Vol. XXXVIII No. 14; April 16, 2008
Interim Editor: Pauline Oo, brief@umn.edu

Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_04162008.html.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--U receives largest gift in its history
--Regents approve food and beverage vendors
--Public Engagement Day at the U
--People: Three professors win Guggenheim fellowships; and more.

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

U RECEIVES THE LARGEST GIFT ever to a higher education institution in Minnesota: $65 million over 15 years for cancer research. The U's cancer center will be named the "Masonic Cancer Center" in recognition of the gift. Read "University receives $65 million for Cancer Center".

FOOD AND BEVERAGES AT THE U: On April 11, the Board of Regents approved four long-term contracts with vendors for food and beverage service on U campuses. The contracts include a 10-year agreement with Coca-Cola. Read "Regents approve contracts with food and beverage vendors".

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES TAKE THE LIMELIGHT: The U will host its second annual Public Engagement Day, April 22, UMTC. (Advance registration required.) A number of changes have been made since the inaugural event, one being the addition of public engagement days on the other campuses; upcoming: UMD, April 16, and UMC, April 17. Read "Celebrating public engagement."

PEOPLE: Faculty members Doug Arnold, Kathryn Sikkink, and Robin Stryker have received 2008 Guggenheim fellowships; professors Patricia Hampl and Charles Baxter are among winners of 2008 Minnesota Book awards; Andrew Scheil wins Medieval Academy of America Prize; Vladimir Cherkassky is one of 10 winners of the A. Richard Newton Breakthrough Research Award from Microsoft External Research; Kristen Ehresmann was appointed to a four-year term on the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice. Read about these and more awards and appointments in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

THE U HAS WON A CHANGING LIVES AWARD from United Arts for its Community Fund Drive. The award recognizes excellence in employee fund-raising campaigns in both the public and private sector. United Arts raised $279,000 for approximately 30 Twin Cities arts organizations through its 2007 Workplace Campaign, surpassing its $240,000 goal. Read the news release.

YOU HAVE TWO MORE WEEKS to take the Pulse Survey, the primary tool for measuring faculty and staff satisfaction with the U as an employer. Last week, faculty and staff received an e-mail invitation with instructions and a unique link to the survey. If you did not receive the invitation, e-mail irr.surveys@umn.edu. If you do not have access to a computer, the following lab hours are available: April 18, 315 Donhowe; April 22, 108 St. Paul Student Center; and April 24, 1-134 Carlson School. All labs are open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

ZAMBIAN DELEGATES AT THE U: Over the past two weeks, the U's Institute on Community Integration partnered with four community organizations to provide leadership training in disability policy and services for a team of 10 government officials, missionaries, educators, and advocates from Zambia, Africa. The program was modeled on the Certificate in Disability Policy and Services offered in the College of Education and Human Development. To learn more, see Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection.

THE U GAVE AN HONORARY DEGREE to 17th Surgeon General of the United States Richard Carmona in recognition of his contributions to public service. President Bush appointed him to the position in March 2002. Carmona is currently vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, an Arizona-based life enhancement company, and serves on the faculty of the University of Arizona.

2008 JOSIE R. JOHNSON AWARD WINNERS are Ananya Chatterjea, professor of theatre and dance, and Ross Neely, graduate student in social justice education. The Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award is sponsored by the Office for Equity and Diversity and will be presented at a dinner and ceremony, April 22. Learn more about the award.

RSVP BY APRIL 21 TO ATTEND THE AWARD CEREMONY for the Morse-Alumni and the Outstanding Contributions to Postbaccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education recipients. April 28, 3:30-6 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC. For a complete list of winners and to RSVP, see UMAA.

U SYMPOSIUM ON TIME, hosted by the Institute for Advanced Study and Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, April 26, is an all-day exploration of time in nature. Participants will attend three guided presentations on phenology, plant evolution, and tree time. Lunch is included, but advance registration is required; see the events calendar.

2009 EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST COMPETITION is seeking up to 70 outstanding early career scientists. Letters of intent are due April 30; applications accepted May 1-June 10. Eligibility is limited to scientists who hold appointments as assistant professor (or higher academic rank) in a tenure-track faculty position at an eligible institution. For criteria and application details, see Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

MINNESOTA FUTURES GRANT PROGRAM by the Office of the VP for Research is designed to foster new pathways of interdisciplinary research. Three awards, providing up to $25,000 each to support a symposium, will be offered during phase one of the program. For details, see OVPR.

APPLICATION DEADLINE for the Digital Media Center Faculty Fellowship is May 5, 5 p.m. The fellowships provide up to five instructors with $10,000 each to pursue topics of teaching and learning in emerging learning environments. Applicants must be Twin Cities campus faculty members or academic professionals with primary responsibility for teaching courses. For application instructions, see DMC Faculty Fellowship Program.

THE PRIZE MONEY HAS DOUBLED for Minnesota Cup, the annual contest sponsored by the U and Wells Fargo to find the most innovative business ideas from Minnesotans. First prize is now $50,000; second is $10,000; and third is $5,000. The student prize is $5,000. Entry deadline is May 23. To learn more and for entry forms, see 2008 Minnesota Cup.

THE ACADEMIC AND CORPORATE RELATIONS CENTER is now a part of University Relations (UR), the U's central communications office. UR has five other departments: Government and Community Relations, News Service, Marketing, Internal Communications, and Creative Services. To learn more about the Academic and Corporate Relations Center, read "The new front door of the University."

Crookston:

SOME 800 CHILDREN, ages three and up, explored the world of agriculture and farm animals during the UMC Tours for Tots program, April 7-11. They learned about sheep, beef and dairy cattle, and horses, as well as visited the campus greenhouse to view plants and learn about research areas. Read the news release.

UMC STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISE (SIFE) received their ninth consecutive Regional Champion Award at the regional competition in Minneapolis, March 25-26. The team now advances to the 2008 SIFE USA National Exposition in Chicago. Read the news release.

PATRICIA SIMMONS, Board of Regents chair, will be the 2008 commencement speaker. May 3, 2 p.m., Lysaker Gymnasium. Read the news release.

Duluth:

CONGRESSWOMAN BETTY MCCOLLUM will give an update from Washington as part of "The Ben and Jeanne Overman Lecture Series." McCollum, the second Minnesota woman elected to Congress since statehood in 1858, is serving her fourth term. April 21, 1:30 p.m., Weber Music Hall. A reception will follow in the lower level.

THE "CULTURAL AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM" forum will feature keynote speaker Jim Northrup, a nationally known Native American writer, and a panel that includes Sabah Alwan, business administration professor, College of St. Scholastica (Iraq); Haji Khalil Dokhanchi, political science professor, UW-Superior (Iran); Alexis Pogorelskin, head, UMD History Department, and director, Center for Genocide, the Holocaust, and Human Studies; and a graduate student (Pakistan). April 16, 2:30 p.m., Weber Music Hall.

"PRINCIPLES OF POSSIBILITY: Proactive Art Education in Postmodern Times," a lecture by Olivia Gude, founding director of Spiral Workshop and art education professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The presentation is part of the Art & Design Lecture Series. April 22, 6 p.m., Tweed Museum Lecture Gallery.

PROTECTING UMD STREAMS is a presentation on how green roofs, rain gardens, and other innovative efforts can be used to protect the streams running through UMD. April 18, noon-1 p.m., fourth floor Library Rotunda. Presented by Jesse Schomberg, MN Sea Grant, and Erik Larson and Candice Richards, UMD Facilities Management. A tour of Labovitz School of Business rain gardens will follow. For more information, call 218-726-8262.

Morris:

UMM WILL PARTICIPATE IN LIVING GREEN EXPO, May 3-4, Minnesota State Fairgrounds, St. Paul. The free event provides ways for people to live better, healthier lives with less impact on the environment.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY'S Pot-Your-Own-Plant, Art Club renovations to the campus wood kiln, the Minnesota Public Interest Group's green energy building identifiers, and energy efficient light bulb and reusable canvas grocery bag giveaways are all part of the annual Beautiful U Day, April 17, UMM.

THE FIRST ON-CAMPUS RELAY FOR LIFE, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, is set for April 18-19, 6 a.m.-6 p.m., campus mall. (A Relay for Life event is also held each summer at an off-campus location.)

Rochester:

"THE EFFECTIVE DESIGN of computer-based aids for the teaching and learning of music in elementary education" was the topic of a presentation by Mariana Waisman, UMD assistant professor of graphic design, April 11, UMR. She spoke about a design project at the University of Alberta, Canada, that involved the creation of a computer-based aid for the instruction of musical concepts, primarily through listening activities, at the second-grade level of elementary education.

Twin Cities:

THE BOARD OF REGENTS REAFFIRMED its 2001 call for a northern route for the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line, during its April 11 meeting. A northern alignment, which would take the light-rail line north of campus, through the Dinkytown area, would save $16 million to $18 million in project costs, reduce travel time on the Central Corridor by more than a minute, and eliminate the need for mitigation costs to the approved Washington Avenue route. Read the news release.

TO PROMOTE ENERGY CONSERVATION and to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Beautiful U Day, 10,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs will be distributed across the U, April 17. Events include a kickoff at the University ReUse Center, an open house at the Como Area work units, and a campus lunch at Northrop plaza and the St. Paul Student Center. Volunteers are still needed for campus spring cleaning; see BUD 2008.

BEAUTIFUL U DAY AND EARTH DAY will serve as bookends for a series of events celebrating campus beautification and sustainability. Events include the Great U of M Power Down, a daylong challenge, April 21, to reduce campuswide energy usage. For more information, see Institute on the Environment.

PUBLIC FORUM WITH DISABILITY SERVICES CANDIDATE: The U community is invited to a forum with Sam Goodin, finalist for director of Disability Services. Goodin currently serves as director of Services for Students with Disabilities at the University of Michigan. April 18, 10-10:45 a.m., President's Room, Coffman Union. The forum will include a 20-minute presentation by Goodin on "Current Trends in Higher Education and Disability" followed by a Q&A. For more information, e-mail oed@umn.edu.

TWIN CITIES CAMPUS VISITORS GUIDE AND MAP is printed once every two years and is available from University Relations. Departments may want to have this map to give to prospective students, business leaders, guests, visiting scholars, international visitors, workshop attendees, prospective faculty members, and others. To order, download a form.

"CURRENT TRENDS IN HOME TELEHEALTH" is the topic of the Advances in Science and Technology Seminar Series, April 18, noon-1.30 p.m., 3-125 Mayo Memorial Building. Stanley Finkelstein, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, will speak about the tools and techniques needed to develop and implement programs in home telehealth, an emerging area in telemedicine.

THE 39TH ANNUAL MINNESOTA IRON POUR is a chance to watch iron melted and poured into molds to make art. April 18, noon-4 p.m., Regis Center for Art. Mini-symposium with guest artists, April 17, 7 p.m., In-Flux Auditorium.

NORTHROP AUDITORIUM IS FEATURING the Trisha Brown Dance Company, April 25, 8 p.m. The performance, "Present Tense, Foray Foret, and I love my robots," is part of a yearlong collaboration among Northrop, Walker Art Center, and the U's Dance program. Tickets are $25-$42; see Northrop. To learn more about the "Year of Trisha," read the news release.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY with Project Homeless Connect, April 28, Minneapolis Convention Center. The event offers a variety of services to people living in shelters or on the streets. A one-hour volunteer orientation is required; to learn more or to volunteer, see Project Homeless. If you wish to talk to other U staff and faculty who have volunteered at this event, contact Virajita Singh at 612-625-3447 or singh023@umn.edu.

THE PULMONARY HYPERTENSION EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM, hosted by the U's Lillihei Heart Institute and Center for Lung Science and Health, is free to patients, families, and caregivers interested in learning more about the condition. May 3, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. For more information or to register by April 23, contact Meghan Biever at bieve008@umn.edu or 612-624-8970.

MORE EVENTS include Bach Festival: Chamber Singers (April 20); "24/40-Hour Emergency Response Training" (April 21); "The Present Moment" (April 22). 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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