Category Archives: 2. Meetings

The Face of Edgewood College is…

Posted on October 23, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Linda Baldwin; photo by John Bonsett-Veal

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From left: President-Elect Ellsworth Brown with Scott Flanagan

Everyone!

Scott Flanagan is the 7th President of Edgewood College, after spending 16 years at the college as a teacher and administrator.  Today he gave us an overview of the college.  Begun in 1949 under the leadership of the Dominican sisters, Edgewood College has grown to more than 3000 students in many undergraduate, graduate and non-traditional programs.

President Flanagan recalled that in 1970 the college went co ed and announced this change through a road sign “Now Co ed.”  He surmised this change was not met with enthusiasm as the sign was quickly stolen.

Today the sisters’ legacy is carried out through the good work of all associated with Edgewood; students, faculty and staff, the board of trustees and even the presidents, past and present.

Edgewood College was one of the first in the country to offer the “yellow ribbon” program, an opportunity for veterans to attend college on scholarships.  Today more than 150 vets are attending Edgewood.

Edgewood primarily educates students from the greater Madison area, and they stay in the area after graduation.  Flanagan proudly pointed to the fact that only 3% of 2013 grads were still looking for work; 97% were working, in the military or doing graduate work.

He also talked about the programs for returning students seeking professional advancement through Edgewood programs, serving traditional and non-traditional students and invited everyone to the “Stream,” Edgewood’s new arts complex.

It’s Wisconsin, so Flanagan mentioned the 15 sports programs at the college, the robust study abroad program, the community internships which take students out into the community for service and civic engagement, offering more than 200,000 hours in service.

In closing, he touched on the partnerships with area businesses that provide additional scholarship money for students; the emphasis on inclusivity, noting that 15-20% of Edgewood students are minorities with retention rates almost as high as the student body in general and affordability, noting that 94% of Edgewood students receive some sort of financial aid.

President Flanagan closed by asking Rotarians to get involved with Edgewood to help meet our society needs for qualified workers, engaged citizens, servant leaders and scholarly problem solvers.

 

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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“Rotary Bingo” at The Madison Club October 21, 2014

Posted on October 22, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–summary & photos submitted by Jason Beren

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On Tuesday, October 21, at our New Member Event, about 25 new and experienced Rotarians attended a coffee event at The Madison Club (Thanks to Mary Gaffney-Ward for the use of the great room).

The focal point of the event was a cutting edge networking activity known as “Rotary Bingo.”  Much like a scavenger hunt played with a bingo card, attendees had to work their way around the room to fill out their card with the names of the Rotarians who matched each square.

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Prior to the event, attendees completed a survey with questions such as:

  • What is something about yourself that’s unique and people might not know about you?
  • Where were you born?
  • Who were your Rotary Sponsors?
  • What high school activity, club, or sport did you participated in?
  • What unique event have you attended?
  • Have you ever done a unique Rotary make-up international or domestic?

Attendees learned that some of their fellow Downtown Rotarian’s have:

  • Been a ski bum for a winter
  • Spent two months deep in the Amazon jungle
  • Attended a cocktail party on Malcolm Forbes yacht
  • Did a Rotary make-up on Easter Island

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Posted in 2. Meetings, 3. Committees, 5. Members, New Member Events

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“It’s Never Too Late to Change”

Posted on October 16, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Mark Stover; photo by Pete Christianson

Leslie HowardKeynote speaker Leslie Ann Howard, President and CEO of United Way of Dane County, delivered this message to a full house at the 51st Annual Madison Area Service Clubs luncheon on Wednesday, October 15, at the Sheraton.

Evidence that Howard’s message of changing the human condition is not only possible but happening today in our community echoed throughout the program.

Bill Battista, winner of this year’s Ruth Gordon Service Award changed the human condition for children in the West Madison Little League.  During his involvement, the Little League has grown to encompass participation of over 700 boys and girls in baseball and softball.  Giving kids positive encouragement makes a big difference in their lives and the lives of people around them.

Christine Hodge, winner of this year’s Community Youth Volunteer Award is helping to change the human condition by her focus on children’s education.  She is founder and Director of the Mt. Zion Academic Learning Center which provides after-school tutorial support for all children in the church community and throughout the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Howard noted that “making change at scale” is often less expensive and creates greater measurable improvements in real people’s lives than many of the traditional ways of addressing social needs.  Howard cited data in three areas of the United Way’s recent work.

The initiative called Housing First seeks to insure that homelessness is addressed at its root: keep people in their homes in the first place.  Research shows that once a person enters a shelter they only have a 37% chance of leaving it – that is, getting out of a support situation.  Instead, a smaller investment providing short term support to keep people in their homes results in an 80% chance of long-term independence.

Similarly with people reintroduced to their neighborhoods from prison there is a 67% recidivism rate without intervention.  Journey Home, another United Way initiative, cuts that to less than 5% with an annual investment of $500 per program participant.  By comparison it costs $38,000 a year to keep an offender in prison.

Finally, parenting skills are critical to getting children off to a healthy start in life.  Low income participants in the Parent Child Home Program with only two years of involvement find their kids graduate from high school at that same rate as middle income kids do.

There’s a lot to be proud of among the service providers and service clubs of the Madison area.  CLICK to view Neil Heinen’s recent editorial, “Service Clubs Continue to Thrive in Madison.”

Our thanks to Leslie Howard for her presentation and to Brad Hutter and Kristine Mirelle for providing special music.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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Coach Andersen Addresses Rotary

Posted on August 14, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Linda Maremont; photo by Pete Christianson

From left: Club President Tim Stadelman, Coach Gary Andersen and Jason Beren

From left: Club President Tim Stadelman, Coach Gary Andersen and Jason Beren

UW Football Head Coach Gary Andersen was greeted warmly by a large audience to our August 13 meeting.  After a successful first season in 2013 (with a winning record of 9-4), Andersen and the players were thrilled to finally officially begin preparations for a season that will begin August 30 against LSU in Houston.  The team is wrapping up a 13-day stretch in which UW will practice every day.

Coach Andersen emphasized the youth of the team this season, but still intends to stay with the physical style of football for which Wisconsin is known.  Even though Andersen mentioned that he will be started more true freshmen than in previous years, he is confident that they are up for the challenge.  He believes that the biggest challenge facing them will not be the physical size difference that comes along with starting younger players but the experience in a competitive environment.  These players are lucky to be on the “good guy” side of the ball as Camp Randall has been recently ranked the most intimidating college stadium in the country by ESPN.  However when it comes time to travel to Texas to play LSU, the young players’ poise will truly be tested.  The coach spent a fair amount of time discussing how the team, more specifically the offensive and defensive lines, are developing. It is apparent that he knows what is most important and what needs to be emphasized for the Wisconsin run heavy style of play to be successful.

He has a deep love for his team that extends beyond just basic football.  Wisconsin has been and will continue to be one of the top ranked schools in terms of athlete academics.   Coach Andersen noted the team’s average GPA is nearing 3.0, which is impressive for a team at a top ranked university.  The fact that not a single player who graduated last year came back to ask for a position on Coach Andersen’s staff is a testament to how important academics are to the football program and the University as a whole.

Coach Andersen delivered an excellent speech that calmed some fears and excited the fans in the audience about the season to come.  When asked about how it feels to coach his son, Coach Andersen responded that he treats every player like his son–which earns him respect along with forming a bond of trust between him and his players.

Coach Andersen’s remarks gave testament to his passion for the game, his team and his excitement to be part of UW and Madison.  On Wisconsin!

We thank WisconsinEye for videotaping our meeting this week.  CLICK to watch the video.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, 5. Members

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Does Nixon Really Matter Today?

Posted on August 7, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Roger Phelps; photo credit to Pete Christianson

DSC_0025Professor Stanley Kutler provided a coherent and passionate explanation of why Richard Nixon still matters.  Although it has been 40 years since his resignation, the Nixon legacy endures.  And, it’s largely not what people focus on when they think of Nixon.

President Nixon was the first and only U.S. President to resign office.  The Watergate scandal and the unprecedented Presidential abuse of power was his undoing.  The outcome of his certain impeachment was beyond question, but Nixon avoided it by resigning office.

Aside from this significant event in American history, why does Nixon matter?  What lasting impact still felt today had its roots in his administration?

One of the legacies is the Southern Strategy pursued in the 1968 election of Nixon.  He actively and directly courted support among Southern democrats and got enough of them to vote Republican to put him in office.  The replacement of Democratic Party voters with Republican voters cemented Nixon’s position and affected every election since then.  It is one of the major political realignments in American history.

Another lasting impact of President Nixon is the significant influence he had on the Supreme Court.  In a period of less than 3 years, Nixon appointed (and got confirmation) of 4 Supreme Court judges.  More importantly, all assumed the mantel of “strict constructionism” and forever changed the way appointees are questioned in their confirmation hearings.  The concept of questioning “judicial activism” was spawned in that era.

Professor Kutler adroitly and with appropriate humor addressed a number of questions from Rotarians.  His presentation at our Rotary Club was an upbeat event we’ll not soon forget.

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And, by the way, Happy Birthday to Stanley Kutler, who is celebrating his 80th birthday this week.

 

 

Our thanks to Professor Kutler for his presentation and to Roger Phelps for this review article.  We also thank WisconsinEye for videotaping our program this week.  CLICK to watch the video.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Rotary Club of Madison

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A Bad Gift Reconsidered: Fun at Rotary

Posted on July 31, 2014 by | 2 comments

–article submitted by Ellie Schatz; photo by Ellsworth Brown

Warren and Group

(Pictured above are Rotary Board Members with District Governor Dave Warren. From left: Robyn Kitson, Dave Warren, Dora Zuniga and Tim Stadelman)

Last week, President Tim promised 10% more fun at Rotary and said we would hear more about this from District Governor Dave Warren.

So what is fun and how does it relate to Rotary? Do you consider Rotary fun?

I looked up “fun” in three dictionaries, starting with a classic Webster’s Unabridged. I didn’t think Webster’s first definition fit either Dave’s message or my experience of Rotary. “Fun: A practical joke: trick, hoax.” Dave had us laughing, and he described Janesville’s annual corn roast and mud volleyball tournament laughingly, but he in no way thinks of Rotary, his governorship, or Janesville’s fundraiser as a hoax. Try again.

“Fun: a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure.” This first definition from American Heritage Dictionary is second in the Webster’s, and fits with Dave’s message. The first two definitions in my Random House dictionary give us these descriptors as well as adding mirth and playfulness. Dave clearly wants all Rotarians in District 6250 to enjoy their meetings, and his playfulness was evident as he quizzed us on Rotary trivia and offered Jolly Rancher candies as prizes for correct answers. We all learned the first president of Rotary was, not Paul Harris, but rather Silvester Schiele. No candy on that one; Rob Stroud knew the answer from hearing Dave’s speech before, so his answer didn’t count!

Fun for District Governor Warren goes much deeper than games and amusement. He takes great pleasure in Service Above Self.  He shared how the project, Kids Against Hunger has encouraged children in Nicaragua to attend school by ensuring that if they come they will be fed a nutritious meal. He reiterated how the Rotary International effort to eradicate polio is close to reaching its goal. Reflecting on success is fun.

Where does his title, the bad gift, fit into Governor Dave’s definition of Rotary fun? He says joining Rotary was a gift that he initially didn’t think he wanted. But he now appreciates it as the gift that keeps on giving. “Rotary is a gift to myself and to my family,” he declared, as he asked us to offer this gift to our spouses, grown children, friends, and neighbors.

Dave joins RI President Gary Huang in asking us to enjoy our Rotary service, share it with others (a good gift even for the busiest of the busy), and Light Up Rotary together.

Our thanks to District Governor Dave Warren for his presentation CLICK to view his first video newsletter.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, 5. Members, District 6250, District Governor

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