Vol. XXXVIII No. 8; March 12, 2008
Interim Editor: Pauline Oo, brief@umn.edu

Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_03122008.html.

Editor's note: Brief will not be published on March 19 because of spring break.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--President speaks on State of the U
--New workshops to develop collaborative leadership skills
--People: Lynn Zentner is U's new director of institutional compliance; and more.

Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston | Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities

"THE STATE OF THE U IS STRONG," said President Bruininks in his State of the U address last Thursday. In his sixth State of the U address, Bruininks spoke about evolving cultural identities and public policies, the creativity that change can spark, and recent accomplishments across the University system. Read "Strength through change."

DEVELOPING COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP: Interdisciplinary work requires collaboration, which often goes against the grain of individual leadership models. A new series of workshops--organized by the Graduate School's Office of Interdisciplinary Initiatives--aims to develop the collaborative leadership skills of those engaged in scholarship, research, creative work, and education and training programs. Mentoring is the theme of the next session, March 25, 3-5 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. Space is limited; early registration is encouraged. Read more about the inaugural workshops--on conflict resolution and collaborative team-building--led last month by Howard Gadlin, National Institutes of Health, in "Collaborating to lead."

PEOPLE: Lynn Zentner is director of institutional compliance effective April 14; Steve Feinstein, director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, died March 4; Correction to March 6 item--Darlene Charboneau is manager of the AHC's BSL3 facilities, which handle animal and human pathogens. Read about these and more awards and appointments in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

AT THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE, both the House and Senate passed their bonding bills last week. The House bill contains $136.2 million in funding for University construction and building maintenance projects, while the Senate bill contains $133.9 million. Both bills include funding for the U's proposed Minnesota Biomedical Research Program. The bonding bill will now go to a conference committee cochaired by Sen. Keith Langseth and Rep. Alice Hausman. Other conferees are Sens. Koering, Pappas, Tomassoni, and Scheid, and Reps. Scalze, Solberg, Tingelstad, and Wagenius. For more information on the U's legislative requests, see the Office of Government and Community Relations Web site.

THREE PROJECTS FOCUSED ON FOOD SAFETY and identifying food components that could prevent obesity and cancer have received $1.17 million over the next three years from the U's Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute. Topics include how bacteria survive on vegetables; how farm practices could prevent outbreaks of food-borne illness; how consumption of cruciferous and apiaceous vegetables reduces the risk of colon and liver cancers; and the properties in anti-inflammatory drugs found in food. Read the news release.

MORSE-ALUMNI AWARD recipients for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education are Todd Arnold, fisheries, wildlife, and conservation biology; Janet Schrunk Ericksen, English (UMM); Leon Hsu, postsecondary teaching and learning; Timothy Johnson, political science; Terry Jones, astronomy; Kristopher McNeill, chemistry; Barry McQuarrie, mathematics (UMM); and Kristen Nelson, forest resources. Award ceremony will be April 28, McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC.

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS to Postbaccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education Award recipients are Massoud Amin, electrical and computer engineering; Richard Brundage, experimental and clinical pharmacology; Cesare Casarino, cultural studies and comparative literature; Douglas Foster, animal science; John Freeman, political science; Stephen Katz, integrative biology and physiology; John Matheson, law; and Melissa Middleton Stone, public affairs. Award ceremony will be April 28, McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC.

JOHN TATE AWARD RECIPIENTS for excellence in undergraduate advising are Randal Barnes, civil engineering; Gary Cooper, applied economics; Charles Habstritt, agriculture (UMC); and Holly Hatch-Surisook, psychology. Award ceremony will be April 4, Radisson University Hotel, UMTC.

FACULTY INTERESTED IN EXPLORING ADMINISTRATIVE CAREERS are invited to attend a workshop sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs that will explore the experiences, challenges, rewards, and career paths of faculty currently in administrative roles at the U. The sessions will also include information about leadership development opportunities within and outside of the U. March 25, 1-3 p.m., 101 Walter Library. To sign up, e-mail caj@umn.edu.

APPLICATIONS FOR EQUITY AND DIVERSITY "IDEA GRANTS" are invited by the Office for Equity and Diversity. The program funds projects, programming, events, and research that support historically underrepresented students, faculty, staff, and communities. All academic and administrative units across the U's campuses are eligible to apply; grants are awarded quarterly. Next deadline for applications is March 31. For more information and the application, see equity and diversity grants.

PEOPLESOFT HR/SA application requires M Key authentication as of March 16. If you use this system and have not yet activated your M Key, you can do so online. All system users were sent an M Key at their work address. Call 1-HELP (612-301-4357) if you haven't received your key or need assistance activating it.

NEW GLOBAL HEALTH CERTIFICATION COURSE, Clinical Tropical, Migrant, and Travel Medicine, for physicians and other health care providers. Topics include introduction to refugee and migrant health, insect-borne disease, and travel medicine. Cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Features guest faculty from U-affiliated international sites. June 30-Aug. 22. To learn more, visit the Department of Medicine.

Crookston:

PRESIDENT LI SHUMING, international coordinator Gu Mingdi, and other officials from Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic (ZJETP), Hangzhou, China, will visit UMTC March 12 and meet with U administration to discuss details of the UMC and ZJETP partnership. The group will visit UMC March 13 to sign a formal agreement to establish a joint English as a Second Language program. The program will be designed and directed by UMC.

CHARLES "CHUCK" HABSTRITT, UMC associate professor of agronomy, was recently named recipient of the 2007-08 John Tate Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. Read the news release.

INTERNATIONAL WATER INSTITUTE and Red River Watershed Management Board are hosting the 13th annual River Watch (RW) Student Forum March 19. Approximately 250 students, teachers, and resource managers will present the work of RW Teams from high schools in the Red River of the North Basin (North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba). Read the news release.

Duluth:

UMD HAS LAUNCHED a revamped and expanded Emergency Preparedness Web site complete with information about what to do during health, weather, and safety emergencies. UMD will sponsor a booth demonstrating the Web site and new text messaging notification system at Tech Fest, March 28, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Kirby Student Center Ballroom.

UMD PROFESSOR LADONA TORNABENE'S "Living the Dream" fine arts photography exhibition will open, with prints for sale, March 1 and run through March 31 at Master Framing Gallery. The exhibit features all of Tornabene's limited edition fine art giclee prints, as well as many open editions in multiple sizes and on a variety of papers. Proceeds will go toward the UMD "Professor as Photographer Scholarship Fund," founded by Tornabene to help nontraditional students return to school and help health education majors to intern abroad.

BUS STOP, a romantic and comedic drama by William Inge, will open at UMD March 13, 7:30 p.m., Mainstage Theatre, Marshall Performing Arts Center. The plot concerns a busload of weary travelers who are forced by a snowstorm to stay overnight at a roadside diner. Showtimes are March 13-15 and March 25-29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $6 for children and UMD students. For more information, see UMD theatre.

Morris:

UMM LAUNCHED TXT-U, the U emergency notification text message system, on March 10.

U.S. REP. KEITH ELLISON will address this year's graduating seniors at the annual commencement ceremony, May 17, 2 p.m. Ellison has represented the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives since taking office in January 2007.

Twin Cities:

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT for University Athletics NCAA Certification Self-Study. The U has been conducting a yearlong, campuswide study of its intercollegiate athletics department as part of the NCAA Division I athletics required certification program. The specific areas being studied are academic integrity; governance and commitment to rules compliance; and equity and student-athlete well-being. Public comment is requested on the draft report through March 24; comments will be considered by the steering committee in finalizing the report. To read all or part of the report and to provide feedback, go to MyU portal.

THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE in the College of Design is one of six schools to win the American Institute of Architects Education Award for its new curriculum, "An Incomplete Curriculum for Transformation." Faculty members Ritu Bhatt, Renee Cheng, John Comazzi, Ozayr Saloojee, and Marc Swackhamer are responsible for developing the project, which explores an "evolving curricular structure." Read the news release.

MCNAMARA ALUMNI CENTER has been named best meeting venue in Minnesota by Minnesota Meetings + Events magazine. In 2007, the venue hosted 489 meetings. All McNamara staff are employed by United Properties/NorthMarq Corporate Solutions, the building's management company. McNamara Alumni Center earned the Best Reception Facility Award from the magazine in 2002.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WELCOME WEEK (a new six-day program to complement freshman orientation), how it will affect the U community, and how you can get involved. Info sessions are March 12, 11-Noon, 335 Borlaug Hall, and March 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 101 Walter Library. To RSVP, e-mail ofyp@umn.edu or call 612-624-1979 with your name, department or college, and the location you plan to attend. For a complete schedule of upcoming events, see Welcome Week.

JEREMIAH REEDY, professor emeritus of classics, Macalester College, will speak on "The Failure of Progressive Education and the Return to Classical Models." Response by Tim Lensmire, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. March 13, noon, 40 Peik Hall.

"THE DIGITAL REPRODUCTION OF INEQUALITY," a companion event to the "Networks and Neighborhoods in Cyberspace" symposium, will feature assistant professor Eszter Hargittai, Northwestern University, talking about how information technology may contribute to or alleviate social inequalities. March 13, 4-5 p.m., 120-125 Nolte Center. To RSVP, e-mail greenhow@umn.edu. To learn more, see events calendar.

"MEASURING CHILDHOOD OBESITY: Public Health Surveillance OR School-based Screening and Parent Notification?" is the topic of a special presentation and open conversation by the School of Nursing and the Obesity Prevention Center, with invited guests from the Burnsville, Eagan, Savage Independent School District 191; Minnesota Department of Health; and England's Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools, and Families National Child Measurement Programme. Moderated by Martha Kubik, School of Nursing. March 24, 10-11:30 a.m., Coffman Union. For more information or to register (by March 20), visit the School of Nursing.

"ROBOTS: A NEW TYPE OF COMPANION" is the title of the spring 2008 Ada Comstock Distinguished Women Scholars Lecture. Speaker Maria Gini, U computer science and engineering professor, will demonstrate her research in artificial intelligence and robotics. March 31, 4 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, HHH. (Dessert reception follows.) To RSVP, e-mail women@umn.edu or call 612-625-9837.

MORE EVENTS include "Putting Faces to a Faceless Crime: Profiles of 'Euthanasia' Victims" (March 13), "Out of the Boxes and into the Archives: Celebrating the Life and Work of Max Lowenthal" (March 14), 13th Annual International Women's Day Celebration (March 15), "Cafe Scientifique: Global Warming and Environmental Equality" (March 18). 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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