November 2, 2009

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Accolades

From the Chancellor

Chancellor Casey has just returned from China and will submit a column for the November 16 edition of the U of M, Crookston Campus E-Update.

Featured Events & Activities

Passport Drive, Tuesday, November 3 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center

U of M, Crookston All-College Advisory Council and Program Improvement Audit Committee (PIAC) Meetings, Wednesday, November 4

Torch & Shield Awards, Wednesday, November 4 – 5 p.m. Reception and Social, 6 p.m. Awards Program, Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center, 7 p.m. Dinner (by invitation), Brown Dining Room, Sahlstrom Conference Center

Thursday Commons: Panel Discussion with U of M Regents Allen, Beeson, and Hung, Thursday, November 5 – 12:15 to 2 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

Campus Preview Day, Saturday, November 7 – 9:45 a.m. Check-In, Sargeant Student Center

Veterans Day Flag Raising and Memorial Ceremony, Wednesday, November 11 – 8 a.m., at the Flagpole on the Campus Mall

First Annual Major Fair, Wednesday, November 11 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center

Fall Community Dialogue on Service Learning, Thursday, November 12 – 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

International Education Week, November 16-20

For details on these and a comprehensive listing of other events or to discover what’s happening this week, visit UMC Today at www.UMCrookston.edu/today or review our news page at blog.lib.umn.edu/umcweb/news.

Around Campus

Administrative Affairs –

The U of M, Crookston All-College Advisory Council will meet on campus Wednesday, November 4, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Heritage Room, Kiehle Building.  The group will meet in the morning with Chancellor Casey and Vice Chancellor Baldwin to discuss academic programs.  In the afternoon the group will tour Evergreen Hall and continue meeting in the Evergreen Grill gathering space with sessions on the budget; recruitment, retention, and graduation; and sustainability issues.  Program Improvement Audit Committees (PIACs) for individual degree programs will also meet in various locations across campus that afternoon.

University of Minnesota Regents Allen, Beeson, and Hung will visit the Crookston campus Wednesday, November 4, and Thursday, November 5.  They will attend the Torch & Shield Awards and Dinner on Wednesday evening.  Thursday’s planned schedule includes meetings with staff at the Regional Extension Office at 8:30 a.m., with faculty and staff at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center at 9:15 a.m., and with Chancellor Casey at 10 a.m.  At 12:15 p.m. all students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend a panel discussion with the three regents in Bede Ballroom.  The discussion will also feature a question and answer session.

Student Affairs –

The student operated recycling program officially launched last week.  Numerous student clubs and organizations have made the commitment to maintain the new recycling bin stations throughout campus.  The Crookston Student Association (CSA) and Delta Theta Sigma (DTS) have done much of the work of checking the stations until the CSA and the Crookston Students for Sustainable Development (CSSD) had worked out the logistics.  Newly installed sign holders located near the recycling stations say “Make it Greener and Cleaner - Recycle” and list the student organization responsible for maintaining that station.  Throughout the year the recycling signs will change.  From time to time the student groups may slide a flyer into the sign holder to promote one of their upcoming events, after which the default sign will again be displayed.

In observance of Veterans Day, the Veterans Club will hold a flag raising and memorial ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, at 8 a.m. at the flagpole on the campus mall.  Later that day, the Veterans Club will host speaker Stuart Bass, World War II Naval aviator, at 4 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium.  Mr. Bass fought in many of the carrier battles in the Pacific and was awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest combat decoration our nation awards, for valor in action while flying a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber.  He will discuss the carrier war, operations in the Pacific, and what it was like to fly the TBM.  Everyone is welcome to attend both events. 

On Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13, the Crookston campus will host 35 students from St. Paul, Minn., high schools that take part in the Multicultural Excellence Program (MEP).  These students are high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who maintain strong GPAs as part of their involvement in the MEP program, which also offers them opportunities to visit colleges.  These students will arrive Thursday evening and stay with current student hosts in campus residence halls.  They will then spend Friday morning learning more about the Crookston campus, its academic programs, and campus life.  Please welcome them to campus. 

International Programs –

The University of Minnesota’s Office of International Programs (OIP) has announced an all-University grant program.  With a research focus the themes of Africa or water in the world, the Global Spotlight initiative offers major international research grants to faculty and graduate students on any U of M campus.  The purpose of these grants is to promote the establishment of major international research and creative activity initiatives with global visibility. Grants will be funded at a level that will provide substantial opportunity for initiation of a major, long-term research program.  Application for a major international research grant first entails submission of a Letter of Intent, for an initial screening by a Review Committee.  Letters of Intent are due at noon on November 20, 2009.  Learn more.

November 16 through 20 is International Education Week.  This national week of events promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.  A series of events is planned for the U of M, Crookston during the week including a special Four Corners of the World Lunch on Monday, November 16, in Brown Dining Room with food from Pakistan, the Czech Republic, China, and Denmark.  Regular dining prices and meal plans will apply.  On Tuesday, November 17, from 12 to 2 p.m. in the Sargeant Student Center the inaugural Cultural Showcase will present information about cultural taboos, studying in another country, and communicating via international technology.  The Thursday Commons event for November 19 will be a Global Experiences Panel Discussion, from 12:15 to 2 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, featuring faculty and students who have gone abroad for study or research. 

Development & Alumni Relations –

After the first four months of fiscal year 2010, total gifts and total commitments have generated more than $330,000.  The Teambackers Fund Drive has garnered more than $94,000 for athletic scholarships from 148 members.

The Torch & Shield Awards Program will be held Wednesday, November 4, in Bede Ballroom with registration at 5 p.m. and program at 6 p.m.  Three individuals, Orlyn Miller, Jims Sims, and Erma Vizenor, and one organization, The Crookston Daily Times, will be honored with the award.  Special guests will include University of Minnesota Regents Clyde Allen, Jr., Richard Beeson, and Venora Hung.  Jan Sickbert, director of development, collegiate programs, will bring greetings from the U of M Foundation.   Dinner (by invitation) in Brown Dining Room will follow the program.  Contact Sue Dwyer at 218-281-8401. 

University Relations –

Official U of M, Crookston social networking sites continue to gain interest.  The University of Minnesota, Crookston official Facebook fan site maintained by University Relations now has more than 300 fans.  The fan site launched earlier this year and has gathered many additional fans including students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are active Facebook users.   University Relations also has developed a presence on Twitter that now has more than 175 followers.   Both sites promote news items from and events taking place on the Crookston campus.   The Office of Admissions also maintains a Facebook group site geared toward recruiting prospective students, but anyone is welcome to join that group site as well.

Athletics –

University of Minnesota, Crookston Baseball will host a fundraiser dinner at the Crookston Eagles Club on Thursday, November 12.  Cost of the dinner is $30 for prime rib or walleye.  All proceeds will benefit the Golden Eagle Baseball program.  A social will be held at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by a program featuring Darin Everson, manager of the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers.  The Grasshoppers are a Class A minor league baseball team associated with the Florida Marlins.

Campus and Community -

Two weeks remain for the 2010 UMC United Way Campaign.  The annual fundraiser helps support 37 local community groups in Crookston and surrounding areas.   Team captains have been designated to help promote efforts on campus to reach a goal of $10,000 and 100% participation.  The United Way of Crookston has set a goal of $138,000 for its 2010 campaign.

Faculty, staff, local non-profit agencies and citizens of Crookston are invited to attend the Fall Community Dialogue on Service Learning, Thursday, November 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.  This is an opportunity for community members to express community needs and wants and for faculty members to describe the courses in which they would like to incorporate service learning.  Ideas that cannot be addressed through an academic service learning project may be considered through club community service or through other special service days such as National Youth Service Day or Meet Crookston Through Service.

Over the past year, several students enrolled in three different classes taught by Eric Castle, M.L.A., assistant professor, horticulture, have been directly involved in the planning, design, and development of landscaping for Crookston’s Sixth Street Park near the river.  Learn more.

Accolades

Five seniors in the Field Studies in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management class (Entr 4200) presented at the Fifth Annual Bemidji Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on Thursday evening, October 22, in Bemidji, Minn.  Jared Hendricks of Owatonna, Minn.; Thomas Melhorn of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Krista Nelson of Cokato, Minn.; Brett Saari of Green Bay, Wis.; and Jacob Karras of Janesville, Wis. presented "Twenty-First Century Marketing: Facebook and Twitter," to over 40 regional business professionals.  In collaboration with Jorge Prince, director of the Northwest Minnesota Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the students addressed the use of social media in communicating with and marketing to customers. 

Mark Huglen, Ph.D., associate professor, communication, presented at a colloquium on modern rhetorical theory hosted by the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, October 22-24.  His presentation was based on a chapter from his upcoming book, Persuasion: Strategy and Critique in Language and Human Relations.  The chapter explores seven approaches to persuasion including Aristotelian, language and human relations, media, political communication, psychological, rhetoric of science, and social science and how language ties each of those approaches together.

Six students from the U of M, Crookston were honored with the FFA American Degree during an awards banquet held Friday, October 23, as part of the national FFA convention held October 21-24 in Indianapolis, Ind.  The FFA American Degree represents the highest level an individual can achieve as an FFA member.  Students earning this honor included Amanda Adkins, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Jonathan Borge, a junior from Ada-Borup, Minn.; Samantha Lahman, a sophomore from Parkers Prairie, Minn.; Michael Kitchell, a senior from Ada, Minn.; Bradley Kappes, a junior from Ada, Minn; and Travis Stanton, a freshman from Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Publication notes:  The E-Update is published twice each month August through April and once each month May through July.
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