Year in Review 2006–07: Part 3
January 2007
Marc Bamuthi, with back to camera, teaches as course as part of his artist-in-residence visit.
The university’s Arts Institute announces two interdisciplinary artist residencies for spring semester: Marc Bamuthi, an internally renowned spoken word and hip-hop theater artist, will give a performance series and teach an interdisciplinary arts course; and Ute Ritschel, an alternative curator whose work combines art, performance art, environmental studies and cultural anthropology, will teach a course on curatorial practice and host a symposium.
Nine new projects designed to bring UW–Madison knowledge, expertise and resources to bear on matters of importance to Wisconsin residents are funded through the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. Now in its fifth year, the endowment has supported 40 diverse projects that are meant to further the century-old Wisconsin Idea, which holds that the impact of the university should extend beyond its borders.
For the first time in more than 20 years, UW–Madison falls to second place among the top-producing institutions for Peace Corps volunteers. With 106 alumni serving in the program in the last year, UW–Madison narrowly loses the top position to the University of Washington and its 110 alumni participants.
An ancient pine tree species takes up residence in the botany greenhouses.
A recently purchased foot-tall Wollemi pine, a relic plant that once coexisted with dinosaurs, takes up residence in the botany greenhouses at Birge Hall. The relic tree species, dating back 90 million years and once known to botanists only through fossils, was discovered in an Australian national park in 1994. To aid the plant’s continued survival, the team of botanists eventually plans to propagate its tree through cuttings.
A remarkable psychological effect is brought to light in a study produced by the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System’s “Living with Breast Cancer” program, a computer-based health education and support system run within the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research. According to the study, breast cancer patients who pray in online support groups can obtain mental health benefits. Researchers speculate the effect may be related to a reduction in stress and fear.
Bret Bielema, in his first year as head coach of Badger football, leads his team to a record-setting 12 victories, including a 17–14 win over Arkansas at the 2007 Capital One Bowl. In December, the team had been ranked fifth by USA Today and sixth by the Associated Press. Bielema, who had been named 2006 Coach of the Year, is the first rookie head coach in Big Ten history to guide his team to at least 10 victories.
February 2007
An adaptive fishing kit that allows one-armed fishing reels in the top prize during Innovation Days competitions in the Mechanical Engineering Building. Designed to foster creativity and entrepreneurship in students and give them prototype-building and patent-filing experience, the contest awards teams whose ideas and inventions are judged the most innovative and most likely to succeed in the marketplace.
The UW Law School’s stamp on legal thought of the 20th century is discernible in a new compilation of the 20 most important works of American legal thought since 1890. “The Canon of American Legal Thought” by Harvard law professors David Kennedy and William W. Fisher III recounts the history of writing on legal thought and decision-making by examining the work of the nation’s most influential legal scholars. Alongside the work of such historic legal figures as Oliver Wendell Holmes is that of UW Law School professor Stewart Macaulay, emeritus professor Marc Galanter and former UW graduate student Kimberle Crenshaw.
Lori Berquam is named to the dean of students position.
Citing her unique combination of administrative skills and ability to relate to students, Chancellor John D. Wiley and Provost Patrick Farrell name Lori Berquam to the post of dean of students. After serving as interim dean since 2005, Berquam brings extensive expertise in student development, judicial affairs, housing and social-justice issues. Berquam says she is looking forward to playing a greater role in the recruitment and retention of students of color and the long-term effort to increase the number and depth of connections between student life and the academic side of the university.
The UW Law School and Division of International Studies receive approval to establish Global Legal Studies as a UW–Madison center. The center will promote socio-legal research on issues of international and comparative law, extend contacts with scholars in other countries, and share scholarship and expertise with constituencies across Wisconsin and worldwide.
The research program of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery gets under way, as officials announce the results of a campuswide competition for Discovery Seed Grants. The eight winning research proposals involve more than 60 faculty and staff researchers from 25 departments across the UW–Madison campus. Their projects encompass methods for discovering new drugs and detecting disease early; treatments for inflammatory diseases, attention deficit disorder and chronic wounds; advanced “micro-lenses” with medical applications; large-scale production of human embryonic stem cells; and studies focused on eliminating gaps in school achievement among different student populations.
Campus officials alert students to the risks associated with online networks.
The Offices of the Dean of Students note that students who use online networks such as Facebook or MySpace are at risk for stalking, harassment and identity theft. Because profiles on the sites are easily accessible, their content can become public knowledge. It is becoming more common for prospective employers and professional schools to consult social-networking sites before making hiring decisions, officials note, so offensive pictures and language can result in lost opportunities.
The Badger men’s basketball team earns its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll, making UW–Madison one of only 16 schools so named since 2000. Combined with a 21–1 start — the best in school history — and a series of career and single-season records for Alando Tucker, the season becomes one of the best in Badger history.
Wisconsin junior Jolene Anderson, captures the Big Ten scoring title — averaging 19.3 points per game — in her position as guard for the Badger women’s basketball team, and becomes the fastest UW player to collect 1,000 and 1,500 career points. The team goes on to set a program record with 23 wins for the season.
March 2007
The University Club celebrates 100 years on campus.
The university’s Faculty Senate and Academic Staff Assembly pass identical resolutions congratulating the University Club on its 100th anniversary, noting that the club has been a well-respected presence on the campus since its founding in 1907, has contributed and continues to contribute to the social and cultural life of the university, and serves an important role as a venue for conversation and the exchange of ideas.
More than 50 UW–Madison programs are listed among the nation’s top 10 in new rankings of America’s top graduate education programs. The 2008 issue of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published by U.S. News and World Report, includes new rankings of professional schools such as business, education, engineering, law and medicine, and updates rankings in several science and humanities disciplines.
UW graduate programs show up frequently in national rankings.
A ceremony in the Kohl Center honors the Badger men’s indoor track and field team for reaching unprecedented levels of success. After winning another Big Ten championship, the team takes home UW–Madison’s first-ever national championship in the sport and the first by any team from the Big Ten Conference.
The first-ever student-organized Women’s Leadership Conference takes place in Grainger Hall. “Modern Women’s Bootcamp: From Backpack to Briefcase” features prominent speakers in industry and academia, and conference sessions cover leadership and influence development, career management, diversity and generational differences.
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health is among the first medical centers in the country taking part in a novel clinical trial investigating if a subject’s own stem cells can treat chronic myocardial ischemia, a severe form of coronary artery disease. The trial, the first human Phase II adult stem cell therapy study in the United States, is investigating the efficacy, tolerability and safety of blood-derived selected stem cells to improve symptoms and clinical outcomes in patients with the disease.
A newly created Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at UW–Madison will work to transform health research so that discoveries flow along a continuum from basic and clinical investigation to translation into practice, leading to practical improvements in the health of Wisconsin residents. A collaboration of the four UW health sciences schools — medicine and public health, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine — the institute also features a strong partnership with Marshfield Clinic and its research arm, the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation.
The women’s hockey team celebrates its second NCAA championship.
The Badger women’s hockey team defeats Minnesota Duluth 4–1 in the NCAA Frozen Four championship game, claiming the team’s second straight NCAA title and becoming the first UW program to repeat as NCAA champions since women’s cross country won the title in 1984 and 1985.