February 9, 2009

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus

From the Chancellor

Chancellor Casey has been involved with budget and compact planning.
Look for his next column in the February 23 edition of E-Update.

Featured Events & Activities

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

High School Knowledge Bowl, Tuesday, February 17 - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Kiehle 116, Kiehle Auditorium, Centennial 1108, Brown D

Passport Drive, Tuesday, February 17 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center

Northwest Minnesota School Counselors Association Winter Meeting, Wednesday, February 18 - 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

U of M, Crookston Sustainability Committee Presentation and Session, Thursday, February 19 - Noon to 2 p.m., Bede Ballroom

NWSA and U of M, Crookston Alumni Arizona Social, Friday, February 20 - 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Terrace Green at ViewPoint Resort, Mesa, Ariz.

Youth Horse Clinic, Saturday, February 21 – 9 a.m. to noon – horsemanship; noon to 3 p.m. - pleasure riding; for ages 7-18, cost is $15 per person

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

Support the U Day at the State Capitol, Wednesday, February 25 - bus will leave at 6 a.m. sharp to arrive for the noon gathering at the Capitol

U of M, Crookston Theater Production: "Borderline Crazies" February 26-28 - 7:30 p.m. nightly, Kiehle Auditorium

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 –

The U of M, Crookston Sustainability Committee will hold a special presentation and session Thursday, February 19, from noon to 2 p.m. in Bede Ballroom to discuss the Committee’s charge and campus responsibilities as they relate to the U of M’s participation in the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend.

Academic Affairs –

The University of Minnesota’s annual Quality Fair, held February 5 on the Twin Cities campus, consisted of 35 project poster displays sharing and celebrating ways to provide better service, reduce costs, increase revenue, and make work more efficient.  Two of the posters were presented by U of M, Crookston faculty and staff.  Michelle Christopherson, director, Center for Adult Learning (CAL), presented a poster detailing the grant-supported quality improvement work done by CAL staff.   Bruce Brorson, associate professor, business, Steve Hannah, coordinator of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, Chuck Lariviere, instructor, business, and Christo Robberts, program manager, manufacturing management, presented a poster about the quality improvement model used by Business Department faculty in developing and delivering online classes.

Student Affairs –

RiverView Health in Crookston.  The project involves follow-up calls with Dr. Fennel's patients who have had shoulder surgery and the type of anesthetic used during that surgery.  The students are members of the Students for the Education of Environmental and Life Sciences (SEELS) group advised by Pam Elf, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.  

A group of student leaders involved with the Crookston Student Association (CSA) and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) traveled to the Red Lake Indian Reservation on February 6 to meet with tribal leaders and discuss the possibility of assisting the tribe with the development of a recycling program for its community.  The students also provided training on basic computer skills for new computers the tribe had received for its boys and girls clubs.

International Programs will sponsor a passport drive, Tuesday, February 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center.  The drive is open to anyone from the campus or from the Crookston community.  Each individual applying for a passport will need to provide:  a certified copy of his or her birth certificate; a $25.00 check or money order made payable to the Polk County Recorder (cash not accepted); and a $75.00 check or money order made payable to the U.S. Department of State (cash not accepted).  Passport photos will be taken and will cost $5.00 for UMC students and children under age 16; $10.00 for faculty, staff and the public.  Make checks or money orders for photos payable to the University of Minnesota, Crookston.  Passports may also be renewed at this drive.  For more information please contact Rae French at 218-281-8339.

U of M, Crookston GLBTA Programs will sponsor That's NOT so Gay! Anti-Harassment Training and Bias-Incident Reporting Thursday, February 12, from 1 to 2 p.m. in Bede Ballroom C, D, E.  Pre-registration is not needed. This program is open to all campus community members.

Finance & University Services -

Construction of the new apartment-style residence hall continues and is on schedule.  The majority of work on exterior walls and roofing should be completed within the next few weeks, and windows and wiring work is scheduled to begin soon.

Training on the Enterprise Financial System (EFS) for Crookston campus staff in the Business Office continued this week.  Report generation for various offices continues to be refined, and initial report generation and training for staff across campus has begun.  Staff members in the Business Office thank everyone for being so patient during this transition.

Development & Alumni Relations –

All Northwest School of Agriculture and U of M, Crookston alumni and friends are invited to attend the annual Arizona Social, Friday, February 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ViewPoint Resort in Mesa, Arizona.  Anyone planning to attend is asked to contact Sue Dwyer at 218-281-8401.

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.

The annual Northwest Educational Improvement Association (NWEIA) appeal letter will be sent out by month’s end.  Everyone is encouraged to consider contributing to this important group.

Athletics –

The Golden Eagles Football program announced Wednesday, February 4, that 16 players have signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Golden Eagles during the 2009 season.  All signees are contingent upon admission to the U of M, Crookston and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center.  For more information and a listing of the 2009 signees, visit www.goldeneaglesports.com.

The Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) will sponsor a fundraiser for the Crookston Area Special Olympics basketball team Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 6 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium.  The event will feature three 15-minute basketball games with different groups—students, coaches, and community members—facing the Crookston Area Special Olympics basketball team throughout the evening. All proceeds will go to support the Special Olympics.  SAAC is a group of student-athletes that meets bi-monthly to discuss athletic and campus related issues, to plan events, and to conduct community service projects.

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

Accolades

Bob Nelson, registrar, was recognized for his work serving two 3-year terms on the board of directors of RiverView Health at that organization’s annual meeting on January 26.  His departure from that board left a vacancy, and during the business meeting, Andrew Svec, director of communications, public relations, and marketing, was elected to serve as a new board member.

Three representatives from the U of M, Crookston presented at the Green Campus Forum held January 27 at Bemidji State University and sponsored by the Northwest Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT).  Linda Kingery, director, Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, presented an overview of the various sustainability projects on the Crookston campus; Paul Aakre, assistant professor, agricultural systems management, discussed his CERT-funded farm-scale biofuels project; and natural resources student Chris Waltz spoke about a CERT-funded project involving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the new campus residence hall.

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.