Summer 2008
News from the Vice
Chancellor
Administrative
& Student Life
Services
Inside This Issue
Shadowing Rick Olson .................................... 1
Rick with Sunny, Shy Boy and Anna.
In the Beginning .............................................. 2
Getting Your Point Across In E-Mail ............... 2
Shadowing Rick Olson
Turf Love .......................................................... 2
As you probably all know, the division office has moved back to the
Administration Building. While we enjoyed our time in the Commons and
were especially thankful for the hospitality of the Student Life Services
folks, it’s convenient for us to be back in the Administration Building.
Here we’re close to the other offices with which we interact daily, and we
can enjoy the beautiful view of Clock Tower Plaza.
Employee of the Month .................................. 3
Part of being back is catching up on all the changes in the Administration
Building departments. I decided to spend some time with Rick Olson who
is the Interim Director of Student Business Services. Rick conducts
informal office meetings at 8:00 on Friday mornings and that is where I
caught up with him. It was interesting to hear about the progress on the
PeopleSoft conversion, the work going on with our collection agencies on
delinquent accounts, the status of vacant positions, and to experience
firsthand the camaraderie of the group and their focus on customer
service. Rick says he was both excited to have the opportunity to serve as
interim and pleased to be able to apply the concepts and knowledge he
acquired through the Business degree he recently obtained from
UW-Stout.
Vice Chancellor
It’s especially rewarding to see Rick’s career progress at Stout. He started
out in 1984 as a custodian and had plans to work his way up that
organization until carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel injuries didn’t allow him
to continue in the position. Wayne Argo worked with Rick and other
departments in ASLS to find other work for Rick, resulting in his career
with Student Business Services. Rick took advantage of the professional
development and tuition reimbursement programs offered and now really
enjoys his management responsibilities.
I also feel it is my obligation to ferret out some personal information when
I shadow employees. Rick currently resides in Boyceville with his wife
Sheri. Rick and Sheri have 3 horses - my passion as well - so our
conversation steered into the price of hay (way up!), the cost of barns and
shelters, and the pure pleasure of owning such beautiful animals!
RecycleMania .................................................. 2
Welcome .......................................................... 3
ASLS Collaborative Group Reception ........... 4
The Good News ............................................... 4
News from the Vice Chancellor is published
quarterly for ASLS division employees.
Publisher: Diane Moen
moend@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1683
Editor: Heidi Hooten
Communications Specialist
hootenh@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1681
225 Administration Building
Menomonie, WI 54751
Fax: (715) 232-1527
In The Beginning...
Turf Love
The Stout field in Williams Stadium will be completely refurbished by mid-August:
with 77,000 square feet of old Astroturf being replaced with 83,500 square feet
of a new artificial turf which “looks and plays like natural grass” with longer
synthetic blades.
Athletics Director, Joe Harlan, says he believes the new surface will hold up better
over time than the old, and it’s more impact absorbent so there should be fewer
injuries for athletes. As the new turf is put in, there will be some minor drainage
improvements to the turf drainage system so that the field will be made better for
a variety of groups and activities.
It may not look like much now,
but the Jarvis project is well
underway!
Getting Your Point
Across In E-Mail
There’s not a person among
us who hasn’t at times been
frustrated with e-mail. Here’s
a few tips for clarity and
brevity:
•
Build up a key list of
subject headings:
Correction, Decision
Needed, Request, etc.
“We’re really excited about the turf and think a lot of people will be pleased with
our new field,” reports Harlan.
The field is shared with the Menomonie High School as well as outside engagers
for events. In addition to the turf replacement, new adjustable goal posts will be
added which can meet both high school and college requirements. The logos and
lettering on the field will match the existing layout.
The budget for the project is $755,000, which comes out of the student fee
attached to the Recreation and Athletic Complex project. The Division of State
Facilities is in charge of the project, with ProGrass as the contractor.
Questions on the project can be directed to Joe Harlan at harlanj@uwstout.edu.
RecycleMania
•
Make sure your request is
at the beginning of your
e-mail, not at the end.
RecycleMania is a competition among college and university recycling programs to
see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables over a 10-week
period. There are various contests, with the primary goal to increase student
awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. UW-Stout placed in the
following contests:
•
Never use in business
e-mail what you wouldn’t
use in a business letter.
Waste Minimization: This was determined by the lowest overall amount of waste
generated per person. UW-Stout placed first with 42.96 pounds recycled per
person.
•
Always include in your
signature : name, phone
number, web address or
e-mail address.
Wisconsin’s Gorilla Prize: UW-Madison placed first in Wisconsin (7th in the nation)
for the highest gross tonnage of recyclables. UW-Stout was third with 94,831
pounds recycled in the 10 weeks.
•
Stick to one topic.
•
Keep it positive: Write
about what you can do or
want to see happen - not
about what you can’t do
or don’t want.
Pick up the phone when
e-mails begin to get:
•
Sensitive
•
Inefficient
•
Emotional
Grand Champion: This award combines the results of the Per Capita Classic and
the Waste Minimization Competitions. While UW-Madison placed first with a
recycling rate of 27.01%, UW-Stout was a close second with a 26.35% recycling
rate.
Ten Wisconsin campuses participated in the event, as well as over 400 campuses
in 46 states plus the District of Columbia. RecycleMania is administered by the
National Recycling Coalition as a project of NRC’s College and University Recycling
Council (CURC). Support is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
Wastewise program. The Coca-Cola Company is a major sponsor. To learn more
about RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org.
UW-Stout employees who were active in helping with the competition were: Lori
Anda-Bowen, Linda Anderson, Mike Bessert, Charles Bomar, Raina Clark, Bob
Dodge, Martin Fritz, Joe Harlan, Krista James, Amy McGovern, Lucy Nicolai and Ann
Thies. (Names listed in bold are from the ASLS division.)
Welcome
Katherine Branch, Groundskeeper, graduated from UW-River Falls in December
2007 with a BS degree in Horticulture. She’s lived around the Menomonie area her
whole life, living on a hobby farm outside of Eau Galle. She enjoys being outdoors
fishing, hunting, finding outdoor adventure and playing with the many animals on
her parents’ farm.
Heidi Hooten, Communication Specialist in the Vice Chancellor’s Office, is an avid
reader, with at least 4 books going at all times. She collaborates with her sister on
a blog writing about the absurd and alarming antics of sock critters. She’s the
world’s worst Master Gardener and volunteers weekly at the Dunn County Humane
Society so she can pet all the cats. It’s only her husband, Ted Stark, and two
children, Iris (13) and Hattie (9), who stand between Heidi and her potential future
as a crazy cat lady.
Staci Kaufman, IS Systems Developer Serv. Prof. in Housing Services, has recently
returned to UW-Stout after fulfilling a life-long dream of working at Walt Disney
World in Orlando, Florida. (How many people do you know who can brag they’ve
had lunch with Cinderella, the Mad Hatter, and Alice in Wonderland—all at the
same time?) She and her husband Dave live in Menomonie with their three
children: Ben (18), Haylee (11) and Lindsee (almost 5). She enjoys spending her
spare time with her family and friends, scrapbooking, traveling, and gardening.
Employee of the Month
Janice Rasmussen, University Dining Services, was named the Classified
Employee of the Month for April.
Ann Thies nominated Janice and in her nomination statement had this to say
about Janice: “Jan has been a loyal employee of UW-Stout for 32 years. Jan is
one of those employees who always accepts the challenges thrown her way and
has been part of many successful changes within Dining Services. Jan is always
able to get the job done and provides excellent support to the managers of the
commons. Many of her ideas have improved the department. She displays not
only a strong loyalty and dedication to her job duties but also to individuals within
the department. She is very patient and insightful when it comes to helping
students make the best choices for themselves as employees of dining and seeks
to ensure they can succeed. She cares about them as individuals and strives to
deliver the best service possible going the extra mile each and every time.”
Fred Bartko, Academic Custodial, was named Classified Employee of the Month
for May.
Janice Rasmussen and Ann
Thies.
Before she retired, Marilyn Mars nominated Fred and stated: “Fred stands out on
a daily basis because he goes about his many tasks quietly and in a caring
manner. He always goes that extra mile and has such pride in his work. Fred’s
attitude is the best. He is cheerful and does not complain. He is outstanding
every day, through his thoughtfulness, his congeniality, his helpfulness and the
respect he gives us all in this building.”
Fred Bartko
ASLS Collaborative
Group Reception a
Success
The 9th annual ASLS
Collaborative Group
Reception was held on June
18th by the Vice Chancellor.
There were 13 groups and
over 126 people honored at
the reception, which was
held in the Great Hall of the
Student Center. You can
view the reception booklet
detailing each group, its
membership and
accomplishments by
accessing the link on the
ASLS home page at
www.uwstout.edu/asls.
Diane Moen, Vice Chancellor
225 Administration Building
Menomonie, WI 54751
(715) 232-1683
Fax: (715) 232-1527
moend@uwstout.edu
People working
together for service
excellence and
innovation.
The Good News
Diane Moen, Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Student Life Services,
contributed a chapter on transformational planning to the Jossey Bass resource
book “Strategic Financial Challenges for Higher Education: How to Achieve
Quality, Accountability, and Innovation,” which was published April 2008.
The office of Budget, Planning & Analysis has launched the Applied Research
Center website: uwstout.edu/bpa/arc/.
Wendy Swanson, institutional planner in the Office of Budget, Planning and
Analysis, attended the 48th annual forum for the Association of Institutional
Research held in Seattle May 25-28. Swanson is a member of the Steering
Committee for the regional organization of AIR and AIRUM — Association of
Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest. She attended the forum, with nearly
2,000 registered participants, as a representative of Stout’s recently established
Applied Research Center.
Wayne Poppe, Steamfitter, helped coach UW-Stout student Pam Sellberg on to
success at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Competition in
Oshkosh.
Director of Budget, Planning and Analysis, Meridith Wentz, is part of a team
appointed to review campus data and recommend strategies as part of the
UW-System’s Equity Scorecard Project to assess and improve institutional
effectiveness.
The UW-Stout Relay for Life team raised $3,740 for the American Cancer
Society. The team consisted of Diane Moen, Shelly Hendrickson, Jan Jordan,
Sue Michels, Sandy White, Luann Reckin, Rose Christianson, Bonnie
Christianson, Lori Anda-Bowen, Amy Miranda, Cindy Knops, Heidi Hooten, Amy
Styer, Susie Kuesel, and Barb Cloutier. (The names listed in bold print are from
the ASLS division.)
Ally Center staff members Erica Idso, a graduate student in marriage and family
therapy, Jasmine Patzner, a senior in vocational rehabilitation, and Mary
McManus, assistant director of the Memorial Student Center, attended the
Institute for Social Justice Ally Development held in Des Moines, Iowa June 2527.
Enjoying breakfast at the
ASLS Collaborative
Group Reception are:
Mark Wenzel, Kristi
Burtness, and Mike
Robertson.