News from the Vice Chancellor
Summer 2011
Inside This Issue:
Catching up with Our New Chief Business Officer
The search is over! Former Controller Ed Nieskes, who has led the division since
Diane Moen retired in June, has been appointed vice chancellor for Administrative and
Student Life Services.
As Chancellor Sorensen noted, “Ed is well suited for the position.” With 20 years
of service to the UW System, the last four at Stout, Ed understands administration and
knows our organization well.
“
“We have one of the strongest divisions in the system. Diane did a great job
getting us where we are today,” Ed said. “Now, we’ll build on our success and get even
stronger.”
I’m open to
hearing how we
can do things
better...
”
“With the changes to our budget, we are entering a time
when we can look at changing how we do things so that we use
the new flexibilities to our advantage.”
“I’m open to hearing how we can do things better and more
efficiently,” Ed said.
“My focus is on results. I’m not going to make changes just to make changes, but
if we can make something more efficient or better, I want to hear about it and see how
we can make it work.”
Catching up with our New CBO.................1
Welcome...................................................2
New Responsibilities................................2
Dates to Remember..................................2
Old King Coal............................................3
Student Spotlight: Mandy Fuchs...........3
Construction Zone ..................................3
Classified Employee of the Month.........4
Good News...............................................4
News from the Vice Chancellor is
published quarterly for the ASLS division
employees.
Publisher: Ed Nieskes
Vice Chancellor of Administrative &
Student Life Services
nieskese@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1683
Editor: Tom Dye
Communication Specialist
dyet@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1681
225 Administration Building
Menomonie, WI 54751
Fax: (715) 232-1527
“I want ASLS to be the unit that organizations on other campuses compare
themselves to and try to emulate. We have great people working for us, and I want to
do my best to put them in a position to succeed.”
“After all,” Ed concluded, “ASLS sets the stage for a positive campus experience.
Since our facilities and services touch every student on campus—when we succeed,
they succeed.”
This newsletter is available online from
http://www.uwstout.edu/asls/news.cfm.
Welcome
Jay Hanson, HVAC/Refrigeration Specialist, returns to ASLS after a stint
as a mechanic at UW-Eau Claire. Jay and his wife Stephanie live north of
Elk Mound. They have four children, Courtney (16), Kayla (15), Erik (13),
and Lucas (7). Jay’s interests include working on cars, playing with new
technology, fishing, hunting, and kayaking.
Dave O’Connell, Senior Power Plant Operator, joins the Heating Plant
from Halverson Brothers Plumbing and Heating in Menomonie. Before
that, Dave worked for Boldt’s Plumbing and Heating in Baldwin. A
Menomonie native and Boyceville High graduate, Dave has three
children: Lacy (28), Patrick (17), and Trystin (12). Dave likes to spend
time outdoors, and his hobbies include four-wheeling and hunting.
Pat Radle, URec University Services Program Associate, has been with
the university for several years, most recently in Admissions. She’s also
worked for UW-RF, the DNR, and (in the ‘90s) Stout HR. A lifelong resident
of Arkansaw, Pat and husband Randy have two children, Lindsey (26) and
Derek (22). Pat’s interests include walking, reading, attending concerts,
and following the Packers, Badgers, and Brewers.
New Responsibilities
Barb Eastman transferred to an Applied Arts building custodian position.
Karen Lund was named interim assistant director of the Student Center.
Mark Wenzel transferred to an inventory control coordination position
with Physical Plant.
Darrin Witucki was appointed director of University Centers.
Dates to Remember
Monday, August 29, we kick off opening week with refreshments at
8:15 am, the chancellor’s pre-recorded address at 8:45 am, and
engagement sessions at 9:00 am. After that, we’ll watch pre-recorded
presentations from the provost, Vice Chancellor
Nieskes, and others.
Above: Laying sod near Bowman Hall.
Below: Preparing to remove the 5-ton oak trunk that
fell on Vocational Rehabilitation.
Sunday, September 4, is move-in day.
Tuesday, September 13, Dining
hosts the Great American Cookout
from 4-7 pm on the south mall.
Customer Service Week is October 3-7. Watch for upcoming details.
Old King Coal
Student Spotlight: Mandy Fuchs Colby
2011-12 will be the first year that the heating plant
does not burn coal. Last year, we burned 3,500 tons; but
with natural gas prices running nearly 8% cheaper than coal,
Power Plant Superintendent Brian Lorenz estimates that
we could save as much as $40,000 in fuel costs by burning
natural gas all year. By avoiding coal, we’ll also save money
in stack cleaning, ash removal, labor, and more, bringing the
total expected savings to nearly $59,000.
Each year, UW-Stout employs
hundreds of students, who provide
indispensable services while gaining
valuable experience and a paycheck.
Former student Mandy (Fuchs)
Colby attributes much of her professional
success as UW-River Falls conference
and event services coordinator to an
internship with SLS while earning her
Photo c
UW-RF
degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism
Management.
Working with Sue Michels enabled Mandy to learn both
the technical skills needed for event coordination and the
communication skills needed to interact professionally with
staff and customers.
“Sue fully allowed me to experience a professional role,
and that experience was invaluable. The transferable skills and
the professional experience that I gained from working with
Sue are what landed me my current role.”
“My internship with Sue directly related to my academic
studies, and it was a perfect opportunity to apply what I was
learning in the classroom to a professional position.”
“Sue and I not only worked well together from a supervisoremployee standpoint, we also became great friends.”
Power Plant Superintendent Brian Weisenbeck beside a coal-fired boiler
In peak season, the Power Plant burned one to two
semi-loads of coal per day, receiving several shipments each
week to keep up with demand.
Construction Zone
Twenty construction projects are taking place on campus this summer. Here are highlights from two.
MSC Update
The MSC
renovation is now in
its eighth month and
going well. But like any
major construction
project, it has seen
its share of ups and
downs.
Renovations
tend to produce a few surprises, and the MSC project is no
different. After all, 26 year-old building plans don’t necessarily
tell the full story.
Still, the project team of Market & Johnson, J.F. Ahern,
Vinco Electric, Frisbie Architects, and UW-Stout Physical Plant
contains experienced professionals with great problem-solving
skills that enable them to overcome every challenge.
From the outside, we’ve witnessed a significant
transformation as the new east and west entrances have
evolved. Contractors
are now installing the
window wall (above),
and the Dunnville Quarry
sandstone will go up soon.
On the inside, the
progress and changes
are remarkable, too.
The campus community
will see a truly stunning transformation when the Memorial
Student Center re-opens this spring.
Face Lift
Looked up at the
Bowman clock tower
lately?
If you have, you’ve
seen that repairs are well
underway.
Contractors are
busy refinishing the metal
and replacing the glass,
hands, mechanism,
controls, and backlighting
in Stout’s 113-year-old
signature tower.
Above: The new faces are almost
complete.
Left: An inside view reveals the
old broken glass.
The Good News
Campus Card Director Grady Richartz, Bursar Ricky Olson, and others
launched a university-branded CashCourse website, http://www.cashcourse.org/
uwstout, addressing the 2010-11 Inclusive Excellence Plan charge to “teach/inform/
educate students on financial literacy.”
Darrin Witucki was named to a 2-year term on the OrgSync Customer Advisory
Council. In late June, he attended the inaugural meeting at Indiana State University,
where discussions focused on how OrgSync can enhance students’ co-curricular
experiences.
April Classified Employee
of the Month
Printing Services’ Jane
Heutmaker was named Classified
Employee of the Month for April.
The individual nominating
Jane stated: “Jane is one of the
most disciplined and punctual
people I’ve ever known. Her ability
to work efficiently under stressful
conditions and nerve-wracking
deadlines speaks volumes about
her hard work, determination and
her composed demeanor. She has
demonstrated excellent leadership
skills and team spirit while working
with both departments and
employees.”
The nominator also noted,
“Jane works well with customers
to come up with the best possible
product she can. She is friendly and
willing to go above what is asked of
her.”
The volleyball team received an American Volleyball Coaches Association
(AVCA) Team Academic Award for 2010-2011. AVCA Director Kathy DeBoer noted
that the coaches contributed to the achievement by sending “a clear message that
classroom success is just as important as court success.” The team carried a 3.4
GPA.
Intramural Sports and Aquatics Coordinator Katie Ressie will now officiate
Division II, as well as Division III, basketball. She’s now one step away from achieving
her ultimate goal of officiating at the Division I level.
In addition to new features like autopay, Touchnet Mobile, and Secure Vault
Payments, SBS also implemented a service that enables international students to more
easily transfer funds to UW-Stout for their educational needs. The new service is free to
Stout and saves the students money.
Fishing All-American Jeremy Anibas noted that URec’s “awesome” support for
clubs was a major factor in his decision to attend UW-Stout. In addition to engaging
like-minded students, the fishing club he cofounded has helped publicize the
university and earned over $20,000 for the club and SLS.
On October 1, the university celebrates 100
years of Stout football, as well as Homecoming.
Athletics plans several events to commemorate the
centennial.
Involvement and Leadership’s Liz
Bogner developed Bridging the Digital Divide
in Dunn County, https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=b3fAfS43uUk, a 3-minute video aimed
at increasing computer literacy and access among
Dunn County’s 8,000 low-income residents.
Home-field advantage -- 1949