U of M News Wire
April 10, 2008
University receives $65 million for Cancer Center
Minnesota Masonic Charities gives largest gift in U history
By Martha Coventry
U of M News Wire
The University of Minnesota has received its largest gift ever – $65 million from the Minnesota Masonic Charities – to the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. With this pledge, Masonic support of cancer research and care at the university over the past 53 years totals $100 million. In recognition of this record-breaking gift, the Cancer Center will now be called the Masonic Cancer Center.
"Our mission is to use our knowledge and skills for a single purpose: to find cures and develop better ways for preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer," said Douglas Yee, director. "Our continued partnership with Minnesota Masonic Charities and this extremely generous gift will allow us to take the Masonic Cancer Center to the next level. We will be able to significantly expand our capabilities in cancer research, treatment, and education to move closer toward achieving our mission. We thank the Masons for their confidence in us."
The legacy of support provided by the Masons has transformed cancer research and care at the university, which has been felt by physicians and patients alike.
Richard Andolshek was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 53. When presented with the task of choosing a treatment center, he sought the best care available. He called nationally recognized cancer treatment centers recommended by his internist, and each phone call led him back to Minnesota.
"I called M.D. Anderson [Cancer Center], and when they found out I had connected with Dr. Koeneman at the University of Minnesota, they told me there was no need to come to Texas," Andolshek said.
He heard again and again that the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and Koeneman were one of the best. "The word on the medical street is that this institution is one of the best in the world," he said.
Andolshek proceeded with treatment at the University of Minnesota and could not be more pleased with his care. Post-surgery, he said that he is functioning normally and without complication.
"I'm cancer-free today," he said.
Each aspect of patient care that Andolshek received, beginning with the nutrition program pre-surgery and continuing through the support groups post-surgery, "has been wonderful," he said. "They not only met my needs, but they met my wife's needs as well."
Koeneman, who treated Andolshek, reinforced the importance of giving to basic and clinical research. "Unrestricted giving to the University is critical to achieve and maintain a margin of excellence," he said.
The newly renamed Masonic Cancer Center was founded in 1991 to provide a collaborative environment for researchers to work on the causes, prevention, detection and treatment of cancer. Its several hundred members are some of the world's leaders in research on bone marrow transplantation, childhood cancers, cancers of the breast and bone, cancer genetics, tobacco research, immunology, new treatment development and epidemiology.
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U inaugurates Rochester chancellor
By Martha Coventry and Pauline Oo
U of M News Wire
The mayor was there, prominent members of the community were there, dignitaries from higher education across the state were there. Pomp and pageantry ruled near the Rochester campus this week thanks to 180 people – some of them in full academic regalia.
The occasion? Stephen Lehmkuhle was formally installed as the first chancellor of the University of Minnesota, Rochester.
Lehmkuhle delivered his visionary address to an audience that included Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede, five members of the Board of Regents; President Bob Bruininks and his wife, Susan Hagstrum; other U dignitaries; guest speaker Elson Floyd, president, Washington State University; and Lehmkuhle's wife, two children and mother. The ceremony took place in Phillips Hall at the Mayo Clinic, and a reception followed at the student lounge on the Rochester campus.
When he began his inaugural address, Lehmkuhle told the story of a search firm approaching him about coming to Rochester – “a 400 student school located in a shopping mall." Lehmkuhle was not interested, thinking, "I really have something else in mind."
The firm persisted and when Lehmkuhle, then vice president for academic affairs at University of Missouri, visited Minnesota, he began to think differently. In interviews, the talk turned to the opportunity at University of Minnesota, Rochester (UMR) for innovation and partnerships, and then he felt the Rochester community's commitment and enthusiasm.
"It occurred to me that ... if I accepted a leadership position at another established institution, I would continue managing change," said Lehmkuhle. "But in Rochester, I would be leading a new institution. Here I would be creating change, not managing change." He accepted the position nine months ago.
For Lehmkuhle, Rochester is one big campus, and he wants to blur the line between town and gown, with students learning at Mayo, IBM, in the bank offices, and in the arts community. "I hope that you will find it difficult to delineate our campus borders because this will mean that we are integrated into the community," he said. "This will be our signature."
Lehmkuhle wants nothing less for UMR than a new way of teaching and learning. Two trends in higher education convinced him of the need for a new model.
One trend is the way information quickly changes today. "... more and more often, the content that we present our freshmen is outdated before they graduate," said Lehmkuhle. Students, he believes, must be "armed with the capacity to learn if they are to thrive in the future. They must learn with understanding."
The other trend is that, as Lehmkuhle said, the students of the future will be "all comers," meaning they will come from all different backgrounds, cultures, and with different levels of academic preparation.
Learning must be more individualized. "We are designing at UMR a personalized educational experience that promotes learning with understanding for all students," he said. He envisions a student's record like a medical record, so faculty can be diagnostic and strategic in their teaching and use the student's preexisting knowledge to help him or her organize new knowledge and learn with understanding.
To help achieve these goals, UMR plans to open a nationally recognized Center for Learning Innovation where faculty will conduct research on student learning. "Our core faculty will be cognitive guides rather than dispensers of information," he said. "They will design a curriculum enriched by integrated learning experiences."
UMR is also looking to build or lease a "flexible research infrastructure" that would help it develop more research partnerships and better nurture existing ones with the local community.
In a congratulatory note to Lehmkuhle, Marilyn Stewart, chair of the Rochester Higher Education Development committee (RHEDC), said that the University was spot on with its choice for chancellor, having picked "the right leader at the right time."
"Our RHEDC report recommended the establishment of a world-class distinctive higher education institution that would leverage the University of Minnesota's research capability in partnerships...to build signature academic and research programs to complement southeast Minnesota's leadership in the health sciences, biosciences, and technology, as well as contributing significantly to the economic growth of Minnesota," said Stewart. "We are watching out dream come alive with Steve's very capable, creative, and collaborative leadership."
In his closing remarks, Lehmkuhle reiterated his reason for coming to Rochester. If the applause in the room seemed loud before, it was thunderous by the time he stepped away from the podium.
"I believe the University of Rochester is in a critical period of development. And what we do now will have a long-lasting impact on the institution," he said. "My most important legacy will be to make being innovative and being better immutable institutional traits that will enable University of Minnesota Rochester to grow into the leader in higher education that we all want.
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U of M study finds you get what you pay for with online Q & A sites
By Mark Cassutt
U of M News Wire
A new study by University of Minnesota computer science and engineering researchers revealed that the answer quality provided by online question-and-answer Web sites, such as Yahoo! Answers and Google Answers, depends on two factors – how much you pay and how many people contribute to your answer.
The university study posed 126 questions across a variety of Q&A sites and found that paying $10 or more to get your question answered at the now-closed Google Answers site yielded the highest-quality answers as judged by a panel of evaluators. These answers were long and detailed, with many links to source material.
Surprisingly the Web site Yahoo! Answers, which provides some answers for free, performed as well as Google Answers when the fee was low ($3) and outperformed reference librarians and an "ask-an-expert" site. Researchers attributed this success to the large online community that contributes to that site's answers.
University researchers involved in the study include computer science and engineering professor Joseph Konstan and graduate student Max Harper. Their study examined a variety of questions eliciting facts, opinions and advice on topics spanning entertainment, technology and business. Examples of some of the questions posted are:
- Which actress has the first female line in a talking movie?
- What is the best technique for making BBQ spare ribs?
Of the findings, Konstan said, "Solutions that simply direct questions to a single individual don't achieve results as well as those that open the question and answers to a larger community."
The results of the study are reported in the academic research paper titled "Predictors of Answer Quality in Online Q&A Sites." The paper was published in the Association for Computing Machinery's 2008 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2008) proceedings, and presented at the conference in Florence, Italy, April 8. To view this paper visit: http://www.grouplens.org/node/243
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Growing Concerns
A parenting question-and-answer column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota
Question: Since my kids were born I feel like I've lost myself. I've always been taught that parents need to sacrifice their needs for their kids, so I feel guilty if I do something just for me. But I'm afraid I'll burn out and make life worse for my kids in the long run.
Answer: Caring for children means that parents' own needs often take the back burner. This is OK up to a point, but as with so many things in life, too much of a good thing can become a problem. To maintain the emotional reserve necessary to care for children, parents need to pay attention to their own needs. Here are a few ways busy parents can look after themselves even in the midst of looking after their children.
• Make time for "mini-retreats"
Soak in a bubble bath surrounded by candles. Go sit in the park or a coffee shop and read a good novel. Take a class at your local gym or through Community Education, especially one that offers childcare. Do whatever makes you feel refreshed. It is important to know that little things produce big results and that even 15 or 20 minutes of uninterrupted time for yourself can restore your energy.
• Maintain a strong network of emotional support
Research points to support as a primary factor in emotional wellbeing for parents and, in turn, for their children. Whether your support comes from extended family, neighbors, co-workers or a formal support group, it is important that this network pays attention to your emotional needs and encourages you toward your goal of being a good parent.
• Share resources with friends and family
For cost-effective ways to care for yourself, a "barter" system can work wonders. What if you cook a double batch of Monday night's dinner and share it with your neighbors in exchange for their taking care of your kids while you break routine and catch a matinee movie? Or how about helping your nephew practice his Spanish in exchange for his parents taking your kids to the park while you nap? Be creative in finding ways to make sure you get the breaks you need!
• Set priorities and maintain boundaries
Sort the jobs and activities that are really important to you, or that energize you, from those you do only because of some old beliefs about duties and obligations. Then, with a good trusted friend, practice how many ways you can say, "No, I'm sorry I won't be able to do that," without hurting the feelings of the person who's asking for your time. If you keep in mind that caring for your children is always at the top of the list, then it becomes easier to eliminate those activities that drain you of energy and keep you off track.
Remember that caring for yourself enables you to care best for your children. And when you do this, you also are modeling for your children how to live a balanced life. Everybody wins!
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 pm, on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com
