent from 1997-98 to 1998-99. And this past year, an estimated 1,305 students participated in foreign study programs, an increase of another 8 percent over the preceding year.

Each year, students study abroad in countries on every continent except Antarctica. There are more than 100 campus-sponsored programs to choose from, serving students in majors from anthropology to zoology. Study abroad programs are integrated with degree and certificate programs on campus.

“Global skills will be in great demand in an increasingly integrated economic and cultural world,” says David M. Trubek, dean of International Studies.

UWPD lifesaving device sees action immediately
In mid-November, the UW Police Department equipped its six marked patrol cars with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and trained all of its personnel on how to operate them. Within two weeks, officers used one of the portable units to help save the life of a Madison man.

On Nov. 29, Officer John Lind was monitoring a Madison police radio call reporting an apparent victim of a heart attack at the corner of West Dayton and North Mills streets. Lind, who was about two blocks away, responded and found 40-year-old David Bales slumped over the front seat of a vehicle in Lot 45 at 115 N. Mills St. Bales had no pulse and was not breathing.

Officer Stew Ballweg arrived and began hooking up the defibrillator to Bales while Lind started CPR. The AED instructed the officers to administer a shock, which they did, and Bales began breathing on his own and a pulse was detected. Madison Fire Department paramedics arrived a short time later, took over treatment and moved Bales to Meriter Hospital. At last report, his condition was continuing to improve.

“It’s the opinion of all the members of our department that the investment in the AEDs has already paid for itself in full,” says Capt. Dale Burke.

The units, which cost approximately $3,000 apiece, were funded through the department’s budget.

“We feel extremely fortunate to have been able to provide this service to our community, and we look forward to the day when AEDs are so prevalent that everyone will have access to one when they need it,” Burke says.

High marks for state schools
“Measuring Up 2000,” a report by the California-based National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, gives high marks to colleges and universities in Wisconsin, says Katharine Lyall, president of the UW System.

“We are very pleased with Wisconsin’s high grades,” says Lyall.

“It is heartening to see Wisconsin’s educational excellence recognized across the nation,” Lyall adds.

The book-length study uses a report- card format to grade each state in five areas: preparation, participation, affordability, completion and benefits. Wisconsin scored above the national average in all five areas.

Architect Orr dies
Gordon D. Orr, campus architect and assistant director of planning and construction from 1965 to 1985, died Nov. 25.

Orr received his bachelor of architecture from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1950 and a master of arts degree in art history from UW–Madison in 1971.

Orr’s interest and expertise in historic preservation resulted in the designation of the Bascom Hill Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places and recognition of the historical and architectural significance of other campus buildings and sites.

In addition to his knowledge of campus architecture and development, Orr was a noted authority on the Wisconsin work of many architects and firms, including Arthur Peabody, Claude and Starck and Paul Philippe Cret. The American Institute of Architects recognized Orr with the title of fellow in 1979.

Glen C. Pulver dies
Glen Curtis Pulver, 71, emeritus professor of agricultural economics, died unexpectedly Dec. 4. Pulver, born in Wyocena, Wis., joined the Department of Agricultural Economics in 1955. He was instrumental in starting a rural social sciences graduate program in Brazil, and he initiated the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ exchange program with the University of Rio Grande do Sul. Serving as a dean of UW-Extension, he helped to create a statewide network of community development agents. After returning to the agricultural economics department in 1974, his research focused on community economic development policy and capital markets for new and developing businesses. His funeral was Dec. 8 in Madison. Memorials may be made to the Glen Pulver Community Economic Development Fund at the University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Ave., Madison, WI 53708; or the Glen Pulver Pheasant Branch Memorial Fund.