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Vol. XXXVIII No. 38; November 26, 2008
Editor: Adam Overland, brief@umn.edu
Inside This Issue
--The University's Mortuary Science Program turns 100.
--U announces its digital campus initiative.
--People: Carla Rahn Phillips and Holly Zimmerman-LeVoir were
knighted into Spain's Order of Isabella the Catholic in a ceremony
Nov. 24; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Rochester | Twin Cities
THE UNIVERSITY'S MORTUARY SCIENCE PROGRAM--the first of its kind in the United States and one of the top in the nation--turns 100 this month. For more about the program, read A noble undertaking.
THE U ANNOUNCED ITS NEW DIGITAL CAMPUS INITIATIVE, unveiling a Web site that consolidates all of its online learning opportunities. The site also contains online opportunities developed in partnership with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Currently, the U has 18 degrees that can be earned solely online, as well as more than 1,000 classes offered online or in a hybrid online form. For more information, see the news release or the feature story Expanding access to education at the U or visit digital campus.
PEOPLE: Carla Rahn Phillips and Holly Zimmerman-LeVoir were knighted into Spain's Order of Isabella the Catholic in a ceremony Nov. 24; Lorraine Francis, James Kakalios, James Leger, and Kenneth Leopold have been named to three-year appointments as Taylor Distinguished Professors; a 1992 paper coauthored by Professor Andrew Van de Ven was recently honored; Sharon Danes and Heather Haberman are recipients of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education Outstanding Research Journal Article of the Year; a 1982 University of Minnesota graduate is among "50 Best Brains in Science" according to the latest edition of Discover magazine; longtime College of Biological Sciences faculty member Douglas Pratt died Nov. 6; John Haarstad died Nov. 17. Read about these topics and more in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS HAS LAUNCHED THE MINNESOTA ARCHIVE EDITIONS. In partnership with Amazon.com, Google, and BookMobile, the new initiative will bring more than 1,000 titles back into print. The Archive Editions will establish Minnesota as the first university press to return into print virtually every book published since its founding in 1925. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books accessible to scholars, students, researchers, and general readers. For more information, e-mail Heather Skinner or call 612-627-1932.
A NEW WIND ENERGY RESOURCE MAP FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA was developed with support from UM Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnerships and other partners (Lake Superior Coastal Program, CERTS, and UMD's College of Liberal Arts). The Center for Sustainable Community Development at UMD has monitored the wind at seven sites along the North Shore of Lake Superior and used the data to develop a new, high-resolution wind resource map of the region. The map shows significantly more wind (14-19 mph) than current statewide wind resource maps (10-12 mph). For more information, e-mail or call Mike Mageau at 218-726-6133, or Okey Ukaga at 218-341-6029. To view the map, visit MN Wind resource map and scroll down.
HOLIDAY SEASON 2008: The University News Service has put together a holiday information page, featuring faculty talking about everything from winterizing your home to keeping the letter-writing tradition. The page's multimedia clips showcase U faculty speaking on topics including family, food, safety, shopping, tradition, and culture. For more information, see holiday season.
NEW AND REVISED U-WIDE ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES are in development. Proposed drafts are open for review and comment for a period of 30 days. The feedback received will be considered prior to finalizing each particular policy. Policies under consideration: Environmental Management, Conducting Research with Human Embryos or Embryonic Stem Cells, and Addressing Student Academic Complaints. For more information, see administrative policies.
THE NATIONAL HEALTH DISPARITIES CONFERENCE focused on health equality during its recent meeting in Prior Lake, Minnesota. UMC's Alvin Killough led a session entitled "Does Culture Matter? Approaches to Risk Reduction and HIV Prevention Among Minorities." For more information, see health equality.
UMC'S SECOND ANNUAL WOMEN'S HOLIDAY SOCIAL kicks off the holiday season on Dec. 2, 4-6 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center. The event raises money for UMC scholarships. For more information, see holiday social.
AG AND NATURAL RESOURCES DAY will be Dec. 5. More than 20 contests ranging from horticulture and forestry to ag mechanics, livestock, and sales will bring 1,300 high school students from northwest Minnesota to campus. More than $32,000 in scholarships is available. For more information, see Ag and Natural Resources Day.
UMD WILL PRESENT A HOLIDAY CONCERT "Sounds of the Season" at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. The event will feature performances by the Lake Effect Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble I, University Singers, Chamber Singers, and the UMD Symphony Orchestra. A preconcert buffet will be held at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis. Buffet and concert package tickets are $38. For reservations, call UMD toll free at 866-726-7164 by Dec. 1. For concert tickets only ($17 adults, discounts for children and students), call the Orchestra Hall Box Office at 800-292-4141 or see box office.
UMD MARSHALL W. ALWORTH PLANETARIUM WILL PRESENT "METEOR SHOWERS," Nov. 26, 7 p.m. The presentation will feature a summary of the best meteor showers of the year. For more information, see meteor showers.
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY, TO BOEING AND BACK, was accepted in the 2008 Minnesota State Historical Society's Minnesota's Greatest Generation Moving Pictures Film Festival. The video was produced by Roger Boleman; directed, videographed, and edited by Mike Cihak (both of UMM's Media Services); and written by Christopher Butler (UMM English faculty). All short films accepted by the festival are screened and become part of the permanent collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.
FIRST-YEAR STUDENT AMANDA GRANAAS DEVELOPED A WEB SITE for the Morris Senior Community Center using a grant through Connecting Students and Communities, offered by the Center for Small Towns at UMM and the University of Minnesota West Central Partnership. For more information, see community center.
UMR RECEIVED A SHARED UNIVERSITY RESEARCH award from IBM to provide high-performance computing equipment to Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) researchers. The $140,000 award is the first made to UMR by IBM under its Shared University Research program. The IBM supercomputing technology will allow UMR to accelerate discovery and further enhance the growing relationship between the BICB collaborative partners: IBM, Mayo Clinic, the Hormel Institute, and the University. For more information, see the news release.
COMMUNITY FUND DRIVE COLLEGE AND UNIT PARTICIPATION STATS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. The 2008 fund drive raised more than $1.2 million for area charities. For more information, see Community Fund Drive.
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SHUTTLES WILL HAVE A NEW LOOK AS THE UNIVERSITY puts 17 new buses into service around campus, including a hybrid. Two new buses are already in service, and the transition will be completed in time for the start of spring semester. The buses will have new rider-friendly features, including push-button stop signals instead of pull cords, rider controlled push-button doors, and three to four doors for quicker loading and unloading. PTS will officially introduce the new line Dec. 1, noon, outside Morrill Hall.
DTC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS LECTURE SERIES will present "Robotics from the Lab to the Market," by Paolo Pirjanian, president and CEO of Evolution Robotics. Dec. 2, 4:30 p.m. reception, 5 p.m. seminar, 402 Walter Library. For more information, see DTC lecture.
CONSULTATIONS ON THE POTENTIAL CAMPUSWIDE SMOKING/TOBACCO BAN will be held Dec. 3, 12-1 p.m., St. Paul Student Center theater, and Dec. 8, 4-5 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union theater. Consultations will share the results of a campus survey to understand attitudes toward smoking, solicit reasons for support of or opposition to enacting a smoke-free policy, and identify issues to consider when determining whether the U should enact a smoke-free policy. The Twin Cities campus community is invited to participate. For more information, see smoking ban or call 612-625-0563.
U OF M REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS will host "The Pending Resource Crisis: Understanding Our Biophysical and Biological Constraints to Sustainability," a seminar presented by Nate Hagens. Hagens is an editor of The Oil Drum, an online global think tank devoted to energy and sustainability. Dec. 3, 1:30-3 p.m., Borlaug Hall, St. Paul campus.
THE U POLICE DEPARTMENT IS A DROP SITE FOR TOYS FOR TOTS. Bring unwrapped toys to the lobby of the Transportation and Safety Building, 511 Washington Ave. S.E. The last day to drop off toys is Dec. 19, 3 p.m. For more information and gift suggestions, see Toys for Tots.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY WILL BE MOVING IN JANUARY. After more than 40 years in the Social Sciences Building, the department will move to 1110 Heller Hall. The department's offices will be closed during the move, Jan. 5-11.
UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES WILL RENOVATE COFFMAN UNION'S M DELI and reopen it as a sandwich shop. The deli will close Nov. 26, and reopen Jan. 20. The new deli hours will be Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. UDS also recently received an "A" in the annual College Sustainability Report Card for its work in local food procurement, waste conservation, and community partnerships. The report commended UDS for its increased focus in composting and local food purchases. For more information, see UDS.
MORE EVENTS include Anxious Climate: Architecture at the Edge of Environment (through Dec. 15); Conference on Reforming the Redistricting Process (Dec. 1); Leading Through Change (Dec. 2). 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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