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Past Issues
After congratulating the Gopher men's hockey team for their NCAA championship win on April 12, President Bruininks expressed outrage and disappointment about vandalism and other criminal activity around the TC campus. "We are deeply disappointed that the actions of some individuals have tarnished the reputation of this institution and the majority of law-abiding, responsible U students," said Bruininks. "A victory such as this should be a time for building community, not tearing it down." To address potential future disturbances and destructive behavior, Bruininks said the U will consider a "zero tolerance" policy aimed at imposing swift discipline for students involved in such activity. Damage to both U and private property was estimated at more than $100,000.
Regents discussed plans for preventing and responding to emergencies at the U at their April 11 meeting. VP O'Brien and Sr. VP Cerra reported that the U has created an associate vice president of safety position under whom police, emergency management, and environmental health and safety functions are aligned; established a central monitoring station; and installed additional video monitoring equipment across campus. The U police have also moved to community-oriented policing with beat patrols in academic units. For more information on emergency preparedness at the U, go to www.prepare.umn.edu after the end of the month.
U has risen in national rankings of fund-raising among both public institutions and all U.S. universities, according to an annual survey released by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE). Among public universities, the U moved from 6th in fiscal year 2001 to 4th in 2002. Among all higher education institutions, the U moved from 16th to 14th. CAE rankings were based on gifts received between July 2001 and June 2002. Gifts and grants provide about 10% of U's resources each year.
The House and Senate higher education committees will act on the Higher Ed Omnibus Bill this week. The bill will determine the distribution of state funds to the U, MnSCU, and the financial aid office.
Regents approved the U's new Retirement Incentive Option and changes to civil service layoff and academic nonrenewal severance programs at their April 11 meeting. For more information, see www.umn.edu/ohr/eb. In addition, comments about proposed health care changes are due to the Benefits Advisory Committee by April 18. Information available at www.umn.edu/ohr/eb/proposedchanges. Send feedback to benefits.feedback@tc.umn.edu.
Faculty salaries at U have changed little in comparison to those at peer public and private research universities, according to new report presented to regents. On salaries paid for full professors on the TC campus, the U ranked 27th among the nation's top 30 research universities. The only improvement among all faculty job classes was for assistant professors, whose salaries moved from 27th to 22nd. The U fares better in the ranking when total compensation—i.e., salary and fringe benefits—is considered. For more information on report, go to www.irr.umn.edu/present/top30report03.pdf.
Due to outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), U recommends that faculty, staff, and students avoid discretionary travel to the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong and that those currently in the region return home as soon as possible. Contact Office of International Programs at 612-624-5580 for more information.
Large discounts on new computers for faculty, staff, students, and departments are available through an aggregated purchasing program. ADCS/OIT has reached an agreement with Dell to give the U community a deep discount on desktops, laptops, and other computing systems. To purchase, go to www.techmart.umn.edu and link to the Dell B2B site for U department purchases. Systems will be discounted until May 31. Contact Justin Halverson at 612-626-4644 or e-mail halve021@umn.edu for more information.
The U will recognize GLBT and GLBT-family graduates with its annual Lavender Graduation and Awards Ceremony April 24, 4–6:30 p.m., Campus Club, Coffman Union, TC campus. Undergraduate and graduate students from fall 2002, spring 2003, and summer 2003 will be presented with certificates, purple mortar boards, and rainbow graduation tassels. Eligible graduates from any U campus are invited to participate and may register by calling 612-625-0537 or e-mailing glbt@umn.edu by April 18.
Xcel Energy Inc. and an anonymous source have contributed $2 million each to help start a new biotechnology incubator at the U in St. Paul. The incubator will nurture start-up companies that are long on ideas and short on capital. Expected to cost $27 million, the incubator may be running by this time next year, said Dean Elde, College of Biological Sciences.
U will thank staff and faculty who made gifts during Campaign Minnesota with events on all campuses on April 22. TC campus events are held as part of Beautiful U Day and include lunch for all students, staff, and faculty at noon, Northrop plaza. Crookston event is at 8:30 a.m. in Kiehle Building. Duluth will have a program of student performances in Weber Music Hall at 1 p.m. Morris event is at 8:30 a.m. on the campus mall. Some 11,000 staff and faculty have donated $62 million to Campaign Minnesota, which began in 1996 and ends June 30, 2003. To make a gift to Campaign Minnesota, visit www.campaign.umn.edu. (Note: All events are being paid for with private funding.)
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CROOKSTON—Forty-one students earned Senior Division Sweepstakes and Overall Sweepstakes awards at the annual National Judging Competition of the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. UMC dairy judging team took first place overall, as did the teams for ag business management, ag computing, ag knowledge bowl, and ag discussion.
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team earned Regional Champion status at the annual SIFE conference in Minneapolis April 7–8 and will move on to the 2003 SIFE National Exposition, May 11–13 in Kansas City, MO. This is the 4th straight year the team has earned the SIFE Regional Champion title.
Bob Bergland, former U.S. secretary of agriculture under President Carter and former U regent, will speak April 23, 1–3 p.m. in Youngquist Auditorium. He will discuss his role with the USDA and various marketing programs he helped develop as well as various opportunities for graduates in agriculture.
DULUTH—Women's hockey coach Shannon Miller was named the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division I Coach of the Year. Miller led the UMD Bulldogs to their 3rd consecutive NCAA women's hockey championship in March. Miller will be honored by the AHCA in Naples, Florida, on April 26.
Annual Royal D. Alworth, Jr., Memorial Lecture will be April 24, 7:30 p.m., UMD Library rotunda. Program, "Political and Military Realities of the Middle East," will be presented by John Stempel, professor and director of Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, University of Kentucky.
MORRIS—Faculty and staff who are recipients of awards and honors or who will be retiring during this academic year will be honored during the 12th annual faculty and staff recognition dinner April 17, 6:30 p.m., Oyate Hall.
Asian Student Association will sponsor a presentation by Minnesota legislator Cy Thao April 18, 7 p.m., Student Center alumni room. Last fall, Thao became the state's first Hmong representative, and the second Hmong to be elected to the Minnesota Legislature.
"Prairie Yard and Garden," produced by UMM Media Services, is airing on both Twin Cities television channel 2 (tpt2) Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. and on Twin Cities channel 17 (tpt17) Sundays at 9 p.m. for 13 weeks. Another Media Services-produced TV program, "Minnesota: Rivers and Fields," is airing on tpt17 Sundays at 11:30 p.m. for 13 weeks.
ROCHESTER—On April 15 the University of Minnesota Rochester held another "After School Snacks" session for K–12 educators and administrators. "Dealing with Difficult Parents: A Model that Works" was presented by Kathleen Jorissen, principal at Kasson Middle School and instructor in administrative licensure program at U Rochester.
TWIN CITIES—The men's hockey team became the first team to win back-to-back NCAA championships in three decades with a 5 to 1 win over New Hampshire on April 12.
Events: Beautiful U Day is April 22. In addition to traditional cleanup events, activities include a Sustainability Summit, Dinkytown cleanup, and the rededication of the Integrated Waste Management Facility in honor of former director of environmental health and safety Fay Thompson. For more Beautiful U Day info and to volunteer, see www.facm.umn.edu/BeautifulU.
Woodlands Wisdom, a partnership between the U and 6 tribal colleges, will celebrate the arrival of its new director Barbara Graham with a traditional Native American blessing ceremony April 18, 10:15–11:45 a.m., McNeal Hall atrium. For more information, contact Diedre Russeth, 612-625-3187.
Center for Advanced Feminist Studies will mark its 20th anniversary with a celebration and symposium April 21, 3–6 p.m, Johnson Room, McNamara Alumni Center. For more information, call 612-624-6310.
Graduate School will host an awards ceremony for outstanding directors and assistants on May 1, 3–5 p.m., 101 Walter Library.
Lectures: Merlin Donald of Queens University, Ontario, will speak on "The Origins of the Modern Mind" April 17, 8 p.m., Ski-U-Mah room, McNamara Alumni Center.
U Libraries Distinguished Writer Lee Blessing will read from his work April 28, 3:30 p.m., 120 Andersen Library. Blessing is author of 18 plays and screenplays for television and film. His play Two Rooms is currently in performance by the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul.
Eric Black will speak on "Secrets of Journalism Revealed: How Journalism Really Works" April 23, 5:30 p.m., Campus Club, Coffman Union. Dinner and program $35. Black writes for the Star Tribune and has published 5 books. For reservations and information, e-mail stangret@umn.edu or call 612-624-9339.
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