A plan to split UW Madison from the rest of the UW System has competition. The chancellors of UW extension and all the UW campuses – with the exception of UW Madison’s Biddy Martin, have signed on to this Wisconsin Idea Partnership, a reaction toMartin’s New Badger Partnership which spins off the Madison campus. UW Parkside chancellor Debbie Ford doesn’t think that’s a good idea. “Creating another system of governance for higher education at a time dwindling resources is going to lead to greater competition,” said Ford. “I believe strongly in a unified system of higher education, and that’s what we’ve had for over forty years.” [Read more…]
Whitewater walkers trekking to Capitol
Faculty from a University of Wisconsin System campus are making a protest trek to Madison, protesting cuts to the UW System. Associate professor James Hartwick, one of the walkers, notes faculty will face a seven to ten percent pay cut under Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. “Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad, but faculty already make between 11 and 21 percent less than they would make at a comparable institution out of state,” said Hartwick. UW Whitewater faculty are not unionized. [Read more…]
UW teachers, students protest Walker’s budget fix
The University of Wisconsin community tells the governor, “Don’t Break My Heart.”
In response to his budget repair bill, about 1,000 University of Wisconsin students, faculty and staff fill the state Capitol building shouting, “Spread the love, stop the hate; don’t let Walker legislate.” The crowd delivers thousands of Valentine’s to Governor Scott Walker asking him “not to break their hearts” with budget cuts.
Walker wants to get rid of most public employee collective bargaining rights in order to help fix the budget hole. Graduate assistant Peter Rickman, a 28-year-old from Neenah, says he’s concerned about the future of the entire state. “This is an attack on the entire UW community.” [Read more…]
Walker nixes biofuels for UW power plant
Governor Scott Walker’s recent decision to stop the conversion of a coal-fired power plant to renewable biomass is another in a string of actions by Walker which will kill jobs. That’s the view from Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club, on Walker’s decision to pull the plug on converting UW Madison’s Charter Street Power plant from coal to biomass. “He’s going for an option that does not keep our money local,” said Feyerherm. “The biomass boiler would have kept our money local, developed a new green energy infrastructure for southern Wisconsin, created many for more jobs, and been a boon for our economy. Instead will be shipping money out of the state.” [Read more…]
UW scores humanities grant (AUDIO)
UW Madison gets a major humanities grant. Chancellor Biddy Martin made the announcement Monday: the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the university a $10 million grant as part of an effort to preserve and enhance the humanities at research universities. “The grant . . . which will be matched by the state, will be used to support and sustain our strengths in core areas in the humanities,” Martin said. “It will allow us to hire faculty, support postdoctoral fellows, and support graduate students. [Read more…]
Good grades may equal good health
If you got straight “A” grades in high school, your long term health may benefit. New research by Pamela Hurd, a professor of public affairs and sociology at UW-Madison, shows higher academic performance in high school plays a critical role in better health throughout life. “People with higher levels of educational attainment are in better health,” said Hurd. “What this study does which is a little bit different than prior studies, is that it looks at high school academic performance.” [Read more…]
UW-Madison launches iPhone “app”
Another app is now on the market, and it’s good news for anyone who wants to keep up with what’s going on around the UW-Madison. The University’s free application is now available to anyone who has an iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
UW senior software engineer Brad Leege says the free application will provide maps to people and locations on campus, along with sports team information and City of Madison bus routes and schedules. [Read more…]
Ground broken for Energy Institute
Ground has been broken on an energy research facility on the UW Madison campus. Governor Jim Doyle, who provided $50 million in state funding for the new Wisconsin Energy Institute in his 2009-2011 budget, said the work to be done there can decrease dependence on fuel sources from out of state. “We have no coal, we have no petroleum, we have no natural gas,” said Doyle, adding that the state annually spends about $16 million on those fuel sources. “We have the potential of being the absolute leader in the world in energy research,” Doyle said. [Read more…]
Collaboration begins on ADHD research at UW
Scientists will soon begin testing and developing a mind-training program that provides a drug-free alternative for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and high functioning autism in children.
“The brain is plastic, particularly early in life. I think that there definitely are things that can be done for those populations, without a doubt.”
UW professor of psychology, Dr. Richard J. Davidson, is the Director of UW-Madison’s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. He says researchers at the lab “will examine the specific neural systems affected by ADHD.” [Read more…]
Previewing the Institutes of Discovery (AUDIO)
Media recently got a preview of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison. George Austin, project manager for the $150 million dollar center, showed media around the showpiece building where important discoveries on human health will be made. The building incorporates space on three levels, for use by researchers with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the Morgridge Institute for Discovery.