Almanac

Keep an eye on the stadium
Badgers fans can now monitor the progress of the Camp Randall renovation project from desktop computers. A Web cam mounted atop the stadium communications center shows the construction crews at work, along with panoramic views of the campus, lakes and city of Madison. The camera will take eight photos every hour, and a software program will “stitch” them together to create a high-resolution panoramic image. The Web cam, designed and installed by electrical engineering graduate Rusty Erdman, will operate during construction and beyond the project’s 2005 completion date. Visit http://www.uwbadgers.com/webcam.

Rank and file away
U.S. News and World Report has ranked UW–Madison the seventh best public university and the 32nd best overall university in its “2004 America’s Best Colleges” rankings, but university officials advise potential students not to use the rankings to select where they go to college.

“It’s great to be ranked so highly year after year,” Provost Peter Spear says of being ranked seventh on the public university list two years in a row and eighth in the three prior years. “But, frankly, rankings such as this do not adequately represent the quality of this or any other institution.”

U.S. News reviewed 248 doctoral universities, of which 162 are public and 86 are private. The publication computes the rankings by looking at a list of indicators — such as peer assessment, student retention and graduation rates, and financial resources — and assigning a weight to each indicator based on what the publication feels is most important.

Spear notes that much of the score depends on the resources the university receives from the state and alumni, not on the quality of teaching, research and service to the state that the university accomplishes with those resources. Notably, UW–Madison’s ranking of quality based upon peer assessments is fourth among public universities and 19th overall.

“While the factors rated by U.S. News may be important things to consider, they are not the most important factors potential students should look at when choosing a college,” Spear says. “Students also should consider, among other things, a school’s strength in the academic programs that interest them, the advantages and disadvantages of the school’s size, the availability of student support services and advising, and the quality of student life.”

Recreational Sports offers free week
Recreational Sports is offering faculty and staff free use of the Southeast Recreation Facility (SERF), the Natatorium (Nat) and the Camp Randall Sports Center (CRSC) during the week of Sept. 2-7. A UW–Madison ID card is required to gain access and check out equipment. The SERF’s new cardio area, which has doubled in capacity, is now available for use. Information: 262-8244.

Backward glance
From Wisconsin Week, Sept. 1, 1993: Preparations continue for the opening of the $40 million Grainger Hall on University Avenue, the new home of the School of Business…For the first time, University Housing allows students to pay for meals using money tracked through their ID cards…Search committees continue to work on filling vacancies at provost and vice chancellor for administration…Construction begins on a new building for the UW Foundation at 1848 University Ave. Previously, the organization had offices in the Verex Building at 150 E. Gilman St.