Update: Here’s a post that I originally published this morning at a sister site, Daily Adams. The first paragraph is a description of the city for readers who may not be familiar with Whitewater (so it will sound a bit awkward to those who live in town). Thanks much to a sharp reader who pointed…
University
Business, CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Politics, University
Local Crony Capitalism via the WEDC (and similar schemes)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s had a decades-long problem of a few town insiders manipulating government and public resources for their own private ends. That time is drawing to a close, but there are yet some years ahead in which aging, mediocre town figures will push their self-promoting lies. As their chief motivation is personal vanity and pride, they’ll…
City, University
The Town-Gown Divide, Simply Illustrated (in Forty-Four Seconds)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater is a small town, of about fifteen thousand people. From east to west, the main road in town is about three miles long. Our town is lovely, but not a big place. For years, this small town has struggled with town-university conflicts, despite myriad committees, projects, task forces, and commissions. There’s no quicker illustration…
University
Comparing Org Charts: UW-Whitewater and the Pentagon
by JOHN ADAMS •
Strange but true: UW-Whitewater’s administration has an org chart that’s only slightly less detailed than the one for the UnIted States Department of Defense. It’s understandable that the Pentagon should have an intricate structure: America is a vast continental republic, with a large navy, army, air force, and marine corps. (One wishes we had few…
University
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Telfer to serve as interim UW System President
by JOHN ADAMS •
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard J. Telfer will serve as the University of Wisconsin System president when Kevin Reilly leaves the post at the end of the year. Michael Falbo, president of the UW System Board of Regents, made the announcement in a news release Wednesday. Telfer, chancellor at UW-Whitewater since 2008, will serve as interim president…
University
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Telfer to serve as interim UW System President
by JOHN ADAMS •
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard J. Telfer will serve as the University of Wisconsin System president when Kevin Reilly leaves the post at the end of the year. Michael Falbo, president of the UW System Board of Regents, made the announcement in a news release Wednesday. Telfer, chancellor at UW-Whitewater since 2008, will serve as interim president…
City, Planning, University
The University’s Role in Town-Gown Issues
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday, I posted on housing density in the city, and the push to move sudent housing to the northwestern part of Whitewater. See, Old Whitewater Dreams of a Student Rez. A recap: the plan won’t work because (1) student housing is widespread in the center of the city by voluntary choice that cannot be undone and…
Animals, University, Weird Tales
The Fox @ UW-W
by JOHN ADAMS •
There have been sightings of a fox on campus. Why he’s here, one cannot say, and in any event the best course is to leave a wild animal alone. For the curious, though, I’ve embedded a video documentary describing that very fox’s life with complete accuracy and absolutely sensitivity to the highest standards of nature…
Corporate Welfare, Government Spending, Local Government, Official Misconduct, State Government, University
The Disgrace that is the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
by JOHN ADAMS •
Sometimes one would prefer to be wrong, rather than right. The waste, errors, exaggerations, and lies of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation are such a case: Madison — Three Senate Democrats asked Wednesday [6.12] for a criminal investigation of Gov. Scott Walker’s signature job creation agency. The request comes after an audit last month found…
City, Police, University
Scenes from Whitewater’s Failing Drug War
by JOHN ADAMS •
Less than a week ago, at Whitewater’s Common Council session of 5.21.13, the city heard a presentation supposedly on university policies ‘to educate young adults’ about the dangers of substance abuse. It was anything but that: after brief introductions from City Manager Clapper and Chancellor Richard Telfer, UW-Whitewater Police Chief Matt Kiederlen delivered scripted, doctrinaire,…
City, University
Whitewater, Wisconsin Without Thousands on a College Campus
by JOHN ADAMS •
Beautiful Whitewater, City, History, Nature, University
Natural Plant Communities Talk & Tour at the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve on Saturday, May 26th at 10 AM
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received the following press release that I’m happy to post: Renae Prell-Mitchell, from UW-Whitewater, will lead a ‘Natural Plant Communities Talk & Tour’ at the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve on Saturday, May 26th at 10 AM. Renae will talk about the existing wetlands, DOT prairie and Silver maples/bur oak stand, as well as the…
Books, New Whitewater, Press Release, School District, University
Mark Twain T-shirt Art Contest for K-12 Students
by JOHN ADAMS •
Best to all the contestants, and appreciation to those supporting the contest — Mark Twain T-shirt Art Contest for K-12 Students For the fourth year in a row, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a local partnership to bring the national Big Read initiative to Rock, Walworth and Jefferson County. Mark Twain in…
History, University, Wisconsin
On This Day in Wisconsin History: University of Wisconsin Opens
by JOHN ADAMS •
Happy Birthday: 1849 – University of Wisconsin opens On this day in 1849 the University of Wisconsin began with 20 students led by Professor John W. Sterling. The first class was organized as a preparatory school in the first department of the University: a department of science, literature, and the arts. The university was initially…