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Vol. XXXVIII No. 32; October 15, 2008
Editor: Adam Overland, brief@umn.edu
Inside This Issue
--Board of Regents will hold its monthly meeting at UMD, Oct.
16-17.
--U's Digital Campus seeks to accommodate learners across the
state.
--People: Jane Davidson and Lanny Schmidt were appointed by
Governor Pawlenty to the Clean Energy Technology Collaborative; and
more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Rochester | Twin Cities
THE BOARD OF REGENTS WILL HOLD ITS MONTHLY MEETING AT UMD, Oct. 16-17. At the meeting, the board will take action on the University's 2009-10 biennial state budget request. In September, President Bruininks presented the board with a proposed $141.2 million request. For more information, see Regents.
THE U OF M DIGITAL CAMPUS seeks to accommodate learners across the state, the nation, and even the world. It's a convenient clearinghouse to online course offerings, degree programs, and noncredit courses systemwide. For more information, read Expanding access to education at the U.
PEOPLE: Jane Davidson and Lanny Schmidt were appointed by Governor Pawlenty to the Clean Energy Technology Collaborative; Randy Moore was named winner of the National Association of Biology Teachers Evolution Education Award; longtime history professor and state legislator Allan Spear died; Srilata Zaheer was named first holder of the Elmer L. Andersen Chair in Global Corporate Social Responsibility. Read about these and more awards and appointments in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
WHEN FINANCIAL TIMES LOOK BLEAK, everyone--no matter what their income, needs a spending plan. In the column Connect @ Home, family resource management Extension educator Shirley Anderson-Porisch writes about money management in tough economic times. For more information, read Planning is key.
THE U WILL JOIN THE UPPER MIDWEST HIGHER EDUCATION RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM (UMW HERC) in October. The U joins 47 colleges and universities in Minnesota and Wisconsin to launch UMW HERC. The collaboration is designed to enhance dual-career and diversity hiring and is a premier example of the higher education community working together to advance the region. For more information, read UMW HERC.
N. SCOTT MOMADAY, the first American Indian to win the Pulitzer Prize--in 1969 for his novel, House Made of Dawn,--will deliver the Graduate School's 2008 Guy Stanton Ford Lecture entitled, "Native American Oral Tradition: The Stories and Storytellers," Oct. 21, 12:15 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall. For more information, see Ford Lecture.
CALL FOR POSTERS AND WORKING SMARTER IDEAS FOR QUALITY FAIR: Quality Fair 2009 is set for Feb. 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. Departments that want to share their quality improvement projects must apply by Nov. 6. Applications are available online.
BUILDING SUCCESS IN MINNESOTA'S K-12 SCHOOLS: This fall has seen expansion of the U's innovative Minnesota Principals' Academy. The academy, coordinated by the College Readiness Consortium, brings together public school leaders from around the state for an intensive executive development program. The first academy prepared 48 school leaders in August 2007. The 2008 cohorts total 64 participants. They are working this month with a cohort in Rochester. The College Readiness Consortium is part of the Office of System Academic Administration.
A MEET-THE-CANDIDATES FORUM, sponsored by UMC and the Crookston Convention and Visitors Bureau, will take place Oct. 21, 7-10 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium. Local candidates running for school board, city council, and county commissioner positions, and candidates for Minnesota House Legislative District 1B are scheduled to attend. Audience members will have the opportunity to submit written questions and to meet candidates following the event.
AN OPEN HOUSE FOR NEW AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS will be held Oct. 16-17, and a campus preview day is scheduled for Oct. 18. For more information, see open house.
NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT FACULTY AND STAFF recently presented at the annual meeting of the North Dakota Recreation and Park Association. The theme of this year's conference was "Healthy Communities from the Inside Out." For more information, see the Healthy Communities.
UMD WILL HONOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH with a candlelight vigil, Oct. 16, 6 p.m., St. Paul Episcopal Church (1710 East Superior Street). The event is sponsored by UMD Women Resource and Action Center, UMD Department of Women's Studies, PAVSA, and Safe Haven Shelter.
A NEW PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HEALTH EDUCATION THROUGH MUSIC AND DANCE performances for surrounding area schools will launch in mid-October. The program is sponsored by the UMD School of Fine Arts with funding from SMDC Health System and HealthPartners and will showcase performances to 37,000 students in grades K-12 by June 2010. The shows will be performed by the UMD Voyageurs, a troupe of nine graduate students from the Department of Music. Show subjects include exercise, hygiene, peer pressure, substance abuse, and wellness. For more information, see Health Education.
"PEACE, STABILITY, AND REFORM IN THE MIDDLE EAST: How Will the New U.S. Administration Balance Priorities?" will be presented by Michele Dunne, senior associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., UMD Library Rotunda (fourth floor). Ms. Dunne is a former Middle East specialist at the Department of State and the White House. The lecture is part of the Alworth Institute's International Lecture Series. Free and open to the public. For more information, see Peace, Stability, Reform.
SEUSSICAL, A MUSICAL BASED ON THE BOOKS OF DR. SEUSS, will be performed by the UMD Theatre, Oct. 16-18, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 19, 2 p.m.; and Oct. 22-25, 7:30 p.m. Mainstage Theatre, Marshall Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $17 adults, $13 seniors (62 and over), $8 children, and $6 UMD students. Directed by Ann Bergeron. For more information see Seussical .UMM UNVEILED A NEW BIOMASS PLANT LAST WEEK that will meet 80 percent of its heating needs. The facility will burn 9,000 tons of renewable fuel every year, with such biomass as corn stover (stalks, leaves, cobs) and wood chips. For more information, see Biomass.
THE FIRST AMERICAN COUNCIL ON RENEWABLE ENERGY (ACORE) CAMPUS EXCELLENCE AWARD for Outstanding Use of Renewable Energy was presented to UMM Oct. 3 by Cheri Olf, ACORE's director of education and program manager of the Higher Education Committee. Olf noted that the U's new facility represents the highest level of commitment that institutions of higher education can make to renewable energy. For more about UMM, see Morris News.
SHARMARKE SAMATAR, a respiratory care student, was recognized as the recipient of the Shirley Johnson Scholarship, Sept. 29, at the North Regional Respiratory Care Conference business meeting and luncheon, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester.
THE U'S COMMUNITY FUND DRIVE RAISES over a million dollars every year for Minnesota charities. The annual fund-raising effort, which runs Oct. 1-31, enables members of the campus community to pull together to raise awareness and money for hundreds of local charities. For more information, read Community Fund Drive 2008.
THE MATERIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER ANNOUNCED $16.8 MILLION in renewed funding over the next six years from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The U is one of only 14 universities nationwide to be chosen to receive NSF funding this year for a materials research center. For more information, see NSF funding.
THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH WAS AWARDED more than $1.5 million by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center. The U was one of seven schools nationwide to be awarded a grant, which will allocate $8.2 million to the School of Public Health over five years. For more information, see the news release.
VIEWS FROM THE U: THE POLITICAL SCIENCE OF ELECTION 2008. In the run-up to election, the U's Department of Political Science invites the public to hear views on the current campaigns from six of its faculty members. The forum is free and open to the public. Oct. 20, 6 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. For more information, see Views from the U.
CONTROVERSIAL SOFTWARE FREEDOM ACTIVIST Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and the GNU project, will speak at the U Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., 175 Willey Hall. For more information, see software freedom.
THE THIRD ANNUAL TRANSGENDER COMMISSION OPEN HOUSE will feature educator, author, performance artist, and social justice activist Kate Bornstein as the special guest. Oct. 21, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center. For more information, see open house.
FLEET SERVICES WILL HOLD AN OPEN HOUSE featuring electric vehicles. Enjoy complimentary cookies and apple cider. RSVP is not required, but e-mail Renee Shepherd or call 612-624-1083 if planning to attend. Oct. 23, 1-3:30 p.m., 901 Fleet Services, 29th Avenue S.E. For directions, see Fleet Services.
THE CENTER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP WILL HOLD a Foresight After Four seminar titled, "Will India become an innovation powerhouse soon?" Rishikesha Krishnan, professor of corporate strategy and policy at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, will speak. Oct. 27, reception at 4:30 p.m., lecture at 5:15 p.m., 150 West Bank Office Building. For more information, see Innovation Powerhouse.
THE ANNUAL MINNESOTA NANOTECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE will take place Nov. 11-13. Speakers from across the country and the U will discuss topics including nano sensors, energy, optics, microfluidics, materials, and medicine. Register by Oct. 17. For more information, see Nanotechnology.
LOCAL AUTHOR AND PROFESSIONAL CHEF, STEVE LERACH, WILL DISCUSS HIS NEW BOOK Fried: Surviving Two Centuries in Restaurants, Nov. 13, 4 p.m., U Bookstore, Coffman Union. For more information, see the bookstore.
A HARVEST GOURMET DINNER, HOSTED BY UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES, will take place at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m. The menu includes a five-course meal with local wines. Price is $80 members, $85 nonmembers. For reservations, call 612-624-7173. For more information, see Harvest Gourmet Dinner.
MAROON & GOLD FRIDAYS: Sport your maroon & gold or U of M apparel on Fridays and receive a free 16-ounce soda at the Gopher Express (Coffman Cube) or Gopher Express West (West Bank Skyway). For more information, see maroon & gold.
THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC has numerous events scheduled for fall, including concerts, lectures, and operas. Collage Concert will take place Oct. 18, Ted Mann Concert Hall; A lecture on James Dillon's The Book of Elements will take place Oct. 28, followed by an Oct. 29 concert on the same topic; Nov. 6-9, University Opera Theater will perform The Rape of Lucretia , by Benjamin Britten. For more information, see the School of Music.
MORE EVENTS include Local poet Tim Nolan discusses The Sound of It (Oct. 16); "Memories of 1963 in the 2008 Presidential Election: Barack Obama and the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement" (Oct. 16); Habitrot 5k (Oct. 18); The Kenwood Symphony Opera and Ballet Promenade (Oct. 19); Seminar: The National Children's Study: Design and Measurement Issues (Oct. 20); The Built Environment and Physical Activity: Models of Urban Trail Use (Oct. 21). SEE THESE AND MORE TWIN CITIES CAMPUS EVENTS.
Published by Internal Communications in the Office of 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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