Vol. XXXVII No. 34; Oct. 31, 2007
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu

Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_10312007.html.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--Benefits open enrollment is Nov. 1-30.
--New UPlan Fitness Rewards program will offset costs of health-club memberships in 2008.
--Improving on time: UMTC is saving money and time with a new system that will reset 300 classroom clocks remotely when DST ends Nov. 4.
--People: Seven faculty members named to AAAS; and more.

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

OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR HEALTH BENEFITS IS ONLINE NOV. 1-30. Options this year include selecting different medical and dental plans, adding or canceling medical or dental coverage, adding or canceling dependent coverage, adding $25,000 of additional employee life insurance without evidence of insurability, and adding or increasing the amount of long-term disability insurance. If you want to participate in the health care or dependent day care flexible spending accounts in 2008 or make other benefit changes, you must make your choice on the Employee Self-Service Web site by Nov. 30. See Open Enrollment, which includes a narrated presentation, and attend a health and benefits fair Nov. 1 at UMD or Nov. 6 or 7 at UMTC. Call the Employee Benefits Service Center at 612-624-9090 or 1-800-756-2363 if you have specific questions about open enrollment.

NEW UPLAN FITNESS REWARDS program allows UPlan medical program members who enroll in Medica or HealthPartners in 2008 to be reimbursed up to $20 per month in membership dues for exercising eight times a month at a participating fitness facility--including U rec centers at UMD, UMM, or UMTC. The total reimbursement per household may be $40 per month. Read more in "Reward yourself."

IMPROVING ON TIME: When all the clocks in the country "fall back" an hour Nov. 4 as daylight saving time ends, the clocks in 300 UMTC central classrooms will be reset by the invisible hand of a new remote system. Read more in "Improving on time."

PEOPLE: Seven UMTC faculty members have been named to the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Judith Berman and Robert Herman, genetics and cell development; David Lilja, electrical and computer engineering; John Lipscomb, biology; Stephen Polasky, applied economics; Jeffrey Roberts, chemistry; and Lanny Schmidt, chemical engineering. Read about these and more awards and appointments in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

THREE CANDIDATES FOR THE VICE PROVOST AND DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION position at UMTC will give public presentations: Nov. 7, 2-3 p.m., 402 Walter Library; Nov. 14, 2:15-3:15 p.m., Ski-U-Mah Room, McNamara Alumni Center; and Nov. 19, noon-1 p.m., 402 Walter Library. Each will be broadcast live via UMConnect (formerly Breeze) for U-wide participation. Candidates will be announced Nov. 1 by the Office of the Senior VP and Provost.

U RESEARCHERS: LEARN MORE ABOUT THE $1 MILLION COMMERCIALIZATION CHALLENGE, an opportunity to help turn "green" U technologies and other innovations into real-world products or services. Sponsored by the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC). Nov. 5, 12:30-2 p.m., Ski-U-Mah Room, McNamara Alumni Center; dessert and coffee will be served. See the OTC.

CALL FOR RESIDENTIAL FELLOWS, INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY (IAS): Fellowships allow faculty members from any U campus to devote themselves to research for one semester. Up to 20 awards (50 percent of each fellow's b-base salary and fringe up to a maximum of $30,000) will be made for 2008-09. Deadline to apply: Nov. 30. See residential fellows.

CAMPUS FORUMS ON CREATING A VISION FOR THE NEW COMMUNITY AT UMORE PARK: Faculty, staff, and students are invited to share ideas for developing a community of 20,000-30,000 people on 5,000 U-owned acres in Dakota County over 25-30 years. Nov. 8, 8-10:30 a.m., North Star Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center; Nov. 9, 8-10:30 a.m., theater, Coffman Union. Register online or by calling 612-626-3976.

"BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESSFUL NOMINATIONS" WORKSHOP will help participants develop nominations for the U's honorary degree, Outstanding Achievement Award, Award of Distinction, Alumni Service Award, and naming of a building. Nov. 6, 10-11:30 a.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman Union. To register, e-mail courtney@umn.edu or call 612-625-4805.

APPLEHOUSE has been extended through Nov. 4, selling apples, pumpkins, gourds, and locally made fruit pies, ciders, preserves, and jellies, as well as photographs and garden and nature products. Daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Chanhassen.

Crookston:

RENEWED UMC WRITING CENTER coordinator is Shou-Ching Chao. The center helps students develop writing strategies and skills, including organizing, editing, and revising papers. Chao will direct center activities, coordinate professional and peer tutors, and serve as a liaison between the center and the faculty. He received his master's and Ph.D. in English at UMTC, where he also has taught English literature and composition. See the news release.

Duluth:

THE 15TH ANNUAL NIGHTWALK FOR CAMPUS SAFETY is an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to walk together to inspect all outdoor and several indoor areas of the campus for possible safety issues and to gather suggestions for improvements. Nov. 5, 6-7:30 p.m. See more information.

"AMERICAN INDIANS IN MINNESOTA: PERSONAL HISTORIES" will feature alumna Karen Diver, chair of the Fond du Lac Band of Minnesota Chippewa tribe, speaking on her role as head of a tribal government that employs 1,600-1,800 people and holds assets of more than $300 million. Diver was a founding member of the American Indian Community Housing Organization and is a member of the Governor's Workforce Development Council. Nov. 5, 7 p.m., ballroom, Kirby Student Center. See the American Indian Learning Resource Center and the series schedule.

Morris:

A NEW INITIATIVE TO ENCOURAGE NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN STEM FIELDS--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--will be funded through an award of nearly $500,000 from the National Science Foundation. Geology professor James Cotter is the principal investigator. See the news release.

PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE ANNUAL FARMER'S MARKET AND MEAL, featuring locally grown foods and local music. Nov. 6, 1 p.m., Student Center and Food Service Center.

ADVANCED BIOMASS WORKSHOP, to educate those who will participate in biomass-related activities within the next five years, will include presentations on regional biomass-to-energy facilities and discussions about current science, policy, and the economics of biomass use. Nov. 15, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Student Center. Register by Nov. 8.

Twin Cities:

WORKSHOPS ON ARTstor--a database of nearly 550,000 downloadable art images to which U faculty, staff, and students have free access through U Libraries--will be offered for the U community. Images of paintings, sculptures, drawings, etchings, prints, photography, and more by master artists around the world and throughout history can be downloaded and used in teaching, presentations, papers, and other academic applications. An ARTstor representative will lead the workshops. Nov. 8 or 9, 120 Andersen Library. Free, but registration is required. See the schedule.

HOMECOMING EVENTS THIS WEEK include a candlelight vigil for I-35W bridge victims (Nov. 1) and sock hop and swing dance (Nov. 2). Saturday events: parade on University Avenue, from Pleasant Street/15th Avenue to Oak Street, with staging on East River Road, Arlington Street, and Pleasant Street (2-3:30 p.m.), and royalty coronation at the football game vs. Illinois at the Metrodome (7 p.m.). See "Golden Oldies."

PRE-HOMECOMING DINNER AT THE CAMPUS CLUB IS OPEN TO NONMEMBERS. Dinner includes herb-roasted chicken, fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables and chèvre in filo-dough pastry, and fresh apple crisp. Nov. 3, 5-6:45 p.m., Coffman Union. $20. Reservations required: call 612-626-7788. See the details.

HOPE LODGE FOR CANCER PATIENTS will open in late December. The Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 2500 University Ave S.E., will provide free, temporary accommodations and a nurturing, home-like environment for adult cancer patients traveling long distances for outpatient treatment. Community volunteers will be a major part of its success. To volunteer, contact Mary Oys Wiles, Hope Lodge manager, American Cancer Society, 651-255-8183.

GIVE BLOOD, GIVE LIFE: Interfaith Campus Coalition Blood Drive needs volunteers to give blood and help. The need for blood is acute. The coalition provides a supportive and fun environment for first-time donors. Nov. 7, 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Hillel, 1521 University Avenue S.E. Schedule an appointment to give (use sponsor code 5160). To volunteer to help, contact Jerie Smith at smith145@umn.edu.

A BENEFIT FOR THE PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD CLINIC, which provides free access to culturally sensitive, high quality health care while providing U students the experience and skills to work in underserved communities, will be hosted by students in the health professions. Nov. 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Weisman Art Museum. See "Silent Auction" at the PNC site.

THE U.S. PREMIER OF A DOCUMENTARY FILM ON ARTIST M. C. ESCHER, Achieving the Unachievable, examines mathematical solutions to the mystery behind Escher's unfinished masterpiece. Director Jean Bergeron will attend and answer questions. Hosted as part of the Math Matters Lecture Series by the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications. Nov. 1, 7 p.m., 125 Wiley Hall.

THE FALL 2007 LEADERSHIP RESEARCH CONFERENCE will feature a public keynote, "Changing Times: Leadership Studies and the Leadership Industry," by Harvard U professor Barbara Kellerman, author of Women and Leadership and the forthcoming Followership: How Followers Create Change and Change Leaders. Sponsored by the Center for Integrative Leadership, a joint program of the Carlson School of Management (CSOM) and Humphrey Institute. Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m., 3M Auditorium, CSOM. See the news release.

SAVE THE DATE:
--TRANSGENDER COMMISSION OPEN HOUSE, Nov. 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m., 332 Coffman Union
--"BEYOND THE F-WORD: FASHION, DRESS, AND CULTURAL MEANING," by Regents Professor Joanne Eicher, in the Ada Comstock Distinguished Women Scholars Lecture Series, Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Humphrey Center
--"A WOMAN FOR ALL SEASONS: ASTRID LINDGREN AT 100" conference on the Swedish creator of Pippi Longstocking, Nov. 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Andersen Library

MORE EVENTS include "Eyewitness Iran," by correspondent Reese Erlich (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1); Día de los Muertos procession (Nov. 1); "Comparing and Connecting the Contemporary Humanitarian Enterprise With Its Roots in 19th Century Colonialism: The French Example" (Nov. 1); "Is Journalism Dead?" a talk with Jeremy Iggers (Nov. 1); "Palestine and Israel Behind the Headlines and On the Ground," stories from U Archives (Nov. 2); Carl Linnaeus, a 300th birthday celebration exhibition (through Nov. 4); "Interviewing Diverse Children and Families" (Nov. 5); "From Cultural Competence to Social Justice" (Nov. 6); "A Vital Cog in the Regional Network: The New Bridge as a Transportation Link," by John Adams (Nov. 6); "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry" (Nov. 6); and Gender and Pay Equity Panel (Nov. 7). 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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