Successful recreation is much more than simply enjoying the sunset ...

Cover material
UW-L physics program serves as a national model
Once in danger of disappearing,
UW-L’s physics program is now at
capacity and is looking for how to
handle all the students seeking a
physics major or wanting to
participate in the 3-2 engineering
program.
The program is so successful it was
featured on the cover of the September
issue of Physics Today magazine, the
discipline’s top publication. The
department is one of 21 university
physics departments featured in
articles on what it takes for a
university physics program to prosper
in a time when most are withering.
UW-L is one of seven comprehensives
and the only UW System physics
program honored.
The cover was a photograph of Bob
Allen, a now-retired physics faculty
member, interacting with students in
the planetarium. “It is very unusual to
have a person on the cover of the
magazine,” says UW-L physics
department Chair Gubbi Sudhakaran.
“Usually it is an object or scientific
image.”
Having a flourishing academic
program requires a complex brew that
includes a well-developed curriculum,
advising and mentoring; undergraduate
research; many opportunities for
information student-faculty interactions; a
strong sense of community; the
This photo of now-retired faculty member Bob Allen
working with students in the planetarium graces the
cover of a national physics publication. The UW-L
physics department is being used as a model for
successful physics departments at national colleges.
department being a critical unit for change
in undergraduate education; and strong
and sustained leadership. That’s the
conclusion of a national task force looking
at what it takes to have a successful
On Campus
physics program. The task force
carefully reviewed UW-L’s physics
program and visited campus. It is
used as an example of what to do.
Sudhakaran and other faculty keep
in close contact with their students,
shepherding them along through the
program. They insist new students
participate in a one-credit seminar,
and students are matched with an
upperclassman mentor. “It helps with
our retention, giving students a sense
of belonging,” he notes.
The department stays in close
contact with graduate schools, too.
“We are always looking at what we
are doing and we ask [the graduate
schools] what we can do to improve
our program,” says Sudhakaran. “We
constantly monitor our curriculum.”
The 3-2 engineering program has
students majoring in physics for three
years at UW-L, then transferring to an
engineering program for two more.
“The 3-2 program attracts students to
UW-L then they change to a physics
major and stay,” says Sudhakaran.
The department’s success has led to
an interesting dilemma, a bottleneck.
There is not enough lab space or room for
more majors. The department is looking at
alternatives. “The last thing we want is to
go to selective admissions,” notes
Sudhakaran.
Worth the price
Students vote to increase tuition to fund four initiatives
Last year UW-L students said “yes”
when they were asked if they would be
willing to raise their tuition. It was a
major victory for the university’s Student
Senate which had discussed raising tuition
for three years. The UW System Board of
Regents approved it last June.
This semester students paid an
additional $21 in tuition this fall. Starting
in spring, they will pay $26 extra in what
is called “differential tuition” to support
four initiatives important to them:
academic advising, undergraduate
research, diversity initiatives, and
international education. The university
will match the student funds.
“Students are demanding some things
the university could not do,” explains
Student Senate President Luke Naegele.
He says the four initiatives were
developed from concerns heard from
students.
Student advising is a high priority for
students. Putting additional efforts into
advising could help students plan classes
better and avoid having to attend extra
semesters.
Money for diversity will go into
recruiting and retaining multicultural
students. Funds for undergraduate
research is expected to give more paid
undergraduate research opportunities.
Students endorsed international
education by adding support for study
abroad programs, supporting
international students, creating
international undergraduate research
opportunities and supporting faculty
research abroad.
“Students understand state and
university budget issues; no one is happy
about it but they are willing to pay extra
because they want these services
continued,” explains Naegele.
“I am excited, not just for this year, but
for later,” says Naegele. “This will help
make campus better in the long run and
our diplomas will mean more.”
UW-La Crosse Alumnus/Winter 2003-04 17