October 3, 2002
1. U again among top three public universities
2. The secret life of cholesterol
3. More students on track to graduate on time
4. Early football game helps kick off homecoming
5. Research awards at U top $500 million
6. Work under way on new science building for UMD
7. Fun with philanthropy
8. Got M?
9. U of M Happenings
10. Links
U IN THE NEWS
U again among top three public universities
For the second consecutive year, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities,
 |
| Photo by Tom Foley |
ranks among the top three public research universities in the nation, according to a new study by "The Center" at the University of Florida.
The report, The Top American Research Universities, 2002, ranks public and private universities that score within the top 25 on nine quantitative measures of quality. These measures include the strength of the faculty, the research program, and private support. For the second year, the University of Minnesota ranks among the top 25 on eight of the nine measures.
The only other public research universities that score as well as the University of Minnesota in the study are the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, both of which also rank within the top 25 on eight of nine measures. The University of Minnesota is one of only three public research universities to rank within the top 10 public and private research universities. The top six positions are held by private institutions.
"Achieving this ranking for the second consecutive year demonstrates that the University remains one of the nation's top public universities," says University interim president Robert Bruininks. "The study affirms that the University of Minnesota is recognized for the quality of education provided to students, the visibility and impact of its research, and its rich connections to public issues."
Bruininks credited the University's breadth and depth for its high ranking. "Our size is our strength and an asset to the state," he says. He points to the University's strong faculty, as demonstrated by the level of competitive research funding they attract; its high level of private support, as demonstrated by Campaign Minnesota, which has raised over $1.3 billion; and its world-class programs, more than 15 of which are ranked in the top 10 nationally.
According to the University's Office of Institutional Research and Reporting, the Florida study is more comprehensive than many well-known rankings.
"This survey looks broadly at the quantitative things that make a research university strong," says senior analyst Peter Zetterberg. "The measures used here stand in stark contrast to those of many popular rankings, which only focus on undergraduate education or on specific graduate programs."
The Top American Research Universities report can be found at http://thecenter.ufl.edu.
Return to top
The secret life of cholesterol
If you've spurned that piece of fudge and declined that Big Mac out of anxiety about cholesterol, Dan Gallaher has good news for you. "We're not actually encouraging people to put a big slab of chocolate on a hamburger and have it for dinner, but if your only reason for not doing that is concern about cholesterol, you should go ahead," says Gallaher, a professor of food science and nutrition in the University's College of Human Ecology.
 |
In research that has attracted the notice of scientists and food junkies alike, Gallaher has shown exactly how stearic acid, a fatty acid found especially in beef and chocolate (and particularly in dark chocolate), actually lowers-that's right, lowers-the body's levels of serum cholesterol, the waxy substance that can build up to trigger strokes and heart attacks.
"What we've proven is that stearic acid works by reducing the intestinal absorption of cholesterol," Gallaher says, explaining his most recent of several groundbreaking studies. Working with colleague Craig Hassel, Gallaher devised almost microscopically precise diets to test how stearic acid might work differently in the body than other saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid (palm oil). Distinct at the molecular level-in technical terms, it has a "longer carbon chain" than other fatty acids-stearic acid, the stuff of beef tallow and cocoa butter, has interested scientists since the 1940s for its apparent neutrality in matters of cholesterol.
Gallaher is among several scientists across the country to have shown that stearic acid lowers the artery-clogging "bad" cholesterol known as LDL (low-density lipoprotein). The dramatic results of his 1996 study, published in the Journal of Nutrition in 1997, are much cited by health researchers. His new research, detailing the mechanics of stearic acid's cholesterol-busting process, puts the innovative food scientist ahead of the pack.
"We looked at cholesterol excretion, knowing precisely how much cholesterol was going in, how much was stearic acid, and how much was made up of other saturated fats and of unsaturated fats," says Gallaher. "When the group [of rats] that had consumed the most stearic acid excreted more cholesterol, we knew we had nailed it. And we found that the effect gets bigger with time-the longer that food containing stearic acid is consumed, the lower cholesterol gets." Next will come clinical studies with human subjects, says Gallaher, who has also conducted studies suggesting beef tallow may decrease the risk of colon cancer.
"Establishing the positive potential of a saturated fatty acid goes against some commonly held beliefs," Gallaher concedes, "but when you look at the scientific literature, there's no real basis for the beliefs that stearic acid acts like other saturated fatty acids. Somewhere along the line it took hold as 'fact,' but now we're doing the science to find out what the facts really are."
Indeed, the popular tendency to push to the side of the plate the fatty parts of beef-the marbled areas are where most of the stearic acid resides-is wholly unnecessary, Gallaher says. "I want to speak carefully about this. It's probably not true that, if you eat hamburger or steak, your cholesterol is going to go down. Many people would like to hear this, but the truth is, you're probably not going to be able to eat enough hamburgers or steaks to see much of an effect. But what we're saying is that beef-and chocolate, too-are at least neutral when it comes to cholesterol, and probably neutral or even beneficial when it comes to colon cancer and other types of cancer."
Still, he notes, there may be reasons some people would want to avoid these foods-because of concerns about obesity, for example, or because for some people chocolate may be associated with migraine.
Return to top
More students on track to graduate on time
Figures released this week show
 |
| Photo by Tom Foley |
that the University of Minnesota's new policy of offering free tuition for all credits above 13 is working. The average undergraduate credit load on the Twin Cities campus this semester increased 4.5 percent, from 13.3 credits in the fall of 2001 to 13.9 this year, which means that more students are on track to graduate in four or five years.
"Clearly the financial incentive to take a full credit load makes a difference to students," says Craig Swan, vice provost for undergraduate education. "We're pleased this new policy is working and encouraging students to take the number of credits they need to graduate on time."
The increase is spread across all classes. Freshmen increased their average credit load from 14.9 last year to 15.3 this year, and transfer students posted the largest increase, moving from an average of 13 credits last year to 14.1 this year. In fall 1999, the average credit load was only 12.9 credits. Students taking at least 13 credits a semester will, on average, graduate in five years.
The University also reports that overall enrollment at all levels on all campuses is up 3.9 percent, from 60,433 in the fall of 2001 to 62,789 this year. The largest increases were on the Duluth campus (9,815, up 4.6 percent) and the Twin Cities campus (48,677, up 4.5 percent).
"Clearly, the University remains an attractive and affordable educational option for many students, and recent tuition increases have not dampened interest in the U," says Swan.
Overall, 14.5 percent of the University's new freshmen are students of color, with the Twin Cities campus (18.5 percent) and the Morris campus (13 percent) enrolling the highest numbers. University officials are also pleased that the ability level of entering freshmen is the highest in recent years, based on high school rank and test scores.
Return to top
Early football game helps kick off homecoming
Most alumni and student activities associated with homecoming at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will continue as scheduled despite the shifting of the homecoming football game from Saturday, Oct. 12, to Thursday, Oct. 10. The football game was rescheduled to accommodate a potential Twins playoff game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
 |
"Homecoming is not just on Saturday, it's a weeklong celebration-a time for students, alumni, and the broader community to celebrate and connect with the University," says Karen Lyons, assistant director of the Twin Cities Student Unions. "Students are enthusiastic about continuing their events as planned, and we expect to have a great homecoming week."
The decision to reschedule the football game was made given the likelihood of the Minnesota Twins playing in the Metrodome on Oct. 12 in the American League division championship series.
Following is a partial list of homecoming week events. For a full list of events, go to www.homecoming.umn.edu.
- Wednesday, Oct. 9-homecoming pep fest, bonfire, and coronation (rescheduled from Oct. 11) will be held at the Gym field in St. Paul beginning at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 10-homecoming football game, Gophers vs. Northwestern. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the Metrodome. Events on the plaza outside the Metrodome will begin at 4 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 12-homecoming breakfast and family entertainment from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center, and homecoming parade at 10 a.m. The parade starts on 11th and University Avenues and moves east down University to the McNamara Center, where a rally begins at 11 a.m. The rally will feature Goldy Gopher, football players, and cheerleaders. Other Saturday options include the Weisman Art Museum (open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.), Bell Museum of Natural History (noon-4 p.m.), and the Raptor Center (11 a.m.-4 p.m.). The Gopher women's volleyball team will host Illinois at the Sports Pavilion at 7 p.m.
 |
To purchase tickets for the homecoming football game or to receive a ticket refund for rescheduled games, contact the athletics ticket office at 612-624-8080 or 1-800-UGOPHER. Alumni can register for the breakfast and find further homecoming information at www.alumni.umn.edu/homecoming. Parent's Weekend, scheduled in conjunction with homecoming, will also continue as planned. Parents can find more information at www.parent.umn.edu.
Return to top
Research awards at U top $500 million
For the first time, University of Minnesota researchers have secured over half a billion dollars in research funding in a single year, attracting a record $526.6 million in sponsored research funding for fiscal year 2002 (July 2001 to June 2002). This figure represents an increase over last year's $498.4 million in awards, and it is the fifth consecutive year the University has attracted record-setting levels of research funding.
"This is great news for Minnesota," says David Hamilton, interim vice president for research. "It is funding that likely would not come into our state but for the competitiveness of our faculty and researchers." Hamilton noted that the federal government estimates that 39.1 jobs are created in Minnesota for each $1 million in research funding that comes to the state.
 |
| Photo by Tom Foley |
The federal government continues to be the largest sponsor of the University's research at $370.2 million, or 76 percent of all University-sponsored research awards. More than $240 million, or 46 percent of all sponsored research, came from the Department of Health and Human Services. Among the University's colleges, the Medical School attracted the highest level of research funding with $171.3 million in awards. The Institute of Technology received $84.7 million in grants and the School of Public Health $75 million.
Another important measure of the University's research impact--technology transfer activity--recorded modest increases during fiscal year '02. The number of U.S. patents issued to University researchers remained relatively steady, increasing from 37 to 38, and patent applications increased from 86 to 89. The total number of disclosures increased from 229 to 237, and active licenses increased from 486 to 514. Royalties generated by University-developed technologies totaled $26.5 million, an increase of 58 percent over last year.
While the number of new licenses decreased from 77 to 65 and the number of start-ups declined from 11 to six, Hamilton expressed confidence in the University's technology transfer activity. "The key measure is the total amount of research funding we're attracting," he says. "With the level of funding the University receives, combined with our emphasis on effectively transferring technology to the marketplace, it is almost inevitable that technology transfer activity will generally continue upward and the University will continue to share its discoveries to benefit the public."
Return to top
Work under way on new science building for UMD
Work has begun on the new $33 million James I. Swenson Science Building to be constructed on the University of Minnesota, Duluth, (UMD) campus. The 89,000-square-foot structure is named for Jim Swenson, a 1959 UMD chemistry graduate. Jim and Susan Swenson, through the Swenson Family Foundation, made a gift of $7.5 million to help fund the new building.
 |
| A computer rendering of the new James I. Swenson Science Building. |
"Jim Swenson has been a strong advocate for science education and undergraduate research opportunities as well as a great friend to UMD," says Chancellor Kathryn Martin. "This state-of-the-art building will provide outstanding opportunities for learning and inquiry as our scientific knowledge advances at an amazing pace. UMD is enormously grateful to the Swenson Family Foundation and to our area legislators for making this wonderful building possible."
The three-story building is set for completion in the spring of 2005 and will house the departments of chemistry and biology. It will be located on Kirby Drive (just off College Street), with a bridge over Kirby Drive connecting it to the adjacent Life Science Building. The design incorporates two wings. The exterior of the teaching wing will be clad with taconite. The research wing will be built of brick and metal. A large picture window on the front will illuminate a two-story atrium and provide a full-scale view of outdoor areas.
The new science building is designed to encourage collaborative learning and will contain faculty-student research labs, teaching labs, undergraduate research areas, computer teaching labs, a student study room, and a lounge area. The new building replaces structures built in 1949 (chemistry) and 1968 (biology) and will provide a high-standard and safe learning environment for complex experiments, research, and teaching. More than 1,000 students per semester will receive instruction in the building. All first- and second-year chemistry and biology classes will be taught there.
"By any measure, UMD is one of the leading institutions in the nation in terms of providing opportunities for undergraduate students to do research with a faculty member," says James Riehl, dean of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE). "During the last academic year, more than 100 CSE students were involved in an undergraduate research project. CSE students regularly present the results of their research at regional and national scientific meetings. The Swenson Science Building will allow us to enhance and expand this vital role in providing superior science education."
UMD currently enrolls more than 900 students majoring in chemistry, biology, and pre-professional (medical) programs.
Return to top
Fun with philanthropy
There's no reason philanthropy can't be fun. Perhaps no one knows that better than Edna May Taylor, whose gifts to the University demonstrate a generous heart and a creative spirit. "I hate boring giving!" Taylor said once in 1992, after she challenged then-provost Jim Infante to quit smoking in exchange for a $50,000 gift to the University.
Taylor's association with the University spans decades, beginning when her late husband, George Taylor, graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1934. Over the years, the Taylors have given more than $7 million to the University, most notably for the Institute of Technology (IT). It's in her smaller gifts, however, that Edna May Taylor's creativity emerges. Her past gifts have included support for feline diabetes research, funds for the renovation of Eastcliff, gifts for the University's Gifted Mathematics Fund for Youth, and golf carts to assist elderly and disabled visitors to campus.
Taylor's recent $100,000 gift to Campaign Minnesota also contributed to her reputation as a creative philanthropist. Her gift topped off the drive for $900,000 to keep men's and women's golf and men's gymnastics at the U for one year. The sports, which last spring had been slated to be cut after a future budget shortfall was announced, were saved--at least for a year--by generous benefactors. And the Gopher men's golf team chipped in for a surprise thank-you gift by winning its first-ever NCAA national championship in June.
"Privately, she wishes she'd been an architect," says Ted Davis, IT dean. "But in no small way, she is in fact a master builder."
Return to top
Got M?
 |
The fall issue of M magazine was recently sent to all University of Minnesota alumni. The issue features stories on the 60th anniversary of Cedar Creek Natural History Area, on how investors have seen their pockets emptied and retirements delayed, on University collaborations with American Indian communities, and on how the University works to meet the needs of first-generation students.
You can also read M on the Web at www.umn.edu/urelate/m.
U OF M HAPPENINGS
The second event in the 42nd Performing Arts Series at the University of Minnesota, Morris, will offer African and Cuban music blended in a pastiche of calypso, merengue, Congolese rumba, and Cuban salsa. Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca will perform Friday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Edson Auditorium in the UMM Student Center. Tickets are available at the door or by calling the Office of Student Activities, 320-589-6080. Parking is free in any campus parking lot. Before Friday evening's performance, Ricardo Lemvo and some of the band members will give a lecture and demonstration from 2-4 p.m. in Oyate Hall, Student Center. The lecture, "Ricardo and Roots of Latin-African Music," is free and open to the public. For more information, call 320-589-6080 or visit www.mrs.umn.edu/stuorgs/CAC/Arts.
Andrei Codrescu, in his talk "Hunting the Nauga: Confessions of a Shameless Passenger," will offer memories of car interiors and road trips and advice for passengers, drivers, and pedestrians. The talk will be Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, West Bank of the Twin Cities campus. For tickets call 612-624-2345.
The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance has joined forces with St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre Company to host a symposium devoted to the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. "The Future of African American Art and Politics" will be Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Whiting Proscenium Theatre of the Rarig Center, located on the West Bank of the Twin Cities campus at 330 21st Avenue S., Minneapolis. This event is free and open to the public.
Join renowned fish biologist James Kitchell as he examines predator-prey relationships and their role in the structure of Lake Superior's food web. "It's a Fish-Eat-Fish World" is the first free talk in the monthly series "Superior Science for You!" hosted by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program. The talk will be Oct. 9, 7-8 p.m., EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd., Duluth. Kitchell is a professor in the Department of Zoology and Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rochester area alumni, students, and friends are invited to a Rochester homecoming rally on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Knights of Columbus, 2030 East Hwy 14, Rochester. The event includes a social and dinner, and Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi will be the guest speaker. Cost is $20 for adults, $7.50 for students. Please RSVP by Oct. 7 by calling Amy Kromming at 507-281-7791. For more information, contact Kromming or Chad Kono at 1-800-UM-ALUMS.
Esteemed scientists will debate the role of clouds in mitigating or exacerbating global warming as part of the 10th Annual Kuehnast Lecture, "Global Climate Change: Uncertainties, Risks, and Values in Determining Public Policy," sponsored by the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Friday, Oct. 11, 12:30-4:30 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. Details are at www.climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/kuehnast_lecture/kuehnast.htm.
Bay area alumni and friends are invited to the third annual Bay Area Chapter Fall Social Hour on Friday, Oct. 11. The event takes place at Stoddard's Brewhouse & Eatery in Sunnyvale, Calif., and includes a brief tour of the brewery followed by a social hour with fellow University alumni. There is no advance cost. Small brewery samples will be provided by Stoddard's; appetizers and drinks are cash-and-carry. For more information, visit www.alumni.umn.edu or contact Grant Erickson at 408-749-0495 or erick205@umn.edu.
Meet Ray Christensen, the longtime voice of the Golden Gophers, at the University Bookstore's East Bank store in Williamson Hall on Friday, Oct. 11, 2–4 p.m. Christensen will be on hand to sign copies of his newly released book, Gopher Tales: Stories from All Eleven University of Minnesota Men's Sports. Christenson will also be available to visit with alumni and autograph copies of Gopher Tales at the UMAA's Homecoming Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 12, 8–10:30 a.m., in the McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. SE. For more information about Gopher Tales, visit www.bookstore.umn.edu. For more information about the Homecoming Breakfast, visit www.alumni.umn.edu or call 1-800-UM-ALUMS.
In "Five Life Lessons from the Playing Fields: How Sports Are Transforming Women, Girls, and Society" author, athlete, and professional speaker Mariah Burton Nelson will use sports stories, inspirational video, and audience participation to explore the ways that sports are changing women. Lecture is Wednesday, Oct. 16, 7–9 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Hubert H. Humphrey Center, and is sponsored by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport.
Return to top
LINKS
Hey, Sports Fans! Check out sports news and schedules of the U's teams:
Gophers
Duluth Bulldogs
Morris Cougars
Crookston Golden Eagles
Campaign Minnesota: Learn more about this fund-raising effort to build excellence in every corner of the U.
University of Minnesota Alumni Association: Your membership makes a difference.
U of M Legislative Network: Read about the University's legislative request and how you can help.
University of Minnesota Systemwide Home Page
U of M E-News is a biweekly e-mail newsletter for alumni and friends of the University of Minnesota. The newsletter, a free information source prepared by University Relations, is designed to help alumni and friends stay connected to the University of Minnesota campuses in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Crookston, Morris and Duluth.
PRIVACY POLICY
© 2002 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
|
