RECENT GIFTS

Newly established scholarship will help students studying education
Professor Emeritus William Schmidt spent most of his 40 years in education on campus. That is why he wanted to help those entering the education field.

Schmidt recently established the William and Georgene Schmidt Scholarship Fund in Education through the UW-L Foundation.

"I just felt I wanted to give something back," explains Schmidt. "This will do that by giving a monetary boost to young people who are entering the education field."

Beginning with the next academic year, 2001-2002, one student will receive a $500 award. The scholarship will go to a student majoring in elementary education in even-numbered years, and to a student majoring in secondary education in odd-numbered years.

Schmidt wanted that split because of his contact with both elementary and secondary education students on campus, and because his wife, Georgene, who died in March 1999, spent 27 years working as a teacher's aide with elementary-aged students at the Congregational School in La Crosse.

After teaching and serving as principal in schools in Iowa and Wisconsin for 10 years, Schmidt came to UW-L in 1959. He spent most of his 30 years on campus teaching secondary education and directing the student teaching program. He also served as interim dean of the College of Education from 1987-1989.

Contributions to the fund may be made to the UW-L Foundation or at: www.foundation.uwlax.edu.

Students interested in applying for the scholarship should contact the UW-L Foundation Office. The deadline is March 1.

Jane and Ron Rada ask you to help fund scholarships
This is a story about Jane and Ron Rada. But they would rather not have their names used. It is a story of need and of generosity, and it is a request from the UWL Foundation that you consider joining Jane and Ron.

Jane is an instructor in the Business Division at Western Wisconsin Technical College and a member of the UW-L Foundation Board of Directors. Ron is UW-L Interim Provost/Vice Chancellor.

"Ron and Jane are the most honest, nicest, sincere, enthusiastic people I have ever met; I can't say enough about them," says College of Science and Allied Health Dean Mike Nelson. Until becoming Interim Provost, Ron was Associate Dean of SAH.

Nelson has part of the story we're telling here: He explains how he and Ron had frequent "great" conversations, bouncing ideas off one another. "We talked about increasing the numbers of students of color and faculty of color, and a couple days later Ron came back with an idea. He said 'Jane and I would like to endow a scholarship program for students of color and that they wanted to challenge the college and the chancellor to also endow it.'"

Minority representation in the College of Science and Allied Health is a concern for Rada and Nelson. "The number of minority students in the college is nowhere close to representing the number of people of color in Wisconsin," says Nelson. But resources are scarce for recruitment of students and faculty, and that's where the Rada endowment helps. The money helps to recruit and fund scholarships for students of color throughout their four years in the College of Science & Allied Health

The Microbiology Scholar Camp is another recruitment program--it is a device used to attract the best and brightest high school students to UW-L. For three days last summer, 25 students who had just completed their junior year of high school immersed themselves in microbiology. It was very hands-on, with no more than three students in a group with an instructor. Best of all, it only cost $20, and for three of the students it could mean a $1,000 scholarship.

The program was devised and run by Annie Voyles of the microbiology staff. She is like all the biology master's degree students at UW-L who had Ron review her thesis in his former role as Associate Dean. She, like the others, found him to be thorough, extremely thorough, in reading the thesis and making comments on it.

The Microbiology Summer Camp is just one of the programs assisted by the Radas' generosity. There is the biology endowment; the aquatic science scholarship and endowment; the physics summer camp for high school scholars; and the Continuing Education/Community Outreach in Science.

"Things don't fall through the cracks if Ron is involved," observes River Studies Center colleague Mark Sandheinrich. "Nor does he take credit for successes. He is quick to be inclusive while he is actually doing a lot of work in the background," adds Sandheinrich.

Working with Rada in the River Studies Center taught Sandheinrich more about the man. "Ron and Jane come from a modest background, they worked their way through college, and they work to promote academics," he says. "They live modestly, but they are exceptionally generous with the university and with their friends."

"They are decent people whose ethics or reasons for doing something cannot be questioned. The only reason they are doing this [endowing scholarships] is to create opportunities for students and to encourage others."

But Ron and Jane Rada don't want to talk about their contributions. So this story came from their friends, Tom Claflin, Gubbi Sudhakaran, Susan Kelly, Sandra Grunwald, Penny Tiedt, Mike Winfrey, Sandheinrich, Voyles, and Nelson. The group wants this story told so the Radas are recognized, and that others also help in creating opportunities for students.

Newly established scholarship will fund chemistry student's tuition
A chemistry student will receive free tuition thanks to an alumnus of the program. David Romenesko, a 1971 graduate, has established the Romenesko Family Scholarship Fund in Chemistry.

Beginning with the 2001-2002 academic year, the fund will award one year's tuition for a student, or one-half tuition for two students annually. Recipients must be a full-time UW-L chemistry major with at least sophomore standing; have at least a 3.25 grade point average cumulatively and in chemistry; and hold Wisconsin residency and U.S. citizenship. The scholarship can be renewed to qualified students.

Romenesko, who works at Dow Corning Corp. in Midland, Mich., has been a strong supporter of UW-L and its chemistry #program. He has coordinated numerous internships for our students at the company, and has assisted with Dow Corning Corp. gifts to the chemistry program. He served on the UW-L Foundation Board of Directors from 1993-2000 and has been a guest speaker in chemistry classes on campus. His daughter, Adrieanne, graduated from here in 1998.

Students interested in applying for the scholarship should contact the UW-L Foundation Office. The deadline is March 1. More information on UW-L scholarships can be found at: www.foundation.uwlax.edu.