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Vol. XXXVIII No. 1; Jan. 9, 2008
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu
Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_1092008.html.
Note: This is my last issue as editor of Brief. Thanks for four great years--it has been an honor to serve U faculty and staff statewide in this role. I look forward to working with you in a new position as director of communication in the Graduate School. Pauline Oo, editor of eNews and a former Brief editor, will take the helm until a new editor is in place. Please continue to send your Brief correspondence to brief@umn.edu. -Ed.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--U of M and Winona State U launch partnership for clinical
laboratory sciences.
--New employee orientation program will debut at UMTC Jan.
16.
--People: Aaron Doering and Deborah Dillon named to endowed chairs
in CEHD; new transposon research center director; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston
|Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities
THE U OF M AND WINONA STATE U announced a clinical laboratory
sciences (CLS) partnership Jan. 7, which will begin enrolling
students next fall. The U's Center for Allied Health Programs--now
home to one of the oldest CLS baccalaureate programs in the
nation--is developing a learner-centered educational system that
students pursuing careers in allied health fields can access
throughout Minnesota. The partnership focuses on universities in
Rochester and will expand to other U and MnSCU sites statewide
through an electronic learning platform. See the
news release.
A NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION PROGRAM WILL DEBUT AT UMTC JAN. 16. The
current single-event program, which draws 100 new employees each
month, will become a yearlong orientation with three main
events--in the first, seventh, and twelfth months of
employment--and smaller, specific training and information
sessions, many based on employee responsibilities. The program will
be required for all new UMTC employees. See "A
bigger welcome for new employees."
PEOPLE: New holders of endowed chairs in the College of Education
and Human Development are Department of Curriculum and Instruction
faculty members Aaron Doering in learning technologies and Deborah
Dillon in reading; new director of the Beckman Center for
Transposon Research is Dan Voytas from Iowa State U; Dave Crane and
Jeremy Todd are among the first to achieve national certification
as educational facilities professionals; Doug Arnold is
president-elect of the Society for Industrial and Applied
Mathematics. Read about these and more awards and appointments in
People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
U OF M ANNUAL REPORT, approved by the Board of Regents Dec. 14,
is now available online
(PDF). Contact Terri Carlson at carl0769@umn.edu if you have
questions about the report.
CONGRESS PASSED A BUDGET BILL Dec. 19 with $555 billion for fiscal
year 2008 for all federal agencies except defense, for which a bill
had already passed. While NIH and NSF escaped cuts, many higher
education programs are underfunded and the U's high-energy physics
project called NOvA was put on hold. The second session of the
110th Congress will reconvene in the House Jan. 15 and the Senate
Jan. 22. See the Federal Relations update.
YOU'RE INVITED: 2008 LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING AND RECEPTION. Join other
University supporters and President Bruininks in this annual event.
You will get an insider's preview of the U's 2008 capital bonding
request, generate enthusiasm with other U supporters, and learn how
to share your story in a way that will help the leaders and
citizens of Minnesota realize how the U touches everyone. Enjoy a
light dinner buffet and learn what you can do to support the U.
Jan. 23, 5:30-8 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. Just before the
event, UMD and UMM will hold sessions specifically for their alumni
and friends, 5:15-6:15 p.m. Register by Jan. 17--see the Legislative
Network or call 612-626-1417.
PHARMACEUTICAL CARE EXPERIENTIAL CLINIC PATIENTS NEEDED:
Appointments are now being accepted at UMD and UMTC. Clinic
experience helps U pharmacy students learn how to deliver
medication therapy management services--a new health benefit
covered by some insurers and government programs. In the presence
of an experienced faculty member, an advanced-standing pharmacy
student conducts a comprehensive assessment of all of a patient's
medication-related needs. All U employees, relatives, and friends
are encouraged to help prepare pharmacy students for this new
professional responsibility. Free, though donations are accepted.
For more information or an appointment, call 218-726-6800 at UMD or
612-625-7929 at UMTC.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL QUALITY FAIR. Lee Todd, Jr., who
developed a business plan to drive improvements as president at the
U of Kentucky, will give the keynote address. Staff and faculty
will present posters to share improvement projects for teaching,
learning, research, and work. Best practices and
projects-in-process will be highlighted. Prizes will be raffled
throughout the day, with a grand prize iPhone. Jan. 31, 10 a.m.-3
p.m., McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC. Register and reserve a
box lunch.
MINNESOTA LANDSCAPE ARBORETUM events coming up include an exhibit
of four prize-winning Minnesota pastel artists (Jan. 9-March 23,
reception Jan. 27); Extreme Winter Walkabout (Jan. 12 and Feb. 9);
three-course teas (Wednesdays through March 27); and more. See the
arboretum.
THE WALTER AND ELINOR FEHR SCHOLARSHIP IN AGRONOMIC SCIENCE has
been established for UMC students with a gift from the Fehrs.
Walter Fehr, '57, currently teaches and researches soybeans at Iowa
State U. Read the news
release.
PREVIEW DAY for new and prospective students and their families
will be Jan. 12. Read the news
release.
THE UMD SNOW ADVISORY HOTLINE is up and running for winter 2008.
Call 218-726-7669 for information about school closings, 24 hours a
day. Read more.
"AT HOME(S): A Window Into the World of Duluth's Collectors,"
curated by Renaissance art historian and Department of Art and
Design faculty member Jennifer Webb, showcases unique items from
wealthy Duluth homes of the early 20th century. Tweed Museum of
Art, through March 16. The Community Curators Series draws on local
collections including Glensheen Historic Estate, Tweed Museum of
Art, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center, and UMD Library's
Ramseyer-Northern Bible Society Collection. See exhibit
information.
UMM AT THE LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING: An information session about
UMM's Gateway Center project request will be held before the
Legislative Briefing. Jan. 23, 5:15-6:15, Minnesota Room, McNamara
Alumni Center, UMTC. Read more about the project,
and register online or
by calling Melissa Weber at 320-589-6414. If you have questions
about the presentation, contact Christine Mahoney at mahoneyc@morris.umn.edu or
320-589-6398.
"SONG FOR MINNESOTA," a concert by singer, songwriter, and
guitarist Ann Reed and guest pianist Dan Chouinard, will be part of
the Minnesota sesquicentennial celebration. Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m.,
Edson Auditorium. Read the news
release.
AN UPGRADE OF THE CAMPUS WIRELESS NETWORK, approved by the
regents, will provide security improvements and guest access.
Information meetings to prepare for the change will be held Jan.
22, 9-10:30 a.m., 325 Coffman Union; Jan. 23, 9-10:30 a.m., 110 St.
Paul Student Center; and Jan. 23, 1-2:30 p.m., 325 Coffman Union.
Register by contacting wireless@umn.edu. Read more about the
project.
COURSE RESERVES FOR SPRING 2008: University Libraries offer course
reserve services to help instructors provide course materials,
publications, and other information resources to their students.
Print- and Web-based services are available. Students can access
electronic content from within the Libraries or remotely. See
Reserves
for more information about placing materials on course reserves for
spring semester, or contact Jerrie Bayer at j-baye@umn.edu or 612-624-8530.
GRANTS FROM THE GOOD NEIGHBOR FUND will help neighborhoods impacted
by the new Gopher football stadium to preserve their beauty,
serenity, and security. Eligible applicants are neighborhood and
business associations adjacent to campus as well as a student
organization, the Residential Housing Association. Deadline for
applications: April 1. See the guidelines.
HEADLINERS: "GLOBAL WARMING'S REGIONAL IMPACT: Minnesota's Role in
an Environmental Crisis," with Deborah Swackhamer, professor of
public health and director of the Institute on the Environment, is
next in the series. Jan. 10, 7 p.m., Continuing Education
Conference Center. See
Headliners.
DIALOGUE ON THE INTERSECTIONS OF FAITH AND SEXUALITY will be the
next discussion in a series on identity sponsored by the Office of
Equity and Diversity. Panelists will include Phillip Sellew,
associate professor, classical and Near Eastern studies; Anne
Phibbs, director of the systemwide GLBTA Programs Office; and
Charles Amjad-Ali, MLK professor and director of Islamic studies,
Luther Seminary. Jan. 29, 2:30-4:30 p.m., 2-101 Hasselmo Hall.
Space is limited; register by contacting oed@umn.edu or 612-624-0594. Read more.
SAVE THE DATE: 13TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION,
featuring Robin Morgan, March 15, Coffman Union. See the schedule.
CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY SOON? So is the Campus Club--it first opened
in 1911 and, after Coffman Union renovation, reopened five years
ago this month. U faculty and staff are invited to celebrate their
birthdays at the Campus Club for lunch. Membership is not required,
but some restrictions apply. See the details.
MORE EVENTS include a workshop, "Preventing and Responding to
Workplace Harassment" (Jan.
10); Minnesota TIGER Summit: Preparing for 2010 (Jan.
11); "Nature Play: Spectacular Snowflakes" (Jan.
12); Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation (closes
Jan.
13); "Keeping Current in a Web 2.0 World" in the health
sciences (Jan.
14); "Understanding Child Abuse: From Neurobiology to Social
Policy" colloquium by Joan Kaufman, Yale U (Jan.
15); and Pride @ Work Meet and Greet (Jan.
16). 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.
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