Foundation News

PLATTEVILLE - The Pioneer Gardens and Greenhouse at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville were created to provide a hands-on environment for UWP students and faculty to interact, teach and learn. Thanks to the generosity of Mansel (class of 1948) and Dottie Johns, longtime supporters and friends of UWP, the Pioneer Gardens will continue to grow.

On Friday, July 24, a dedication ceremony was held to honor Dottie and her support of the newly named Dottie Johns Pioneer Gardens. Dennis Cooley, assistant chancellor for University Advancement and executive director of the UWP Foundation, welcomed everyone and expressed the importance of the Pioneer Gardens. "Pioneer Gardens is literally a place where our campus comes to life. UWP has made it a tradition to have beautiful grounds, accented by the landscaping work of our maintenance and grounds staff."

Mike Compton, director of the UWP School of Agriculture and a professor of ornamental horticulture and plant biotechnology, explained the long-term goals of the Pioneer Gardens. According to Compton, the mission of the Pioneer Gardens and Greenhouse is education. He said under the support of Mansel and Dottie Johns and other gifts from loyal alumni and friends, the gardens will be able to impact not only the university but the surrounding community of Platteville, as well.

"Eventually, we would like the university and community to participate in self-guided tours of the gardens," said Compton. Compton added that another goal is to have the gardens act as an outdoor laboratory for landscape management students to communicate with community members about what plants grow best in the area.

Chancellor Emeritus David Markee expressed thanks to Dottie Johns for her support. "The Johnses are very good friends and important people to us and their support will impact our students and programs. In the next five to 10 years, this site will be impactful as it relates to activities and events on campus," Markee added.

Cooley gave a short tribute to Dottie. "We are honored by the generosity of Mansel and Dottie Johns, which led to today's ceremony when we dedicate this wonderful patch of earth as the Dottie Johns Pioneer Garden."

The ceremony was concluded with a few words from Dottie, overwhelmed by the beauty of the gardens and thankful for the honor. "It couldn't be any more beautiful," said Dottie.

For more information, contact Cooley at (608) 342-1309 or cooleyde@uwplatt.edu.

Labels: foundation, phonathon, scholarship

PLATTEVILLE - Members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville chapter of Engineers Without Borders will return to the same region in Ghana this summer to spend two weeks building a bridge that will allow children to reach a school and a community to access a rail station.

A group of nine students, one faculty member and one staff member traveled to Ghana in 2008 and completed a drainage project in Nsumia, Ghana, and a driveway at a school in Papase, Ghana, eliminating major erosion problems. The students also brought 500 pounds of math, science and English books that they donated to the school.

This year's trip will occur in August just before the fall semester starts, said Nick Confer, a senior majoring in engineering physics who is treasurer of the UWP Engineers Without Borders chapter. Confer is from Tomahawk.

The exact number of students and advisors who will travel to Africa this summer hasn't been determined. Confer said the group is looking into ways to expand the group beyond engineers to include students with other backgrounds who can contribute to the community development project. For instance, he said it would make sense to include education and agriculture majors.

"You don't need to be an engineer to be part of what we're doing," he said. "We're looking for people from other majors to get involved."

Even though the trip is months away, chapter members are involved with a number of projects that must be completed first.

For instance, there are numerous documentation requirements and a need to produce detailed plans of both the design and specifications of the bridge they plan to build - "just like any regular engineering project," Confer said.

Club members also are raising money. For instance, they are currently holding drawings for their 2009 calendar raffle fundraiser. They also are looking for other sources of funds to both pay for the materials needed to build the bridge along with travel expenses, which could pass $2,000 a person. Last year, the UWP Foundation helped find an anonymous donor who made a significant contribution toward travel expenses. Members of the group still will pay at least a portion of the trip's cost out of their own pockets, Confer said.

The planned footbridge will be built in Gidi, Ghana, the same general area about 20 miles north of the capital of Accra where last year's projects occurred. The bridge will be built over a river that becomes impassable during the rainy season so children from one community will be able to attend school across the river consistently.

The students won't be doing all of the work on the project. Last year, residents from throughout the area provided an overwhelming amount of labor to ensure that the job got done, he said.

For more information on UWP's Engineers Without Borders and the planned trip to Ghana, go to http://uwplatt.edu/org/ewbuwp/ or contact Confer at confern@uwplatt.edu.

Labels: foundation, phonathon, scholarship

PLATTEVILLE- By 2011, the insurance industry will add over 11,000 new jobs according to the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges. In response to these job opportunities, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is offering a new course, Special Issues in Business (Insurance Principles and Practice).

"The workforce (in insurance) is graying, particularly in this state. Forty percent of people in management positions will retire in the coming decade. We want to develop a pipeline of talented students and build an interest among college students and get them involved in insurance," said John Hammermeister, assistant professor of business and accounting and instructor of the course.

The course will cover the role of insurance in society, the benefits and problems of insurance, and consumer considerations. In addition, a series of guest speakers will discuss employment opportunities and present different perspectives on insurance issues.

Hammermeister stressed that insurance careers aren't only for business majors. The class is open to all majors because the insurance industry looks for people with varying talents.

David Fritz of TRICOR Inc. Insurance and Financial Services in Platteville helped Hammermeister start the course. Fritz is also on the UWP Business Advisory Board and the UWP Foundation Board. He has hired many UWP students as interns and has UWP graduates on his staff.

"The insurance industry is significantly broader in terms of employment opportunities than what most students understand. Careers in insurance range from insurance sales, underwriting, marketing, claims adjustments, occupational safety, finance and accounting, human resource management, construction and the list could continue ... The class will be a good thing for students to point to when interviewing with a prospective employer ... Wisconsin and our nation are blessed with several large insurance companies looking for talented individuals," stated Fritz.

Students may also be able to work toward a certification by taking the new course. The UWP Department of Business and Accounting is working with the UWP Department of Industrial Studies occupational safety program to create a certification program. The program would include a series of existing classes along with the new course.

"If students take a few classes in occupational safety, along with other insurance industry specializations, they will be a more marketable candidate when applying for internships or permanent positions," said Fritz.

Anyone wanting more information about the Special Issues in Business (Insurance Principles and Practice) course may contact Hammermeister at (608) 342-1463 or http://www.blogger.com/hammermeistj@uwplatt.edu.

Labels: foundation, phonathon, scholarship

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is raising money to renovate the school's football complex after it names the field for Coach Lester "Butch" Leitl.

Leitl coached three sports over 41 years - from 1927 to 1968 - and retired from UWP in 1969. Leitl is known not only for his efforts as a coach but also as a mentor to student-athletes.

The dedication will occur prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff at the Pioneers' last football game of the season against UW-Whitewater on Nov. 15.

Thereafter, the field will be called Butch Leitl Field at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium. UWP letter winners and others interested may attend the ceremony.

As part of the tribute, UWP plans to expand the stadium facilities to include a new locker room and multi-purpose area to better serve a growing number of athletes. The new facility will be used by the varsity football and soccer teams, club sports teams and during high school events.

Several of Leitl's former student-athletes say the honor is well-deserved.

"He was a special guy - one of the people in your life you never forget," said former football player Mike Routhieaux, '65. "I remember how much he respected his players and their decisions, even if he didn't agree with them."

Gil Lindloff, '48, a former football and baseball player, said he fondly remembers Leitl's great one-liners: "'Sleep nights' was a phrase I heard quite a bit."

Lindloff added that Leitl always showed great concern for his players. "He made sure we had a place to stay and looked after the ones that were away from home," he said. "He was helpful when we were looking for jobs during college and after we graduated. Many of his players' first jobs were because of his referrals."

Leitl lettered in football at UW-Oshkosh and then at UW-Madison where he held the school record for the long-distance place kick for many years. He is an inductee into the UWP Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. A decorated veteran of World War I, Leitl also is remembered for his emotional support of players leaving for World War II.

"Butch was a pretty tough cookie," said long-time friend and former UWP Assistant Chancellor Lloyd Linden. "He was full of fire and brimstone on the field but he was a really good fella to be around. He made sure his players were taken care of and felt like part of a family."

Leitl died in 1980. He is survived by a son, Jim, and a granddaughter. He also had one daughter, Mary, who is deceased.

The goal of the UWP Foundation is to raise $1 million for the naming and renovation project. Pledges and donations have been brisk. To date, more than $260,000 has been committed.

The project's funding will come from private gifts so construction cannot begin until a significant portion of the cost has been raised. Fundraising will continue through this year and most of 2009. Plans call for work to begin in summer 2010. Construction could occur sooner if funds are available earlier.

For more information on the naming, locker room project or dedication on Nov. 15, contact Holly Kaiser at the UW-Platteville Foundation at (608) 342-1879 or e-mail kaiserh@uwplatt.edu.

Labels: foundation, fund, phonathon, scholarship

PLATTEVILLE - For the past 23 years, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Phonathon has been building relationships with alumni and friends of the university, while raising money for almost 1000 different funds.

"The Phonathon not only provides updated information from our alumni and friends of UWP by contacting them, but benefits the UWP students with scholarships for new freshmen and continuing students," Gina Udelhofen, the current director of Annual Giving and Donor Relations, said. "The donations also help with the upgrades needed for the campus."

The first UWP Phonathon was held on April 20, 1985, and was organized and conducted by Dwight Klaassen. Klaassen was hired as the director of University advancement, director of development and executive director of the UWP Foundation in May 1984. The first calling took place in the Platte Room in the then Ullsvik Center.

Before the Phonathon, alumni had been able to make donations to UWP through the annual alumni drive mailing. The Phonathon was created to replace this mailing, Klaassen said. During the fall of 1984 meetings were held to help develop the Phonathon, so calling could begin in spring 1985.

It was good for the Phonathon to start when it did, Klaassen said. "It put us in touch with those who care most about us, our alumni, and raised awareness among them that supporting us financially was a good thing and also necessary."

In the beginning, there were a few major obstacles to overcome; a place to hold the Phonathon, having enough phone lines put in, learning, purchasing and maintaining computer programs for the database and finding callers, Klaassen said. Other tasks required for the start of the Phonathon included learning how to conduct the Phonathon, writing the scripts for the "ask," having the appropriate forms prepared, and obtaining phone numbers of alumni.

"The local telephone company was able to get the lines in, the computer center worked hard at getting us up to speed and departmental meetings were held to educate and encourage faculty to come and make calls," Klaassen said.

"Most of the first phone calls were made by faculty and staff and they were asked to first call some alumni from their departments that they personally knew," Klaassen said. "They were encouraged to visit with them as long as they wanted and they often talked for up to one half hour or more."

Some of the departments were more successful in their calls than others, Klaassen said.

"The Phonathon was an immediate success in both connecting with alumni and raising funds," Klaassen said.

The first calling in 1985 was done on Saturdays and then in fall 1985, the calling was done in the evenings on different days, Klaassen said. Callers were not paid until 1990, but before then, callers were served pizza as compensation.

The Phonathon has been managed by some influential individuals, including Klaassen, Barb Daus, Jacqueline Braun Y Harycki, Ivy Pape, Laura Buchs, Jayne Adams, Laurie Hamer, Christine Chapin -Tilton, Kelly Sullivan Soley and, currently Gina Udelhofen.

When Pape took over the Phonathon in 1990, it became more difficult to find volunteers for calling, so callers were hired after this point, Klaassen said.

When looking for the ideal candidate to call our alumni and university friends, Udelhofen looks for individuals who will promote UWP in a positive way and enjoy talking with the alumni and friends of UWP.

Callers this year have worked on contacting close to 31,000 alumni and friends, Udelhofen said.

The first year of Phonathon brought in about $35,000, in 1995 it brought in about $243,000 and in 2005, it brought in about $392,000, Udelhofen said.

"The Phonathon really gives back to the campus and its students here. The contributions that the Phonathon brings in do not go to just one area, the funds benefit every aspect of our campus," Ali Winiecki, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice and a third semester Phonathon caller, said. "The foundation has really grown tremendously since I started working here and it's been an honor to be able to represent the student population when making my calls."

Anyone wanting more information about the Phonathon may contact Udelhofen at udelhofg@uwplatt.edu or 608-342-1968.

Labels: foundation, fund, phonathon, uwp