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Alumni and Friends: La Follette Notes: Spring 2005
Parents' gift to La Follette demonstrates appreciation for daughter's opportunities
The ability of the La Follette School and its faculty to support their daughter’s academic and professional pursuits is one reason Jim and Marie Oldani have contributed money to the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Natalie Oldani is a second-year international public affairs student. Her academic focus on international business and government in east central Europe and the Balkans builds on her experiences teaching English in the Slovak Republic and studying abroad in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
As a project assistant with La Follette School professor Jonathan Zeitlin, Natalie helped organize and compile work he cited in his most recent publications, and she assisted with his research. Her latest project entailed researching European Union environmental regulatory agencies.
“Marie and I are very grateful for the confidence the faculty placed in Natalie,” says her father, who added that they especially appreciate La Follette School Associate Director Melanie Manion’s support of their daughter.
Natalie will spend the 2005-06 academic year studying in Serbia thanks to a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship funded by the U.S. Department of Education. “This experience will enable me to round out my education here at University of Wisconsin and confidently pursue a career, preferably in the public sector, focusing on the Balkans,” she says.
At La Follette, donations support student activities, services and learning opportunities and aid faculty recruitment.
“Gifts from donors like the Oldanis are essential if we are to continue to improve our program. State budget support for the university is likely to continue to be very tight,” says school Director Donald Nichols.
“While La Follette is already a very good program, additional donations will enable the school to continue to develop into an even stronger one, allowing it to remain competitive with other public affairs programs,” Natalie says. “This has long-term benefits both for incoming students as well as alumni.”
Jim knows the value of fellowships for graduate students. Assistance he received from UW-Madison allowed him to graduate from the Business School in 1972 with a master’s of business administration. “The Vilas Fellowship I was awarded enabled me to afford graduate school,” he says. “I never forgot this.”
The Oldanis’ gift was doubled by the Matching Contributions Program at General Motors, where Jim has spent his entire career, primarily in the Finance Department.
While their contributions are not substantial, he says, “any contribution, no matter the amount, is helpful for the university, the school and its students. Further, the corporate matching program can often double the amount of a gift with minimal effort on the part of the donor.”
“The donation is important to me because it symbolizes my parents’ support for my pursuit of higher education and the numerous choices and decisions I have made during this period,” Natalie says. “We are deeply appreciative of the numerous opportunities La Follette has afforded me.”
La Follette, like the Business School, is living up to its excellent reputation, Jim says, by giving his daughter a good education.
“We believe in being loyal to those who have helped our family,” he says. “UW has provided a fine education for me and Natalie and offered financial assistance. Our contributions are just a small thank-you from a grateful alumnus and soon to be alumna.”
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Index to La Follette Notes spring 2005