Vol. XXXVII No. 38; Dec. 5, 2007
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu

Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_12052007.html.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--Reality psych: Community partnerships helped UMD's Brenda Butterfield transform an undergraduate course in developmental psychology.
--Holidays in the office.
--People: Geography professor Robert McMaster named UMTC vice provost and dean for undergraduate education; and more.

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

REALITY PSYCH: Developmental psychology instructor Brenda Butterfield felt she wasn't getting through to students in her class. Trained in social work, Butterfield started the path to transforming the UMD course with a single phone call to Head Start. Then she worked with UMD's Office of Civic Engagement and more partners to place students in community learning environments for 20 hours. Read more in "Reality psych."

HOLIDAYS IN THE OFFICE: It's the time of year when celebrations are an important part of holiday traditions. To make it an enjoyable time of year for coworkers, take time to consider options when planning office get-togethers. Read updated tips prepared by Dee Anne Bonebright, Office of Human Resources, in "A party for all."

PEOPLE: Geography professor Robert McMaster has been named vice provost and dean for undergraduate education, succeeding Craig Swan; the Academic Health Center announced the newly endowed John S. Najarian Chair in Clinical Transplantation; Award for Global Engagement recipients John Cogan, Allen Isaacman, and Vernon Weckwerth were honored Nov. 27. Read about these and more appointments and awards in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

TIME CHANGE: THE MINNESOTA CEREMONY TO HONOR NOBEL PRIZEWINNER Leonid Hurwicz, Regents Professor Emeritus of Economics--which will take place simultaneously with the award ceremony in Stockholm--will begin 10 minutes earlier than announced. Dec. 10, 9:20 a.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, UMTC. See the media advisory and watch the U of M home page Dec. 7 for information about seeing the award presentation online. See also information about online viewing of the simultaneous ceremony in Stockholm and Hurwicz's Dec. 8 Nobel lecture.

A RECEPTION TO HONOR professor Craig Swan, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, upon the occasion of his retirement will be held Dec. 12, 3:30-6 p.m., with a program at 4:15 p.m., Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center. The U-wide community is invited. RSVP requested to mtillman@umn.edu. Reminiscences and tributes for a memory book are welcome; send to Judie Cilcain at cilcain@umn.edu. For disability accommodations, call 612-624-3316.

"THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATICS in Academic Health Centers: Minnesota Leads the Way" will be presented by Don Detmer, president and chief executive officer, American Medical Informatics Association. The U is embarking on a major bioinformatics investment over the next few years--an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, academic home for bioinformatics research. Detmer is a leader in one area of the field and well-known in research and academia. Dec. 11, 4 p.m. lecture, 5 p.m. reception, Mayo Auditorium. See more information.

MINNESOTA TIGER SUMMIT: PREPARING FOR 2010. All health care providers soon will be required by law to use an interoperable electronic health record. This Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) summit is an opportunity to help develop an action plan for empowering nurses and other health care providers for the new law; it will also provide a model for others to align resources in Minnesota to meet the new requirement. Four national speakers--Martin LaVenture, Minnesota Department of Health; Joyce Sensmeier, HIMSS; Roy Simpson, Cerner Corporation; and Diane Skiba, U of Colorado Health Sciences Center--and others will be on hand to help inform the development of an action plan. Jan. 11, Earle Brown Heritage Center. Sponsored by the School of Nursing and several cosponsors. See more information or register.

DISTINGUISHED WOMEN SCHOLARS AWARD: Nominations for 2008 awards are due to college deans Jan. 18, final nominations to the Graduate School Jan. 28. Annual awards are made to two women faculty members--one in the sciences and engineering, and one in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. See the guidelines.

INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI AWARD: Nominations for 2008 are due Feb. 21. The U-wide Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals honors alumni, former students, and friends of the U who have distinguished themselves in post-U work as leaders in their professions. See the guidelines.

THE ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER (AHC) ACADEMY FOR EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH RESEARCH confers upon AHC faculty the highest U recognition of research excellence. Nominations are encouraged from all AHC colleges and departments. Deadline for nominations: March 14. Send to Sara Balick, U Senate Office, 424 Morrill Hall. See nomination requirements.

DECEMBER EVENTS AT THE ARBORETUM include music on Saturdays at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and free Thursday night performances at 6 and 7 p.m. See holiday offerings.

Crookston:

TAIWAN: Senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs Tom Baldwin is in Taiwan the first two weeks of December. His itinerary includes visits to National Taipei College of Business (NTCB), Lunghwa U of Science and Technology, Taiwan International U, and (tentatively) Nan Kai Institute of Technology. UMC will receive the first Nan Kai student this spring semester. Baldwin is scheduled to speak at conferences and meet with colleagues and prospective students.

DEDICATION OF THE UMC EQUALITY ROOM, 15 Hill Hall, was held Dec. 3. Anne Phibbs, systemwide director of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allies (GLBTA) Programs, attended. The Equality Room is a designated safe space open to all student groups, who can reserve the space through the U's SURE reservation system; similar spaces are available on all U campuses. Also visiting from UMTC Dec. 3 were Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Office director Kim Boyd and Office for University Women director Peg Lonnquist. See current highlights.

Duluth:

THE 2007-08 CHANCELLOR'S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH recipient is Matt Andrews, professor and head, Department of Biology. He will be honored at an award ceremony, Dec. 10, 3:15 p.m., 150 Chemistry Building. After the ceremony, he will present a seminar on his current research, "What We Have Learned From Hibernating Mammals." A reception will follow in the Griggs Center, second floor, Kirby Student Center. The public is cordially invited. See event information.

The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI) has been appointed a member of the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council (MTSNAC) for a three-year term by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. The GLMRI is dedicated to developing and improving economically and environmentally sustainable maritime commerce on the Great Lakes through applied research. It is a consortium of UMD's Swenson College of Science and Engineering and Labovitz School of Business and Economics and the U of Wisconsin-Superior's Transportation and Logistics Research Center. The institute has nine affiliated universities throughout the Great Lakes states. See the news release.

Morris:

PLANNING FOR A NEW RESIDENTIAL LIFE FACILITY, to open in fall 2009, is under way. Green Prairie Community, designed for sustainable living, will provide contemporary housing in suite-style dwellings for 80 undergraduates. Read the news release.

Rochester:

CHANCELLOR LEHMKUHLE VISITED WINONA Nov. 28 as part of the U of M Alumni Association's yearlong, statewide speakers tour. See the news release.

THE M GEAR STORE, OPERATED BY UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORES, celebrated its grand opening in the Shops at University Square Nov. 28. An estimated 650 people attended the event, which featured members of the U of M alumni marching band and remarks by Chancellor Lehmkuhle, Rochester mayor Ardell Brede, and bookstores director Bob Crabb. The new store carries textbooks, supplies, and course needs, as well as Gopher, U of M, and UMR gear and gifts for fans and alumni of all ages. See M Gear.

THE U OF M MARCHING BAND's 11th appearance in Rochester was held at the Mayo Civic Center Nov. 27, with an estimated 5,000 attending. About 130 attended a reception before the concert, hosted by the Rochester Area Alumni and Friends of the U of M.

Twin Cities:

"A SAFE YOU IS A SAFE U" PUBLIC SAFETY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN aims to make students, faculty, staff, neighbors, and visitors to the UMTC aware of efforts to keep the campus safe and to ask members of the U community to take personal steps to build on the culture of safety. See the developing Web site.

THE MINNESOTA SENATE CAPITAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE spent the morning of Nov. 27 touring UMTC projects that are part of the 2008 state bonding request. They stopped at the site for the new Bell Museum of Natural History and sat in on a class in EE/CSci--a "scale-up" prototype classroom. The senators also visited Folwell and Ackerman Halls. Read more about the capital request.

"PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING IN THE CLASSROOM: Assigning, Communicating, and Assessing What We Value" will be presented by Bill Condon, director of campus writing programs at Washington State U. He will argue that a lack of inspired student thinking can result from lack of clear instructor expectations and will discuss a seven-dimension critical-thinking rubric developed by his institution's Critical Thinking Project in 1996. Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-noon, 135 Nicholson Hall. Register.

CHEESE GIFT BOXES are available at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition Dairy Salesroom, open Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m., 166 Andrew Boss Lab of Meat Science. See more information.

MEAT LAB GIFT PACKAGES are available, also featuring maple syrup, Fireside apples, and honey, all vacuum packed. Dec. 13, 14, and 17-21, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 26 Andrew Boss Lab of Meat Science. Order ahead. See more information.

MORE EVENTS include "Burning the Sea: Desperate Journeys Across the Mediterranean," led by Hakim Abderrezak (Dec. 5); a performance of Nicholas Maw's "Sonata" by Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis (Dec. 6); "Envisioning Real Utopias" by Eric Olin Wright, U of Wisconsin (Dec. 7); "150 Years of Minnesota Memories," a program drawn from library archives of statehood celebrations (Dec. 7); National Conference of the Early Childhood Research Collaborative (Dec. 8); CLA commencement and graduation reception at Eastcliff (Dec. 9); free latke/potato pancake taste testing on the east end of the Washington Avenue bridge (Dec. 10-11); "Ethnic Studies in the Neo-Liberal University" by Lisa Duggan, New York U (Dec. 10); "Tough Ceramics at the Seashore" in Café Scientifique (Dec. 11); and "Building a Better Baby Business: What's Wrong With the Market for Assisted Reproduction and How to Make It Better" by Deborah Spar, Harvard Business School (Dec. 12). 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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