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1. Top Stories

THE NEW U CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH (CECMH) will be launched by President Bruininks on Jan. 30, 1 p.m., at Black Bear Crossings on the Lake Pavilion Place Meeting Center, 1360 N. Lexington Parkway, St. Paul. CECMH aims to shorten the time it takes for mental health research to travel from researchers to professionals who work on such issues in communities. The CECMH is part of the President's Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families. MORE: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=1105

H. TED DAVIS, DEAN OF THE U'S INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (IT), will return to a faculty position in fall semester. Davis, 66, was appointed dean in November 1995 and is the third-longest-serving dean in IT's history, as well as the third-longest-serving among current deans on the Twin Cities campus. "I've had an incredible experience, but after 9 years as dean and 24 in administration, it's time to pass the torch," said Davis.
MORE: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=1104

THE 2004 GREAT CONVERSATIONS SERIES will kick off with President Bruininks exploring the issue of creativity with best-selling author Richard Florida on Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis. The two will talk about how governments, universities, developers, and designers can work together to generate creative places and spaces. Tickets are $23 for faculty, staff, and students and $28 for the general public. For tickets, call 612-624-2345 or see http://www.cce.umn.edu/conversations MORE: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=1099

2. News and Announcements

THE PERFORMANCE OF CURRENT U MEDICAL PLANS is being reviewed by the U Benefits Advisory Committee. Comments about the service that faculty, staff, and family members received from their medical plans during 2003 are welcome and can be sent to the following e-mail addresses: for HealthPartners, gdw@umn.edu ; for Patient Choice, litma001@umn.edu ; for PreferredOne, pehng@mrs.umn.edu ; for Definity Health, mcgehee@math.umn.edu

APPLICATIONS FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER GRANT-IN-AID OF RESEARCH, ARTISTRY, AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, run by the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, are now being accepted. The application deadline is Feb. 9. For more information, see http://www.grad.umn.edu/faculty-staff/funding/dean/gia or call Research Support Services at 612-625-2356.

PHARMACEUTICAL-CARE CLINIC PATIENTS ARE NEEDED to help prepare pharmacy students for new professional responsibilities. Patients will receive a comprehensive assessment of all their medication-related needs by an advanced-standing pharmacy student in the presence of experienced faculty. Pharmacists will soon be providing this service as part of the new Medicare Prescription Drug Act. This is a College of Pharmacy program, and there is no charge to patients. For more information or to set up an appointment, please call 612-626-1467.

THE U ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003 is now available. It includes an independent auditors' report, financial statements and footnotes, and overviews of the U's finances and activities. A PDF version of the report can be found at http://process.umn.edu/groups/controller/documents/main/controller_home.html A limited number of printed copies are available by calling University Relations at 612-624-6868.

COMPUTER INSURANCE FOR U DEPARTMENTS is available from the Office of Risk Management. The Electronic Data Processing (EDP) insurance has a $500 deductible (compared to the $10,000 deductible of most policies) with a policy period of March 1, 2004, to March 1, 2005. To apply, departments must submit an EDP Renewal Notice, EDP Inventory Form, and a list of items to be included under the EDP policy. Deadline for forms to be submitted is Jan. 31. For more information, contact Pam Ubel at novic002@groupwise.umn.edu or 612-624-5884.

TRAINING SERVICES OFFERS SEVERAL WORKSHOPS designed to help individuals and departments develop and enhance service-related skills. Some of the available workshops are "FISH," Jan. 21, 9-11 a.m., an introduction to the FISH! service philosophy made famous by Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle; "Process of Evaluation," Jan. 23, 9-11 a.m., which covers service evaluations, when to use them, and how to establish them; and "Intro to Setting and Measuring Service Standards," Jan. 28, 8:30-11:30 a.m., an introduction to the importance of service standards and how to set them. For more information and to enroll online, see https://onestop2.umn.edu/training/category.jsp?category=SRV+IMP or contact Training Services at trngsvcs@umn.edu or 612-626-1373.

3. Campus Events and Information

U-wide Event:
THE U OF M ALUMNI ASSOCIATION'S 100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY will be Jan. 30, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. A new U of M musical cheer will be performed for the first time in public during the party, which will also feature free lunch, birthday cake, prize giveaways, and birthday games. The party is free and open to the public. For more information, see http://www.alumni.umn.edu/100

Crookston:
STUDENTS IN UMC'S STUDENT CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS have been named outstanding volunteers by the Volunteer Awards Committee of the Crookston City Council. Student representatives were presented with an award at the council meeting Jan. 13. In a letter to UMC's Office of Student Activities and Service Learning, Crookston mayor Don Osborne congratulated the UMC student clubs and organizations.

Duluth:
KYLE SCHWEIGERT HAS BEEN NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH for the UMD Bulldogs. Schweigert has been an assistant coach for the University of North Dakota's football program for 15 years. He replaces Bob Nielson, who became the UMD athletics director Dec. 1.

SUBHASH BASAK, senior research associate, UMD Natural Resources Research Institute, recently traveled to India as an invited speaker at Delhi University and to present the Distinguished Professor Ashis Chandra Memorial Lecture, "Drug Discovery in the Postgenomic Era," at the University of Calcutta in Kokata.

Morris:
PETER COYOTE IS SLATED AS THE 2004 UMM COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER. Best known for his appearances in Erin Brockovich, Patch Adams, Outrageous Fortune, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Coyote is also a long-time supporter of the nation's independent film movement and the author of Sleeping Where I Fall, a memoir of San Francisco in the 1960s and '70s.

" PRAIRIE YARD AND GARDEN," produced by Media Services on the Morris campus in association with Pioneer Public Television, is in its 17th season. The program airs on PPTV Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. UMM is one of the few colleges in the nation that provide students with an opportunity to work on a PBS television series.

"EXISTENTIAL ISSUES: IDENTITY, SELF, AND COMMUNITY," which exhibits the work of three artists--Mike Stephens, Becki Smith, and Anthony Peruzzo--will be in the Humanities Fine Arts (HFA) Gallery Jan. 15 through Feb. 6. A public reception to open the exhibit will be held Jan. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., with a lecture by Peruzzo at 7:15 p.m. in 2 HFA.

Twin Cities:
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2004 PRESIDENT'S STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD are now being accepted. This annual award recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding student leaders on the TC campus. Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students can nominate themselves or be nominated by faculty, students, or staff. Application deadline is Feb. 13. For more information, see http://www.sao.umn.edu/Awards/pslsa.php or contact Erik Dussault at dussa001@umn.edu or 612-626-6919.

"PLANTS TO THE RESCUE: RESTORING WATER QUALITY" will be held Jan. 15, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The conference is designed for landscape architects, city and government planners, nursery representatives, scientists, urban foresters, arborists, and other professionals and individuals. Cost is $95 for arboretum members and nonmembers, $50 for students. Professionals can earn 6.5 development hours. For registration or information, call 952-443-1422.

LAURA GURAK has been named head of the Department of Rhetoric. Gurak holds a B.A. from the College of St. Rose and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She joined the U faculty in 1994 and was promoted to associate professor in 1998 and professor in 2002. Gurak is founder and director of the Department's Industrial Affiliates Program and Internet Studies Center and is a faculty fellow at the U Law School.

KRIS WRIGHT has been named director of the Office of Student Finance, effective Jan. 1. Wright has been the interim director for the past 18 months.

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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