Story Tips
A collection of news tidbits from across the U of M campus. Delivered regularly, tips are written with journalists in mind.
U of M boosts English language programs in response to Minnesota’s changing demographics
September 25, 2008
As is the trend around the country, Minnesota’s demographics are becoming increasingly diverse -- nearly 350,000 current state residents are foreign-born, a figure that increased 117 percent between the years 2000 and 2006. In response to this trend, the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education (CCE) is debuting several new ESL (English as a Second Language) programs, with the goal of assisting new Minnesotans in perfecting their English-speaking skills so they can advance in their work and personal lives.
This fall, CCE is introducing a new certificate program, Professional English Communication for Non-Native Speakers. Geared toward working professionals who have come to Minnesota from other countries and who already speak English, the program offers short courses in speaking and presentation skills, grammar and business writing. The courses will help participants communicate more clearly, directly and confidently in the workplace.
“The Professional English Communication for Non-Native Speakers program is designed to empower non-native professionals, who are already making big contributions to the Minnesota economy,” said Tom Norman, director of CCE’s Continuing Professional Education unit. “We want to help them make the best contribution possible and advance professionally in their workplaces.”
In conjunction with these short courses, the College of Continuing Education will also offer a semester-long course in Business English. The course will help participants who want more in-depth English instruction.
For more information about these programs, visit the following Web sites:
Professional English Communication for Non-Native Speakers (short courses for working professionals): www.cce.umn.edu/certificateprograms/eng/
Minnesota English Language Program (semester-long course with more in-depth work): www.cce.umn.edu/esl
Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy's Strategic Leadership Insights presentation: www.cce.umn.edu/corporateeducation/leadershipinsights/speakerstopics/topic4/index.html
For more information on the program, contact Rachel Wright at (612) 624-7770 or wrigh474@umn.edu or Ryan Maus at (612) 624-1690 or maus@umn.edu.
Reporters behind bars: U of M to host discussion on media and law enforcement at RNC
September 19, 2008
Thousands protested and hundreds more were arrested during the recently completed Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Among those detained were several journalists, photographers and other media members, a story that stole some headlines away from political matters at the convention.
The University of Minnesota’s Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law will be hosting a panel discussion on media and law enforcement at the RNC at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 in the Coffman Memorial Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include journalists who reported from the RNC as well as representatives from law enforcement, city government and media law experts.
The panel will be moderated by Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute and will attempt to answer exactly why so many journalists were arrested at the RNC and what can be done in the future to prevent similar results.
The discussion is also sponsored by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists, the Minnesota Journalism Center and the U of M School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
More information on the event can be found at, http://www.mnspj.org/wp-content/uploads/save-the-datefinal.pdf.
U of M professor serves as composer for New York City opera based on Sept. 11 tragedy
September 15, 2008
In the seven years since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, tributes of nearly every size and shape have been paid to the victims of terrorism who lost their lives on that day. However, the recent opening of “Calling: An Opera of Forgiveness” at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City represents a new direction, and a University of Minnesota music professor is playing a key role. Based on the book “A Mother’s Essays From Ground Zero” by director Wickham Boyle, the 90-minute electroacoustics score for the performance is provided by Douglas Geers, an associate professor of composition at the university’s School of Music.
“We wrote this to honor all the people who have experienced the tragic events of Sept. 11,” said Geers, who was on his way to class at Columbia University when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. “It’s not a piece that’s meant to only be a memorial because we want it to be something that will move everybody and resonate with everybody, not just the people who were there in New York City that day.”
The opera, which opened last week and is showing at the La Mama (74A East 4th St. in New York) until Sept. 28, blends drama, music and choreography to capture the reactions and reflections of one family witnessing the attack on the World Trade Center at close range. In her essays, Boyle writes about living just blocks away from the Twin Towers and having her two children attend a school adjacent to the World Trade Towers.
The chamber ensemble for “Calling” includes Geers and his wife, violinist Maja Cerar. Geers’ “instruments” are a laptop computer -- complete with a Nintendo Wii Remote -- which he uses to make his performances more visual and kinetic. Geers has showcased the technology at various different music festivals, including the annual February SPARK Festival of Electronic Music and Arts that he created on the Twin Cities campus.
Geers is available for media interviews by contacting Lisa Marshall of the School of Music at (612) 626-1094 or marsh396@umn.edu, or Ryan Maus at the university News Service at (612) 624-1690 or maus@umn.edu.
More information on “Calling” can be found on the web at www.callingtheopera.com.
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