August 19, 2008

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus

From the Chancellor

For all of us, it’s a great time of year. The first day of classes and commencement are the best days of the year for us as a campus. It’s great to welcome new freshmen, transfer students, and our returning students. And it’s even better to watch as they walk across the stage and receive University of Minnesota diplomas.

The beginning of the school year is a time to reflect on accomplishments, and we have many – enough for me to call it momentum. Now, I’m not one to make rash statements, so for me to suggest momentum means we have solid evidence that we are making real progress. There are several examples.

First, students, starting with the fact that we have more of them. We estimate we will have over 1,150 students on campus this fall, the most since 2003. This is especially commendable during a time of changing demographics in the region, increasing tuition and challenging economic times.

Our student profile has also been changing. We are raising standards at the same time we are increasing enrollment. Working together we have achieved a 55% increase in applications over 2007; we have become more selective in our admissions process; we have raised the average ACT score one whole point over last year; and we have raised the average high school rank percentile several points from fall 2007. Student survey responses clearly show the U of M, Crookston is increasingly the first choice college for the vast majority of our students. All this data tells us that the students we are admitting are more motivated and better prepared to succeed, which helps us with our goal to graduate 40% of the incoming class in four years, 50% in five years, and 55% in six years.

Another positive trend is the increase in international students, online students and students of color. This means our campus is more diverse and that we offer more opportunity for all students, faculty and staff to grow in their understanding of one another.

It’s as true today as ever that the ultimate success of our students rests with the quality of our faculty. Our new hires come with exceptional credentials, and we’re equally proud of our current faculty members who have completed degrees during the past year. We are achieving a good balance of new ideas and energy with solid wisdom and experience. In discussions I’ve had with senior faculty on campus, they can’t recall an infusion of new talent to match this since the early days of forming the technical college. The impact on the campus will be significant.

Our reputation depends on graduating high quality students who meet the needs of employers. Our programs include current knowledge in a field or discipline coupled with education that helps students think critically, work with technology and be entrepreneurial. It’s a big agenda, but we have a solid history of accomplishment. Our efforts have also brought new programs that widen our appeal to current and prospective students – like biology, organizational psychology, criminal justice and additional areas of emphasis under major programs, as well as two new online degree programs, Bachelor of Manufacturing Management and Bachelor of Business.

We have much to be thankful for: good students who are getting better, good facilities that are getting better, and great colleagues who continue to strive for excellence. All of our recent strategic investments and improvements have centered around the goal of improving the University of Minnesota, Crookston experience. We have a great level of momentum toward accomplishing that.

As we begin the new academic year, I ask each of you to stop and consider how you, personally, can add to this momentum. Take the extra step of really getting to know our new faculty and staff. Be true mentors and advocates for our students. I ask students to study hard and be curious. I ask faculty to offer your best in teaching, research and outreach and to share your successes with the community. I ask staff to provide the essential support to make the campus the best it can be. If we do these things, we’ll continue that positive momentum and have what we need to succeed as an integral part of the University of Minnesota.

Chuck

– Charles H. Casey, Chancellor
University of Minnesota, Crookston

Featured Events & Activities

New Faculty & Staff Community Tour, Thursday, August 21 – tour bus leaves from north entrance of Student Center at 3:00 p.m. Social will follow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Minakwa Golf Club, Crookston.

Faculty & Staff Golf Scramble, Thursday, August 21 – tee off beginning at 3:30 p.m. with social following from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Minakwa Golf Club, Crookston. Contact faculty members Phil Baird or Martin Lundell to participate.

Orientation Convocation, Friday, August 22 – A special convocation for students and their families begins at 3:15 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

New Student Orientation, August 22-25

Meet Crookston Through Service, Saturday, August 23 – from 9:30 a.m. to noon across Crookston. Students will take part in a variety of service projects through the community. Appreciation and reflection dinner will be held at 6 p.m. in Brown Dining Hall in the Sahlstrom Conference Center.

Fall Semester Classes Begin, Tuesday, August 26

Educators Luncheon, Thursday, August 28 – from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Minakwa Golf Club, Crookston. New and returning educators from across the Crookston community are invited to get to know one another at this event sponsored by the Education Committee of the Crookston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Crookston Retail Merchants Association Welcome Dinner for Students, Faculty and Staff, Thursday, August 28 – 5 to 7 p.m. in Brown Dining Room, Sahlstrom Conference Center.

Labor Day Holiday, Campus Offices Closed, Monday, September 1

For details on these and other events or to discover what's happening this week, visit UMC Today at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews or review our news page at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews/stories .

Around Campus

Academic Affairs

Opening week for faculty and staff has begun.
For a full schedule of events, go to www.umcrookston.edu/info/documents/2008openingweekagenda.pdf.

Members of the U of M, Crookston campus along with the business and civic leaders in the Crookston community are invited to attend a special Community After Hours Reception at Minakwa Golf Course on Thursday, Aug. 21. The social will be an opportunity to welcome new employees of the U of M, Crookston and underscore the upcoming academic year. Hours for the social are 4:30 - 6 p.m. Light hors d ’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. Chancellor Charles H. Casey will bring greetings from the campus and welcome new employees. Tourism and travel coordinator Sandy Kegler, representing the Crookston Chamber of Commerce, will also offer greetings.

The Community After Hours Reception follows a bus tour of the Crookston community for all new U of M, Crookston employees. The tour bus will leave from the north entrance of the Student Center at 3 p.m. Tour guides—all local residents—include Tom Helgeson, KROX AM radio sales; Mike Christopherson, editor for the Crookston Daily Times; and Jim Schaar, lecturer in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department. Brian Dingmann, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Math, Science and Technology Department, will offer greetings from the faculty.

Student Affairs

New Student Orientation begins Friday, Aug. 22.
For a detailed schedule of events, go to www.umcrookston.edu/fye/documents/OrientationSchedule2008.pdf.

The U of M, Crookston chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society for First Year Students has earned the national organization’s Gold Membership Award. The award is presented to chapters that show a notable increase in membership in a single year. The Crookston chapter’s membership increased by 54% during the 2007-08 academic year. Membership in Alpha Lambda Delta is open to full-time freshmen students who earn a scholastic average of 3.5 or better at a four-year college or university.

As part of New Student Orientation, the Office of Service Learning will host Meet Crookston Through Service on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Students will assist in a variety of service projects, including tubing trees at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, helping teachers prepare classrooms at Washington Elementary School, harvesting vegetables at the CSA Gardens, clearing ski trails at Mt. St. Benedict, washing windows and doing other maintenance at local churches, walking dogs for the Humane Society, and helping the Red River Valley Sugar Beet Museum prepare for its harvest festival. Faculty and staff are welcome to join in the morning of service and evening reflection dinner at 6 p.m. in Brown Dining Hall.

The Horticulture Club will create a native plant demonstration garden on campus to encourage and educate students and the community about using native species. Native plants require less care and energy in comparison to non-native plants that require fertilizers, water and greater attention. The project was awarded $4,000 by the U of M’s Institute Grants on the Environment program in response to a grant proposal submitted by student organization.

Finance & University Services

Renovation of the biology labs on third floor of Dowell Hall is scheduled to be completed in time for the first day of classes, Tuesday, Aug. 26. Wireless network installation and classroom safety upgrades to second floor classrooms in Dowell Hall are also scheduled to be completed by Aug. 26. Plans call for the new business conference room in Dowell 116 to be usable by Aug. 26; finishing touches will be completed during the first part of the semester after hours and on weekends so as not to impact classes. Additionally, the repair of the retaining wall on Ed Widseth Field, the campus football field, is scheduled to be completed in time for the first home game of the season, Saturday, Sept. 6.

A new campus phone system utilizing Internet Protocol or IP technology has been installed and is now operational. Departmental and office phone numbers remain unchanged.

Development & Alumni Relations

Campus Fundraising Policy - Any University of Minnesota, Crookston academic program, registered student club/organization, students, faculty, or staff in need of private gifts to support a project, trip, or any other necessities must receive approval from the director of development & alumni relations prior to any fundraising activity. Please contact Corby Kemmer at 281-8434.

The Teambacker Fund Drive that began July 1, 2008, has surpassed $50,000 with 90 members to date.

Materials for the Faculty & Staff Fund Drive—"Donate in ‘08"—will be sent to all faculty and staff via campus mail in late August or immediately following the Labor Day Holiday. Our goal is a 100% participation rate. Dollars generated will go to scholarships and will be matched dollar for dollar. Your support is vital and matters.

Special thanks to Chancellor Casey, the U of M, Crookston Alumni Association, and the staff and student-athletes from the Athletics Department for participating in last Saturday's Ox Cart Days Parade.

Homecoming 2008 is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27. Mark your calendars today!

University Relations

The State of Minnesota House of Representatives Agriculture Committee, including Rep. Al Juhnke, chair, Ag Finance, and Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, chair, Ag Policy, among others, visited and toured the Crookston Campus Monday, Aug. 18. In addition to touring the facilities co-located on campus, the delegation met with representatives from the Agriculture Utilization Research Institute (AURI); the Northwest Minnesota Area Health Center; the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership; the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC); University of Minnesota Extension, Crookston Regional Center; and academic departments of the U of M, Crookston.

“The Story of Old Crossing Treaty: the Treaty of 1863,” a manual containing information and writings about the historic treaty negotiations will be available at the Chatauqua and French Festival Friday, Aug. 22 through Sunday, Aug. 24 at Old Crossing and Treaty Park east of Crookston. The book is an official Minnesota Sesquicentennial Legacy Project funded in part by the State of Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission Grants Program. The book was compiled and edited by Professor David Marshall of the University of North Dakota and John Zak, editor and staff member of the University Relations Department at U of M, Crookston. Contributors include Alvin Killough, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at UMC, and Kyle KWhy Meyers, a UMC student.

Athletics

The Golden Eagles Football Team’s “Carwash for Crookston,” held Friday, Aug. 8 raised $637, which was donated to the new Crookston Ice Arena project. The Golden Eagles have started practice and will open their season on Saturday, August 30 when they travel to Marshall, Minn., for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) contest against Southwest Minnesota State University. Kick-off is set for 1 pm.

Scott Sorenson has been hired as the assistant men’s basketball coach and assistant women’s softball coach. He comes to the Golden Eagles after a two-year stint as assistant men’s basketball coach and head women’s tennis coach at Bemidji State University. Sorenson, a native of Crystal, Minn., has coached for Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisc., and for the Niagara Gamblers of Ontario Professional Basketball.

Visit www.goldeneaglesports.com for schedules and cheer on the Golden Eagles.

Publication notes: The E-Update is published twice each month August thru April and once each month in the summer, May thru July. Issues are posted online.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this news update, please send them to urumc@umn.edu.