January 9, 2003

1. The U needs you!
2. A fundamental human write
3. U technology makes snowplow driving safer
4. Disability resources just a click away
5. Historic Coffman Union to reopen
6. Winter tips for pets
7. Find your college friends
8. Old violin finds new home
9. UMC hires new vice chancellor for finance
10. U of M Happenings
11. Links

U IN THE NEWS

The U needs you!
The University plays a significant role in the economic health of Minnesota--it educates the next generation of leaders, conducts research that creates jobs and expands the state's tax base, and works in communities statewide to address complex challenges. As the governor and legislators address the state's record budget deficit and the University faces likely budget cuts, we need ambassadors--students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends--to talk about the University, its value to the state, and its prudent management of its resources.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the University of Minnesota Legislative Network will host its annual legislative briefing, which will provide an overview of the legislative session, including the state's budget challenges and the University's role as an economic engine for Minnesota. President Robert Bruininks and University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) President Deborah Hopp are featured speakers. They will focus on how you can become an advocate for the University at the Legislature. The event, which is sponsored by the UMAA, will be held at the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus.

All University supporters are invited to the event and are encouraged to invite their legislators to join them. Displays will highlight some of the University's diverse and vital programs. Faculty and staff will be available to answer questions and provide expertise on how their programs are contributing to Minnesota's well-being.

If you plan to attend, make your reservation by Thursday, Jan. 16; call 612-625-9174. For more information, see the University's Office of Government Relations Web site at www.umn.edu/govrel.

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A fundamental human write
Some children simply seem to become literate, devouring books--from early-readers to novels--with ease. But for children who have learning disabilities, are recent immigrants living in homes without English speakers, or do not have access to reading materials at home, the process can be very difficult. The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) on the Twin Cities campus has forged a literacy initiative to address this need.

The long-term effects for children with limited literacy skills can be devastating. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, adults in the lowest levels of literacy have significantly higher rates of incarceration and nearly half live in poverty.

Through the literacy initiative, college faculty are collaborating with state government and local educational institutions and organizations on three grant projects to help the next generation of Minnesotans achieve the fundamental human right of literacy.

The Early Literacy Training Project
The Early Literacy Training Project, funded through a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is preparing preschool educators to help Minnesota children develop early literacy and language skills. The project will revise and refine existing early education curriculum and prepare a cadre of trainers to work with early educators across the state.

The project is a collaboration between the University; the Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association; Hennepin County; Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network; Minneapolis Public Library; Minneapolis Public Schools; Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; and the White Earth Indian Reservation.

Reading Excellence Act
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), more than two thirds of fourth graders in high-poverty schools are unable to demonstrate a simple understanding of what they read. A $24.5 million Reading Excellence Act (REA) grant will provide professional development to teachers to ensure that the state’s most at-risk students receive high quality reading instruction. Minnesota, one of 13 states receiving REA grants this year, has 24 eligible school districts with 86 eligible schools serving 40,000 students.

Minnesota Reads
The next step in addressing literacy education is to improve teacher preparation. A $1 million Bush Foundation grant will help Minnesota’s colleges address literacy education through improved preparation of teachers. The grant funds Minnesota Reads, a University faculty and development research project designed to support college educators as they analyze and redesign literacy education courses for teacher licensure programs. The University is collaborating with St. Cloud State University, the College of St. Catherine, and Augsburg College on this project.

For more information on literacy projects in the College of Education and Human Development, see http://literacy.umn.edu.

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U technology makes snowplow driving safer
Researchers from the University's Intelligent Vehicles Lab in the Center for Transportation Studies are trying to make driving a snowplow, a state patrol car, and even a bus a little easier during Minnesota snowstorms.

Researchers use Global Positioning Systems (GPS), a digital map database, obstacle detection radar, and a head-up display (HUD), to provide drivers with a virtual reality-like representation of the road when driving conditions make it almost impossible to see the road.

The GPS identifies a snowplow's exact location, and when combined with digital maps containing the location of road landscape elements such as lane boundaries, guard rails, and signs, provides real-time mapping accuracy. The HUD then uses this information to make it possible for drivers to see the road even if they cannot see the highway with their own eyes.

At the same time, the HUD shows vehicles in front of the plow as white or red boxes, depending on how close they are, which alerts the snowplow driver and greatly reduces the chance of highway collisions.

To date, Minnesota’s Department of Transportation and the University have equipped four snowplows, one state patrol car, and one metro bus with this equipment.

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Disability resources just a click away
Looking for information and resources for children with disabilities and their families? Visit the Online Family Resource Center at http://www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/kdwbvfc/dbframes.htm.

This new virtual library from the University's Department of Pediatrics is designed to improve the quality of life for children and youth with disabilities, their families, and friends. The online family resource center also has information for physicians, educators, social service providers and others who provide care and services.

For more information about additional resources offered through the Medical School's Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, see http://allaboutkids.umn.edu.

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Historic Coffman Union to reopen
The University's historic Coffman Memorial Union will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 21, after a three-year, $71 million renovation. The rebuilt union, a marriage between the old and the new, the high-tech and the high-style, is designed to satisfy the needs of students with its up-to-date services, and the desires of traditionalists with a return of the building's art deco origins.

Coffman's interior details and furnishings now look like its 1940s originals. Although the color palette runs solidly maroon and gold, it is in muted tones to fit with the new décor. The renovation of Coffman involved gutting much of it, shifting walls, repairing ceilings, moving hallways and staircases, and adding more major new features, including a 400-seat theater, a 100-terminal computer lab, and a glass wall that extends four stories on the south side.

From the front, the most striking change is the removal of the angled side entrances and the pushed-out glass front that interrupted the building's vertical columns and tall windows. Some 100 feet northwest of the building sits what looks like a separate glass structure. This is, in fact, a new entrance to Coffman. This entry flows into the ground floor, where most of the new commercial outlets, such as restaurants, are located.

The ground floor also houses the University Bookstore's flagship location, set to open the first week of March. Tucked into what had been a little-known parking garage under Coffman plaza, the new bookstore will consolidate east and west bank campus bookstores into one larger location (the St.Paul campus and law school bookstores will remain open). The bookstore will offer more space for academic press books, international periodicals, general interest books, and special events like author readings.

The first floor is largely common space--with study and lounge areas set off from the main traffic areas--and the new theater.

Students are what Coffman is intended to be all about. Student fees and a Works Progress Administration grant paid for the original building, and student fees have covered the majority of operating and renovation costs ever since.

Although Michael Holland, past president of the union’s governing board, and his fellow students were adamant that Coffman must meet student needs, they also supported returning it to its historic character. "You look at those original images and there is this feeling of grandeur to it," he says. "We wanted students not only to feel like the union had everything they needed, but to be able to look around and say, 'Wow, what a great building!'"

Coffman Union is located on Washington Ave. on the Twin Cities campus. The Jan. 21 reopening celebration will begin at 7 a.m. Activities will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon and a concert in the Great Hall at 12:30 p.m.

To take a virtual tour of the renovation, see www.coffman.umn.edu/renovation. For more information about Coffman Union, watch for the January-February issue of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association's Minnesota magazine. The magazine is sent to all alumni association members, and select articles can also be found online at www.alumni.umn.edu/minnesota.

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Winter tips for pets
Humans aren't the only species that can suffer from the cold, icy blasts of winter. Here are some tips to help make sure that your dog or cat stays healthy and comfortable during the winter months
1. Keep pets away from antifreeze solution, and promptly clean up any antifreeze spills. Pets are attracted to antifreeze, but it is deadly, even in very small amounts.

2. Do not leave your pets outdoors unattended when the temperature gets below freezing. Pets that are mostly indoors need time to adapt to cold temperatures. They must build up a thicker coat and get their footpads toughened for snow and ice. Pets that get too chilled can develop hypothermia or even frostbite. Ear tips are especially susceptible to frostbite.

3. Short-coated dogs should not go outside without a coat or sweater in very cold weather, except to relieve themselves. Small dogs with short coats are especially vulnerable to cold and may not be able to tolerate any outdoor exercise in extremely cold weather.

4. Many dogs also need boots in cold weather, regardless of coat length. If your dog frequently lifts up its paws, whines, or stops during walks, its feet are uncomfortably cold. Be sure to get your dog used to wearing boots before the cold weather sets in.

5. Dogs with long fur on the bottom of their paws often develop ice balls between the pads and toes of the feet. To prevent ice balls from forming, trim the hair around your dog’s feet. Apply a small amount of Vaseline, cooking oil, or PAM spray to your dog’s feet before taking a walk in snow. The oil helps prevent ice balls from sticking. Make sure you use edible oil; most dogs will lick their paws after you apply the oil.

6. If your pet walks on salted sidewalks or streets, be sure to wash its paws after your walk. Salt is very irritating to footpads. Gently rub the bottom of the feet to remove the salt as soon as your dog is off the road.

7. Many animals are less active during the winter and don’t use as many calories as in the warmer months. You may wish to consult your veterinarian about the right winter food portions for your pet to avoid excessive weight gain.

8. Most cats prefer to spend their winter days indoors; be cautious if your cat likes being outside. Don't let it out in bitterly cold weather and be sure it has a warm place to go if it spends a lot of time outdoors. Cats that are left outdoors may crawl into a warm car engine to get warm, which can be fatal. It’s safer to keep your cat indoors during the winter.

For more information about the care and well-being of dogs, cats, birds, and pocket pets, see the College of Veterinary Medicine's PetCARE Web site at www.petcare.umn.edu.

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Find your college friends
Do you want to look up old college friends or network with other University alumni in your career field? In 2003, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) will publish a new directory of Twin Cities campus alumni to help you find lost friends and network with others.

To compile the information for the directory, the UMAA will send a questionnaire to all Twin Cities campus alumni in mid-January. The questionnaire can be filled out in writing, by phone, or online. You can choose not to be included in the directory, but you are still encouraged to update your information for the UMAA's private database.

The directory will contain vital information about alumni association members, nonmembers, and friends of the University, plus a history of the UMAA as it approaches its 100th anniversary in January 2004. It will be available in November 2003 in three formats: hard cover, CD-ROM, and online at the UMAA Web site.

The hard cover version, which will contain only UMAA members, will provide members with an attractive and lasting keepsake.

The CD-ROM version will contain data on all U of M Twin Cities campus alumni and members. A search function will allow custom searches on virtually any data element in the directory.

The online directory will be part of a larger UMAA online community that includes member-only services geared toward keeping members connected. The password-protected online directory also will offer access to a comprehensive career center that includes networking and mentoring opportunities, resume and job postings, and other career-related services.

Orders for the hard cover or CD-ROM directory will begin in April 2003. Directory prices range from $69 to $99, with discounts available to UMAA members.

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Old violin finds new home
A donor has presented the School of Music with a rare violin made by one of the great 18th century violin makers.

The instrument was made by J.B. Guadagnini, who is believed to have been a student of Antonio Stradivari. The violin is conservatively valued at about $300,000. The bow that accompanies the violin was made by Nikolaus Kittel in the 19th century and is valued at $30,000.

Rare instruments are treasured by music schools because they can be loaned to student performers for major recitals. Peer music schools, such as that at Indiana University, may have several Stradivarius violins to loan to students. The Guadagnini is the School of Music's first such instrument.

The donor, who has owned and played the violin in chamber music groups since 1957, had intended to leave the instrument to the school in his will. However, he decided it would be better to give it now and be able to hear it in the hands of students.

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UMC hires new vice chancellor for finance
Rose Koch has been hired as vice chancellor for finance at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC). She began her duties on December 18.

Rose Koch has been hired as vice chancellor for finance at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC).

Koch’s prior experience includes work as deputy general manager for finance and corporate planning with a multinational communications company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in Denver, CO. She was a co-owner of a regional financial planning business in Crookston. She holds a Master of Business Administration in finance and accounting from Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. She is originally from Crookston.

As vice chancellor for finance at UMC, Koch will be responsible for providing leadership and oversight in the development of annual capital, research, and operating budgets; evaluating and providing budget recommendations; forecasting expenditure levels; and directing the business services of the campus including financial reporting, business training, purchasing, payroll, disbursement services, stores and inventory services, students accounts receivable, postal services, the UMC bookstore, and financial systems development.

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U OF M HAPPENINGS

U legislative briefing and reception slated for January 21
The University of Minnesota Legislative Network will host a discussion about the University's importance to Minnesota and the role advocates can play during this year's legislative session. President Robert Bruininks and University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) President Deborah Hopp will discuss how to become an advocate for the University at the Minnesota Legislature. A reception follows the discussion. The event, which is sponsored by the UMAA, will be held on Tuesday, Jan 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus. If you plan to attend, make your reservation by Thursday, Jan. 16; call 612-625-9174. For more information, see the University's Office of Government Relations Web site at www.umn.edu/govrel.

In the Spirit of Martin: The living legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The first major Smithsonian exhibition of visual arts dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will open at the Weisman Art Museum on the Twin Cities campus, Sunday, Jan. 19, and continue through April 6. The exhibition features 119 works of art in painting, sculpture, photography, print, and mixed media by more than 100 prominent, emerging, and self-taught artists, including Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Gordon Parks, Andy Warhol, and Faith Ringgold.

An opening celebration will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, 7-11p.m., and will include an exhibition preview, refreshments, and entertainment. Tickets are $10 ($5 for Weisman members, students, and seniors). For reservations or more information about the exhibit and related events, call 612-626-4747 or see www.weisman.umn.edu. There is no admission fee to the museum.

"From Every Voice" concert celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The University of Minnesota School of Music and the Office for Multicultural and Academic Affairs will present "From Every Voice," the University's 22nd annual concert celebrating the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The concert, which will feature professional performing artists and University students and faculty, will be a nonstop 90-minute presentation of dance, music, and drama, building to a high-energy finale with more than 250 performers together on stage. The concert, which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 2, 4 p.m., at the Ted Mann Concert Hall on the Twin Cities campus, is free and open to the public.

"Good Writing = Strong Medicine"
Dr. Susan Love will be the keynote speaker at the 14th annual colloquium sponsored by the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Writing. Love, adjunct professor of surgery at UCLA and medical director of the Susan Love, M.D., Breast Cancer Foundation, will address the significance of good writing in the sciences and the public's need for access to and understanding of medical knowledge. Love is one of the most visible advocates for women's health in the United States. Her best-selling book, Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, set the national standard for effective patient communication. The lecture, which will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., at the Ted Mann Concert Hall on the Twin Cities campus, is free and open to the public.

UMM horticulture show to expand
Prairie Yard and Garden, a popular horticulture television series produced by the Media Services Department at the University of Minnesota, Morris, will begin its 16th season on Jan. 9, with new audiences in at least two new states. Already broadcast on Minnesota public television stations, the series is being made available to the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) for distribution to affiliates. Public television stations in South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, and Oklahoma have already expressed interest in the series. Prairie Yard and Garden travels across Minnesota to visit horticultural experts and their gardens, providing tips, expert advice, and science-based information for home gardeners. The new season will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Pioneer Public Television, KWCM (Channel 10), in Appleton, Minnesota. Other stations will begin broadcasting the series over the next few months. For a complete list of stations, call executive producer Roger Boleman at 320-589-6150.

"Superior Science for You!"
The public is invited to attend "Lake Superior's 'Canaries' -- Detecting Ecological Change," the next presentation in the "Superior Science for You!" series hosted by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program. The lecture, which will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m., at the Gitchee Gumee Conference Facility, 6201 Congdon Blvd., will look at how biologists use Lake Superior's birds, fish, and bugs to provide early warnings of environmental stresses. A live audio broadcast of the talk will be available through the Minnesota Sea Grant Web site at www.seagrant.umn.edu/speakerseries/index.html, and a video of the talk will be posted on the site the next day.

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LINKS

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