West Lakes Geographer

p.2

Congratulations!

There was a great turnout for the 2002 annual West Lakes Division meeting, October 17-19 in Minneapolis, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The final count was 202 participants, with 9 posters and 110 papers presented in 24 sessions. Four field trips took geographers outside of the Twin Cities, guided on a road trip to the Cedar Creek Natural History Area, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the neighborhoods of North Minneapolis, and on a walk through the CBD.  The luncheon speaker, AAG Vice President Alec Murphy, delivered a great pep talk on the need to promote geography now more than ever, given the changing state of world affairs. Joshua Hagen, a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, won the Best Student Paper award, with his paper titled "The Most German of Towns: Creating an Ideal Nazi Community in Rothenburg ob der Tauber." Josh received a certificate of award, a $100 check, and a one-year student membership in the AAG. At the annual Business Meeting on Friday evening, the results of the West Lakes Councillor election were announced. Our new Councillor for 2003-2006 is Jon Kilpinen, Department of Geography, Valparaiso University. Jon succeeds Kathy Klink, whose term ended on June 30, 2003. Our thanks to Kathy for three years of outstanding service as Division Councillor, and for serving this past year as AAG Secretary.  Division elections also were held. West Lakes division officers for 2002-2004 are:  Chair: Barbara VanDrasek (Univ. of Minnesota);  Secretary: Kazimierz J. Zaniewski (UW-Oshkosh);  Treasurer (continuing): Mehmet Aritan (UW-LaCrosse).

Outgoing Chair John Schroeder introduced a motion to revise division Bylaws to allow officers elected in the year before a joint meeting to serve a two-year term.  This means that the officers above will serve until the October 2004 meeting at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, to be held jointly with the Wisconsin  Geographical Society. The Division also honored recently retired Bill Dando of Indiana State University, for his long service to the West Lakes Division. John Schroeder presented Bill with an engraved plaque, and read the following tribute:  William Dando Retires "A productive and respected geographer and staunch supporter of geographic activities at all levels retired earlier this summer. William A. Dando, Secretary of the AAGís West Lakes Division in 1993-94, Division Chair in 1994-95, and its Councillor from 1997 to 2000, retired from the Department of Geography, Geology and Anthropology at Indiana State University after thirteen years as chairman of that program.  A native of Pennsylvania, Bill earned a B.S. in geography from California University (PA). Graduate study at the University of Minnesota followed, leading to both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Over his long career, William Dandoís honors have been almost too many to thoroughly enumerate, but always, as a scholar, an academic administrator, and a teacher, he has served geography well. Billís research interests and publications have ranged broadly over the fields of bioclimatology, agroclimatology, remote sensing, land use, the ecology of wheat production, and famine studies; his regional interests have included Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and China, as well as the United States. A prolific author, Bill Dando has written 21 books and monographs, 70 articles, 51 book reviews, and two atlases. Many of his written works, such as The Geography of Famine, have attracted international attention and awards.

p.3

Bill has held research and/or teaching positions in Romania, Hong Kong, Maryland, North Dakota, and Indiana. He has earned numerous awards for excellence in teaching and research. His work at Indiana State has built that program into one of the Midwestís strongest. But always his major concerns have been for the well-being of his students and his discipline; that concern has been evident in his writings and presentations even as recently as the 2001meeting in Joliet. In the July, 2001 issue of the West Lakes Newsletter, Bill wrote a eulogy for his friend and mentor, John Borchert. There, he described Professor Borchert as someone who "Ö.enhanced the field of geography all his lifeÖ.an exceptional person, a beloved colleague, a supportive mentor, a scientist, and the builder of the geography program at the University of Minnesota."  In that description, only the name of the institution needs be changed to fit the present case.  Fortunately, Bill and his wife Caroline have not really retired. Theyíve only recently returned, in fact, from yet another Russian field trip.  An ISU Senior Scholars Academy is in the works, and a number of books are in the pipeline on their way to publication. Whatever lies ahead can only serve to further the profession we share with William Dando.  Good luck, Bill and Caroline!"                                 Anna R. Carson and John D. Schroeder

West Lakes Regional Councillor's Report The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was pleased to host the 53rd Annual Meeting of the West Lakes Division of the AAG, held in Minneapolis from 17-19 October 2002. About 100 papers and posters were presented at the meeting, and there were about 200 attendees overall, including AAG Vice-President Alec Murphy. Thanks to the many University of Minnesota students, staff, and faculty for working to make the meeting so successful.  In case you've not yet heard the news (reported at the Minneapolis meeting), Jon Kilpinen (Valparaiso University) will be our West Lakes Regional Councillor for 2003-2006. Congratulations, Jon! At the Fall 2002 and Spring 2003 AAG Council meetings, Regional Councillors reported that budget cuts were affecting most geography departments around the country, but that in many cases enrollment in geography courses was steady or increasing. A fair percentage of the increased enrollments are due to the establishment of professional GIS programs within the departments. As university budgets continue to decline, however, there likely will be larger impacts on geography departments and programs. Please let Councillor Jon Kilpinen know if the AAG might be of help as you cope with budget constraints. Despite budgetary woes, the AAGís Endowment Campaign, "Advancing Geography in Partnership with You: The Association of American Geographers at the Centennial and Beyond," is off to a strong start. A kickoff event was held at the New Orleans meeting.

p.4

West Lakes Regional Councillor's Report (continued): Although we may have varying opinions of the Association, we continue to identify ourselves as geographers, we are (in most cases) housed within geography departments, and--despite how you, personally, may feel about it--the AAG is our public "voice." A strong professional association enhances our departments, and our individual careers. In recent years, the AAG has sponsored or supported a number of initiatives on behalf of our discipline and our membership. These initiatives include studies of "The Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism" (with support from the NSF), the conference on "Mapping the News," the Johannesburg workshop on "Race, Space, and Urban Development," support for geographic education (e.g., MyCOE, ARGUS, and ARGWorld), a redesigned "Careers in Geography" brochure (which sold out in only three weeks), and involvement with NASAís National Workforce Development Education and Training Initiative. I hope you will give serious consideration to supporting the Endowment Campaign.  Doing so will allow the AAG to continue to initiate and/or support projects like these that benefit geographers of nearly every stripe. Please contact me if you would like further elaboration on any of the items above (phone: 612-625-3452, e-mail:  klink@umn.edu). If there are issues you would like forwarded to the AAG Council, please contact our new Councillor, Jon Kilpinen (phone: 219-464-5157, e-mail: Jon.Kilpinen@valpo.edu). Kathy Klink, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, West Lakes Regional Councillor, 2000-03; AAG Secretary, 2002-03 * * * * *

West Lakes Division officers: CHAIR: Barbara VanDrasek Department of Geography, 414 Social Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 email: vandr002@umn.edu phone: (612) 625-0571; fax: (612) 624-1044 SECRETARY: Kazimierz J. Zaniewski Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI! 54901 e-mail: zaniewsk@uwosh.edu phone: (920) 424-7112 TREASURER: Mehmet Aritan Department of Geography and Earth Science, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, La Crosse, WI email: aritan.mehm@uwlax.edu phone: (608) 785-8338; fax: (608) 785-8332 REGIONAL COUNCILLOR: Jon Kilpinen Department of Geography, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493 e-mail: Jon.Kilpinen@valpo.edu phone: 219-464-5157 NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Barbara VanDrasek WEST LAKES DIVISION WEB SITE: http://www.geog.umn.edu/West_Lakes_AAG