Crookston Campus E-Update
an internal administrative news digest
November 3, 2008
Inside this Issue
From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus
From the Chancellor
On Wednesday, October 29, a large number of volunteers came to the University of Minnesota, Crookston campus for Performance Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) meetings and the All-College Advisory Committee meeting.
These individuals provide a valuable service to our program areas by offering their counsel and advice. Maintaining connections to current trends and issues in the field is important in preparing students for job placements. The members of the All-College Advisory Committee, likewise, bring their knowledge and experience in discussions covering a broad range of issues. They are particularly interested in hearing from faculty and students.
In the evening, approximately 200 people attended an awards ceremony to recognize this year’s Torch & Shield recipients and individual donors and organizations that provide financial support for the U of M, Crookston and the Northwest Research and Outreach Center. Following the program, a dinner was served to everyone by staff in the Dining Center.
Torch & Shield recipients were Stephanie Helgeson, director of athletics, U of M, Crookston; Joy Johnson, vice president of planning and ancillary services, RiverView Health, Crookston; Rod Skoe, Minnesota state senator representing District 2; and W. Daniel Svedarsky, professor and department head, Natural Resources Department, U of M, Crookston, and faculty member at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center.
Congratulations to all Torch and Shield awardees and thanks to the many individuals and organizations for their support.
On Friday morning, October 31, all faculty and staff along with several students were invited to a breakfast to recognize the contributions of everyone in achieving the fall enrollment total of 1207. This is the highest enrollment of degree seeking students ever at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Improvements were also achieved in average ACT scores, high school rank percentile, and percentage of students in the top 25% of their high school class. All measures will be important for increasing retention rates and meeting our goal of achieving graduation rates for the class of 2008 of 40% in 4 years, 50% in 5 years and 55% in 6 years.
In recognition of Veterans Day, a ceremony will be held at 7:55 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11, at the Mall flag. All are invited to attend.
- Chuck
Charles H. Casey, Chancellor
University of Minnesota, Crookston
Featured Events & Activities
Election Day, Tuesday, November 4
Agronomy Club Spaghetti Dinner, Wednesday, November 5 – 5 to 8 p.m., Crookston American Legion, tickets are $7 at the door. The spaghetti has been donated by the American Italian Pasta Company.
Motivational Storyteller D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas, Thursday, November 6 – 11 a.m., Kiehle Auditorium
Workshop: “Mapping Your Retirement Plan,” Thursday, November 6 & Thursday, November 20 – POSTPONED UNTIL 2009 – Sponsored by the Minnesota Rural Health Association and the Center for Adult Learning
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) presents the 28th Annual Red River Valley Craft Show, Saturday November 8 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Crookston High School, admission is $1
Concert Pianist John McKay, Sunday, November 9 – 7:30 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium, admission is $5, UMC students and children under 12 free
Flu Shot Clinic, Monday, November 10 – 1 to 3 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center
Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11 – 7:55 a.m. - Call to Colors Ceremony at flag pole, Campus Mall; 9 a.m. - Veterans Program, Kiehle Auditorium; 11 a.m. - Ceremony at Veterans Memorial, south Highway 2, Crookston.
Flu Shot Clinic, Thursday, November 13 – 9 to 11 a.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center
Golden Eagle Baseball Program Fundraiser, Thursday, November 13 – 6 p.m. social, 6:30 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. program, Crookston Eagles Club - cost is $30 per person
International Week, November 17-21
Campus Assembly Meeting, Wednesday, November 19 – 3 p.m. Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center
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
Administrative Affairs –
University of Minnesota Disability Services will present a UReturn Workshop for Crookston campus supervisors and administrators Tuesday, November 11, 8:30 a.m. for academic department heads and 1:30 p.m. for Bargaining Unit, Civil Service, and Professional & Administrative employees, 308 Selvig Hall. The workshop will explain how the UReturn program assists and supports employees who experience an illness or injury through recovery, return to work, and ongoing employment. This free event is open to all campus administrators and supervisors. Pre-registration is not required. For more information contact Les Johnson, director, Human Resources, ljumc@umn.edu, 218-281-8345.
Academic Affairs –
Henry Wilson, M.S., has joined the faculty of the Agriculture Department as an assistant professor of soil science. He is currently completing his doctorate in environmental science at Iowa State University in Ames. His master’s degree, also from Iowa State, is in soil science. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he will assist in efforts to improve the competitiveness, profitability, and sustainability of regional agricultural and agronomic business.
Student Affairs –
UMC faculty and staff will provide shuttle service for student voters to the Ward 6 voting site at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Crookston from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 4. Shuttles will leave from and return to the entrance of Sahlstrom Conference Center.
Internationally acclaimed storyteller, author and success coach, D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas, will present on Thursday, November 6, in Kiehle Auditorium from 11 a.m. to noon. Vanas’ unique approach involves building bridges between timeless Native American wisdom and modern performance techniques to inspire his audience. The event, sponsored by Diversity and Multicultural Services under the direction of Thomas Williams, is free and open to the public.
John McKay, concert pianist, will present a recital Sunday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium. McKay will perform works by Hayden, Brahms, Chopin and the American composer Mortimer Barron. General admission is $5, with UMC students and children under 12 admitted free of charge. Sponsored by the U of M, Crookston Music Department and the Concerts and Lectures Committee, the performance is made possible by a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council with funds provided by the McKnight Foundation.
Student Health Services will sponsor two opportunities to receive an influenza vaccination through Polk County Public Health: Monday, November 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursday, November 13, from 9 to 11 a.m. This is open to all UMC faculty, staff and students. The vaccination is free for faculty and staff; cost is $20 for students. Contact Stacey Grunewald, coordinator, Student Health Services, sgrunewa@umn.edu, 218-281-8512.
The Veterans Support Club at the U of M, Crookston, along with the Crookston VFW and American Legion, will host a series of events to commemorate Veterans Day Tuesday, November 11. Among the events is a 7:55 a.m. call to colors at the flag pole on the Campus Mall, followed by the placing of a wreath at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at the campus entrance. At 9 a.m. in Kiehle Auditorium a program will explore the history of Veterans Day and will feature guest speaker Alvin Killough, Ph.D., a Vietnam veteran and assistant professor of psychology. At 11 a.m. local veterans groups will hold a ceremony and program at the Veterans Memorial in southeast Crookston just off Highway 2.
Center for Adult Learning and Affiliated Organizations –
The Center for Adult Learning will host a College in the High School (CIHS) workshop Thursday, November 6, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center. The workshop is designed to give CIHS instructors the opportunity for discipline specific interaction with UMC faculty, to promote CIHS instructor networking, and to comply with National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) standards. Currently, more than 900 students from 40 regional schools take part in the CIHS program.
Finance & University Services –
UPlan Open Enrollment for faculty and staff begins November 1 and ends December 1. Unless employees choose a different plan, their current medical and dental plans will stay the same for 2009. Faculty and staff can enroll or change their options at the Employee Self Service website: hrss.umn.edu.
Development & Alumni Relations –
A Geochron, a lighted map simultaneously showing time of day and displaying the extent of daylight and darkness throughout the world, donated by Chancellor Emeritus Donald and Mary Beth Sargeant, is now on permanent display in the Sargeant Student Center. An inscription on the piece says “Learn from your visits with others and from your travels.”
The next edition of Torch alumni magazine will be published and distributed within the next two weeks.
The Office of Development & Alumni Relations offers sincere thanks to all donors and friends for their generous support of the University of Minnesota, Crookston. To discuss giving opportunities, contact Corby Kemmer, director, Development & Alumni Relations, ckemmer@umn.edu, 218-281-8434.
University Relations –
The Image and Marketing Committee will begin work with SimmonsFlint, a regional marketing and communications firm with offices in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to complete a communications audit, conduct market research, and develop a communications plan for the campus. The goals are to improve overall marketing efforts and increase admissions. One of the SimmonsFlint associates working on the project is UMC Alumnus Joe Field, ’08.
Athletics –
The Golden Eagles Baseball Program will hold a fundraiser dinner, Thursday, November 13, at the Crookston Eagles Club. A social and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and a program at 7 p.m. The featured program speaker is University of Minnesota Assistant Head Baseball Coach Rob Fornasiere. Cost is $30 for either prime rib or walleye. All proceeds will benefit Golden Eagles Baseball. For tickets, contact Chris Vito, UMC head baseball coach, vito@umn.edu, 218-281-8445, or Bill Tyrrell, director of athletic fundraising, btyrrell@umn.edu, 218-281-8436.
Visit www.goldeneaglesports.com for schedules and cheer on the Golden Eagles.
Accolades
Nancy Shay, teaching specialist for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Department, and Jodi Steiner, program associate in the Center for Adult Learning, presented a session at the annual convention of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) in Kansas City, Missouri on October 27. Their session, “Moodle: Integrating Technology for Enhanced Communication,” detailed their use of Moodle, an open source course management system, among a pilot group comprised of UMC faculty who teach composition courses on the Crookston campus and faculty from regional high schools who teach composition courses for the College in the High School Program.
A team of horticulture students from the U of M, Crookston took first place honors at the annual conference and competition of the Mid-America Collegiate Horticulture Society hosted by Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville October 30 through November 2. The team consisted of Kim Keunyung, Gwangju, Korea; Kaarina Visness, Karlstad, Minn.; Jennifer Zoch, Remer, Minn.; Stepheni Tietje, Hayfield, Minn.; and Kristine Neu, Pelican Rapids, Minn. Jennifer Zoch also earned top individual honors for the entire contest. The team’s coach was Theresa Helgeson, lab services coordinator in the UMC Natural Resources Department.
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.
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