Weekly Sex Column: Tips for ‘bonding’ with your significant other THE DIRTY BIRD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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AUTHOR TALKS ‘UP IN THE AIR,’ CLOONEY Walter Kirn talks about the book behind Jason Reitman’s new Oscar-hyped film ARTS
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UW System to form task force on faculty pay By Cathy Martin The Daily Cardinal
UW system President Kevin Reilly presented his new initiative to improve faculty compensation at a Board of Regents meeting Thursday. Reilly said UW System staff salaries and benefits lag behind those of their peers more now than before the recession hit. Consequently, Reilly is forming a commission to take a closer look at compensation issues. The Competitive Workforce Commission will identify problem areas and recommend actions to help close the gap. Some regents questioned the need for the commission, saying sufficient information is already available to address these issues. In response, Reilly said that it will perform a more detailed analysis of existing data than previously done before. UW System spokesperson David Giroux said the committee will examine factors like faculty ranking, campus type and academic field individually examine. Reilly predicts it will highlight areas in which UW surpasses its peers while pinpointing areas in need of improvement. According to Reilly, the Board will use the commission’s conclusions to make a more convincing
case to the state Legislature for more financing. Although only 25 percent of the UW System’s operating budget comes from the state, Reilly stressed the importance of continuing to pressure the government for increased funding in anticipation of a tough budget cycle. Giroux said the UW System needs not only a larger money pool to pay faculty, but more administrative flexibility to use existing resources more efficiently. The commission will be composed of labor market experts from the private sector who have experience addressing their own workforce needs. Giroux said he thinks the presence of outsiders on the committee will show UW’s commitment to an objective analysis and positively influence the Legislature’s response to the conclusions. “This is not the university speaking for its own sake,” Giroux said. “This will be the voice of some impressive business leaders from around the state who hopefully have some credibility in this area.” The Board also discussed its long-term goals of increasing graduation and diversity rates at the universities. The meeting will continue Friday in Van Hise Hall and is open to the public.
pated because of the current economic situation. “2009 was a difficult year for colleges and universities and, indeed, also for the individuals and institutions that care about them,” Ann Kaplan, director of the survey said in a statement.
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Weekend, February 5-7, 2010
Professional Pur‘suits’
Nelson Cho/the daily cardinal
Students met with prospective employers Thursday during the Career Fair hosted in the Kohl Center.
Hammes Co. addresses community concerns regarding Edgewater Hotel By Ryan Kirsch The Daily Cardinal
Community members joined several Madison alders and Hammes Co. President Bob Dunn at the MATC Downtown Education Center Thursday night to discuss the proposed redevelopment of the Edgewater Hotel before
ecent survey reveals UW-Madison ranks in the top ten nationally in terms of fundraising dollars earned UW-Madison is ranked among the top 10 universities nationally in terms of fundraising dollars earned, according to a recent survey. The report, conducted by the Council for Aid to Education, revealed that UW-Madison raised a total of $341.81 million, with Stanford, Harvard and Cornell University occupying the top three spots. Although the amount of donations UW-Madison generated in 2009 decreased by 16.7 percent from 2008, UW-Madison still ranked number ten nationally in terms of the total amount raised. The report also revealed that UW-Madison ranked second among public universities behind the University of California, Los Angeles who raised just over $350 million. The report said, the overall amount generated among the top 20 universities decreased by 11.8 percent, which is a record low for the survey. The survey said, however, that this decrease was antici-
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According to the report, alumni donations made up 43.5 percent of the contributions, which was reported as slightly lower than average. For more information on the report, visit www.cae.org. —Kelsey Gunderson
The nation’s top 10 fundraising universities in 2009
1. Stanford University ($640.11 million) 2. Harvard University ($601.64 million) 3. Cornell University ($446.75 million) 4. University of Pennsylvania ($439.77 million) 5. Johns Hopkins University ($433.39 million) 6. Columbia University ($413.36 million) 7. University of Southern California ($368.98 million) 8. Yale University ($358.15 million) 9. University of California, Los Angeles ($351.69 million) 10. University of Wisconsin-Madison ($341.81 million)
the Common Council votes on the proposal Feb. 23. “There is a way to develop the Edgewater in a manner appropriate to its surroundings,” Adam Plotkin, president of Capitol Neighborhoods Inc., said. “We just haven’t seen it yet.” Hammes Co., the proposed
project’s developer, then unveiled a redrawn exterior of the building and elaborated on the contested tower height in the historic Mansion Hills neighborhood. Dunn said the East tower addition has been cut to eight floors. He edgewater page 3
Committee reviewing role of Athletic Board to release report By Robert Taylor The Daily Cardinal
A final report is expected soon from the committee reviewing the role of the UW-Madison Athletic Board. The committee is examining faculty oversight of the athletic department, especially in the evaluation and hiring of coaches. In fall 2007, the UW-Madison Athletic Board conducted a review of its function, how it conducts its work and the role of board members. According to a document adopted by the UW-Madison Faculty Senate in May of 2009, this review was due, in part, to the NCAA athletics certification process, which requires a self-study. Bill Tracy, chair of the University Committee of the Faculty Senate, said the results presented to the senate troubled some members. “The self-study was presented to the Senate, and some senators felt that the description of how the board functions did not conform to Senate policies or procedures,” he said. “The Senate directed the University Committee to form an ad hoc com-
mittee composed of faculty to review the way the board functions relative to its charge.” Over the past few decades, the Athletic Department budget has grown from about $10 million per year to $90 million, and the size of the operation has grown accordingly, according to the faculty senate resolution, which authorized the ad hoc committee. “The bottom line—the academic achievement of student athletes, the competitiveness of our teams, our compliance with conference and NCAA rules, and our financial strength must be consistent,” the resolution said. According to Tracy, an area of concern to some senate members has been in the evaluation and hiring of coaches, where the authority of Athletic Director Barry Alvarez and the faculty Athletic Board seemingly overlap. “I think the area was mainly the selfstudy’s description of the evaluation and hiring of coaches,” Tracy said. While he declined to comment on any expected finding, Tracy said the committee is likely to publish its report some time in February.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”