WMU Magazine

University News

WMU Magazine Home = page=20
No Stone Left = Unturned=20 Cover Story=20
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University News

2005-06 was a great year to be a Bronco

Emblematic of the across-the-board achievements of Western Michigan=20 University athletic teams during 2005-06 was WMU=92s first Jacoby Trophy = in nearly=20 two decades, for having the Mid-American Conference=92s best overall = record in=20 women=92s sports. Eight of 10 WMU women=92s teams finished fourth or = higher in their=20 conference standings, and the Broncos grabbed first-place regular-season = finishes in three sports=97gymnastics, softball and tennis.

This was the first Jacoby Trophy for the Broncos since WMU took the = women=92s=20 all-sports award four years in a row, 1984 to 1987. Western=92s women = have=20 finished runner-up in the Jacoby standings three times, including = 2004-05.

The Bronco men finished fourth among the 12 conference members in the = standings for the men=92s all-sports award, the Reese Trophy. WMU was = one of only=20 two schools in the top four of both the men=92s and women=92s overall = totals.

Coaches lauded

Among the many highlights of the year, four Bronco head coaches were = named=20 MAC Coach of the Year in their respective sports: Bill Cubit, football; = Terry=20 Karwoski, gymnasics; Kathy Leitke, softball; and Dave Morin, men=92s = tennis. Over=20 the past three seasons, seven different WMU coaches have earned the = distinction,=20 and two=97Morin and Betsy Kuehle, women=92s tennis=97have been named MAC = Coach of the=20 Year twice during that span.

In addition to coach of the year, the gymnastics team produced the = MAC=20 Gynmast of the Year, senior Cherisse Marier, and won its first = conference=20 championship since 1987.

Both the men=92s and women=92s tennis teams advanced to their = respective NCAA=20 Tournaments. The women=92s team also garnered its second consecutive MAC = Championship and ninth overall under coach Kuhle.

In addition to the tennis teams, the Broncos had individual athletes = qualify=20 for NCAA postseason competition in gymnastics and track and field.

The hockey Broncos won their first playoff road series in 19 years, = sweeping=20 Lake Superior State at Saulte Ste. Marie in the Central Collegiate = Hockey=20 Association Tournament.

Both the men=92s and women=92s basketball teams advanced to the MAC = Tournament=20 quarterfinals. Senior Casey Rost became WMU=92s all-time leading scorer = in women=92s=20 hoops, surpassing 2,000 points for her career.

Under first-year coach Colleen Munson, the volleyball team had its = best=20 season, 20-9 overall, since its 2000 MAC Championship.

Football turnaround sets conference record

In football, the Broncos went from 0-8 one year earlier to 5-3 = against MAC=20 opponents, the biggest one-year turnaround in conference history. Senior = wide=20 receiver Greg Jennings was named the conference=92s Offensive Player of = the Year=20 and shared the Vern Smith Award, quarterback Tim Hiller earned MAC = Freshman of=20 the Year, and Bill Cubit took top coaching honors in his first season at = the=20 helm. It had been 12 years since one school took home all four = awards.

Jennings was later selected in the second round of the NFL draft by = the Green=20 Bay Packers, and tight end Tony Scheffler was drafted in the fifth round = by=20 Denver, so he is still a Bronco.

NSF funds effort to examine nanoscale materials to harness sun=92s = energy to=20 create new technologies

One of the National Science Foundation=92s most prestigious award = programs will=20 fund five years of research by a young WMU chemist who is doing = pioneering work=20 in the field of nanotechnology.

Dr. Sherine Obare, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded = $509,972 to conduct research on nanoscale materials and use that = research to=20 develop real-world experiments that will excite people of all ages about = science.

The award was made through the NSF=92s Faculty Early Career = Development=20 Program, known as the CAREER Program. CAREER grants recognize and = support the=20 early career work of teacher-scholars who are expected to become the = academic=20 leaders of the 21st century. They are considered among the NSF=92s most = important=20 and competitive awards.

Obare=92s project, =93Rationally Assembled Nanoparticles for = Multi-Electron=20 Transfer Processes,=94 seeks to create nanoscale materials that trap and = store the=20 sun=92s energy and use that energy to carry out chemical reactions for = specialized=20 purposes, including breaking down pollutants in groundwater and = generating=20 hydrogen for use as an alternative fuel. She is focusing on=20 nanomaterials=97materials organized atom by atom or molecule by = molecule=97because=20 they have unique properties that can be manipulated and exploited for = these=20 kinds of important applications.

The project is inspired by how nature is able to use intricate = pathways to=20 carry out important reactions, Obare says, noting as an example that = plants use=20 sunlight to carry out photosynthesis. But what makes her research novel = is that=20 she is using nanomaterials to store the energy as electrons, and then = initiate=20 chemical reactions even when sunlight is not present.

Obare=92s 10-person student research team has been working on the = project for=20 about six months. They will spend the first year of the CAREER grant = studying=20 the theory behind how different configurations of metal and = semiconductor=20 nanomaterials that they already have created affect chemical = reactions.

In the second and third years of the project, team members will use = what they=20 learn about that choreography of electron transfer to pinpoint what = governs the=20 chemical reactions that they initiate. In the project=92s final two = years, they=20 will look for practical applications for their materials, conducting = tests to=20 see which ones hold the most promise for being developed into new=20 technologies.

=93We expect that the new science coming out of this project = will=20 open up a new field for us to continue working on=97a field that will = make an=20 economic difference here in Michigan,=94 Obare says. =93Nanotechnology = integrates=20 several scientific disciplines: biology, physics, chemistry and = engineering.=20 So by training students through nanotechnology, we=92re building new = scientists=20 as well as new materials with new properties.=94

Obare is working with WMU=92s Mallinson Institute for Science = Education to use=20 the results of her research to explain basic nanoscale science concepts = to the=20 general public, especially elementary and middle school teachers. She = also plans=20 to develop outreach activities that will broaden understanding of = nanoscale=20 science and science in general among diverse groups and the general = public=20 through formal as well as informal education.

WMU honors Czech leaders with honorary degrees in Prague = ceremony

Two leading Czech figures were honored by WMU this summer for their=20 contributions to literature and politics.

In March trustees approved honorary degrees for Vaclav Havel and = Arnost=20 Lustig. The recognitions stem from the leaders=92 association with the = Prague=20 Summer Program, the premiere summer creative writing program in the = Czech=20 Republic, which WMU has administered since 2002.

The honorary degrees were presented July 3 in Prague.

Havel is one of the most revered cultural and political figures of = modern=20 times. He is the recipient of numerous national and international honors = and has=20 been on the short list several times for the Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel = Prize=20 for Literature.

Many consider Havel the father of his country. In 1989 he led the = so-called=20 =93Velvet Revolution,=94 the bloodless movement that led to the = republic=92s=20 independence. He then became the first president of the free = Czechoslovakia,=20 later serving as the first president of the Czech Republic.

Also a renowned playwright, Havel is the author of =93The = Memorandum,=94 =93A Hotel=20 in the Hills,=94 =93Protest,=94 =93Mistake,=94 =93Largo Desolato,=94 = =93Temptation=94 and=20 =93Redevelopment.=94 He also has written many essays, and his =93Letters = to Olga,=94=20 collected letters to his wife from prison, is considered a = masterpiece.

A professor at American University in Washington, D.C., Lustig has = served on=20 the faculty of WMU=92s Prague program since it began 13 years ago. He is = a founder=20 of the much-celebrated Czech New Wave cinema of the 1960s and the author = of=20 numerous stories and 14 books, five of which have been made into = films.

In the 1960s, Lustig also opposed the communist government=92s = anti-Israeli=20 policies and was proclaimed an =93enemy of the people.=94 He = subsequently lived in=20 Israel, and later immigrated to the United States. Since the Velvet = Revolution=20 of 1989, he has split his time between the Czech Republic and the United = States.

A survivor of Theresienstadt, Buchenwald and Auschwitz, Lustig writes = fiction=20 exclusively about the Holocaust. His work has been translated into more = than 20=20 languages. Those available in English include =93A Prayer for Katerina=20 Horowitzova,=94 =93Night and Hope,=94 =93Darkness Casts No Shadow,=94 = =93Diamonds of the=20 Night,=94 =93The Unloved=94 and =93Lovely Green Eyes.=94=20

An Emmy-winner, Lustig has received one of Central Europe=92s most = prestigious=20 literary awards, the Karel Capek Award; was short-listed for the Nobel = Prize for=20 Literature; and is a two-time recipient of the Jewish National Book = Award.

Symphonic band tours China in April

The University Symphonic Band went international with its concert = schedule=20 this year, making a 12-day tour of China after receiving an invitation = from=20 China=92s Ministry of Tourism.

The band, directed by Dr. Robert Spradling, represented the state of = Michigan=20 as it performed its =93American Celebration of Music.=94 It also shared = teaching and=20 rehearsal techniques with Chinese schools of music at each of the stops = along=20 the way.

The tour began April 27 and included four concerts and stops at = colleges and=20 music conservatories around Beijing and in Tianjin and Xi=92an. The band = took time=20 to sightsee as well, visiting the Great Wall of China and viewing the = Terra=20 Cotta warriors from a Ming Dynasty tomb.

Pisaneschi takes reins of academic enterprise

Dr. Janet I. Pisaneschi, the University=92s longest-serving college = dean, has=20 been named to a one-year term as provost and vice president for academic = affairs.

Pisaneschi served as dean of the College of Health and Human Services = from=20 1989 until May 30 of this year, when she was appointed by President = Judith I.=20 Bailey to become WMU=92s chief academic officer.

Pisaneschi, who had planned to retire from WMU in June, says she=92s = honored to=20 take on a final leadership role at the University, but part of her = agreement=20 with the president is that she will not become a candidate for the = position=20 during the search process.

=93I truly love this University and am pleased to have this=20 opportunity to serve through this period of transition,=94 Pisaneschi = says. She=20 replaced Dr. Linda Delene, who resigned in May.

The search for a new provost is already under way. Dr. Margaret = Merrion, dean=20 of the College of Fine Arts, is leading a 23-person search advisory = committee=20 composed of faculty, staff, administrators and students from across the = campus.=20 Dr. James B. Appleberry of Academic Search Consultation Service, one of = the=20 nation=92s leading academic search firms, is assisting the University in = the=20 search.

Donor set to bequeath $2 million to fine arts college

Thanks to an anonymous philanthropist, WMU=92s celebrated College of = Fine Arts=20 will get a $2 million boost.

The anonymous Michigan donor has committed the money in a planned = gift that=20 will be used across the full range of programs offered by the College of = Fine=20 Arts. At the donor=92s request, the $2 million will be used to support=20 scholarships, purchase technical equipment, recruit an outstanding = faculty=20 member and support the Great Works Project in the University=92s = Department of=20 Dance.

=93This is a strong University, and the College of Fine Arts = will=20 continue to be a =91College of Distinction,=92=94 the donor said in = making the gift=20 commitment. Referring to the fact that the gift is a bequest that will = mature=20 only after death, the donor quipped, =93I am pleased that my bequest = will help=20 continue this wonderful tradition=97but not for a few years = yet.=94

Dr. Margaret Merrion, dean of the College of Fine Arts, says the = donor asked=20 for her input in crafting a gift that met both the needs of the college = and the=20 donor=92s interest in the arts. The areas selected for funding were both = personal=20 to the donor and broad enough to allow the gift to span the breadth of = the=20 college=92s programs.

The gift will be used to:

Foster continued growth in the Department of Dance=92s Great Works = Project,=20 which was created in 1996 with the goal of bringing the works of = world-class=20 choreographers to WMU and the greater Kalamazoo community;=20
Purchase technical equipment for the Department of Theatre that = will allow=20 students to gain experience in their field=92s cutting-edge = technologies;=20
Support an endowed professorship in the visual or performing arts; = and=20
Fund a Medallion Scholarship for a student studying in the College = of Fine=20 Arts. Medallion Scholarships are among the highest honors WMU can = bestow on an=20 incoming freshman. Valued at $32,000 over four years, they constitute = one of=20 the largest merit-based awards in American public higher education. =

New center offers campus computer simulation resources to auto = industry

A new WMU center aims to provide breakthrough computer simulation = technology=20 and knowledge to the automotive industry, especially in the areas of = vehicle=20 design and analysis.

The Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation, or CaViDS, is the=20 automotive industry=92s =93window to WMU,=94 according to its director, = Dr. William=20 Liou, professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering. The center = is=20 designed to connect Southwest Michigan automotive reps with top = researchers in=20 the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

=93We=92ve seen an incredible outsourcing of labor-intensive = manufacturing jobs,=94 says Liou. =93To help prevent that from = happening in=20 knowledge-based jobs like engineering and design, we want to leverage = the=20 University=92s intellectual resources to help companies stay = competitive. We=92ve=20 worked with automotive companies for many years, but this is an effort = to move=20 forward more cohesively and coherently.=94

In June, executives from the region=92s automotive companies gathered = at the=20 Parkview Campus for the first CaViDS=20 workshop. An introduction to the center and WMU faculty, the event = featured=20 presentations on current research initiatives and cutting-edge = technology=20 available through the engineering college. More than 60 people attended, = representing companies of all sizes. They shared their immediate and = long-term=20 technology needs in such areas as engineering analysis, computer = modeling and=20 simulations.

Dana Corp. and Eaton Corp., two frequent University partners in = research and=20 other projects, displayed their wares during the event, in the form of = three=20 massive truck trailers that sported their latest technologies and=20 innovations.

Looking ahead after the workshop, Liou notes that plans are under way = to form=20 an industrial consortium within CaViDS.=20

=93This is a unique opportunity for automotive companies in = the area=20 to focus the University=92s applied research resources to match their = current=20 and future needs,=94 said Liou. =93That will make everyone involved = more=20 successful.=94

Graduate program review sets stage for progress in coming = decades

After nearly a year of reviewing graduate-level degree offerings, the = University announced program changes designed to set the direction for = the next=20 phase of WMU=92s development.

A comprehensive plan for program change was outlined in May. It = included=20 proposals to develop new programs, a recommendation to allocate new = financial=20 resources for others, proposals to merge several programs and = recommendations to=20 eliminate programs that do not match the University=92s strategic plan = and=20 resources.

A final appeals process on programs slated for closure under the plan = led to=20 a reduction in the number of programs recommended for elimination. Those = closure=20 recommendations were approved by the University=92s Board of Trustees = July 14.=20 Other parts of the plan are scheduled for discussion and review, = beginning this=20 fall, by colleges and departments and by the campus=92s curricular = review=20 mechanisms.

=93What has emerged from this process is a clear picture of = where=20 our strengths in graduate education are,=94 says WMU President Judith = I. Bailey.=20 =93We know where we have real potential for enrollment growth and in = which areas=20 we have untapped potential to develop programs that could lead to = national=20 recognition.=94

The effort, the first ever comprehensive review of graduate programs = at WMU,=20 involved review teams made up of faculty members from every part of the=20 University. Recommendations were developed by department chairs, deans = and the=20 University=92s academic leadership. A final blue-ribbon panel of some of = the=20 campus=92s most respected faculty and administrative leaders heard = appeals and=20 made recommendations in which Bailey says she has great confidence.

=93I can=92t say enough about the final part of this process = and the=20 level of integrity and thought that went into the recommendations put = forth by=20 the appeals committee,=94 says Bailey. =93This is an illustration of = the very best=20 qualities of university life.=94

In all, the WMU Board approved the closure of two doctoral = programs=97in=20 comparative religion and school psychology=97and a specialist program in = school=20 psychology, as well as master=92s degree programs in these eight = disciplines:=20 applied sociology, art, biostatistics, molecular biotechnology, = operations=20 research, teaching of earth science, teaching of geography and teaching = of=20 music. The results of proposals for new programs and recommendations for = mergers=20 and unification of programs across the campus will be determined through = campus=20 discussions in the coming months. Those moves will establish the = curricular=20 structure needed to set clear priorities in resource allocation.

Students in the programs slated for closure will have the opportunity = to=20 complete their degrees. The changes will not result in layoffs of = tenured or=20 tenure-track faculty, but faculty and staff assignments will be adjusted = to=20 reflect shifting priorities.

Physicist/historian chosen as new dean of Graduate College

After a national search, Dr. Lewis R. Pyenson, a research professor = and=20 historian at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, was selected to lead = WMU=92s=20 Graduate College, becoming dean of the college June 15.

A scholar with extensive international experience, Pyenson served as = dean of=20 Louisiana=92s Graduate School for six years, from 1995 to 2001, before = moving to=20 the Center for Louisiana Studies. Pyenson, whose academic focus is the = history=20 of science, was also an adjunct professor of physics, philosophy, modern = languages and cognitive science at UL-Lafayette.

His background includes faculty affiliations with such schools as the = universities of Toronto and Montreal and the Virtual University of = Quilmes in=20 Argentina. He also has served as a visiting fellow at Princeton and as = Suntory=20 lecturer at four Japanese universities. In addition, Pyenson served in = 2000 as a=20 Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in Argentina at the Ethnographical Museum = in=20 Buenos Aires, the Atomic Research Center in Bariloche and the Cordoba = Academy of=20 Sciences. In 2005, he lectured as the George Sarton Chair at the = University of=20 Ghent in Belgium, and he is the 2006 recipient of the Herbert C. Pollock = Award=20 of the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, N.Y.

A prolific writer, Pyenson is the author or co-author of six books = and scores=20 of book chapters and professional articles. His books include =93The = Young=20 Einstein: The Advent of Relativity,=94 =93The Art of Teaching = Physics,=94 co-edited=20 with Jean-Fran=E7ois Gauvin, and =93Servants of Nature: A History of = Scientific=20 Institutions, Enterprises, and Sensibilities,=94 which he wrote with = co-author=20 Susan Sheets-Pyenson.

Pyenson earned a bachelor=92s degree with honors in physics from = Swarthmore=20 College in 1969, a master=92s degree in physics from the University of = Wyoming in=20 1970 and a doctoral degree in the history of science from Johns Hopkins=20 University in 1974.

Gold Company plays celebrated NYC venues

Gold Company, WMU=92s=20 inter-nationally acclaimed vocal jazz ensemble, took to the road for a = spring=20 tour in April, giving performances at two of the world=92s premier = venues=97Carnegie=20 Hall and the Lincoln Center.

The group began April 23 with a 2 p.m. concert at venerable Carnegie = Hall,=20 than moved on to a sold-out performance that evening at Jazz at Lincoln = Center=20 with guest artist Janis Siegel of the Manhattan Transfer. Guests for the = performance also included Roger Treece, Bobby McFerrin=92s arranger and = producer,=20 plus Duane Davis and WMU Visiting Professor Fred Hersch.

=93The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center has to be one of = the=20 most beautiful performance sites in the world,=94 says Gold = Company=92s director,=20 Dr. Stephen Zegree, the Bobby McFerrin Professor of Jazz in the WMU = School of=20 Music.

The company, he says, performed in front of a 60-foot wall of glass=20 overlooking Central Park and the NYC skyline.

Residence halls group nabs state award

The University=92s Residence Hall Association was honored this spring = as the=20 best in the state.

In March, WMU was named School of the Year and its 2005-06 president = was=20 tapped as President of the Year by the Michigan Organization of = Residence Hall=20 Associations.

The awards were announced during the MORHA=92s annual conference, = held at=20 Michigan State University. Also during the conference, Chuck Ringer, a = WMU=20 junior from Lincoln Park, Mich., was elected as the state = organization=92s=20 director for the 2006-07 academic year.

This is the first time the University=92s student governance group = for=20 residence halls has received the top president award. It went to Chris = Praedel,=20 a sophomore from Kalamazoo. The last time WMU received the top school = award was=20 1991.

=93I=92ve been involved with RHA for three years and I=92m = proud that=20 now others can see the caliber of Western=92s student leaders,=94 says = Ringer.=20 =93Winning School of the Year is the culmination of not only this = year=92s=20 successes, but of the past years=92 growth and = efforts.=94

WMU linguist selected to lead world=92s translators

Translation specialists from 51 nations met in Finland last fall and = elected=20 Dr. Peter W. Krawutschke, professor of foreign languages at WMU, as the=20 president of the International Federation of Translators (FIT).

FIT is = an=20 international organization of associations of translators, interpreters = and=20 terminologists that includes more than 100 associations from all over = the world.=20 Its purpose is to promote professionalism in the disciplines it = represents.=20 FIT is = also=20 concerned with the conditions of professional practice in various = countries and=20 strives to defend translators=92 rights in particular and freedom of = expression in=20 general.

Krawutschke will head the organization for three years, until the = next world=20 congress is held in Shanghai. That event also will mark the completion = of FIT=92s work = with China to=20 prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games by helping that nation standardize = its=20 translation and public signage.

Krawutschke, who also currently serves as the treasurer of the = American=20 Translators Association, is a German language specialist, who has been a = WMU=20 faculty member since 1967.

Box office success no =91phantom=92 at Miller

WMU=92s Miller Auditorium was the cultural and economic focus of West = Michigan=20 this spring as the smash Broadway hit, =93Phantom of the Opera,=94 made = its West=20 Michigan debut, attracting more than 65,000 to campus for the = musical=92s=20 four-week run.

Theatregoers from 32 states, Canada and the District of Columbia = contributed=20 to the nearly $3.2 million gross for the play=92s run and signaled a = move to the=20 next level for Miller as a performing arts venue for top productions. = The=20 four-week run is the longest ever for a production playing at Miller and = its=20 success introduced thousands of new visitors to the auditorium, the = campus and=20 the community. About 37 percent of those attending =93Phantom=94 came = from outside=20 the Kalamazoo area.

Local restaurants, hotels and other businesses were singing the = praises of=20 the production as well, as =94Phantom=94 brought an influx of customers = through=20 their doors. The total economic impact on the community is being = analyzed.

WMU students attended the musical as well. More than 3,500 discounted = student=20 tickets were sold, and students and families took advantage of = graduation-day=20 performances with more than 4,500 tickets sold for that day alone. = Commencement,=20 which is normally held in Miller, was moved for April to University = Arena, a=20 popular commencement venue in previous times.

=91Get in the game=92 is theme set for October=92s Homecoming = 2006

The WMU community will come together to =93Get in the game=94 during = the=20 University=92s annual Homecoming celebration Oct. 13-15.

The Saturday, Oct. 14, gridiron contest against Northern Illinois = University,=20 set for 2 p.m. in Waldo Stadium, will be the centerpiece for weekend = activities=20 that will include:

Friday=92s traditional Western Games and Soap Box Derby;=20
A Friday dinner honoring the Distinguished Alumni Awards winners;=20
The annual Campus Classic 5K run and kids=92 1K fun run and walk = on=20 Saturday;=20
A Saturday pre-game PepFest on Kanley Track;=20
A Saturday night hockey contest against Michigan State University; = and=20
Weekend performances by the University Theatre of =93The Lion in = Winter.=94=20

The 2006 winners of WMU Alumni Association=92s Distinguished Alumni = Awards are=20 Robert J. Bobb, B.S. =9269, and Derrick Alfonso Evans, BFA =9200. They = will be=20 lauded during the annual dinner awards ceremony set for Friday, Oct. 13, = in the=20 East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center.

Bobb is the chief executive officer of Cardinal Growth LLP, a Chicago = investment firm. Evans is a dancer and choreographer who has taught = dance=20 throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.

Education, tax climate seen as keys to Michigan=92s success

Michigan needs to expand the scope of its debate from one heavily = focused on=20 business taxes to a more comprehensive look at improving the state=92s = reputation=20 in the areas most likely to turn Michigan into a new economy force.

That=92s one conclusion of New Economy Progress: The Next Wave, a = survey=20 released in March by WMU President Judith I. Bailey at meetings of state = business and opinion leaders.

The survey shows that favorable taxes and a well-educated work force = are the=20 two most important traits a state can have for new economy business = development.=20 But having an educated work force trumps taxes in states where the new = economy=20 is thriving. Michigan business people, the survey found, tend to focus = on tax=20 structure and give short shrift to the broad range of traits that lead = to=20 success in places like California and Massachusetts.

=93For many of the traits that attract new economy = businesses,=20 Michigan is seen as only average by those in competitor states,=94 = said Bailey.=20 =93The good news is that Michigan has resources that are viewed as = valuable by=20 those both inside and outside of Michigan. As a state, we now need to = shift=20 our focus and build on those resources.=94

The survey was completed for the WMU Research Foundation by EPIC-MRA, = a=20 Lansing-based public opinion, marketing and polling firm. It queried = nearly=20 1,200 executives at new economy businesses in five states. Besides = Michigan,=20 Midwest states included in the survey were Illinois and Ohio. California = and=20 Massachusetts were selected to represent states on the nation=92s = coasts, where=20 new economy businesses are thriving.

Key survey findings include the following:

Overall, new economy executives believe a state=92s success is = driven almost=20 equally by favorable tax policy and an educated work force.=20
A well-educated work force trumps taxes as a leading indicator = that a=20 state=92s business climate is conducive to new economy success.=20
Successful new economy states place more value on having an = educated work=20 force.=20
Although tax policy is seen as very important, strength in other = areas=20 allows new economy businesses to thrive in states where taxes are = high.=20
Although seen by most as having an =94average=94 tax climate, = Michigan does=20 not have enough strength in other areas to boost it as an attractive = place for=20 new economy businesses to locate and thrive.=20
Michigan ranks fourth out of five as a state viewed as having an = educated=20 work force and fifth in valuing one.=20
Michigan universities are viewed nationally as key resources, = second in=20 the five-state survey only to Massachusetts as a state viewed as = having=20 top-quality public universities.

WMU=92s 2006 report is an expansion of a 2005 WMU/EPIC-MRA survey = that focused=20 only on Michigan. Primary businesses represented in the survey included=20 engineering; information technology; life sciences and scientific = testing;=20 telecommunications and related equipment and services; medical, dental = and=20 optical equipment; health care; and new economy manufacturing.

Four-university partnership aims for more minorities in math, = science

Michigan=92s four flagship universities have united to attract and = retain=20 underrepresented minorities to science, technology, engineering and = math=97known=20 as STEM=20 programs.

The federal initiative is known as the Michigan-Louis Stokes Alliance = for=20 Minority Participation program. A five-year, $5 million program, it is = funded by=20 the National Science Foundation, with a 100-percent combined match from = the four=20 alliance partners: Western Michigan University, the University of = Michigan,=20 Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

During a kickoff event, WMU President Judith I. Bailey, Michigan = President=20 Mary Sue Coleman and other leaders from alliance partners and the NSF = launched=20 the partnership and viewed an exhibit of student projects showing the = work of=20 STEM students from all four partner schools.

The participating universities hope to increase the number of=20 under-represented minorities earning baccalaureate degrees in science,=20 technology, engineering and math by 50 percent in five years, and by 100 = percent=20 in 10 years. The alliance goals dovetail with Gov. Jennifer Granholm=92s = plan to=20 double the number of Michigan residents who earn college degrees over = the next=20 decade. Overall, Michigan trails much of the nation in the number of = adults with=20 college degrees.

And for underrepresented minorities, the numbers are even lower. To = reverse=20 the trend, the alliance universities will: establish a student = ambassadors=20 program; collaborate with other STEM groups such as the American = Chemical=20 Society; make it easier to earn dual degrees in STEM areas; develop = pre-first=20 year summer transition programs; involve more undergraduate students in = research=20 projects; and increase participation in MI-LSAMP internships and = residential=20 learning programs.

=93Science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees = are the=20 credentials that will ensure promising futures for our young people = and=20 prosperity for our state,=94 said Bailey. =93I=92m absolutely = delighted that=20 Michigan=92s four flagship universities will be working together to = break down=20 barriers.=94

At WMU, the project is led by Dr. Raja Aravamuthan, professor of = paper=20 engineering, chemical engineering and imaging. One of the major LSAMP=20 initiatives on the WMU campus is a summer pre-first-year program in = science=20 aimed at incoming freshmen from underrepresented minorities.

Outdoor campus sculpture tour graced by 11 new works, now totals 17=20 overall

This year, there was something new added to the WMU Sculpture = Tour=9711=20 somethings, to be exact.

Eleven new pieces have been added to the tour, which brings the work = of=20 nationally and internationally renowned artists to WMU as part of an = ongoing,=20 large-scale exterior sculpture exhibition on the University=92s West = Campus. The=20 sculptures are arranged along an easy-to-walk route that takes = spectators across=20 campus and past several older works. In all, there are 17 works on the = tour.

Some of the sculptures are site-specific installation pieces and will = stay at=20 a particular location until they degrade and must be removed. Others are = loaned=20 to the University before traveling to their next destination.

The pieces run the gamut from abstract to geometric to figurative in = form and=20 from shiny, man-made materials to organic, rock-like structures. The = tour, a=20 popular feature on the campus for over 10 years, has attracted the works = of more=20 than 90 artists from around the globe.

One of the latest pieces to be added is recycled from a previous=20 installation. After some six years withstanding Michigan=92s elements, = the blue,=20 pier-like sculpture titled =93Michigan Swell=94 has been recreated. The = work was=20 originally the creation of internationally acclaimed sculptor, painter = and=20 printmaker Robert Stackhouse of Kansas City, Mo. Fisher Stoltz, an art = professor=20 at Bradley University, created a new installation, =93Stack House,=94 = this year=20 using the salvaged materials from the Stackhouse piece.

Two of the new works are pictured on the back cover of this = issue.

President funds transformational projects

From nanotechnology to virtual reality, seven proposals meant to = transform=20 the University and society received funding earlier this year through = the $2=20 million President=92s Innovation Fund.

The results of a campuswide search for ideas that are =93truly=20 transformational=94 were unveiled by President Judith I. Bailey Feb. 15. = Funded=20 projects range from the establishment of a new center focused on career = and=20 human resource issues in Grand Rapids to an engineering effort aimed at = getting=20 middle school students ready to pursue technical careers. Those two = initiatives=20 and five others were selected from among the 80 proposals submitted from = literally every corner of the WMU campus.

=93I am delighted not only with the caliber of the proposals = submitted, but with the kind of energy the competition has sparked=20 campuswide,=94 says Bailey. =94We had 80 teams submit ideas for = consideration, and=20 their ideas showed great energy and creativity, as well as a = commitment to the=20 University=92s goals and mission. Many of the proposals focused on our = engagement with the communities we serve. Others used technology in = ways that=20 will serve our students and our state and nation.=94

The awards included:

$289,448 to Kevin Abbott, a multimedia specialist = in the=20 Office of Information Technology, for an effort aimed at using digital = media=20 in the performing arts;=20
$245,000 to Dr. Ikhlas Abdel-Qader, associate = professor=20 of electrical and computer engineering, to establish the WMU-Kalamazoo = Promise=20 Partnership: Promoting Engineering Careers to Female, Minority and=20 Disadvantaged Middle School Students;=20
$383,000 to Dr. Subra Muralidharan, professor of=20 chemistry, to establish a Center for Nano-enabled Instrumentation and=20 Nanofabrication;=20
$402,232 to the late Dr. Marc W. Perkovic, = associate=20 professor of chemistry, for a project dubbed Bronco Biodiesel, which = will=20 focus on recycling waste oil to produce an alternative fuel source;=20
$212,304 to Dr. James Schultz, director of = WMU-Grand=20 Rapids, to develop a Center for Career Services and Human Resources=20 Development at WMU=92s Grand Rapids campus;=20
$116,898 to Dr. Allen Webb, professor of English, = to=20 integrate virtual reality environments into teaching and learning on = campus;=20 and=20
$26,512 to Kathleen Wong, assistant professor of=20 communication, to develop an online curriculum module on diversity and = engineering.

Bailey established the President=92s Innovation Fund last fall, with = the idea=20 of providing cash awards to turn good ideas into reality. The one-time = awards,=20 which are funded by unrestricted gifts and could range from $100,000 to = $1=20 million, are to be used for work done over the next two years.

The president made the final selections after receiving the advice = and=20 recommendations of a nine-member review panel. Five criteria were used = by the=20 review panel to develop their recommendations. The innovative idea had = to=20 advance the mission of WMU, have a significant impact on student = education or=20 University outcomes, produce measurable results, be feasible to = implement and be=20 led by individuals with expertise and experience.

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