“The pitches are located in the cracks between those heard when the piano’s keys are pressed,” Martin explained.

Composed for fellow UW Oshkosh music faculty member Jeri-Mae Astolfi’s new CD, Here (and there): Music for Piano and Electronics on the Innova Recordings label, the vivid work recalls “peaceful moments spent lying in the grass, gazing at cloud formations drifting above. “

For this collaboration, Martin created the composition using computer software. His work was funded by a UW Oshkosh Faculty Development Research Grant.

Astolfi, who performed the piece as part of the University’s elegant Musica Viva! fundraising event held in April, said the composition is fascinating to play because of the unique pitches and the challenge of intertwining the live piano with the recorded sounds emanating from speakers.

She must don an ear piece while performing in order to play accurately with the recorded track.

“The result is a totally different sound spectrum for the audience to experience,” Astolfi said.

Since it was composed in 2012, Astolfi has performed “Swirling Sky” throughout the nation, including at the 2012 National Conference of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, the 2012 Third Practice Festival and the 2013 National Conference of the Society of Composers.

Hear “Swirling Sky.”

In June, the Association of American Colleges and Universities touted UWO’s innovative program as the lead case study in its new publication “Ensuring Quality and Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale.”

UWO is highlighted in the publication as one of five campuses across the nation that is “providing high-impact practices more pervasively and systematically.”

The publication features the relationship between high-impact practices and first- and second-year retention rates as well as graduation rates. It also offers advice about how to ensure that all students experience multiple high-impact practices.

These practices, such as study abroad, undergraduate research, cornerstone projects, community service and learning communities, are not new to the student experience at UWO. They had been incorporated into courses on a small-scale for decades.

“There were lots of pockets of excellence, but no collaboration around best-practice teaching,” USP Director Lori Carrell said.

What’s different with USP is that UW Oshkosh’s curriculum for first- and second-year students will be “rich in high-impact practices for all students,” she explained.

The USP is a one-of-a-kind general education program that ignites intellectual curiosity, introduces students to the opportunities of university life and is the gateway to a 21st century college education.

The Prudent Question is One Half of Wisdom

–Sir Francis Bacon

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh philosophy professor Laurence Carlin, who specializes in the history of modern philosophy and science, shares his thoughts about human nature and the quest for knowledge throughout history.

Have we always been a “questioning” people? How far back does this trait originate?
It is difficult to say precisely when this trait started to manifest itself, but as far as we can tell, humans have always been curious questioners. This is clear, for example, when we consider the ancient Greeks. But this human tendency to question surely predates even the ancient Greeks. I think it is fair to say that our tendency to question things and pursue knowledge is one of the qualities that makes us human. The ability to question leads us to create things, to engage one another’s perspective and to do many other things that we typically understand as human endeavors.

Who have been some of the great thinkers in terms of “questioning” how the world works?
There have been many great thinkers in the past who knew what kinds of questions to ask. Isaac Newton, for example, was a great thinker who asked (and answered) a number of questions about the behavior of objects in our universe. Immanuel Kant was a great thinker who asked important questions about how human beings should treat each other, questions about what underlies our judgments about moral and immoral actions. The questions these thinkers asked have furthered our understanding of the world in dramatic ways.

But if there is one question that has stood the test of time, it is perhaps the most fundamental theological question: Is there a god? Almost all of the best thinkers from the past have wrestled with this question, and of course, many engage it today. This is perhaps not surprising since the answer has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of ourselves, our origin and our place in the world.

What is the value in questioning? Do you have to find an answer for it to be valuable?
I believe there is tremendous value in the questioning itself. It forces one to embrace multiple perspectives, to evaluate one’s own beliefs in light of the evidence and to appreciate the complexity of the world and the complexity of the issues we face.

 I reject completely the idea that we need to find firm answers in order for these big questions to be valuable. Regardless of whether we arrive at firm answers, the process of questioning makes us better critical thinkers and more sympathetic to viewpoints that differ from our own. It also provides a deeper understanding of the world by an examination of the potential answers. In doing this, we are often forced to reevaluate our own beliefs and desires–the very things that we use to confront our experiences and the very things that make us the persons we are. It is the process of questioning, I think, that is valuable, since it promotes a deeper understanding of ourselves, the world and our place in the world.

Beginning in fall 2013, however, new first-year students will discover that simply collecting answers to their questions about college, their future and the world isn’t the point at all.

Instead, this first crop of UW Oshkosh students to experience the University’s dramatic and unprecedented general education reform will discover that it’s the quest or search for answers that matters most.

The new, student-centered University Studies Program (USP)—the result of years of dedicated work by UW Oshkosh’s teaching community—combines the ideals of a liberal education with successful national models at similar institutions and data-tested, high-impact teaching and learning practices.

The result: A complete transformation of the general education (Gen Ed) curriculum and, indeed, the entire campus culture that provides students with a more “intentional and integrated course of study,” said UW Oshkosh Provost Lane Earns.

No longer will students trudge through their first two years, checking classes off a well-worn list of requirements before getting down to business in their majors in their junior and senior years.

“We hope to provide our students with a higher-quality educational experience that will better prepare them for the challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy,” Earns said.

UW Oshkosh administrators are optimistic sweeping reform will lead to increased recruitment, improved retention and graduation rates and, perhaps, even reduce the time it takes to get a degree.

“We want to do all we can to help our students succeed,” said Lori Carrell, communication studies professor and USP director. “For nearly a decade, there has been increasing momentum within the teaching community for implementing research-based, high-impact practices.”

With the USP, students will have the opportunity to search for answers through a process of questioning, exploring and connecting.

In small learning communities, students will work with both peer and alumni mentors and engage in active learning in the classroom and meaningful service activities in the greater community. They will be responsible for tracking their own educational progress by maintaining electronic learning or ePortfolios.

“The USP is not just a reform but a true transformational change,” Chancellor Richard H. Wells said. “It’s a huge tribute to our faculty and academic administrators.”

The curriculum, which for decades revolved around a cafeteria-style menu of often disconnected courses, now incorporates higher-level goals known as essential learning outcomes, such as creative thinking, ethical reasoning and civic engagement.

Wells said the changes will have a substantial impact on the entire educational experience, forming a solid foundation as students move on to the courses required in their major and minor degree programs.

With its innovative and best-practice-driven program, UW Oshkosh now finds itself at the forefront of higher education reform, earning praise from national leaders in the industry, such as Debra Humphreys, vice president for policy and public engagement with Washington, D.C.-based Association of American Colleges & Universities.

“Many universities around the country are working to revise general education requirements in light of the changing nature of our society and the global economy, but few have done so as comprehensively and thoughtfully as UW Oshkosh,” Humphreys said. “What is so impressive about what Oshkosh has done is that the curriculum is calibrated to the changing demands of the 21st century and built on the latest research on effective teaching and learning.”

AAC&U recently selected UW Oshkosh as one of five campuses across the country to be profiled in a spring 2013 publication.

“We at AAC&U and others around the country will continue to watch with interest how this program develops because of how thoughtfully it was launched and the leadership team that created it,” Humphreys said.

The USP also will be featured in an upcoming book by Robert Zemsky, Learning Alliance for Higher Education chair and the Institute for Research on Higher Education founding director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Ultimately, the new curriculum will help produce the workplace-ready graduates for which employers across the nation have been clamoring, said Mark Bradley, Wausau attorney and UW System Board of Regents member.

“Leaders of companies from around the country told the AAC&U that they are not necessarily interested in graduates who have specific job skills,” Bradley said. “Rapid changes in technology can quickly make those skills obsolete. Of far greater importance is that graduates have the ability to think critically, work in diverse groups, adapt to changing circumstances and communicate effectively.”

To become such nimble employees, students first must learn to be comfortable with uncertainty and have the ability to ask questions that are not easily answered.

The prudent question is one half of wisdom. —Sir Francis Bacon

The process of questioning itself holds tremendous value, said UWO philosophy professor Laurence Carlin. “It forces one to embrace multiple perspectives, evaluate one’s own beliefs in light of the evidence and appreciate the complexity of the issues we face,” he said.

Great thinkers like Isaac Newton and Immanuel Kant have long pondered life’s big questions from the behavior of objects in the universe to the behavior of human beings in society. “The questions these thinkers asked have furthered our understanding of the world in dramatic ways,” Carlin said.

The new and efficient 41-credit University Studies Program introduces students to the opportunities of University life and the goals of a liberal education structured around three signature questions at the heart of UW Oshkosh’s distinctiveness:

• How do people understand and create a more sustainable world?
• How do people understand and engage in community life?
• How do people understand and bridge cultural differences?

“The idea for building the USP around the Quest concept came out of questions the teaching community asked ourselves: What is most important to us on campus? How can we work together to enhance student learning? Which high-impact practices are feasible? Our collaborative answers led to this creative reform,” Carrell said.

Assistant sociology professor Paul Van Auken, who coordinates the civic learning signature question, said the questions provide students with a greater purpose during their initial coursework. “The new curriculum is steeped in nationally recognized best practices in liberal arts education but tailored to what is important on our campus,” he said.

In their first semester, first-year students take paired Quest I courses—a discipline course linked with a writing or a speaking course that focus on the same signature question.

And these courses—pardon the cliché—are not your grandmother’s or even your mother’s Gen Ed offerings. With intriguing names like The Geography of Coffee and theatre’s The Creative Process, UWO political science professor Tracy Slagter is hoping the first-year curriculum will serve as an invitation to students to “come along on an educational journey.”

“Students come to college because they have a whole lot of questions and they don’t have the answers,” said Slagter, who serves as the USP First-Year Experience director.

In the next semester, freshmen focus on a second signature question in their Quest II paired courses, which begin to incorporate ethical reasoning. UWO professor Norlisha Crawford said her Intro to African American Studies course has a built-in ethical question: In a democracy created on the idea that “all men are created equal,” how could slavery have occurred?

Crawford follows no textbook but rather assigns students real-life artifacts to study, such as essays, court documents, music lyrics and movies.

“This class prepares students for the job market in a multicultural world. They learn that our differences are not that big of a deal, except if they are ignored,” Crawford said. “The USP will help our students shine based on their individual strengths not on falsely constructed differences.”

Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. —Frank Borman

While they continue to question, students also will expand the breadth of their knowledge by exploring nature, culture and society in a variety of courses. In their final Quest III courses, sophomores take part in a community experience connected to exploring their final signature question.

When that first wave of 900 or so sophomores (imagine the entire population of the Village of Rosendale heading out to volunteer) takes their enthusiasm and talents into the surrounding community, the considerable impact is sure to create positive change.

“Research shows that students who engage in high-impact learning experiences like community service do better in school and feel more connected to other students and faculty,” explained Michael Lueder, USP Community Experience coordinator. Civic responsibility of college-educated citizens is so important to UWO that the teaching community included “civic knowledge and engagement” as one of its essential learning outcomes.

A women’s studies course may partner with Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services or a course focusing on recycling may work with Goodwill Industries International. Such projects provide students with real-life examples and context to participate in classroom discussions.

“The engagement component offers students a sense of what’s happening in their communities,” Lueder said. “The hope is that they will want to get involved further—to dive right in and make a difference.”

Senior political science major Jeci Casperson, of Oshkosh, said she would never have made it to her junior year at UWO if she hadn’t gotten involved outside the classroom. An alternative spring break trip to Washington, D.C., during her freshman year made all the difference.

She signed up for the trip because it was an inexpensive way to travel but returned home from volunteering at homeless shelters and soup kitchens with a new sense of direction. Since then, Casperson, who serves as the Oshkosh Student Association president, has had internships with the American Democracy Project, the Wisconsin State Senate and the U.S. Senate.

“I’ve learned time management and how to communicate with people … that is a constant learning experience for me,” she said.

A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one. —Heraclitus of Ephesus

Finally, students will have the opportunity to integrate their learning in a Connect or advanced writing course, in which they synthesize all three signature questions. Students will use their ePortfolios to track their progress, connect ideas across courses and even demonstrate their learning to employers and graduate schools.

In addition, as juniors or seniors, students will take a capstone class that retraces their progress, reflects on their educational journey and makes connections between their USP courses and those in their major.

Along the entire journey, students will have plenty of opportunity to make human connections as well as academic ones.

“We’re welcoming others in, such as alumni, peers and community leaders, to help with the teaching and learning process,” Wells said.

Peer mentors will be assigned to small groups of 25 students each in the first Quest classes, serving as role models and providing a student perspective on campus life, said Debbie Gray Patton, First-Year Experience assistant director.

“We want to give them a better opportunity to be engaged from the beginning and to feel like they matter here,” she said.

Mollie Merrill, a sophomore nursing major from Oshkosh, serves as the lead student ambassador advocating for the USP on campus. She’ll also work as a peer mentor in fall 2014. “We’ll help freshmen make the adjustment to campus life,” she said. “We’ll explain how the University works in ways that are reassuring and relatable to students.”

Earns is especially inspired by the reaction of UWO graduates to serving as alumni mentors for USP’s civic engagement component, beginning in fall 2014. “I’m absolutely delighted by the alumni response,” he said. “So many have stepped forward already; we want as many involved as possible.”

UWO Alumni Association Board member Scott Barr ’86, of Appleton, is helping to organize the alumni mentors.

“We’ll be available to assist professors in identifying civic engagement opportunities, providing a little horsepower in the community and offering some guidance and perspective to students,” he said.

“Alumni have a vested interest in our University’s success, and it’s vital that we remain active in our communities. UW Oshkosh will be a model across the country, so we want to help our students on this quest as they gain practical skills they can take into the workforce.”

Meanwhile, faculty and staff are especially busy this year as they work collaboratively to have the USP adventure ready for fall 2013. With the help of an implementation team, instructors are creating courses; advisers and admissions counselors are crafting new materials; and classroom renovations to support active learning are in progress.

“It’s incredibly invigorating that nearly every facet of the campus community is focused on this unprecedented opportunity to dramatically enhance student learning,” Carrell said.

Learn more about USP.
Exploring ‘The Prudent Question’

The ARTgarage—located in a 100-year-old former cannery—brings together artists of all types, ages and abilities in a creative community that also serves to revitalize the city’s downtown as part of the Olde Main Redevelopment District.

“It’s a garage,” said Van Sistine, who studied elementary education and art at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the mid-1960s. “We wanted to keep it rugged and messy and keep that feeling of the funky studio space.”

The ARTgarage began seven years ago when two local art students who were graduating from UW–Green Bay wanted to find a studio where they could continue to make art. Because the community was “thirsting” for such a space, the idea soon expanded to include events and art education programs.

With a strong background in advertising and marketing, Van Sistine worked to establish a board and obtain nonprofit status. She also served as the first non-paid site director. “There were nights I slept here,” she recalled.

Early on, the ARTgarage community had the opportunity to give back to their founder. Just as they were set to open the doors in 2006, Van Sistine found out she had cancer. “The artists said they would cover for me, and we became such a family,” she said.

These days, with two part-time staff members and a 21-member board, Van Sistine no longer runs the day-to-day operations and has more time for her own pursuits. She even took her oil painting supplies along on a recent trip to Mexico, where she got to make a little of her own art while enjoying time with her daughter and grandchildren.

Read more alumni and student profiles.

by Corey Baumgartner ’02 and MS ’05, of Appleton

Posts of memories and a special video will be debuted in October in celebration of Homecoming 2012: A Titan Throwback, Everything Old School.

Alumni from every decade starting with the 1960s and from locations across the nation from Arizona to New York  joined in the project.

The names of all alumni who took part will be entered in a drawing for a super Titan prize pack to be awarded in conjunction with Homecoming set for Oct. 12-13.

“I have always enjoyed listening to alumni reminisce about their UWO days, and it is wonderful to capture a glimpse of alumni life as part of this official memories project,” said UWO Alumni Director Christine Gantner. “Many alumni have shared that they not only received a high-quality education at UWO, but also lasting friendships and cherished memories.”

“Alumni are interested in seeing or reconnecting with others who graduated the same year, shared the same major, joined the same club or lived in the same residence hall,” said UW Oshkosh Alumni Association board member Scott Barr ’86. “It struck us that we ask people to connect to the University as a whole, but we might have more success in making an overall impact by facilitating connections on a more micro-level.”

Toward that end, UWO alumni are invited to join or form chapters based on affinity groups or geographic location. Official chapters formed thus far include Arizona (Phoenix/Scottsdale area), Athletic Hall of Fame, Central Florida, Cross Country / Track and Field, Madison, Radio-TV-Film, College of Business and the College of Education and Human Services.

In addition, plans are underway for a first-ever, All-Greek Reunion to take place Oct. 12-13 in conjunction with Homecoming 2012 “A Titan Throwback: Everything Old School.”

More than 1,400 alumni responded to the fall 2011 alumni survey.

“An amazing number of people responded to the survey and provided good information, which will help direct the efforts of the Alumni Association. Particular thanks go out to the many respondents who took the time to include thoughtful comments and suggestions,” said Barr, who chairs the board’s Alumni Engagement Committee.

Twenty percent of the 1,130 who answered a question about their participation in UWO alumni activities indicated they haven’t been involved but would like to be. “There is a market here, we just have to find a way to tap into it,” Barr said.

A wide range of alumni participated in the survey. The oldest respondent was 83 years old, while the youngest was 22.

“Given that this survey was exclusively electronic, we expected 20- and 30-somethings to be the bulk of the respondents,” Barr said. “We were surprised to find that responses from alums aged roughly 55-65 were very high. This corresponds to graduation dates from 1970 to 1979. We are curious about the cause(s) of this and wonder how it might affect how we reach out to alumni.”

Barr also sees the potential for continued involvement by these alumni in the future.

“This group of alumni has an awful lot of experience and talent to offer. As they reach retirement age, they’ll have more time to focus on their community activities of choice. We want to figure out how to reach out to them and offer them interesting ways of making UW Oshkosh their community activity of choice,” Barr said.

The survey also showed that alumni who live at a distance from campus sometimes feel disconnected from their alma mater.

“While a large portion of UWO alumni live within a pretty short driving distance of campus, there are thousands who do not,” Barr said. “How do we connect with these people? What can we offer as a way for them to give back and reconnect with the University?”

The alumni group on LinkedIn and the Mentor Network subgroup offer opportunities for alumni who don’t live nearby to stay connected and make an impact in a current student’s life.

Moving forward, alumni board members and Alumni Relations staff will continue to look for ways to put the survey data to good use.

“We are grateful for the alumni who responded to the survey, because we want to know how we are doing and how we can improve,” said Alumni Director Christine Gantner. “We are committed to offering quality programs and services and increasing the opportunities for our graduates to stay engaged with UW Oshkosh.”

The answer is 365.24 days instead of the less-precise 365, which accounts for why February picks up an extra day every four years to keep us all in sync.

“It’s always interesting when people recognize you have an unusual birthday, such as someone at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) or a healthcare professional taking information,” Anthes said. “Usually, they do the math and make a comment like ‘You don’t look like you’re 11 years old.’”

Leap Day also provides an opportunity to learn a bit about probability, as offered by UW Oshkosh associate professor John Beam.

“The odds (of having a Leap Day birthday) would be about 1 in 1,500 days,” he said. “Every four years, there is one Leap Day and 1,460 other days, so 1 in 1,460 would be more accurate, except that birthdays are not exactly uniformly distributed throughout the year anyway. So, it would be easiest to just say about 1 in 1,500.”

Calendar conundrums
For Leap Day babies or “leaplings,” figuring out when to celebrate your birthday can be tricky. Growing up, Anthes always got his cake and presents on March 1, because his mom said he wasn’t born yet on Feb. 28.

“My wife likes to celebrate it on Feb. 28, though,” he said. “I sometimes announce to everyone that I’m taking a birthday week, since sometime during the week I was born. My children enjoyed it when they figured out they were older than their dad.”

UWO alumna Sue (Janz) St. Pierre ’78, of Neenah, always celebrated her birthday on March 1. “My parents decorated our kitchen with streamers and balloons. My godparents would come with their families for cake and ice cream.”

When there is no Feb. 29, UWO alumna Sarah (Schott) Woods ’06, of St. Paul, Minn., celebrates her birthday on Feb. 28. “Some people try to tell me my birthday hasn’t technically happened yet, so I should celebrate on March 1. I like to keep my birthday celebration in February,” she said.

Birthdays were not a big deal when Renee (Baier) Miller ’82, of Fond du Lac, was growing up, unless there was a Feb. 29. “Otherwise, we would celebrate on a convenient day that was close.”

This year, Miller’s coworkers are taking her out to lunch to celebrate becoming a teenager in Leap Year birthdays (13).

Minor complications
The first time UWO alumna and leapling Annette Resop ’95, of Oshkosh, had to renew her driver’s license, it was not a Leap Year so there was no Feb. 29. The DMV computer couldn’t handle the situation and crashed, so from then on her license has expired on March 1.

“There haven’t been any complications, except a few times I’ve had certain computers not recognize the date but that hasn’t happened in a long time,” Anthes said.

Online forms don’t always offer a Feb. 29 option for recording birthdays, St. Pierre noted.

Miller laments that she has never gotten a “golden birthday.”  “I turned 28 on Feb. 29 and 29 on Feb. 28,” she explained. “In leap years, turning 29 on Feb. 29 means I’ll really be 116! Everyone is invited to that party.”

Added benefits
Leap Day babies do enjoy some perks.

“I think being a Leap Year baby is pretty cool. It is fun to be different,” Miller said. “I’ll receive cards and greetings from people I hardly know, only because they know someone who is a Leap Year baby.”

Anthes has had a similar experience. “Many times, I’ll receive a message from an old friend who I haven’t heard from in a long time, saying they thought of me when a real Feb. 29 comes up,” he said.

Few people forget your birthday. “I get calls from childhood friends or students I taught years ago.” Resop said.

In addition, she always got to do something extra special on her Leap Year birthdays. “At 12, I had the biggest sleepover. At 16, my dad rented the union hall, and I had a dance party,” she said.

St. Pierre just loves being a Leap Day baby.

“I get to celebrate my birthday more than others do, because I don’t really have a day. Also, people ask me a ton of questions. It is fun discussing it, and I feel very special,” she said. “At the office, I go around writing the 29^th on everyone’s calendars during non-leap years.”

“Alumni chapters based on geography or common interests are ideal tools for connecting alumni for both social and professional networking opportunities,” said UW Oshkosh Alumni Director Christine Gantner. “The relationships alumni developed while being part of a student organization, student government, residence life, athletics or a particular field of study are great starting points for reconnecting.”

The Alumni Association Board recently approved the addition of a chapter in the Madison area, as well as a Cross Country /Track and Field chapter and a Radio-TV-Film chapter.

The Cross Country/Track and Field chapter, led by former coaches Deb Vercauteren and John Zupanc, will offer alumni of UWO’s cross country and track and field teams the opportunity to stay in touch with the University.

The new Radio-TV-Film chapter will be led by Alumni Board President Steve Buss ’86.

“We’re offering another way for alumni to bridge the connection to campus and reconnect with fellow alums,” Buss said. “The chapter also will serve as a conduit for alumni to connect with current students in the major.”

The Madison chapter, led by Traci Raether ’87 and MSN ’95, offers networking opportunities for UWO alumni in the Madison area.

“The new chapter provides opportunities to share our Titan pride and learn what’s happening on campus,” Raether said.

A Madison Area Alumni Reception to raise awareness about the chapter is planned for April 26. Alumni Rick Uhlmann’74 and Paul Abramson ’76, will serve as hosts for the event to be held at CUNA Mutual in Madison.

Other upcoming activities will include planning future chapter events and gathering information from alumni in the area to determine what activities and program opportunities would meet their needs.

Chapter leaders receive assistance from the UWO Alumni Relations Office to make contact with alumni, plan chapter events and promote activities through the alumni website, calendar, print and electronic invitations and the monthly electronic newsletter Alumni News.

Learn more about UWO alumni chapters or submit a letter of intent to form one.