Vol. XXXVII No. 25; Aug. 29, 2007
Editor: Gayla Marty, brief@umn.edu

Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_8292007.html.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--Transforming the U: A new approach to changing light bulbs is improving UMTC classrooms and work spaces and saving time and money.
--The U received an intent-to-strike notice from AFSCME Aug. 24; a strike could begin between Sept. 5 and 24.
--Civil Service Committee member profile: Dan Farrar, Security Monitor Program.
--People: New VP for scholarly and cultural affairs is Steven Rosenstone; new associate VP and dean for international programs is Meredith McQuaid; and more.

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

TRANSFORMING THE U: When the lights go on in UMTC classrooms next week, they'll be creating a better student and faculty experience than ever, with consistent brightness and far fewer burnouts. Group relamping also will save more than $1.5 million over the next five years by changing light bulbs building by building instead of bulb by bulb, and by standardizing the type of bulb. The next phase is group relamping in work spaces. Read more about the project from initiators Ruthann Manlet and Sean Schuller in Facilities Management and Dave Crane in the Office of Classroom Management, in "Light on the subject."

THE U RECEIVED AN INTENT-TO-STRIKE NOTICE FROM AFSCME Aug. 24. If a strike is called, it could begin between Sept. 5 and 24. The U and AFSCME are returning to the bargaining table this week. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) represents more than 3,000 health care, clerical, and technical employees among a total of 17,000 U employees statewide. See bargaining unit contract negotiations.

CIVIL SERVICE COMMITTEE: Dan Farrar, director of the Security Monitor Program at UMTC, is the first of six new CSC members to be profiled. Read more in "Focusing on professional development."

PEOPLE: New VP for scholarly and cultural affairs is UMTC College of Liberal Arts dean Steven Rosenstone; new associate VP and dean for international programs is Meredith McQuaid; new executive director of the Northwest Minnesota Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is Joan Porraz; professor Eli Coleman was elected president of the International Academy of Sex Research; UMTC student Ann Miron is Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Read about these and more U awards and appointments in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

CLASSES BEGIN this week at UMC (Aug. 28) and UMM (today) and next week (Sept. 4) at UMD and UMTC. See the 2007-08 academic calendar.

STUDENT-STAFF DIRECTORY: DEADLINE FOR UPDATES TO INDIVIDUAL LISTINGS is Sept. 14. Go to "Update Personal Information" at Employee Self-Service.

TEACHING AND ADVISING AWARDS NOMINATION INFORMATION SESSIONS will be held this fall for those involved in compiling dossiers for the Morse-Alumni, graduate/professional, and Tate advising awards. Topics will include dossier format, tips for compiling a strong dossier, and more. Staff from the Office of the Senior VP and Provost will be available to answer questions about the process. UMTC: (1) Sept. 18, 10-11 a.m., 402 Walter Library, and (2) Dec. 3, 2-3 p.m., 101 Walter Library. Sessions for UMC, UMD, and UMM will be offered by interactive TV: (1) Sept. 20, 10-11 a.m., and (2) Dec. 5, 2-3 p.m.; campus locations will be 106 Sahlstrom Center, UMC; 173 Kirby Plaza, UMD; and 7 HFA, UMM. Register for the September sessions by Sept. 11 and for the December sessions by Nov. 26. Contact Robin Matross Helms at rmhelms@umn.edu or 612-626-5598.

GRANT-IN-AID OF RESEARCH, ARTISTRY, AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM for faculty and graduate students is administered by the Graduate School. Applications are due Sept. 17 for the grant period Jan. 1, 2008-June 30, 2009. See the request for proposals.

CANDIDATES FOR ASSOCIATE VP FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Andrew Furco, U of California-Berkeley, and Irma McClaurin, Ford Foundation, both identified through a national search, visited UMTC in August; videos of their public forums will be posted.

THE FIRST GLBTA SYSTEMWIDE SUMMIT, hosted by the U-wide Standing Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Concerns, will bring together students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members from each campus to discuss improving the campus climate for GLBT and ally communities. Sept. 23-24 at UMD; advance registration is requested. See the GLBTA Systemwide Summit.

THE STATE FAIR FEATURES THE WHOLE U. Great discoveries are on display with engaging exhibits and experts from all five campuses. Check out the stage performances, demonstrations, and appearances by U personalities. Shop for U clothing, gifts, entertainment tickets, and special athletics ticket offers. Discount tickets available from U Bookstores, UMTC. The U building is located at Dan Patch Avenue. Through Sept. 3, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. See Discover the U at the Minnesota State Fair.

"HOT TOPICS IN MATURE WOMEN'S HEALTH" will be the fourth annual Women's Health Research Conference, presented by the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health. Sept. 17, McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC. See the conference program and register now.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE SUMMIT OF SAGES, with Maya Angelou, hosted by the Katherine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership, will allow 55 students from the six Academic Health Center schools to attend. E-mail densford@umn.edu to request an application. Oct. 14-16, St. Paul.

SAVE THE DATE: E3 2007 will be the Midwest's premier energy, economic, and environmental conference. Nov. 27, UMTC. Early-bird registration through Oct. 16.

FIELD TRIP VOLUNTEERS are needed by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Learn more at a kickoff event, Sept. 6, 9-11 a.m., Chaska. Register by Sept. 4; contact Randy Gage at gage0020@umn.edu or 952-443-1478.

U GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATES: A general legislative update (Aug. 9) and a federal relations update (Aug. 17) are now posted.

Crookston:

UMC BEGINS 2007-08 with new degree programs in biology and pre-veterinary medicine; a redefined Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology; equipment upgrades in chemistry labs; and more than 100 new student-athletes and 10 athletics staff members. See the fall 2007 update.

UMC WAS NAMED A TOP PUBLIC BACCALAUREATE COLLEGE IN THE MIDWEST for the 10th consecutive year by U.S.News & World Report. See the news release.

Duluth:

A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM) will be purchased with a grant of $400,000 from the National Science Foundation to the College of Science and Engineering. It will be used for teaching and research in geological sciences, biology, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering and will also be available to outside nonprofit and industry groups. SEM installation in the chemistry building is planned for early 2008.

THE UMD MARCHING BAND will assemble this fall after an 18-year break, the Department of Music announced. The corps-style band will present shows throughout the season at athletic events, with the first appearance at homecoming, Sept. 29, 1 p.m.

THE DEPARTMENTS OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING ranked 5th and 38th in the nation, respectively, in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. UMD ranked 10th among top Midwest public universities. See the news release.

Morris:

NINETY DELEGATES FROM MORE THAN 40 NATIONS stopped in Morris Aug. 22 as part of the USDA Global Conference on Agricultural Biofuels. The group toured the campus biomass facility under construction and the West Central Research and Outreach Center's wind turbine. They also attended a biomass presentation by Lowell Rasmussen, associate vice chancellor for physical plant and planning, and Joel Tallaksen, biomass gasification project coordinator. See "Global conference delegates tour."

GATEWAY 2007, a four-week transition program, was attended by 15 students from Arizona, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Texas. Founded in 1995, the program includes a 4-credit umbrella course along with workshops, seminars, and athletic activities. Students are motivated to succeed at UMM and gain an understanding of the level of work expected in college.

OPENING CONVOCATION for the 2007-08 First-Year Seminar will be presented by John Biewen, Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University. Sept. 6, 7 p.m., Edson Auditorium.

Rochester:

UMR MOVED TO DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER--to the third and fourth floors of University Square (formerly Galleria Mall), 111 S. Broadway--last week. Telephone numbers have not changed. See details at UMR on the move.

Twin Cities:

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING INFORMATION for fall semester is now posted. With changes due to stadium construction and the I-35W bridge collapse, everyone is urged to avoid driving to campus. Metropasses for faculty and staff have been reduced from $64 to $45 to make busing more affordable; a new Lot 33 north of Mariucci Arena is available for carpools until 9 a.m.; more bike racks have been installed on campus; and 900 parking spaces have been added at the State Fairground Lot in St. Paul. Read more about getting to the University.

OPEN HOUSES TO GATHER CITIZEN INPUT ON I-35W BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION are being held by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). There will be no formal presentation; MnDOT engineers will be available to answer questions. Aug. 30, 4:30-7 p.m., Humphrey Center atrium; Sept. 5, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Crystal Court, IDS Center, 717 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. Learn more about the open houses.

"REFLECTIONS ON THE BRIDGE" will provide a time for the arriving campus community to observe a moment of silence, hear from campus representatives, and gain perspective on the Aug. 1 tragedy that will continue to affect the lives of individuals and the surrounding communities. Sept. 4, 12:15 p.m., east end of the Washington Avenue Bridge. Sponsored by the Interfaith Campus Coalition, student groups, and several U offices, including the Office for Student Affairs, University Counseling and Consulting Services, Community Relations, and Boynton Health Service.

COURSE RESERVES FOR FALL 2007: University Libraries offer course reserve services to help instructors provide course materials, publications, and other information resources to their students. Print and Web-based services are available. Students can access electronic content from within the Libraries or remotely. See Reserves for more information about placing materials on course reserve for fall semester, or contact Jerrie Bayer at j-baye@umn.edu or 612-624-8530.

THE CUP coffee café in Williamson Hall is closing its doors. The Cup will not reopen in September. Coffee is available at three other East Bank locations operated by University Dining Services: Wise Owl Café in Walter Library, Starbucks in Coffman Union, and Java City in Moos Tower. A second Dunn Bros. Coffee café will open as the River Road Café in the newly renovated Education Sciences Building in October. See UDS.

THE MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA WILL GIVE A FREE NOON CONCERT ON NORTHROP PLAZA to kick off the orchestra's 2007-08 concert season, Sept. 12, noon-1 p.m. The program will include an eclectic mix of music, including Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, which gained the orchestra fame when it recorded the work 50 years ago in Northrop Auditorium.

MORE EVENTS include new teaching assistant training (Aug. 29-30); "The Final Word!" The Poets of the City Super Show (Aug. 31); Gopher Volleyball in the Diet Coke Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 2); and the transportation fair (Sept. 4, Coffman Union, and Sept. 5, St. Paul Student Center). 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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