Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_12202006.html .
Vol. XXXVI No. 42; Dec. 20, 2006
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu

Editor's note: This is the last issue of Brief in 2006. Weekly publication will resume Jan. 10. The deadline for submissions is 1 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Happy new year!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

THE BIENNIAL BUDGET PUSH begins this week as President Bruininks and others conduct a series of briefings for journalists and editorial page writers. Minnesota's 85th Legislature will convene Jan. 3. A fact sheet on the U-wide 2008-2009 biennial request is available at http://www.umn.edu/urelate/govrel .

CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PARK will continue to grow, thanks to support from a $1 million grant to the city from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Growth will include additional sites to attract bioscience companies seeking proximity to U research facilities. See http://www.deed.state.mn.us/news/release/2006/wd15Dec06bioscience.htm .

STRONG REBOUND: Six years ago, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) cited UMTC for "significant, widespread, and intentional" violations of intercollegiate athletic policy. Today, UMTC's athletic compliance program is a national model. Frank Kara, director of athletic compliance, talked recently about the turn-around. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Strong_rebound.html .

PEOPLE: New associate VP of UMTC Facilities Management is Mike Berthelsen, currently serving as interim associate VP; new director of UMTC Information Services in University Relations will be Casandra Horner, beginning Jan. 8; and more. See http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Faculty_Staff_Comm/people.html .

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

INSTITUTE ON THE ENVIRONMENT FOUNDING FELLOWS: NOMINATIONS DUE TODAY. The primary responsibility of these initial fellows will be to work with the interim director to implement recommendations from the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost to form an executive committee, to identify and recruit an initial cohort of institute research fellows, to provide for interim government, to provide leadership for research opportunities, to establish the institute's culture and themes, and to initiate its program of events and activities. Nominations are due electronically to Deborah Swackhamer, interim director, by Dec. 20: dswack@umn.edu . Complete announcement with details of the nomination and selection process, as well as more information on the institute, are at http://www.academic.umn.edu/provost/interdisc/environment . Selections will be announced in early January.

THE NEXT CIVIL SERVICE COMMITTEE (CSC) MEETING will be Dec. 21, 9 a.m.-noon, 22 McNeal Hall, St. Paul, UMTC. See http://www.umn.edu/csc.

THE U'S 2006 ANNUAL REPORT is now on the Web at http://process.umn.edu/annualreport .

MILEAGE RATE CHANGES FOR 2007: The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has announced increases in the standard business mileage rates for calendar year 2007.

• Beginning Jan. 1, the standard business mileage reimbursement rate for personal vehicle use on approved U business will increase from 44.5 cents to 48.5 cents per mile. See the rates section of the U policy, Traveling on University Business 3.8.3, at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/policy/Travel.cfm .
• The standard mileage rate for moving expenses also will increase, from 18 to 20 cents per mile. Business mileage incurred in 2006 but reimbursed in 2007 must be reimbursed using the 2006 mileage rate. The Employee Expense Worksheet (UM 1612) accommodates changes to the mileage rates.

• When traveling on University business, fees charged by airlines for aisle seats are not reimbursable. Employees should choose seats that are not assessed extra fees. See Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/FAQ/faq_travel.cfm and Reimbursable/Non-Reimbursable Travel Expenses at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/appendix/TravelAppI.cfm.
• Historically, Canada has been considered domestic travel for the U. In Chart of Accounts, object/sub-object code 7600-20 has been used for domestic travel, including Canada. Effective immediately, Canada will be recognized as international travel by the U; use object/sub-object code 7610-10 for foreign travel. This applies to all unprocessed travel reimbursements, regardless of the date of travel. See the policy, Traveling on University Business 3.8.3, under definitions at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/policy/Travel.cfm#500.

Crookston:

NEW ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT, effective Dec. 1, is Pam Holsinger-Fuchs. In this role, she will work to ensure coordination and integration of traditional student affairs services with academic programs and support services. In conjunction with academic affairs, she also will provide leadership in the planning, coordination, promotion, and evaluation of student recruitment, retention, and graduation. See http://www.umcrookston.edu/umcnews/stories/story419.html .

THE JUNE SHAVER ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPING INTERNSHIP FUND has been endowed with a gift of more than $30,000 by longtime Crookston resident and ardent UMC supporter June Shaver. The endowment will support UMC full-time undergraduates who show academic promise. See http://www.umcrookston.edu/umcnews/stories/story416.html .

Duluth:

GLENSHEEN HISTORIC CONGDON ESTATE will offer holiday brunches and twilight tours throughout December. Brunches start every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with a tour of the mansion, giving visitors insights into the holiday celebration at the turn of the last century. Twilight tours will be presented Dec. 27-31, between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. See http://www.d.umn.edu/glen/glenda.htm .

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM: AN ASTRONOMER'S PERSPECTIVE will be presented by the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium. Today, 7 p.m.; free and open to the public. Private presentations for 10 or more individuals can be scheduled by contacting the planetarium. See http://www.d.umn.edu/~planet .

Morris:

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Ken Crandall announced his resignation, effective Dec. 20, to become the head football coach at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. Crandall coached the 2006 UMM Cougar football team to its first-ever Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship and its first conference championship since 1986. See http://www.morris.umn.edu/ummnews/View.php?itemID=1886 .

Twin Cities:

THE BOARD OF REGENTS will meet Jan. 3 to review and approve the schematic design and budget for the UMTC campus stadium. For more information, see http://www.umn.edu/regents and http://www.umn.edu/stadium .

FREE PREVIEW OF NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: Preview the family comedy from 20th Century Fox, opening in theaters this weekend, at the Bell Museum of Natural History, followed by a guided, after-hours flashlight tour of the Bell's famous dioramas. Dec. 21, 7 p.m., Bell Museum. See http://www.bellmuseum.org or call 612-624-9050.

"MAKING SENSE OF A COMPLEX WORLD," by Christopher Budd, professor of applied mathematics and director of the Centre for Nonlinear mechanics, U of Bath, U.K., is the next public lecture sponsored by the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications. Budd will show how simple properties often emerge from seemingly complex systems and how those properties can be used to gain understanding. Jan. 18, 7 p.m., 125 Willey Hall. See http://www.ima.umn.edu/2006-2007/PUB1.18.07/ .

MORE EVENTS include Governing magazine editor Peter Harkness on "The State of the States: Challenges and Opportunities" (Jan. 8); C.H. Robinson Worldwide CEO John Wiehoff on global supply chains and third-party logistics, at the Carlson School of Management's First Tuesday luncheon (Jan. 9); and "The Cannabis Controversy" with the Bell Museum's curator of plants, George Weiblen (Jan. 9). SEE THESE AND MORE TWIN CITIES EVENTS ONLINE at http://events.tc.umn.edu .

NEWS RELEASES are posted daily at http://www.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/home.php .

Published by University Relations at the University of Minnesota; Gayla Marty, editor.

Please send comments, questions, or submissions to the editor at brief@umn.edu . All Twin Cities event submissions are handled through the events calendar at http://events.tc.umn.edu .

Brief is published by e-mail and on the Web at www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief.html. See also UMNnews, a U-wide Web publication, at www.umn.edu/umnnews .

Notice: Brief is the official University of Minnesota staff and faculty weekly news digest, featuring human resource, employee benefit, administrative, legislative, budgetary, event, and other pertinent information. You may choose to unsubscribe from Brief, but please be aware that if you do, you will not receive this up-to-date information, compiled and delivered directly to you, in any other University communications. To unsubscribe, visit http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Subscribe.html .