UW-Madison undergrad one of three to win system Liberal Arts Essay Scholarship Competition

Evan Mast, an undergraduate student studying economics and mathematics, is one of three students in the UW System to win the fifth annual UW System Liberal Arts Essay Scholarship Competition.

Mast is the only student to win from UW-Madison this spring for his essay, The Importance of Cartography.

The College of Letters & Science is proud to see such an great example of a liberal arts student putting into words the value of his degree and area of study.

The essay competition, which was established to support and promote liberal education throughout the state's public university system, invited students to discuss the transformative nature of their educations by focusing on an experience that changed how they viewed themselves and the world.

The competition, which is funded by private funds, is part of the UW System's Liberal Education Initiative, which seeks make the goals and outcomes of liberal arts education accessible and valuable to all UW students, regardless of major or degree program.

Winners will each receive a $2,000 scholarship to help fund the remainder of their undergraduate education.   

The awards were also briefly mentioned in The Capt Times.

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L&S Honors Program hands out first distinguished faculty awards

The L&S Honors Program recently held a reception to honor several faculty members as Distinguished Honors Faculty nominated by students and staff for their contribution to teaching Honors courses and supervising honors students in research and scholarship.

This is the first time the program has offered such awards and they hope to continue in the future.

Congratulations to the following faculty for being named Distinguished Honors Faculty in 2010:

• Janet Batzli, Associate Faculty Associate, Biocore Program
• Cyrena Pondrom, Professor of English
• Richard Begam, Professor of English
• Robert Booth Fowler, Professor Emeritus of Political Science
• Jenny Saffran, Professor of Psychology
• Kenneth West, Professor of Economics

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L&S 'Forward Under Forty' are movers, shakers

This year, 10 alumni of the College of Letters & Science were named Forward Under 40 honorees.

The award, given by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, honors UW grads under age 40 who are making an impact on the world by living the Wisconsin Idea.

The outstanding contributions by these young graduates are a reminder of the caliber of our alumni and a testament to the value of the liberal arts. 

Of the twelve honorees this year, ten graduated with liberal arts degrees. 

Congratulations to the L&S alumni!

Aaron Bishop ’94, ’95, MS’00
UW Major: Bacteriology, Genetics and Social Work
An adviser to Wyoming senator Michael Enzi, Bishop is a tireless advocate for Americans with disabilities and has shaped several laws aiding disabled people.

Phillip Chavez ’94, JD’98
UW Major: Political Science and Sociology; Law
A former Badger linebacker, Chavez is now the first elected Latino municipal court judge in Milwaukee’s history.

Jerry Halverson ’94, MD’99
UW Major: Psychology and Medicine
Now the medical director for adult services at Rogers Memorial Hospital, Halverson conducted research into new psychiatric therapies and interventions at UW-Madison.

Britt Lintner ’92
UW Major: Economics
Lintner, a London clothing designer, creates functional and fashionable apparel for professional women and has earned praise from Vogue and Marie Claire.

Brian Riedl ’98
UW Major: Political Science and Economics
Riedl is the lead federal budget analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, and he’s recognized as a national leader on tax and spending issues.

Elsworth Rockefeller MA’06
UW Major: Library and Information Studies
As the manager of children’s and teen services in the District of Columbia library system, Rockefeller writes an influential column that informs librarians around the country.

Angela Rose ’02
UW Major: Sociology
A survivor of sexual assault, Rose founded Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) while an undergrad at UW-Madison. This grassroots organization now has chapters combating sexual assault in 55 cities and three countries.

Susanne Rust MS’99
UW Major: Physical Anthropology
Rust was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her work as an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her articles revealed the presence of toxic substances in food containers.

Ahna Skop PhD’00
UW Major: Cellular and Molecular Biology
An assistant UW professor of genetics, Skop leads a lab that has expanded our understanding of cell division, and she’s an accomplished artist whose exhibits adorn campus buildings.

Nelson Tansu ’98, PhD’03
UW Major: Applied Math, Engineering and Physics
Tansu is the youngest tenured professor at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University, where his research focuses on nanotechnology, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

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14 faculty hires made possible by Madison Intiative for Undergraduates

The College of Letters & Science is proud to announce that fourteen faculty have accepted positions at UW-Madison.  This is only the first round of new faculty hires. 

These hires were made possible by the Madison Initaitive for Undergraduates which was approved last spring.  This supplemental tuition charge is being phased in during the next four years to improve the quality and long-term value of undergraduate education while also providing funds for need-based aid.

The fourteen L&S hires represent an opportunity for the college to meet pressing needs in high-demand majors. 

The ability to recruit new talent — at a time when many of our peers cannot — is an exciting chance to grow and enhance the undergraduate education and meet our teaching and research mission.

The faculty, areas of study and start dates include:

• Catalina Toma (Communication Arts, 2010-11)
• Karma R. Chávez (Communication Arts, 2010-11)
• Chao Fu (Economics, 2010-11)
• Kenichi Fukushima (Economics, 2010-11)
• Xiaxia Shi (Economics, 2010-11)
• Joseph Dennis (History, 2010-11)
• Sana Aiyar (History, 2010-11)
• Leonora Neville (History, 2010-11)
• Christopher F. Wells (Journalism & Mass Communication, 2010-11)
• Alexander Tahk (Political Science, 2010-11)
• Bas Rosker (Psychology, 2010-11)
• Paula Niedenthal (Psychology, 2011-12)
• Marcus Brauer (Psychology, 2011-12)
• Maurice N. Gattis (Social Work, 2010-11)
  

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L&S scores a second grand slam at the Distinguished Alumni Awards

The College of Letters & Science scored a grand slam for a second year with a sweep of the 74th Distinguished Alumni Awards.

All outstanding award winners were L&S alumni with liberal arts degrees in English, Political Science, History and Economics.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the the highest honor bestowed by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and celebrates outstanding UW-Madison graduates whose professional achievements, contributions to society, and support of the university exemplify the Wisconsin Idea.

The College continues to produce top alumni who are movers and shakers around the world as demonstrated by these awards.

Watch video of the ceremony on the Wisconsin Alumni Association's YouTube Channel.

The honorees are:

• Robert Barnett '68, English  and Rita Braver '70, Political Science:  Barnett is a leading Washington, D.C. attorney who represents authors, television news anchors and producers, and government officials, and has worked on eight presidential campaigns. Braver is an award-winning senior correspondent for CBS News, where she reports on topics ranging from arts and entertainment to politics and foreign policy for Sunday Morning.  Both serve on the Board of Visitors of the Department of Political Science.

• Haynes Johnson MS'56, History; and Kathryn Oberly ’71, Political Science JD’73: Johnson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, one of America’s leading voices on current politics, and the author of more than a dozen books of political analysis and modern history. Oberly is an associate judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; her first official act was to swear in Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.
  
  

• Arnold Weiss '51, Economics and Political Science LLB'53: German-Jewish immigrant and decorated World War II U.S. intelligence officer, Weiss discovered Adolf Hitler's last will, now in the National Archives. Having witnessed the war's destruction, Weiss dedicated his career as an investment-bank attorney to building, and his efforts brought social and economic progress to many developing nations.
  

For more information:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/17941

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L&S gets Twitter-savvy

A number of Letters & Sciences departments are programs have started Twittering.

Join the conversation!

• Department of Geography
• Department of Economics
• Department of Political Science
• Center for the Humanities
• School of Journalism & Mass Communication
• Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions
• UW Space Place
• Wisconsin Film Festival

Not on the list but should be?  Let us know.

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"Office Hours" tackles the economy, features econ professor John Karl Scholz

"Office Hours" is back at it - the most recent episode took a look at the current state of the economy.

Featured guests were UW Economics Professor John Karl Scholz and Real Estate and Urban Economics professor Stephen Malpezzi. The full episode is available at the Office Hours website.

The episode focuses on the current economic situation as Scholz and Malpezzi look at some of the tools used by the Obama and Bush Administrations.

Scholz is a professor in the Department of Economics and served as a deputy under secretary of the treasury during the Clinton Administration. Davis is a professor in the Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Department and before coming to UW, served on the senior staff of the Federal Reserve Board from 2002 to 2006.

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