September 22, 2008

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus

From the Chancellor

Chancellor Casey is on vacation. He and his wife, Barbara Muesing, look forward to joining the campus community for the events of Homecoming Weekend.

Featured Events & Activities

Homecoming Week 2008, September 22 -27 – theme is Mardi Gras Madness

Golden Eagle “Kids Blitz” Day, Monday, September 22 – 4-7 p.m. at Ampride Convenience Mart, Crookston

Vital Aging Network Forum, Tuesday, September 23 – 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Bede Ballroom, Student Center

Homecoming Coronation, Thursday, September 25 – 8 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium

Athletic Hall of Fame and Outstanding Alumni Banquet, Friday, September 26 – 6 p.m. social, 6:30 p.m. dinner; 7 p.m. program, Bede Ballroom

Homecoming Bonfire and Pep Fest, Friday, September 26 – 9 p.m., corner of Parking Lot E across from Ed Widseth Field

Homecoming Parade around the Mall, Saturday, September 27 – 10:30 a.m. – Everyone is welcome!

Naming Ceremony for Sargeant Student Center, Saturday, September 27 – 11:15 a.m. (immediately following Homecoming Parade), Northern Lights Lounge – the Student Center will be named in honor of Donald G. Sargeant, Ph.D., faculty member from 1970 to 2007, chancellor from 1985 to 2003

Teambacker Tailgating, Saturday, September 27 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Parking Lot E, featuring live band Four Wheel Drive

Homecoming Football Game – 1 p.m., Ed Widseth Field, UMC Golden Eagles vs. Minnesota State University, Moorhead Dragons

Post-Game Social – 4 p.m. (immediately following game), Minakwa Golf Club, Crookston

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

A delegation of officials from the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore, India, visited the Crookston campus September 11 and 12 to discuss collaborative academic pursuits and research efforts between the two institutions. The collaboration may lead to student and faculty exchange programs, specifically in conjunction with U of M, Crookston’s degree program in computer software technology.

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has granted approval for the Crookston campus to offer its bachelor of science degree in applied studies as an online degree program. The Center for Adult Learning and the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department will work together to offer the degree program entirely online beginning spring semester 2009. Working with faculty advisors, students enrolled in this degree program will develop an individually tailored course of study that builds upon prior education and experience. The U of M, Crookston now offers four different degree programs entirely online.

Ki-tae Kim, Ph.D., has been hired as coordinator for the English as a Second Language Program. He earned his Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University. Most recently he served as director of the Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language Program at the Intercultural Institute of California in San Francisco.

IDEA (Ingenuity Drives Entrepreneur Acceleration) is a competitive innovation-seeking project of Ingenuity Frontier, a collaboration of partners (including the University of Minnesota, Crookston) whose goal is to grow the economy of Northwest Minnesota by outfitting the next generation of homegrown innovators for success in the global marketplace. The IDEA competition is open to all Northwest Minnesotans, whether they are residents, former residents, students, alumni, faculty, or others, with the stipulation that individuals or businesses plan to locate their venture in Northwest Minnesota. Project summaries are due November 15, 2008. There is a $100 application fee to enter the competition. Learn more at www.ideacompetition.org.

Student Affairs

The Student Experience Program will host Family Day Saturday, September 27. Check-in for this day of free activities for parents, siblings and other family members to share with their college student will take place from 9:30 to 10 a.m. in the Prairie Lounge of the Student Center. Please contact Sara Kaiser, 281-8527, with questions.

Natalie Brown has been hired as the general manager for Dining Services. Most recently she served as operations manager for the dining services at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico, where she also served as catering manager prior to that.

As the Crookston campus continues preparations to go tobacco-free beginning January 1, 2009, opportunities will be offered throughout fall semester to encourage and support cessation. Sandra Peterson, licensed clinical social worker and certified QUITPLAN cessation counselor, will discuss smoking cessation and lead a question and answer session in the Student Center’s Prairie Lounge Thursday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m., repeated at 3:30 p.m. Anyone with questions or concerns may contact Laurie Wilson, 281-8587; Vicki Svedarsky, 281-8583; or Stacey Grunewald, 281-8512.

Five students have been elected by the student body to serve as new senators for the Crookston Student Association (CSA): Amber Erdmann, Jeong Hah Heo, Delano Robinson, Tim Unke, and Ashley Walton.

Finance & University Services

A recommendation to hire Community Contractors and Michael J. Burns Architects as the design/build firm for a new residential life apartment facility was approved at the September 11-12 meeting of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Further planning and preparatory work on the new 128-bed apartment complex, modeled closely after Centennial Hall, may begin as early as this week with an expected construction completion date of July 2009.

Development & Alumni Relations

The Athletic Hall of Fame & Outstanding Alumni Banquet will be held Friday, September 26 in Bede Ballroom with social starting at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. and program at 7 p.m. Jeff Peterson, ex. '77 & '96 ; Kirk Schultz, '79; and Sherry (Larson) Senske, '90 will be honored as outstanding alumni. Randy Coauette, ex. '75 (wrestling); Bob Clauson, ex. '82 (hockey); and the 1989-90 Women's Basketball Team will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

All faculty and staff should have received their fund drive materials via campus mail by now. Again, the goal is a 100% participation rate, and donations made to academic scholarships will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Please take a few minutes to consider your contribution—even small gifts can help make a big difference—and return it to the Development & Alumni Relations Office. We encourage everyone to participate. Let’s show students how much we care. If you have questions please contact Corby Kemmer.

University Relations

New maroon and gold banners have been installed on the light poles around the campus mall and at the south entrance to campus. Special thanks to faculty and staff members Ted Paul , Christo Robberts , and John Zak for their efforts on this project and to the Beautiful U Day program, which provided funding.

Athletics

The Athletics Department will sponsor UMC Golden Eagle “Kids Blitz” Day at Ampride Convenience Mart in Crookston on Monday, September 22, from 4-7 p.m. The event is open to all children, parents, families and community members. Each child participating in the event will receive a free ticket to the Homecoming football game on September 27. Nearly 300 Golden Eagle student-athletes will be on hand throughout the evening to sign autographs for fans, to host water balloon games and face painting, and to operate a free-will donation car wash with half of the proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and half going to Golden Eagle Athletics Scholarships.

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

Accolades

Dan Svedarsky, Ph.D., professor and head of the U of M, Crookston Natural Resources Department, attended the annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, held September 7-11 in Saratoga Springs, New York. While in there, he also presented the session “Integrated Wildlife Management in an Era of Sustainability” to students, faculty and staff in the Division of Forestry, Natural Resources, and Recreation at Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York.

Mark Huglen, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, was a featured speaker at the Agora Research Session, held September 18 at the University of North Dakota’s School of Communication. He presented “Actively Seeking Self-Revision,” an extension of his collaborative work with Rachel McCoppin, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, for an article in the national publication Teaching Ideas for the Basic Communication Course and for a chapter in the forthcoming book Humanistic Critique of Education.

Sharon Stewart, Ph.D., associate professor of dietetics, presented the session “Dietetic Technicians and Their Role in the Profession” at the Northwest District Dietetic Association Meeting in Bemidji, Minnesota, on September 19.

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.