September 9, 2010

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus
Accolades

From the Chancellor

Chancellor Casey will provide remarks for the next edition of the E-Update.

Featured Events & Activities

Dedication of Centennial Park Flag Project, Friday, September 10 – 10 a.m., Flag Pole Site, Campus Mall

Campus Preview Day Hosted by Admissions, Saturday, September 11 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., check-in at Sargeant Student Center

Lake Agassiz Regional Library Presents Free Concert: 8th Street String Quartet, Saturday, September 11 – 7 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium

Study Abroad Fair, Monday, September 13 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center

Thursday Commons: Celebrating Five Years of the Sargeant Student Center, Thursday, September 16 – 12:15 to 2 p.m., Sargeant Student Center

EDA Center Research Brownbag, Wednesday, September 22 - noon to 1 p.m., Alseth NWSA Business Board Room, Dowell Hall

Outstanding Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame Recognition, Friday, September 24 – 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center, tickets $20 per person

Homecoming Festivities: “Glitz, Glamour, and Golden Eagles,” Saturday, September 25 – Parade around the Campus Mall, 10:30 a.m.; Teambacker Tailgate featuring music by Four Wheel Drive, 11 a.m., Parking Lot E; Soccer vs. MSU Moorhead, 11 a.m.; Football vs. MSU Moorhead, 1 p.m.;  Postgame Social, Minakwa Golf Club, Crookston

Connecting Children and Nature Conference, Wednesday, September 29 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., locations across campus

Campus-Wide Garage Sale, Thursday, September 30 – 9 a.m. department acquisitions and transfers; 10:30 a.m. open to the campus community; noon to 5 p.m. open to the public; Garages 10-12, Parking Lot A

Thursday Commons: Strategic Positioning Session, Thursday, September 30 – 12:15 to 2 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 –

The Thursday Commons involving strategic positioning, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 16, has been postponed to Thursday, September 30, from 12:15 to 2 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.  The program will be interactive and will be facilitated by Jody Horntvedt of University of Minnesota Extension.  The goal is to generate additional ideas, reactions, and feedback to the work various planning groups have completed over the past several months.  The Thursday Commons for Thursday, September 16, from 12:15 to 2 p.m. will now focus on celebrating five years of the Sargeant Student Center in the Northern Lights Lounge and the International Lounge.  Various booths will provide information about student services offered across campus and door prizes will be given.  Students, faculty, and staff are all encouraged to attend.  There are no classes scheduled on Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m., so make plans to take part in these events.

Academic Affairs –

The EDA Center will host a Research Brownbag on Wednesday, September 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Alseth NWSA Business Board Room in Dowell Hall.  Faculty, staff, and students are invited to learn about the projects that U of M, Crookston faculty colleagues are engaged in and to learn how they can get involved in a research project through the EDA Center.  Since the event is a brownbag, attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch.

Minnesota is home to 40% of the Golden-winged Warbler population, yet very little is known about this small forest songbird, currently under consideration for placement on the Threatened Species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Over the summer four undergraduate students worked with Associate Professor John Loegering, Ph.D., in an effort to gather information about the golden-winged warbler and its habitat. Loegering, who teaches ornithology on the Crookston campus, is widely known for his teaching and research in the field of natural resources.  Learn more.

Student Affairs -

A campus-wide garage sale will be held on Thursday, September 30, in Garages #10 through #12 in Parking Lot A.  From 9 to 10:30 a.m. department acquisitions/transfers will be made; from 10:30 a.m. to noon the sale will be open to UMC Community; and from noon to 5:30 p.m. the sale will be open to the public.  All campus departments are encouraged to utilize this campus–wide event to get rid of unneeded items and/or generate additional revenue.  Departments will have a priority opportunity to obtain needed items from other departments by transferring them before the campus community sale and prior to the official garage sale that will be open to the public.  Items may be dropped off and temporarily stored in garage bays #10 through #12 starting Monday, September 27. Labels will be provided for all items.  A UM1393: Capital Equipment Asset Disposal form must be utilized as needed.  Sales tax must be applied to sale transactions.  All items sold “as is,” and unsold items will be donated or appropriately disposed.  The UMC Hockey Club will help administer the event for 10% of sales.

International Programs -

As of September 7, the U of M, Crookston has welcomed 121 international students for fall semester 2010.  While the final reports are not complete, new countries represented this year include India, Cameroon, and Turkmenistan.  Of the 121 students, 37 are new to the campus including 26 degree-seeking students and 11 students enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program.  Eighteen students have arrived from Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic (ZJETP) in Hangzhou, China, and will work to complete their bachelor’s degree here.  Three are exchange students from Zhejiang Forestry University in Hangzhou, China, and will spend one semester here.  Please welcome all of these students to campus.

Development & Alumni Relations –

The Centennial Park Flag Pole Project will be dedicated on Friday, September 10, at 10 a.m. at the flag pole site on the campus mall.  The addition of the three new flag poles and related concrete work and landscaping was funded by Alumnus Harris A. Peterson, ’42.  All faculty, staff, students, and members of the local community are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Outstanding Alumni & Athletic Hall of Fame Recognition and Banquet will be held Friday, September 24, in Bede Ballroom with 6 p.m. social, 6:30 dinner, and 7:00 program.  Congratulations to this year’s outstanding alumni James Clack, ’80; and Jan Patenaude, ’77; and Athletic Hall of Fame recipients June Shaver, ’76 & ’82; Ken Essay, ex. ’94; Rick Spaeth, ’86; and the 1982 Football Team.  Reservations are required. Tickets are $20 per person.  Contact Rose Ulseth in the Office of Development & Alumni Relations at 218-281-8439.

This year’s homecoming festivities have the theme “Glitz, Glamour, and Golden Eagles.”  On Saturday, September 25, the annual Homecoming Parade around the Campus Mall begins at 10:30 a.m.  At 11 a.m.  the Golden Eagles Women’s Soccer Team faces the MSU Moorhead Dragons.  At noon, Teambackers will host a tailgate featuring music from the band Four Wheel Drive.  The Golden Eagles Football Team will face the MSU Moorhead Dragons at 1 p.m. on Ed Widseth Field.  A post-game social will be held at Minakwa Golf Club in Crookston.

All faculty, staff, alumni, and friends are invited to join Teambackers in support of Golden Eagle student-athlete scholarships.  For information please contact Bill Tyrrell at 218-281-8436. 

University Relations –

Updated versions of the printed U of M, Crookston Faculty and Staff Directory will be distributed later this week.  The new directory is printed on goldenrod paper.  The updated online directory will go live by the end of this week.

University Relations is in the process of updating the U of M, Crookston Campus Experts List to help share the collective expertise of the Crookston campus with internal and external audiences.  Faculty and staff are encouraged to provide information about their areas of expertise by completing the form located online at www.umcrookston.edu/relations/expertfrm.htm by Friday, September 24, 2010.  University Relations staff members will assemble the list for distribution and make it available at www.umcrookston.edu/relations/expertslist.htm.  The list recognizes the knowledge of experts on the Crookston campus and strengthens the relationship with the media and other organizations. Several newspaper editors and radio station managers refer to the list.

Athletics –

The Athletics Department and Teambackers have announced the lucky winners of the two big-screen televisions given away on Thursday, September 2, at the football game where the UMC Golden Eagles defeated the Mayville State Comets 37-6.  Midcontinent Communications was the game sponsor and donated the two big-screen televisions for the event.  The winner of the 32" TV was UMC student Colten Vanzee from Glenwood, Minn.  The winner of the 42" TV was Nate Lubarski of Crookston.

U of M, Crookston Athletic Director Stephanie Helgeson and Director of Athletic Fundraising Bill Tyrrell wish to thank Crookston Pontiac-Buick-GMC, who in conjunction with the Golden Eagles on Wheels program will donate a car for Golden Eagle Athletics coaches to use during the recruiting season.  This type of sponsorship is vital to the overall success of a growing NCAA II athletic program as the vehicles are used by coaches during their peak recruiting seasons and can save the athletic budget up to $5,000 annually.

Campus & Community –

The goal of the Connecting Children and Nature Conference, set for Wednesday, September 29, on the campus of the U of M, Crookston, is to provide educators and others with simple steps that can help reconnect young children with nature and create a mass movement encouraging these interactions to improve the health and wellness of every child.  Cheryl Charles, co-founder of the Children and Nature Network, will be the featured keynote speaker.  Registration for the conference is $20 per person and includes lunch; students may register for only $5 without lunch.  Interested individuals should register online by Wednesday, September 15, at www.umcrookston.edu/childrenandnature.

Accolades

The U of M, Crookston was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Beautification Award by the Crookston Area Chamber of Commerce during Ox Cart Days on Sunday, August 22.   The award was given in recognition of the work done by the campus to beautify the community through maintaining the flowers, gardens, and landscaping over the years.   Accepting the award on behalf of the campus was Brian Christensen, maintenance supervisor, who credited the work of staff members Neil Vraa, Greg Benoit, Theresa Helgeson, and Sue Jacobsen as well as summer interns Kenny Mendez, Mark Michalski, and Tammy Wroblewski.  The award has been placed in the display case between Dowell Hall and Sahlstrom Conference Center.

For a thirteenth consecutive year, the University of Minnesota, Crookston has been recognized as one of the top four public regional colleges in the Midwest in its category–Best Regional Colleges–for the 2011 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group.  The exclusive rankings, which include rankings of more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available at www.usnews.com/colleges and are published in the September issue of U.S.News & World Report.

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.