Return to: U of M Home
Vol. XXXVII No. 34; Oct. 31, 2007
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu
Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_10312007.html.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--Benefits open enrollment is Nov. 1-30.
--New UPlan Fitness Rewards program will offset costs of
health-club memberships in 2008.
--Improving on time: UMTC is saving money and time with a new
system that will reset 300 classroom clocks remotely when DST ends
Nov. 4.
--People: Seven faculty members named to AAAS; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities
OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR HEALTH BENEFITS IS ONLINE NOV. 1-30. Options
this year include selecting different medical and dental plans,
adding or canceling medical or dental coverage, adding or canceling
dependent coverage, adding $25,000 of additional employee life
insurance without evidence of insurability, and adding or
increasing the amount of long-term disability insurance. If you
want to participate in the health care or dependent day care
flexible spending accounts in 2008 or make other benefit changes,
you must make your choice on the Employee Self-Service Web site by Nov.
30. See Open
Enrollment, which includes a narrated presentation, and attend
a health and
benefits fair Nov. 1 at UMD or Nov. 6 or 7 at UMTC. Call the
Employee Benefits Service Center at 612-624-9090 or 1-800-756-2363
if you have specific questions about open enrollment.
NEW UPLAN FITNESS REWARDS program allows UPlan medical program
members who enroll in Medica or HealthPartners in 2008 to be
reimbursed up to $20 per month in membership dues for exercising
eight times a month at a participating fitness facility--including
U rec centers at UMD, UMM, or UMTC. The total reimbursement per
household may be $40 per month. Read more in "Reward
yourself."
IMPROVING ON TIME: When all the clocks in the country "fall back"
an hour Nov. 4 as daylight saving time ends, the clocks in 300 UMTC
central classrooms will be reset by the invisible hand of a new
remote system. Read more in "Improving
on time."
PEOPLE: Seven UMTC faculty members have been named to the American
Association for the Advancement of Science: Judith Berman and
Robert Herman, genetics and cell development; David Lilja,
electrical and computer engineering; John Lipscomb, biology;
Stephen Polasky, applied economics; Jeffrey Roberts, chemistry; and
Lanny Schmidt, chemical engineering. Read about these and more
awards and appointments in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
THREE CANDIDATES FOR THE VICE PROVOST AND DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATE
EDUCATION position at UMTC will give public presentations: Nov. 7,
2-3 p.m., 402 Walter Library; Nov. 14, 2:15-3:15 p.m., Ski-U-Mah
Room, McNamara Alumni Center; and Nov. 19, noon-1 p.m., 402 Walter
Library. Each will be broadcast live via UMConnect (formerly
Breeze) for U-wide participation. Candidates will be announced Nov.
1 by the Office of
the Senior VP and Provost.
U RESEARCHERS: LEARN MORE ABOUT THE $1 MILLION COMMERCIALIZATION
CHALLENGE, an opportunity to help turn "green" U technologies and
other innovations into real-world products or services. Sponsored
by the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC). Nov. 5,
12:30-2 p.m., Ski-U-Mah Room, McNamara Alumni Center; dessert and
coffee will be served. See the OTC.
CALL FOR RESIDENTIAL FELLOWS, INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY (IAS):
Fellowships allow faculty members from any U campus to devote
themselves to research for one semester. Up to 20 awards (50
percent of each fellow's b-base salary and fringe up to a maximum
of $30,000) will be made for 2008-09. Deadline to apply: Nov. 30.
See residential
fellows.
CAMPUS FORUMS ON CREATING A VISION FOR THE NEW COMMUNITY AT UMORE
PARK: Faculty, staff, and students are invited to share ideas for
developing a community of 20,000-30,000 people on 5,000 U-owned
acres in Dakota County over 25-30 years. Nov. 8, 8-10:30 a.m.,
North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center; Nov. 9, 8-10:30 a.m.,
theater, Coffman Union. Register online or by
calling 612-626-3976.
"BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESSFUL NOMINATIONS" WORKSHOP will help
participants develop nominations for the U's honorary degree,
Outstanding Achievement Award, Award of Distinction, Alumni Service
Award, and naming of a building. Nov. 6, 10-11:30 a.m., Mississippi
Room, Coffman Union. To register, e-mail courtney@umn.edu or call
612-625-4805.
APPLEHOUSE
has been extended through Nov. 4, selling apples, pumpkins, gourds,
and locally made fruit pies, ciders, preserves, and jellies, as
well as photographs and garden and nature products. Daily 10 a.m.-6
p.m. Chanhassen.
RENEWED UMC WRITING CENTER coordinator is Shou-Ching Chao. The center helps students develop writing strategies and skills, including organizing, editing, and revising papers. Chao will direct center activities, coordinate professional and peer tutors, and serve as a liaison between the center and the faculty. He received his master's and Ph.D. in English at UMTC, where he also has taught English literature and composition. See the news release.
THE 15TH ANNUAL NIGHTWALK FOR CAMPUS SAFETY is an opportunity
for students, faculty, and staff to walk together to inspect all
outdoor and several indoor areas of the campus for possible safety
issues and to gather suggestions for improvements. Nov. 5, 6-7:30
p.m. See more
information.
"AMERICAN INDIANS IN MINNESOTA: PERSONAL HISTORIES" will feature
alumna Karen Diver, chair of the Fond du Lac Band of Minnesota
Chippewa tribe, speaking on her role as head of a tribal government
that employs 1,600-1,800 people and holds assets of more than $300
million. Diver was a founding member of the American Indian
Community Housing Organization and is a member of the Governor's
Workforce Development Council. Nov. 5, 7 p.m., ballroom, Kirby
Student Center. See the American Indian Learning Resource
Center and the series
schedule.
A NEW INITIATIVE TO ENCOURAGE NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN STEM
FIELDS--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--will be
funded through an award of nearly $500,000 from the National
Science Foundation. Geology professor James Cotter is the principal
investigator. See the news
release.
PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE ANNUAL
FARMER'S MARKET AND MEAL, featuring locally grown foods and
local music. Nov. 6, 1 p.m., Student Center and Food Service
Center.
ADVANCED BIOMASS
WORKSHOP, to educate those who will participate in
biomass-related activities within the next five years, will include
presentations on regional biomass-to-energy facilities and
discussions about current science, policy, and the economics of
biomass use. Nov. 15, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Student Center. Register by
Nov. 8.
WORKSHOPS ON ARTstor--a database of nearly 550,000 downloadable
art images to which U faculty, staff, and students have free access
through U Libraries--will be offered for the U community. Images of
paintings, sculptures, drawings, etchings, prints, photography, and
more by master artists around the world and throughout history can
be downloaded and used in teaching, presentations, papers, and
other academic applications. An ARTstor representative will lead
the workshops. Nov. 8 or 9, 120 Andersen Library. Free, but
registration is required. See the
schedule.
HOMECOMING EVENTS THIS WEEK include a candlelight vigil for I-35W
bridge victims (Nov. 1) and sock hop and swing dance (Nov. 2).
Saturday events: parade on University Avenue, from Pleasant
Street/15th Avenue to Oak Street, with staging on East River Road,
Arlington Street, and Pleasant Street (2-3:30 p.m.), and royalty
coronation at the football game vs. Illinois at the Metrodome (7
p.m.). See "Golden
Oldies."
PRE-HOMECOMING DINNER AT THE CAMPUS CLUB IS OPEN TO NONMEMBERS.
Dinner includes herb-roasted chicken, fresh vegetables, mashed
potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables and chèvre in
filo-dough pastry, and fresh apple crisp. Nov. 3, 5-6:45 p.m.,
Coffman Union. $20. Reservations required: call 612-626-7788. See
the details.
HOPE LODGE FOR CANCER PATIENTS will open in late December. The
Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 2500
University Ave S.E., will provide free, temporary accommodations
and a nurturing, home-like environment for adult cancer patients
traveling long distances for outpatient treatment. Community
volunteers will be a major part of its success. To volunteer,
contact Mary Oys Wiles, Hope Lodge manager, American Cancer
Society, 651-255-8183.
GIVE BLOOD, GIVE LIFE: Interfaith Campus Coalition Blood Drive
needs volunteers to give blood and help. The need for blood is
acute. The coalition provides a supportive and fun environment for
first-time donors. Nov. 7, 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Hillel, 1521
University Avenue S.E. Schedule an appointment to give (use sponsor
code 5160). To volunteer to help, contact Jerie Smith at smith145@umn.edu.
A BENEFIT FOR THE PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD CLINIC, which provides free
access to culturally sensitive, high quality health care while
providing U students the experience and skills to work in
underserved communities, will be hosted by students in the health
professions. Nov. 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Weisman Art Museum. See
"Silent Auction" at the PNC site.
THE U.S. PREMIER OF A DOCUMENTARY FILM ON ARTIST M. C. ESCHER,
Achieving the Unachievable, examines mathematical
solutions to the mystery behind Escher's unfinished masterpiece.
Director Jean Bergeron will attend and answer questions. Hosted as
part of the Math Matters Lecture
Series by the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications.
Nov. 1, 7 p.m., 125 Wiley Hall.
THE FALL 2007 LEADERSHIP RESEARCH CONFERENCE will feature a public
keynote, "Changing Times: Leadership Studies and the Leadership
Industry," by Harvard U professor Barbara Kellerman, author of
Women and Leadership and the forthcoming Followership:
How Followers Create Change and Change Leaders. Sponsored by
the Center for Integrative Leadership, a joint program of the
Carlson School of Management (CSOM) and Humphrey Institute. Nov. 8,
7:30 p.m., 3M Auditorium, CSOM. See the
news release.
SAVE THE DATE:
--TRANSGENDER
COMMISSION OPEN HOUSE, Nov. 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m., 332 Coffman
Union
--"BEYOND THE
F-WORD: FASHION, DRESS, AND CULTURAL MEANING," by Regents
Professor Joanne Eicher, in the Ada Comstock Distinguished Women
Scholars Lecture Series, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Humphrey Center
--"A WOMAN
FOR ALL SEASONS: ASTRID LINDGREN AT 100" conference on the
Swedish creator of Pippi Longstocking, Nov. 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.,
Andersen Library
MORE EVENTS include "Eyewitness Iran," by correspondent Reese
Erlich (Oct.
31 and Nov.
1); Día de los Muertos procession (Nov.
1); "Comparing and Connecting the Contemporary Humanitarian
Enterprise With Its Roots in 19th Century Colonialism: The French
Example" (Nov.
1); "Is Journalism Dead?" a talk with Jeremy Iggers (Nov.
1); "Palestine and Israel Behind the Headlines and On the
Ground," stories from U Archives (Nov.
2); Carl Linnaeus, a 300th birthday celebration exhibition
(through Nov.
4); "Interviewing Diverse Children and Families" (Nov.
5); "From Cultural Competence to Social Justice" (Nov.
6); "A Vital Cog in the Regional Network: The New Bridge as a
Transportation Link," by John Adams (Nov.
6); "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty
Industry" (Nov.
6); and Gender and Pay Equity Panel (Nov.
7). SEE THESE AND MORE TWIN CITIES CAMPUS EVENTS.
Published by University Relations at the University of Minnesota. Please send comments, questions, or submissions to the editor at brief@umn.edu. The deadline for submissions is noon on the Friday before publication. All Twin Cities event submissions are handled through the events calendar at http://events.tc.umn.edu.
Brief is published by e-mail and on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief.html.
Notice: Brief is the official University of Minnesota staff and faculty weekly news digest, featuring human resource, employee benefit, administrative, legislative, budgetary, event, and other pertinent information. You may choose to unsubscribe from Brief, but please be aware that if you do, you will not receive this up-to-date information, compiled and delivered directly to you, in any other University communications. To unsubscribe, visit http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Subscribe.html.