Return to: U of M Home
Vol. XXXVIII No. 4; Jan. 30, 2008
Interim editor: Pauline Oo, brief@umn.edu
Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_01302008.html.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--Q&A with new associate VP for public engagement
--People: Kevin Dorfman named promising scientific researcher;
Arboretum director earns place in hall of fame; Anne Kapuscinski
receives distinguished service award; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities
NEW ASSOCIATE VP FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Andrew Furco brings
national and international experience to his new position as
associate vice president for public engagement, which he began Jan.
2. See "All
together now."
PEOPLE: Assistant professor Kevin Dorfman received a 2007 Packard
Fellowship for Science and Engineering; Peter Olin, Minnesota
Landscape Arboretum director, has been inducted into the Minnesota
Nursery and Landscape Association Hall of Fame; Anne Kapuscinski is
one of five recipients of the international Society for
Conservation Biology's 2008 Distinguished Service Award; assistant
professor Bonnie Westra was appointed to the Minnesota e-Health
Initiative Advisory Committee. Read about these and more awards and
appointments in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
U IN TOP 10 FOR PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. The U has moved up two
spots this year in the number of graduates enrolling in the Peace
Corps. In addition to ranking ninth among the country's largest
colleges and universities, the U has become the 18th largest
producer of volunteers of all time, with 1,203 total alumni joining
the ranks since the Peace Corps began. Currently, 71 U alumni serve
in the Peace Corps around the world. The Learning Abroad Center at
UMTC coordinates the opportunity for U students.
REGISTER FOR TXT-U and join more than 12,000 subscribers who have
signed up since Nov. 16, when TXT-U debuted at UMTC. The service,
for students, faculty, and staff with cell phones and other
wireless handheld devices, will be used only for emergencies or
school closings. TXT-U will soon be implemented at UMC, UMM, and
UMR; UMD has its own system. Text messaging joins outdoor sirens,
fire alarms, broadcast voice mail and e-mail, pagers, and
department radios among the U's methods to reach everyone quickly.
There is no charge to sign up, though cell phone carriers may
charge to receive text messages. To learn more and to register, see
TXT-U.
U IS ONE OF 20 IN SOLAR DECATHALON. The U.S. Department of Energy
has chosen the University of Minnesota as one of only 20
international teams to compete in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. This is
the first time the U has competed in the competition, which brings
together student teams from the United States, Europe, and Canada
to compete in designing, building, and operating energy-efficient,
solar-powered houses. The teams will assemble their homes on the
National Mall in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., next
fall. The Institute of Technology and College of Design will lead
the U's effort. Read the
news release.
UMC STUDENT JOSIAH LOLL, Campbell, Minnesota, has been awarded
the Daily Point of Light Award Jan. 9 by the Points of Light
Foundation and the Hands On Network for community service. The
award celebrates the success of volunteers and spotlights the
impact that the individuals have made on their communities. Read
the news
release.
UMC ALUMNA BEVERLY VOGT has been named the Outstanding Dietetic
Technician of the Year by the American Dietetic Association. Vogt,
a 2005 graduate, completed her associate degree as a dietetic
technician online while living and working in South Dakota. Read
the news
release.
UMM WILL WELCOME APPROXIMATELY 200 VISITORS per day Feb. 1-2
during the Community of Scholars event, UMM's scholarships
competition for incoming high school students.
THE ANNUAL MIDWINTER GATHERING, sponsored by the UMM Alumni
Association, will be held Feb. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Pracna on Main,
Minneapolis. For more information and to RSVP, call
320-589-6066.
FIRST STEEL FOR TCF BANK STADIUM was installed Monday Jan. 28.
Over the next six months, the future home of Gopher football will
receive 8,800 tons of steel in daily shipments for the stadium's
frame. Fund-raising is currently under way for the $288.5 million
structure, and so far, nearly $75 million has been raised toward
the goal of $86 million in donations and sponsorships. When it
opens in September 2009, TCF Bank Stadium will be the first
on-campus football
stadium for the University of Minnesota in more than two
decades.
FEB. 5 is CAUCUS NIGHT in Minnesota. For information about classes
being held on caucus night, see the
Provost Office Web site.
OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE (OLLI) received a second $1
million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The addition
was awarded because OLLI has increased its membership to more than
1,000 and continues to offer innovative programming for older adult
learners in the metro area. Part of the interest from the endowment
will be used to grant fellowships to outstanding graduate students
for preparing and presenting a course as part of OLLI's regular
curriculum. Twelve such courses have been approved for spring
semester. For more information, see OLLI.
GOV. TIM PAWLENTY TO SPEAK at the University Enterprise
Laboratories (UEL) open house. Jan. 30, 3-7 p.m., 1000 Westgate
Dr., St. Paul (Pawlenty is scheduled at 3:45 p.m.). More than 250
investors, business executives, and U administrators and community
members have registered for the event, which will showcase 25 U
centers, colleges, and institutes, as well as UEL tenants.
President Robert Bruininks will also attend. For more information,
visit UEL or call
612-626-3438.
CELL PHONE DRIVE for Domestic Violence Shelters. If you recently
bought a new phone, consider donating your old one. The U's Aurora
Center for Advocacy and Education will be collecting cell phones
(with batteries) through Feb. 8 at 407 Boynton and the Coffman
Union Information Desk. The cell phones will be donated to local
shelters to be distributed to victims of domestic violence, who can
use the phones to call 911 in case of an emergency. Questions, call
Jackie at 612-626-2929.
STUDENTS WANTED for the Intercultural Leadership Retreat, sponsored
by International Student and Scholar Services. Open to
international and U.S. students who want to learn how to become
more effective in international environments. Retreat dates are
Feb. 22, 5-9 p.m., and Feb. 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Space is limited;
apply online before Feb. 5 at ISSS.
Questions, e-mail thorunnb@umn.edu.
NORTHROP JAZZ SEASON continues Feb. 2 with The Gospel According to
Ramsey Lewis, 8 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall. Lewis, who has
received three Grammy Awards and seven gold records, will play with
Larry Gray (bass), Leon Joyce (drums), William Kilgore (organ), and
Eleanor Hampton (vocals). Tickets are $35 and $45, with discounts
for U faculty, staff, and students. $20 rush tickets available for
faculty and staff day of event. For details or complete schedule,
see jazz
season.
FINANCIAL BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES for employees includes "Getting
Ahead: How to Reduce Debt and Build Wealth" (Feb. 6); "A
Perspective on Today's Economy and Portfolio Diversification" (Feb.
13); and "Build a Portfolio for Any Weather" (Feb. 27). Sponsored
by Employee Benefits, with guest speakers. Noon-1 p.m., 210
Donhowe. For more information, call 612-624-9090 or see Employee Benefits Service
Center.
MEET THE ARTISTS of "Changing Landscapes: Visiting Artists With
Disabilities," an exhibit gracing the walls of the Institute on
Community Integration in Pattee Hall through August. The artists
will speak about their work, and staff from Partnership Resources,
Inc. will present a video about the organization's arts program.
Feb. 7, 1 p.m., 325 Ed Sciences Building. RSVP and questions, call
Megan at 612-626-8649.
AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS will speak at the Fourth Annual NOMMO
series sponsored by the Givens Foundation and U Libraries: Randall
Kenan (Feb. 7), Lucille Clifton (April 24), and Amiri Baraka (April
30). U professor and author of Amistad Alexs Pate will
moderate. All events are 7:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey
Center. Tickets are $10 ($25 for series). To buy tickets and learn
more, see
U Libraries.
"NETWORKS and NEIGHBORHOODS IN CYBERSPACE" is the MN Futures Grant
Symposium sponsored by the Office of the VP for Research. Feb. 11,
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Digital Technology Center, 4th floor, Walter
Library. Speakers include Christine Greenhow, CEHD; Ann Hill Duin
and Linda Jorn, Digital Media Center and Office of Information
Technology; and Joanna O'Connell, Spanish and Portuguese studies,
CLA. Registration is free and includes breakfast, lunch, and
refreshments. [Only attendees can apply for $250,000
MN Futures Grants.] To register and for details, see OVPR.
MORE EVENTS include I-35 bridge update from Hennepin County
commissioner Peter McLaughlin (Jan.
30); "Focus Minnesota: An Evening With Will Steger" (Jan.
31); "The Rhetorical Tradition Meets the World Wide Web and
Contemporary War Images" (Feb.
1); "Abandon Your Threads" fashion show (Feb.
2); "The Minnesota Caucuses: Roundtable Discussion" (Feb.
4). 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.