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1. Top Stories

AN ON-CAMPUS STADIUM FOR GOPHER FOOTBALL may be feasible, according to a new U study released Dec. 8. The study recommends a 50,000-seat, open-air stadium, built on campus northeast of Williams and Mariucci arenas. The projected cost is $180 million, with another $42 million needed for site preparations and infrastructure improvements, bringing the total project cost to an estimated $222 million. This study is an early step, and no decision has been made to build a stadium. U officials will consult with faculty, staff, students, and the broader community before any decision is reached. For the feasibility study and more information, see http://www.umn.edu/stadium MORE: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=949

REGENTS WILL DISCUSS THE STADIUM feasibility study during their monthly meeting Dec. 11-12, 600 McNamara Alumni Center. For the agenda and meeting times, see http://www1.umn.edu/regents/

U CLERICAL UNION WORKERS, who went on strike for two weeks this fall, have ratified the tentative agreement that ended the strike. Of the AFSCME Local 3800 members who voted, 90 percent approved the two-year agreement. Under the contract, union members have a wage freeze for the first year. In the second year workers at the top of their pay scale will get a 4 percent raise, and automatic raises tied to experience will be reinstated.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE are now being accepted. Established in 1997, the award recognizes faculty and staff who have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the U community. Nominations are due by March 1, 2004. For more information about the award or nominating process, call the University Senate Office at 612-625-9369.

2. News and Announcements

THE U's LEUKEMIA RESEARCH FUND at the U of M Foundation received $315,000 from this year's Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament. Since 1976, the tournament has contributed more than $3.5 million to the Leukemia Research Fund. The fund supports interdisciplinary research in leukemia and related diseases at the U's Cancer Center and elsewhere at the U. MORE: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=906

THE EARLE BROWN CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTER HAS BEEN RENAMED the Continuing Education and Conference Center. For more information about the center's meeting and conference planning services, call 612-624-3275 or see http://www.cce.umn.edu/ebc/

MARK BECKER, dean of the School of Public Health, has been appointed assistant vice president for Preparedness and Emergency Response for the U. The position was created as part of a larger campuswide emergency preparedness plan developed following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and will provide coordination and planning for emergent public health issues such as SARS, influenza, and other infectious disease outbreaks or bioterrorism.

U DEPARTMENTS CAN NOW SHOP THE U's REUSE CENTER on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. No appointment is necessary; please bring your CUFS number for reference. On Thursdays the ReUse Program warehouse is also open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The warehouse is located at 883 29th Avenue S.E., Minneapolis. The U ReUse Program relieves 250 University buildings of unwanted materials, fixtures, and supplies and redistributes them at the U or to the general public. For more information, see http://www1.umn.edu/reuse

GIVE A RAPTOR CENTER GIFT CERTIFICATE this holiday season and help support an eagle, owl, falcon, or hawk. The certificates can be used for Raptor Center education programs, memberships, adopt-a-raptor, or to release a rehabilitated raptor back to the wild. For more information, see http://www.theraptorcenter.org or call 612-624-2756.

3. Campus Events and Information

Crookston:
GARY SENSKE, FORMER HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH, will be recognized for his contributions to UMC on Dec. 10. He will be honored during halftime at the game that evening and at a social at the Crookston Eagles (105 S. Broadway) following the game at 9 p.m. Senske was head basketball coach for 21 years, from 1981 to 2002. At UMC his NCAA teams compiled 176 wins against 117 losses for a 61 percent win-loss record that included 12 consecutive winning seasons, a division championship, four division runners-up, a state championship, and a Region XIII runner-up title.

SOYBEAN COLLEGE will be Dec. 18 on the UMC campus. Sponsored by U of M Extension Service, the Northwest Research and Outreach Center, UMC, and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, the Soybean College is an in-depth, hands-on workshop designed for soybean producers featuring top extension and research specialists from the U and North Dakota State University. The workshop begins with registration, 8-8:30 a.m. at 180 Owen Hall. The event is free to interested current UMC students, $20 for others who preregister, and $25 at the door. For more information, see http://www.nwroc.umn.edu/Calendar/SBB.pdf

Duluth:
ELAINE HANSEN HAS BEEN APPOINTED DIRECTOR of the UMD Center for Economic Development (CED). Previously she was the director of development for the Labovitz School of Business and Economics. The mission of the CED is to support the growth, diversification, and stability of northeastern Minnesota's economy through assistance to small- and medium-sized businesses.

MORE THAN 150 UMD STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND MEMBERS of the Duluth community are preparing to leave for Palermo, Sicily, as part of the yearlong Italian American Festival. UMD music and theatre students will perform Guys and Dolls with students from the Bellini Conservatory of Music in Palermo. An art exhibition entitled "Perspectives from America" will open Jan. 8 at the Palazzo Scalafani, featuring original American artwork from a collection at the Tweed Museum of Art and Duluth community artists. On Jan. 9, the UMD Jazz Ensemble I, a student and faculty jazz band, will perform in a sound and light show featuring music of the great Italian American crooners, with UMD alumnus Steve Vecchi as a guest soloist.

Morris:
JOHN HUSTED is one of only two recipients University-wide to receive the 2003 Distinguished Teaching Award from the U's College of Continuing Education (CCE). Husted "Exemplifies long-term excellence and has had a broad impact on our CCE programs," said Mary Nichols, CCE dean. Husted began teaching in Continuing Education at UMM in 1977. In addition to lecturing at UMM, he maintains a long-standing private practice as a licensed consulting psychologist in Alexandria. He has taught more than 40 continuing education psychology courses in communities throughout the west central area.

UMM'S ANNUAL TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE has kicked off, with all toys collected going to children in the Stevens County area. Student organizations are engaging in a spirited competition with prizes, donated by two local businesses, going to the top three organizations that gather the most toys. Last year, UMM collected $1,600 worth of toys. Contributions will be accepted through Dec. 16 at Office of Student Activities, Student Center Information Desk, Best Western Prairie Inn Ranch House Restaurant, or Morris Area High School.

ELEVEN UMM STUDENT ATHLETES have been named Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) individual fall academic all-conference award winners for 2003. Athletes selected must meet the following criteria to be eligible: (1) post a 3.5 or better grade point average based on a 4.0 scale; (2) complete two previous academic semesters at the nominating UMAC institution; (3) compete in the sport in which he or she is nominated.

Rochester:
BUY A SCARF AND SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS with the Scarves for Scholars program. Knitted by UMR's development director Marie Maher and other crafty volunteers, the scarves--along with other handcrafted items--are available in a variety of styles and colors. Money raised will be used for scholarships and new programing. To purchase a scarf, see http://www.scarvesforscholars.com A fund-raiser, with a chili supper and live and silent auctions, will be held Dec. 16, 5:30-8 p.m., Century High School. For event tickets or more information, call 507-285-7120.

Twin Cities:
THE U OF M BOOKSTORE IN COFFMAN UNION HAS BEEN NAMED BEST BOOKSTORE in the Twin Cities by Mpls. St. Paul Magazine in their December 2003 issue. The bookstore was honored for its "big, eclectic, well-stocked, independently run" operation.

THE U SCHOOL OF MUSIC WILL PRESENT Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" and Schumann's "Rehnish" symphony, conducted by Akira Mori, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall. Free. For more information on School of Music events, call 612-626-8742 or see http://www.music.umn.edu

TOM AUGST, U professor of English, will discuss his new book The Clerk's Tale: Young Men and Moral Life in Nineteenth-Century America, Dec. 12, 3:30-5 p.m., 207a Lind Hall. Copies will be available. For more information on the reading and the new English Now reading series, see http://English.cla.umn.edu

CHARLES ARNTZEN, founding director of the Arizona Biomedical Institute and holder of the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Chair in Plant Biology at Arizona State University, will speak on "Using the Power of Plant Biotechnology to Prevent Infectious Disease: The Science of Plant-derived Vaccines" Dec. 16, 3 p.m., lecture room, Cargill Building. The lecture is part of the National Academy of Sciences Lecture Series, sponsored by the Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics. Arntzen will receive an honorary doctor of science degree following the lecture.

"TWELVE YEARS AND THIRTEEN DAYS: REMEMBERING PAUL AND SHEILA WELLSTONE," a photographic exhibit commemorating the Wellstones' commitment to social and economic justice, runs through Dec. 18 at the Weisman Art Museum. MORE: http://www.weisman.umn.edu/twelveyears/index.htm

SEE MORE TWIN CITIES EVENTS ONLINE at http://events.tc.umn.edu

Brief is compiled by University Relations at the University of Minnesota. Please send comments, questions, or submissions to Jason Sanford, editor, at sanfo012@umn.edu All Twin Cities event submissions are handled through the events calendar at http://events.tc.umn.edu

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