From the director: Donations expand student opportunities

Financial support for La Follette School students from Wisconsin is growing thanks to donations to two special funds.

One gift is from Dr. Clara Penniman, the founder and first director of the La Follette School's predecessor, the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration. Her contributions create an exciting opportunity for us to support a student interested in public management and policy in Wisconsin.

The second fund honors Doris Hanson, a longtime leader in Wisconsin government. Upon her death in November 2006, community leaders established a scholarship at the La Follette School in her honor.

That the La Follette School is home to this scholarship is very appropriate. Doris dedicated her professional life to public service. She served in the cabinets of four Wisconsin governors and was the only woman ever to head the state Department of Administration.

Doris was the catalyst for one of the La Follette School's premier outreach activities, the annual Wisconsin Women in Government seminar that the school conducts with the nonprofit organization of the same name. As a member of WWIG's executive council, Doris helped conceive of the seminar as a way to develop leadership among women working in Wisconsin government. She approached La Follette to see if the school would be interested, and professor Dennis Dresang and outreach director Terry Shelton proceeded to get the series of classes up and running in partnership with WWIG.

More than 35 Wisconsin leaders and residents have made contributions to the Doris Hanson Scholarship. We are delighted that people are so pleased about the fund and its support of La Follette School students from Wisconsin.

The University of Wisconsin Foundation is accepting gifts to the Doris Hanson fund on behalf of the La Follette School.

We will use proceeds from both funds to help students pay for their studies. This spring, we are pleased to be able to recruit a student whose interests are very much in line with those of Dr. Penniman: Wisconsin's government and public management.

A specialist in taxation and public finance, Dr. Penniman was the first female chair of the University of Wisconsin Madison's (then otherwise all male) political science department. She retired in 1984.

Every year, the La Follette School awards the Clara Penniman Prize to the graduating student who has written the most outstanding paper while a graduate student in public affairs.

With fewer state tax dollars to use to offer teaching and project assistantships to incoming students, at a time when tuition requirements to support each student are increasing, gifts like these are especially valuable. They help us recruit top students who go on to become leading policymakers in Wisconsin and around the world.

We saw the fruits of these efforts at our Madison reception for alumni and friends in early February. This year drew more than 110 people, an increase of about 10 percent from 2006. Financial contributions from alumni and friends to the La Follette School via the University of Wisconsin Foundation help make scholarships and events like this possible. We thank our donors and hope that all of you will consider making a gift this year.

This article originally appeared in the spring 2007 issue of La Follette Notes.

— posted March 1, 2007