I guess the weather recently constitutes March "coming in like a lion"... Let's hope spring is not too far away.
I'm very pleased to welcome a new member to the SOP family. Diane Stojanovich joined us in mid-February as our first Director of Communications. We plan to capitalize on her expertise to broaden and deepen our internal and external communications in every way possible...publications, website, media relations, government relations...to better inform, connect with, and serve our multiple constituencies and highlight the incredible activities of the School in entirely new ways. She's already begun to visit and get to know people around the School. Don't hesitate to bring your communications questions and needs to her attention! You can find her in room 1126E.
There are several changes in the Student Services Office to inform everyone about. As mentioned in the Dec. 2006 "First", current staff member Amy Zwaska was selected for a different position in Student Services, managing and serving the pre-pharmacy students interested in our programs. Pam French, who has been working with the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) and organizing many alumni events on a half-time basis (along with coordinating numerous student events like orientation, graduation, etc.), will be expanding that role to full-time as our first Director of Alumni Affairs. She will report directly to me and the PAA Board. I'd like to welcome another new member to the SOP. Becky Klaus has recently joined the Student Services Office as a member of our team of academic advisors. She will also take over several roles that Amy and Pam had been responsible for. Her office is located in room 1202...feel free to drop by and say hello. I've asked Amber Ault, our Director of Diversity, to take on an expanded role with faculty and staff issues, in addition to her important activities with our students. That position will now report directly to me as well. The leadership and supervisory responsibilities and reporting lines within the unit are being rethought and restructured. Thanks to Jeanine Mount (SAS, Academic Affairs) for stepping in to help smooth the transition period. Very importantly, we wish Kathy Skibinski all the best as she pursues new opportunities outside the School. Our deepest thanks and appreciation for her years of dedicated service to the School in so many areas.
No firm new developments from the numerous faculty searches in progress, but lots of action! As mentioned last month, one position in PPD has successfully been filled. Dr. Casey Gallimore (alum of our program) will be joining PPD this summer as Clinical Assistant Professor. An offer is pending for the drug discovery position in PharmSci, and a letter of offer for another position in PPD is in the final stages of construction. I'll keep you informed on the progress of all the searches as things unfold. Thanks very much once again to everyone involved. The "personal touch" being applied is very meaningful and appreciated by the candidates and makes all the difference in the world about the position people choose to accept.
And in case we are feeling "under-searched"... LaVon Flynn, Assistant Dean for Research Administration, has indicated her intention to retire this summer. In addition, a new support staff person in the area of grants and data management is being added to the PharmSci Division, so the position descriptions are being shaped with searches soon to follow. Best wishes and many thanks to LaVon!
Thanks to our Committee on Academic Staff Issues (CASI; Bob Moore, chair) who launched a new website dedicated to CASI functions and activities. There's also a wide array of information and links of potential interest to our many academic staff members in research, instructional, or administrative positions. The website can be accessed through the Faculty & Staff link or directly at http://www.pharmacy.wisc.edu/casi. Thanks also to Pam French for organizing a wonderful Discovery Day for college students interested in our programs and to all the Student Services staff, faculty, current students, and alumni who made it a very welcoming and informative experience.
The West Campus Utilities Project (ripping up Highland Ave. to run new utilities to UWHC, the Children's Hospital, and the Interdisciplinary Research Complex (IRC)) is on schedule to begin after graduation 2007 and run for about 2 years. To remind you, lots 85 and 85A will be used as a staging area for the project and will not be available for parking. We've been told that everyone who parks there will be reassigned, probably to lots 60 and 76. The other main impact to the School is likely to be increased pedestrian traffic through the building. Changes to the north entry and to the Commons are part of the project to better manage and direct this traffic. These changes are planned for early summer.
Other remodeling projects throughout the building include: 2115...conversion of the former vending area to storage, scheduled for the summer; 2341...conversion of a small classroom to a dry lab for the Pharm/Tox students and other uses, scheduled for the summer; 4211...converting a specialized PharmSci lab to a more general lay out, in progress; 5211...similar to 4211, complete; 7211...conversion for use as the new, WARF-funded Medicinal Chemistry Core Facility (MCCF), hood installation scheduled for the week of April 2. While I'm on the subject, I've neglected to mention that Dr. Marissa Rosen begun her work as the technical staff of the MCCF a few months ago. While not an SOP employee, please join me in welcoming her to the School as the home of the MCCF. You'll find her here and there around the 7th floor, awaiting completion of 7211; her office is in room 7118. Thanks to Jon Thorson (PharmSci) for temporarily housing Marissa's synthetic activities and to Richard Hsung (PharmSci) for providing local guidance and oversight to the MCCF. Also, thanks to everyone who participated in the forums on the Commons remodeling ideas...lots to think about there!
A couple faculty highlights to mention... Glen Kwon (PharmSci) had his work in nanoscale drug delivery innovations highlighted in a UW press release. See http://www.news.wisc.edu/13471.html for additional details. Sandro Mecozzi (PharmSci) is a member of an interdisciplinary team that received one of only 8 seed grants from the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery (WID) to develop new regulators of ligand-gated ion channels using atomic force microscopy. And a couple special student highlights too... Joe Su, PharmSci grad student in Ron Burnette's lab, received a Josiah Kirby Lilly Memorial Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE). In addition, Joe recently received a UW campus-wide TA Award. Fourth-year PharmD student, Marie Ganske, was named the first recipient of the Student Good Government Affairs Award from the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). Great work!
The many discussions about WI/Milwaukee pharmacy workforce needs continue. Dave Mott (SAS) and I met with the WI Rural Health Cooperative, concerned, as the name implies, about the shortage of health care practitioners in rural areas of the state. Additional discussions were held with Randy Lambrecht, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at UW-Milwaukee and Rocky Ladien and colleagues from Walgreen's. The background work done by the Distance Delivery Task Force, chaired by Al Hanson (ESP), is being discussed by our Academic Planning Council (APC) to identify opportunities, barriers, good points, bad points, and next steps should we decide to move forward with the idea of taking our curriculum to students outside of Madison. Additional discussions with UW-Milwaukee about working together on pharmacy workforce needs are scheduled.
The Board of Directors of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) met recently. Thanks to Connie Kraus (PPD) for beautifully representing the SOP in her role as a board member.
I visited with alum Lenor Zeeh soon after the announcement of his $1M gift to the School and delivered a double batch of chocolate chip cookies...hardly adequate! Linda Halsey (Director of Development) and I had lunch with him as well and welcomed him to the Chancellor's "Van Hise Circle", recognizing and thanking him for his incredible generosity and support. The gift was highlighted in the Badger Herald, the WI State Journal, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He's also doing an interview today with the Cap Times, so additional good press about Mr. Zeeh, the Pharmaceutical Experiment Station, and the School will result.
The save the date list includes:
- The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 12:00 in room 1128. Among other business, the Committee will be considering a promotion and tenure dossier and, as such, 16 tenured faculty (associate or full) must be present to constitute a quorum.
- For those attending the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) meeting in Atlanta: I'll be hosting a dinner for all UW PharmD students, graduate students, faculty, and staff on Saturday, Mar. 17 at Tringali's Restaurant, 94 Pryor St., starting at 7:30pm (about 0.5 miles from the Hyatt Regency). Please spread the word! In addition, our UW reception for alumni and friends (and, of course, all of you attending) will be held on Sunday, Mar. 18 from 7:00-9:00pm in the Hong Kong Room at the Hyatt Regency, 265 Peachtree St., NW.
- The second SOP Discovery Day, this one for high school students, will be held on Saturday, Mar. 24.
- The second annual Staff Recognition Event has been scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 17, from 3:00-5:00pm in the Commons.
Until next month... Thanks! Jeanette