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Vol. XXXVIII No. 7; Feb. 20, 2008
Interim editor: Pauline Oo, brief@umn.edu
Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_02202008.html.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--U seeking capital funding from legislature
--People: Associate professor Marco Yzer has received an $82,000
grant; Kathleen Vohs named 2008 SAGE Young Scholar; Ryan Mathre
joins University News Service; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities
U'S 2008 CAPITAL REQUEST of $288.3 million is currently being
considered by the Minnesota State Legislature, which opened its
2008 session last week. The request contains funding for buildings
and basic infrastructure improvements across the U's campuses. To
learn more, read "Capitol
priorities." To show your support for the U, visit the State
Capitol today--events include noon rally, free lunch, and meetings
with legislators; see "Support the U Day."
PEOPLE: Marco Yzer, associate professor in the School of Journalism
and Mass Communication, received an $82,000 grant from a National
Cancer Institute initiative to lead a study with researchers from
Case Western; Carlson School assistant professor Kathleen Vohs was
named one of five 2008 SAGE Young Scholars by the Foundation for
Social and Personality Psychology and SAGE Publications; Ryan
Mathre is a new public relations specialist in News Service at U
Relations; Dana Bacon is the new grassroots manager in Government
and Community Relations. Read about these and more awards and
appointments in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
THREE FINALISTS FOR FOUNDING DIRECTOR of the U's new Institute
on the Environment will give public presentations: Deborah
Swackhamer, interim director of the institute, March 3-5, UMTC, and
March 6, UMD; Malcolm Hughes, University of Arizona professor,
March 10-12, UMTC, and March 13, UMD; and George Hornberger,
University of Virginia professor, March 24-25, UMTC, and March 26,
UMD. Each finalist will present their research on the first day of
their visit, 2:30-4 p.m., 105 Cargill Building. A public forum will
be held on the second day of their visit, 2-3:30 p.m., 402 Walter
Library. The public forums at UMD will be 10-11 a.m., library
rotunda. Additional details on each candidate are available at the
Provost Office Web site.
MODEL OF FORMER I-35W BRIDGE, built by civil engineering junior
Rachel Gaulke, is being sent to Washington, D.C. today. The
1/200th-scale model will be used by engineers at the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), for various presentations to
help visualize and explain information related to the bridge
collapse and its causes. NTSB contracted the U to produce the model
because of its familiarity with the bridge. The budget for the
model was about $6,000, including labor and materials. Read the
news release and watch the
video on the construction and presentation of the bridge
model.
U BUYS NORTHSIDE PLYMOUTH PENN SHOPPING CENTER property for its
Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center. The property,
acquired from the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council, Inc.,
Feb. 6, at $1.125 million, comprises 2.19 acres and features a
21,374 square foot structure. The new U center will coordinate and
facilitate novel and existing University research, outreach, and
engagement activities related to North Minneapolis, such as the
University Northside Partnership, and provide residents easier
access to U programs and services. Read the
news release.
TWO U PROGRAMS RECEIVE GRANTS from Minnesota Campus Compact to
increase the quality, impact, and sustainability of community
service-learning efforts and campus-community collaboration
initiatives: "UMD Connects" ($20,000; directed by Casey LaCore) and
UMTC (with Gustavus College) "Taking a Stand Against Genocide"
($13,500; directed by Ellen Kennedy). Read the
news release.
FACULTY FOR THE ENGAGED CAMPUS, a national initiative of
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, is collaborating with the
U and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop
innovative new models of faculty development, to facilitate peer
review and the dissemination of products from community-engaged
scholarship, and to support community-engaged faculty through the
promotion and tenure process. For more information, read the
news
release or call Children, Youth, & Family Consortium at
612-625-7849.
AWARD-WINNING NATIONAL MAGAZINE Contexts moves editorial
offices to UMTC; inaugural issue hits newsstands this month. The
U's Department of Sociology won the bid for editorial leadership of
the American Sociological Association's seven-year-old journal last
year. John Rash, pop culture expert and author of The Rash
Report, will speak at the free launch party Feb. 22, 4 p.m., U
Bookstores, Coffman Union, UMTC. To learn more, read the
news release or see Contexts .
NEW REGENTS PROFESSOR LECTURE SERIES celebrates the U's most
distinguished faculty and allows the U community, as well as the
general public, to learn more about their work. Provost Sullivan
initiated the series; the first lecture will be March 4, 11:30
a.m.-1 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute, UMTC. Frank
Bates, Regents Professor and head of chemical engineering and
materials science, will discuss, "Forty Years Later the Answer is
Still Plastics." A reception follows.
CURA AND HUMPHREY INSTITUTE, along with 1,000 Friends of Minnesota,
receive McKnight Foundation grants totaling $1.9 million to fund
Community Growth Options, a joint project to help 10 Minnesota
communities address the challenges of rapid growth. The project
will bring together local planning firms with U faculty and
students to develop communities that are more sustainable,
environmentally responsive, and economically efficient. To learn
more, read the
news release.
UMC RECENTLY RECEIVED INITIAL APPROVAL from the Minnesota Board
of Teaching to prepare students for state teacher licensure. The
board also approved delivery of early childhood education degrees
by the Crookston campus. The degree program, previously a
cooperative endeavor between UMC and Bemidji State, is designed to
qualify students to be effective teachers of young children--from
birth through age eight--and to manage high-quality early childhood
programs. Read the news
release.
GROWING INTEREST IN BIOFUELS and renewable energy have resulted in
a new option for students majoring in agriculture at UMC. The Board
of Regents approved an emphasis in biofuels and renewable energy
technology at its February meeting. Read the news
release.
TIM NORTON IS NEW FACILITIES MANAGER. Norton has a solid background
in facilities management and has served many years in the U system.
He brings hands-on experience and leadership skills, honed both in
university and county government settings, to UMC. Read the
news
release.
ROYAL D. ALWORTH, JR. Institute for International Studies
presents "The Role of Cooperative Finance in Developing Countries,"
Feb. 21, noon, fourth floor library rotunda. President and CEO of
U.S. Federal Credit Union Bill Raker, who recently traveled to
Cambodia to assess and visit prospective credit unions in a rural
rice farming area, will discuss his trip, which he calls an
"eye-opening and life-changing experience," in this International
Brown Bag Lecture Series presentation. For more information, see
the Alworth
Institute.
UMD INTERNATIONAL CLUB will present the 40th annual Feast of
Nations, featuring a selection of foods and performers from around
the globe, Feb. 23, 5:30 p.m., Kirby Student Center Ballroom.
Tickets are $15 ($10 students, free for children five and under).
For more information, see International
Club.
TWEED MUSEUM OF ART will host a presentation by David Stark, an art
historian and educator with a specialty in Belgian painting, Feb.
26, 6 p.m., Tweed Lecture Gallery. Stark is principal author of
European Painting in the Tweed Museum of Art (2000) and is
currently conducting research on other aspects of European art at
the museum and Glensheen Historic Congdon Estate. The presentation
is part of the 2007-08 Art + Design Lecture Series, a joint venture
of the museum and the Department of Art and Design to bring artists
and designers to UMD to speak about their work and experience. For
more information, see Tweed Museum.
A NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY MAJOR in environmental studies will be
available next fall for students at UMM. The major will complement
the renewable energy and sustainability initiatives that are
already in place or in progress on campus. Read the news
release.
UMM IS RANKED among the top 100 colleges nationally as a best value
for out-of-state students in the 2008 Kiplinger 100 Best Values
in Public Colleges exclusive survey. UMM and UMTC are the only
schools in Minnesota to make the list. Read the news
release.
TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL O. TRUMAN DRIGGS Distinguished Lecture, "Keep
on Saving: How Other Nations Forged Cultures of Thrift When America
Didn't," will be given by Sheldon Garon, Dodge Professor of History
and East Asian Studies, Princeton University, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.,
Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall. Read the news
release.
COUGAR WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM has earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award
for the ninth time. To be eligible, a team must have a cumulative
GPA of 3.0 or higher. Read the news
release.
JOIN U POLICE MEMBERS FOR COFFEE and doughnuts on the east end
of the Washington Avenue Bridge, Feb. 25, 9-11 a.m. Officers will
give away whistles, cards with emergency numbers, and more.
President Bruininks and Goldy will make appearances. The event
kicks off Prepared-U, an awareness and education campaign about
campus emergency preparedness, safety, and security.
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH is now available for UMTC
students. The new online resource allows current undergraduate
students to obtain an individualized list of scholarships for which
they may be eligible to apply; see scholarships page on One
Stop.
PILLSBURY COURT, a transitional residence for new U faculty and
staff, has immediate vacancies. The facility comprises 48
two-bedroom townhouses that currently rent for $995 per month plus
utilities. For more information or to apply, go online,
e-mail Fred Frogner, or call
612-624-1969.
INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY lectures coming up: "The Films of
Ulrike Ottinger," introduced by the director, Feb. 22-24, Walker
Art Center; Chinese film Hibiscus Town, Feb. 26, 6:30-8:30
p.m., 275 Nicholson Hall; and "The Gay Land Rush: Race, Gender, and
GLBT identity in the Life of Minneapolis Neighborhoods," Feb. 27,
3:30-4:30 p.m., 235 Nolte Center. For more information on each
event, see IAS.
SIXTH ANNUAL SPARK FESTIVAL of Electronic Music and Arts is Feb.
26-March 2. Founded in 1992 by School of Music professor Doug
Geers, SPARK brings renowned scholars and performers of electronic
music and arts to the West Bank Arts Quarter for lectures,
performances, master classes, and multimedia installations. This
year, the festival features pop-influenced live electronica
performances, with video every night at the Nomad World Pub, among
other things. For the complete schedule, see SPARK fest.
KATHERINE E. NASH GALLERY presents "Culturing Nature: Culturing
Technology," seven women artists challenging the boundaries of
nature and technology, Feb. 26-March 27. A public reception is
scheduled for Feb. 29, 6-8:30 p.m. All events at the Nash, located
in Regis Center for Art, are free and open to the general
public.
"BUILD A PORTFOLIO FOR ANY WEATHER," the final session in the
annual Brown Bag Financial Series, will be Feb. 27, noon-1 p.m.,
210 Donhowe. The session is open to all U employees and will be
presented by representatives from Fidelity. Registration is not
required. For more information, see the Employee
Benefits Web site.
MORE EVENTS include "Ethics in Cyberspace: Internet Research Issues
and Guidelines" (Feb.
21), "Social Entrepreneurship in Asia" (Feb.
22), Peace crimes play (Feb.
23), "Guitarathon" (Feb.
24), "TRAVERSE: Shifted Waterways and Urban Life" (Feb.
25), Great Conversations 2008: "American Democracy in Dissent"
(Feb.
26). 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.
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