January 26, 2009

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus

From the Chancellor

Enrollment numbers won’t become official for a couple of weeks, but I’m very pleased with the total for spring semester.   The new online applied studies degree has helped to increase the number of online degree-seeking students.  The number of students living in the residence halls has increased over last spring as well.  I want to recognize the work of faculty and everyone in Admissions, Financial Aid, Center for Adult Learning, Registrar’s Office, and Student Services for their contributions to our enrollment increase.

While the enrollment numbers are positive, the news about the state budget situation is quite the opposite.  We recently learned we will have to return $270,600 to the state to help solve the $426 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.  It’s possible there will be an additional shortfall before June 30, 2009.  Unfortunately, we will defer some planned investments due to the loss of these dollars.

Last Thursday, President Bruininks made a presentation to the House Higher Education Finance Committee during which he recounted past cuts in state support and the impact on the University of Minnesota.  He indicated that the University would have a role in addressing the state’s budget challenges, that students and families should not bear the brunt of state budget cuts, and that the University must continue to reduce costs and increase productivity.

Representative Rukavina invited the chancellors to the hearing to provide a brief statement of how reductions would impact the coordinate campuses.  This hearing will be among many over the next several weeks.

Governor Pawlenty will outline his budget priorities on Tuesday, January 27.  That should provide some information about the potential budget reductions for higher education.  A state budget forecast in late February or early March will be another important piece of information that will influence legislative decisions.

Over the past weeks I have asked all campus departments and units to provide examples of success, collaborations, efficiency, and effectiveness and priorities for 2009-2010.  I am also asking each manager to begin discussions of ideas they have for dealing with expected budget reductions.  I understand this will be very difficult but believe each department or unit knows their situation best.

To assist in providing the campus community more information about the budget, I will hold a campus forum on Tuesday, February 3, from 12:15 – 1:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom.  Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend and offer their ideas of how the University of Minnesota, Crookston can meet the budget challenges while, at the same time, it continues to provide a high quality education and experience for students.

- Chuck

Charles H. Casey, Chancellor
University of Minnesota, Crookston

Featured Events & Activities

Presentation:  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder by Jody Allen Crowe, Author of the Book The Fatal Link, Monday, January 26 – 2 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium

Speaker:  Command Master Chief Evelyn P. Banks, U.S. Naval Academy, Thursday, January 29 – Noon, Kiehle Auditorium

Ag-Arama, Friday, January 30, 2009, & Saturday, January 31

Blood Drive, Monday, February 2 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bede Ballroom – for an appointment call 218-281-8512

Chancellor’s Budget Forum, Tuesday, February 3  - 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., Bede Ballroom

Seventh Annual Winter Job and Internship Fair, Wednesday, February 4 - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bede Ballroom

High School Knowledge Bowl, Thursday, February 5 - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Kiehle 116, Kiehle Auditorium, Centennial 1108, Brown D

Presentation:  Exploring American Indian Tribal Government, Sovereignty, and Culture, Thursday, February 5 - noon to 2 p.m., Youngquist Auditorium, NWROC

Legislative Update and Q&A Session, Friday, February 6 - noon to 1:30 p.m., Bede Ballroom, open to students, faculty, staff, local community leaders, and interested citizens

Women’s Project Fund Valentine’s Gala, Saturday, February 14 - 6 p.m. social with dinner following, Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center, tickets $30 per person

Youth Horse Clinic – Horsemanship and Pleasure Riding, Saturday, February 21 -  9 a.m. to noon – Horsemanship; noon to 3 p.m. – Pleasure Riding, University Teaching and Outreach Center, for ages 7-18, $15 per person

Dedication of Alseth–NWSA Board Room, Tuesday, February 24 - 11 a.m., Dowell Hall Room 116

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 –

Chancellor Casey will hold a Budget Forum, Tuesday, February 3, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom.  The forum will present current information on the U of M, Crookston budget and address issues related to the U of M system budget and the Minnesota state budget situation.  Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend.

Exploring tribal government, sovereignty, and culture will be the focus of a special presentation Thursday, February 5, beginning at noon in Youngquist Auditorium.  Guest speakers include Dawn Newman, American Indian and tribal partnership liaison with U of M Extension; Susan Beaulieu, regional Extension educator who works with 4-H youth development; and Jennifer Garbow, member of Extension’s family resource management team.  The event is free and the public is welcome.

Academic Affairs –

Anna Wasescha, provost, and Gary Henrickson, dean of academics, at Minnesota State Community and Technical College (MSCTC), Fergus Falls, will visit the U of M, Crookston on Friday, February 6.  Meetings will be held with various campus administrators to discuss collaboration opportunities and articulation agreements between the two institutions.

Dedication of the Alseth–NWSA Board Room will be held Tuesday, February 24, at 11 a.m. in Dowell Hall Room 116.  The Alseth-NWSA Board Room is named in honor of Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) Alumnus Stanley Alseth, ’35, his wife Hanorah “Pat” Alseth, and the NWSA Alumni Association, who, together through their generous gifts, helped make this state-of-the-art business classroom possible.  Chancellor Casey; Sue Brorson, Ph.D, professor and department head for the Business Department; and Charles "Chuck" Holmquist, ’52, president, NWSA Alumni Association, will speak at the event.

Student Affairs –

Command Master Chief Evelyn P. Banks, the top-ranking enlisted person serving at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is slated to speak on campus Thursday, January 29, at noon in Kiehle Auditorium. The presentation is a part of the Black Student Association’s Power of a Dream Celebration, honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement.  Admission is free and the public is welcome.

The 34th Annual Ag-Arama is scheduled for January 30-31.  This popular annual event serves as a showcase for current students in a variety of program-specific contests and as a draw for agriculture and natural resources alumni to return to campus.  A full schedule of events is available online.

U of M, Crookston Career and Counseling Services and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) will host the Seventh Annual Winter Job and Internship Fair, Wednesday, February 4, in Bede Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Students are encouraged to come prepared by dressing professionally and having copies of their résumé.  More than 20 employers are expected to take part in the fair.  A list of those attending is available online.

Career and Counseling Services will provide transportation via bus for students attending the Minneapolis Job and Internship Fair on Monday, February 9.  The bus will leave at 6:30 a.m. that morning from Sargeant Student Center in order to arrive at the fair, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Minneapolis Convention Center.   Students interested in taking part should sign up for the bus by February 2 at 3 p.m. by contacting Meloni Rasmussen in 236 Sargeant Student Center. Students should also register in advance for the job fair at www.cclc.umn.edu/umjobfair.

Development & Alumni Relations –

The U of M, Crookston Women’s Project Fund will host a Valentine’s Gala Saturday, February 14, in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.  A social starts at 6 p.m. with dinner following.  Events and activities offered after dinner include dancing, karaoke, raffle items, photos, flowers, and chocolate. Tickets are $30 per person and are limited to the first 100 guests.  All proceeds go to student scholarships.  For tickets contact Sherry Just, 218-281-8566.

The U of M, Crookston Alumni Association officially adopted a new mission statement at its January 22 board meeting:  “The mission of the University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association is to visibly promote and support the University of Minnesota, Crookston through communication, outreach, and recognition while building life-long connections and preserving our legacy.”

University Relations –

Staff members from the U of M’s Office of Government and Community Relations will present a legislative update and Q&A session Friday, February 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom.  The U of M’s legislative request will be discussed as will ways to get involved through advocacy.  Regional state legislators have been invited to attend, and Chancellor Casey will make remarks.  The session is open to students, faculty, staff, local community leaders, and interested citizens.

New web pages for all academic programs at the U of M, Crookston have been posted and linked from www.umcrookston.edu/academics.  

An updated directory of faculty and staff reflecting changes current through January 20, 2009, has been posted online at www.umcrookston.edu/campusdirectory.aspx.  An updated single sheet directory of campus offices, meeting rooms, and fax numbers will be printed and distributed across campus in the next two weeks.

Athletics –

Natasha Kuhle, assistant athletic director, will attend training for the NCAA CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes' Minds for Personal Success) Life Skills Program in Indianapolis, Indiana, February 8-10.  The U of M, Crookston will implement the CHAMPS Life Skills Program, a total development program for student-athletes, in the fall of 2009.

The U of M, Crookston Equestrian Team will host the second in a series of Youth Horse Clinics Saturday, February 21 in the University Teaching and Outreach Center.  Two sessions will be offered:  Horsemanship from 9 a.m. to noon and Pleasure Riding from noon to 3 p.m.  Youth ages 7-18 are encouraged to participate in the clinics.  Cost for the day is $15 per person, limited to 30 participants.  Participants are encouraged to bring their own horse, and pre-registration is required.  For more information, contact Nicky Overgaard, instructor, equine science, at 218-281-8127.

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

Accolades

On January 14 Kenneth Johnson, instructor of business, presented the session “Leveraging Customer Service in a Small Company for Big Gains” at the Marketplace for Entrepreneurs conference in Bismarck, N. D.  Participants in the session engaged in an interactive session that prepared them to evaluate and improve the customer service they provide.  U of M, Crookston student Ricky Chapin, a sophomore majoring in business management, also attended the Marketplace for Entrepreneurs, where he distributed a brochure and displayed information dealing with the consequences of insurance fraud.  This information was developed as part of a Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition.

Alvin Killough, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and his wife, Eryn Killough, teaching specialist, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Department, have been invited to present a workshop as part of the Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health. The event will be held February 25-27 in National Harbor, Md.  Their presentation, “Does Culture Matter: Structural Systems Framework Using Underlying Construct Analysis to Conceptualize and Evaluate Approaches to Risk Reduction and HIV Prevention Intervention among Minorities,” was developed in collaboration with Wynfred Russell, director of the Center for Multicultural Services at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn.  Russell will join the Killoughs for the presentation.

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.