University of Wisconsin-River Falls

UW-RIVER FALLS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION • UW-RIVER FALLS FOUNDATION

Alumni Newsletter Contents Summer 2004

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Keeping in step with administrative changes

Interim Chancellor Virgil NylanderIn January of 2004, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Virgil Nylander, stepped down from his position with an eye toward enjoying retirement. His assistant, Mary Halada, stepped up to serve as Interim Vice Chancellor while the search for a permanent replacement was conducted. Tragically, just before announcing Mary Halada’s selection as the new Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, Chancellor Ann Lydecker was killed in a motor vehicle accident. Provost and Vice Chancellor Ginny Coombs assumed the Chancellor’s duties temporarily, and then on June 1, 2004, Nylander stepped back in to serve as Interim Chancellor and provide support and continuity during the search for a new chancellor.

The search is underway and we hope to have a new chancellor named by April of 2005.

Reunions

Pig Roast PicnicOver 110 alumni and friends attended the 19th Annual Alumni Weekend held on campus June 25-26. Alumni were given the opportunity to take guided campus tours, (with a swing through downtown), as well as college tours with visits to the greenhouse, lab farms and the laser projects in the physics department. There was also a pig roast picnic with an old car display and a blues band performance at the Wall amphitheater!

Dr. Virgil Nylander, Interim Chancellor, provided the alumni with an update on the University and Dr. Lee Zaborowski presented information regarding the Outreach and Graduate Studies programs.

The weekend closed with a celebration banquet to honor the graduates of the classes of 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969 and 1974. Each alumnus was presented with an award and class photos were taken! We were honored to have Dr. Ed Peterson be the keynote speaker for the evening with "The top 10 reasons why I stayed at River Falls for 50 years."

A graduate from the class of 1964, Ruta Osits Antons, commented, "The 2004 Alumni Weekend was magnificent! I found it easy to get oriented, welcomed into the friendly atmosphere. The superb organization and planning of this event was evident. The food was great. The dinner and awards banquet was entertaining, we felt appreciated, even pampered. Professor Ed Peterson was a phenomenal speaker. I found out during my Class of 1964 reunion that UW-RF is still a warm, friendly place, ‘Where the free spirit prevails’!"

Morreen O’Reilly Mersberger, from the class of 1974 said, "The car show was a great addition to the pig roast! The banquet was super and all in all it was a fantastic weekend! Thank you for a job well done! We had a great time!"

Dan McGinty, Director of Development and Alumni Relations added, "Our returning alumni were impressed with all the planned activities throughout the weekend. We need to extend a big THANK YOU to our volunteers, faculty tour guides, college deans, interim chancellor, campus staff and food service staff who did a tremendous job welcoming our alumni back to campus!"

Please plan to join us next summer for a return visit to UW-River Falls. We look forward to your stories, your discoveries and being reminded that some things just never change! Get out that calendar and write in the dates for ALUMNI WEEKEND, June 24-25, 2005……….WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!!

More Chances to Get Together:

Northwester Wisconsin Alumni Club Dinner

From Left to Right: Bill Eulberg '67, Janet Eulberg, Linda (Wickard) Kleinhans '67, Kurt Kleinhans '67, stop for a picture at the Northwestern Wisconsin Alumni Club Dinner in Spooner, Wisconsin on July 21st.

 

 

Champs Return!

1994 Hockey Champs

Members of the 1994 UW-RF NCAA National Championship Hockey Team returned to campus for a ten year reunion on July 24th. Back Row From Left to Right: Greg Joyce, '94 Head Coach Dean Talafous, Tom Bachmeier '97, Greg Christensen '97, Aaron Arf '96, Brian Wilson '97, Current Head Coach Steve Freeman, Corey Ratzloff '97, Jake Mastel '95; Front Row: Ron Gullett '95, Jeff Hubbart '96, Chris Brown '95, Brian Savage '96, Scott Bachinski '97

Oot 'n' Aboot

Eric Martin with fish

 

Eric St. Martin '97 displays a big Shoal Lake Northern Pike he landed on the Alumni Fishing Trip to Canada this past July.

 

 

Alumni and Friends gather in front of the
dock at Wiley Point during the Alumni Fishing
Trip July 11-16.

Alumni and friends at Wiley Point Lodge

From Left to Right: Jim Helminiak (UW-RF Faculty Emeriti), Glen Tesch, Phil Schneider '66, Pat Beck '84, Cindy (Dierks ) Nielsen '84, Jim Beck, Dale Vollrath, Larry Vollrath '54, Eric St. Martin '97.

Research supported by Foundation Grants

In June the UW-River Falls Foundation were pleased to announce the recipients of the 2004-05 UWRF Foundation Grants. Drs. Gary Onan, Larry Baumann and Tom Goerke, Department of Animal and Food Science in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences were awarded $12,400 for Ultrasound Imaging Technology. The ultrasound unit will provide the college with the ability to prepare students in technology they will be expected to be familiar with when they enter industry. The animal industry, for example, uses ultrasound for live animal composition as the basis for breed improvement and reproductive assessment. The technology will be used in 11 different courses, impacting 650 students a year.

Dr. Tim Lyden, of the Biology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences was awarded $30,000 for the funding of a new and innovative UW-RF Cellular Imaging and Analysis Center. Included are a Flow Cytometer, a research grade Fluorescent Microscope and a cooled CCD microscope camera. The Center will develop the resources to conduct and document a wide variety of experiments seeking answers about the nature, location and quantity of cellular products within cells, populations of cells and tissues. The grant will address limitations that currently inhibit faculty and students in several areas of cell biology and will improve research, scholarly and creative activity applied to current and planned advanced courses in biology and related fields.

Falcon Athletics Preview

The new schedule is up! visit the Falcon News and Notes online and read more. Here's just a sample of what you will find:

Herrick Named Assistant Football Coach
Jamie Herrick has been named an assistant football coach at UW-River Falls. (more)

Eight Student-Athletes Join Women's Hockey Team
Eight student-athletes will attend UW-River Falls in the fall and compete with the Falcon women's hockey team. (more)

Sixty-Seven Student-Athletes Join Football Program
Football Coach John O'Grady has 67 student-athletes listed as recruits for the Falcon football team. (more)

Coming Up



We all have a STORY to tell……2004-05 Annual Fund Appeal.
REACH for the phone this fall when you get your UW-River Falls Telethon call! There is an eager student at the other end ready to:

They are also calling to ask for your financial support to the 2004-05 Annual Fund Appeal. Your support is appreciated, important and critical in positioning the university for future growth. Increased dollars are needed to develop student and faculty research grants, provide technology improvements for classrooms, and offer scholarships and visiting professor programs.

Our goal is $170,000 and the only way we can get there is with your support! If you haven’t done so already, consider joining the Builders Society with a gift of $150. Current donors will receive a mailing this month that provides the opportunity to send a gift in advance of the UW- RF Telethon. Keep an eye out for this important opportunity to support UW-River Falls.

 

ALL- CAMPUS CAREER FAIR:
On Wednesday, October 20, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., UW-River Falls will hold its annual All-Campus Career Fair. This event is not just a job fair geared toward seniors; students at all level of study are encouraged to attend. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors benefit from the opportunity to learn about career options, to make connections between their majors and career interests, to learn about part-time or summer employment opportunities, and to find internships that will enable them to gain important relevant work experience. Seniors attend the Career Fair to locate permanent positions. In addition, UW-River Falls faculty members and administrators often come to the Career Fair to meet employers who might potentially hire their majors. Last year over 1997 students and faculty attended the Career Fair!

We welcome the opportunity to have a greater representation of area businesses, especially those that hire UW-River Falls graduates, at the 2004 All-Campus Career Fair. Help your organization "Hire a Falcon"! If you think your organization would be interested in participating, please contact either Joe Kraninger, Career Fair Coordinator Intern, at jkraninger7981@yahoo.com, or June Schubert, Recruitment Coordinator, at june.m.schubert@uwrf.edu or by calling (715) 425-3572 during office hours. Please give us your organization's complete name and address and the name and title of the best contact to invite to the Career Fair. Registration materials will be mailed out in July. New organizations participating in this fall's fair receive a $10 discount if a UW-RF alumni is one of their fair representatives.
Career Fair web site: http:/www.uwrf.edu/ccs/events/career_fair/

 

HOMECOMING 2004:
Plan to join your friends for University of Wisconsin-River Falls Homecoming, Saturday, October 23, 2004

If you would like to plan a special reunion or would like further information, contact Dan McGinty, Alumni Director, at 877-258-6647
The Student Leadership Center Homecoming Week Celebration begins on Oct 18, the dance is on Friday Oct 22, and ends with the crowing of the king and queen during the half time of the football game on Oct 23. This year's theme is "Homecoming...the Mystery Machine."

What's New

The staff of the Creative Hours In Learning Development (C.H.I.L.D.) Center is quite excited to work and play with the children of students and staff in a beautiful new facility. We look forward to open spaces with a great deal of natural light to brighten the rooms. The center will also serve as a field work site for programs including, but not limited to, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Communicative Disorders, Social Work, Counseling and School Psychology.
Deborah Ryan states, "As the director, I feel honored to be in such a position and am very appreciative of the university’s guidance throughout the entire process. We must all remember – this dream would not exist if not for the support and love of Ann Lydecker."

Let Us Entertain You!

Art imitating life: What does a university professor do when he retires? He acts retired. At least he does if he’s cast as Norman in On Golden Pond. And if the retired professor’s name is Mike Norman the imitation is even stronger. If you didn’t get to see this production by the St. Croix Valley Summer Theatre, you missed an outstanding performance. SCVST also presented Rafferty Rescues the Moon, Always . . . Patsy Cline, and is finishing out the summer season with the musical My Fair Lady. In this final production, in addition to Mike Norman, you’ll find another recently retired professor and accomplished barber shop singer – Bernie Brohaugh.

First steps toward a college education

Some of the most promising teens from across the state attended Teen University July 12-16 on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls campus. Teen University offers young students who show strong academic drive a glimpse into their future as potential college students. Now in its 13th summer, Teen University gave approximately 130 students, who had finished grades six to eight, the experience to take a number of morning and afternoon enrichment classes during the week-long program. Subjects this year included 20th century literature, scuba diving, natural resources, biotechnology, fly fishing and fly tying, mystery writing and other topics. This year, a favorite course among students was a look into the fascinating world of cartooning and comics. Culmination of the course is a limited-edition comic book of each student's work. In September, the comic book will be available on the Teen University Web site at www.uwrf.edu/ogs/teenu.

For the younger set, the university offered College for Kids during the month of June. Now in its 22nd summer, the College for Kids program encourages young students who show high academic potential, motivation and talent to attend the college in the future. This year 250 students who had finished grades three to five took various academic enrichment classes each morning during the two-week program. Courses this year included Ancient Egyptian Art and Artifacts, Fly Fishing and Fly Tying, Harry Potter Adventures, Japanese Culture, Mystery Writing for Kids and others. A favorite course among students was Orienteering. The course gave students the freedom to explore campus using a map and compass in order to find specific points in the landscape. They also leaned how to apply these skills to find their way out if they every became lost in the woods.

 

Published by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Alumni Relations Office

UW River Falls Foundation Alumni Association

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