Remembering Adam Nickel
1981 – 2008
Third-year PharmD student, Adam Nickel, tragically passed away on March 2, 2008. As the dust settles with the family, we’ll be working with them to determine how to permanently honor Adam’s memory. Thanks again for the outpouring of concern and support for each other, for our students, and for the Nickel family.
Like last month, we benefit from the "circle of life" idea...I'm pleased to let you know that Henry Young (SAS) and his wife Anitra are the proud parents of their second daughter, Kendyl Isabel, born on March 26.
As of this writing, the situation with DPH-3 student, Tope Awe, regarding her immigration status remains unresolved. Thanks to everyone who is helping in one way or another to secure her release and return her to her life as a student at UW-Madison.
Items on the “save the date” list include:
- A Faculty Meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 from 3:00-4:30 in room 2006. The major agenda item is to discuss and decide about recommendations from the Curriculum Committee concerning modifications to the Pharm/Tox program. The other major agenda item is to begin to discuss ideas from the Curriculum Committee about revisions to the PharmD curriculum. This will be the first of several forums for faculty discussion and input back to the Committee. Due to curricular revisions being the responsibility of the faculty, I'd like to limit this meeting to faculty with the exception of instructional staff who teach in the programs or staff members serving on the Curriculum Committee who are a very knowledgeable resource for questions from the faculty. Please note: 28 faculty (all tracks, all ranks) are required to constitute a quorum to hold a formal vote.
- The next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8 at 12:00 in room 1128. 11 members and 9 advisory members must be present to constitute a quorum for general business.
- The next major event celebrating our 125th anniversary will be the Student Spring Bash in mid-April. Various events will be held, including a Research Ethics Forum on April 14, organized by the AAPS Student Chapter; the Kremers Lecture, featuring alum and current AACP President, Cindy Raehl, on April 15; and an afternoon and evening of fun, food, and friendship (including a Pharmacy Amazing Race, more Chocolate ApotheCherry ice cream, and a performance by the Mad Hatters) also on April 15 being planned by the BS, PharmD, and grad students together. Stay tuned for additional information.
- Our 3rd Annual Staff Recognition Event will be held on Wednesday, April 30 from 3:00-5:00 in the Commons.
As mentioned last month, I plan to sit down with all members of the SOP faculty and staff for 20 minutes or so and listen to your views about whatever aspects, features, areas you feel I need to hear about. I’ve begun that process, and it will take some time to conduct a full “tour”. Thanks in advance for taking the time to provide feedback to me in this way.
As we continue to progress through an emotionally charged and hard fought political season leading up to the November 2008 elections, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that personal political leanings rarely, if ever, have a place in the classroom or laboratory or any other interactions with our students. Please tuck those thoughts and comments away for expression in other venues.
Two new members of the SAS faculty arrived in March...Michelle Chui and Joshua Thorpe. They can be found in 2513 and 2517, respectively. Faculty searches in PharmSci (both Drug Delivery and Drug Discovery) are moving ahead into the offer stage, and one in Extension Services is well in progress. I'm also extremely pleased...I can't tell you how pleased... let you know that Laurie Leininger has accepted the position as my Executive Assistant starting in early April. Please stop by and welcome our new faculty and staff.
One of my favorite things to do is to honor and celebrate exceptional teaching among our faculty and instructional academic staff. Every year, each of the first three PharmD classes selects one instructor to single out for his or her exceptional skill and talent in the classroom. In addition, the Student Senate separately recognizes one person for overarching achievement in teaching. The recipient of the Student Senate Teaching Excellence Award also represents the School nationally at the summer meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and receives an all-expense paid trip to that conference in recognition of the award. Recipients of the awards in a given year are out of the running for the following 2 years. The four recipients each receive a $1,000 prize to go along with the recognition. The monetary awards are only possible because of the generosity and commitment to excellence in teaching by Dean and Professor Emeritus Mel Weinswig and his wife Pat and Dean and Professor Emeritus Gus Lemberger and his wife Char. Thanks so much for this generous support of such important and meaningful awards. This year's teaching award recipients are: Chuck Lauhon (PharmSci, DPH-1); Karen Kopacek (PPD, DPH-2); Steve Oakes (PharmSci, DPH-3), and Karen Kopacek (PPD, Student Senate). The awards were given at the Rho Chi Initiation Ceremony on Friday, March 28, along with the wonderful celebration of student academic excellence. In addition to the teaching awards from the PharmD students, the Pharm/Tox students also choose one faculty member to honor for teaching excellence. This year's Pharm/Tox Teacher of the Year is Warren Heideman (PharmSci). This award and a $500 prize will be given at the annual Pharm/Tox brunch for graduates and their families the weekend of graduation. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and reward exceptional teaching. I commend the award winners for their dedication to this critical aspect of our academic mission and for their commitment to our students to be partners in their learning. Congratulations, all!
Darin Furgeson (PharmSci) was awarded a grant from the UW W.H. Coulter Translational Research Partnership...the first such award for a SOP faculty member, at least to my knowledge. Congrats, Darin! Art Shuna (VA/PPD) was featured in the March 23 "Know your Madisonian" section of the Wisconsin State Journal. Among his many professional talents and accomplishments, he co-hosts a radio show on Saturday nights on WORT 89.9 FM and is an expert on the blues. Who knew?
Many faculty and staff were very active and visible at the recent American Pharmacists Association (APhA) in San Diego in mid-March. In fact, Dave Mott (SAS) was elected a Fellow by the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science. That engagement was mirrored by our PharmD and SAS grad students. The UW-Madison student-run Operation Diabetes, chaired by Andy Ince and Amy Dietzel (DPH-3s), won first place for Region 4. Kristina Phillips (DPH-4) beautifully represented the UW in the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition. Pallavi Patwardhan (SAS, Chewning group) was a finalist for the best podium award. The annual student "Dinner with the Dean" at APhA was as lively and wonderful as usual. In other student news, Megan Sheahan (DPH-3) was notified recently that she was the recipient of a national scholarship from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASPH). The Student and Academic Affairs (SAA) Office welcomes DPH-3 student, Laura Jester, to a new student assistant position. As Rho Chi president, Laura also helped organize and conduct the initiation ceremony for new members on March 28, done in conjunction with the teaching awards mentioned above. Thanks also to Rho Chi faculty advisors Karen Kopacek (PPD) and Mel de Villiers (PharmSci). Finally, our long-term student assistant in the Dean's Office, Olivia Szymanski, will be leaving us soon as she graduates and heads off to Africa for 2 years with the Peace Corps. Congratulations, all!
Congratulations are also in order for Chris Spencer (IIT). Chris will be graduating from Concordia University this semester with his MBA. He was also recently promoted, as was Pam French (Alumni Relations) and Anne Schuelke (ZPES). Thanks to all for several years of service to the School. In other news, Linda Halsey (Development) and her tennis team won their state finals tournament last month in Appleton.
The SOP’s Discovery Day for high school students was held on Saturday, March 29. Thanks to Becky Beebe (SAA) for organizing such an informative and welcoming event, and for the many, many alumni, faculty, staff, and students who joined in to make it such a success.
In the alumni, donor, and friend category... Our big alumni gathering at the APhA meeting was incredible...one of the best attended and liveliest ever. In addition to the general festivities, we celebrated our Operation Diabetes for winning first place in Region 4 and alum Jordan Cohen for being the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Hugo Schaefer Award. Thanks to Pam French (Alumni Relations) for organizing all the social events at APhA. On the way to APhA in San Diego, I spent a couple days in Salt Lake City and had a brief visit with alum Arnie Repta. Walgreen’s continued their valuable partnership with the SOP with their annual gift that benefits our scholarship program and general student support. The beautiful article about the Stieber family scholarship, highlighting daughter Beth Martin (PPD), her mother (Mary), father (alum Jerome), and brother (alum Brian), was reprinted in the spring 2008 edition of On Wisconsin. Pharmacy Families, such as the Stieber’s, are doing more and more family philanthropic gifts of great benefit to the School and our students. Leona Sonderegger’s incredible generosity in the form of her Dean's Scholarships (full tuition) was highlighted in the winter 2008 edition of Insights.
My apologies if things were missed or if this came out somewhat choppy and unorganized. Just a bit too much going on right now...Jeanette