Minnesota State University Moorhead News Releases February 2007

VP CROCKETT RECOGNIZED WITH MNSCU OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities recognized David Crockett, MSUM’s vice president for Administration Affairs, by presenting him with an Outstanding Service Award at the recent Chief Financial and Facilities Officers meeting in Minneapolis.

The award is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions toward furthering professionalism in financial management.

The program, which began in 1997, publicly recognizes the significant contributions and outstanding efforts of the system’s colleges, universities and employees. Facilities management awards were added in 1999.

“These award winners have improved services to students and staff at a time we are experiencing increasingly tight budget constraints. In all cases, their work is exemplary, and something that all Minnesotans can take pride in,” said Laura M. King, MnSCU’s vice chancellor and chief financial officer.

Crockett was one of nine people to receive a MnSCU’s Outstanding Service Award this year. They were selected from nominations made by presidents and college and university leadership

Now in it’s 24th season…
MSUM’S CAMPUS NEWS SHOW AIRS SATURDAYS ON PRAIRIE PUBLIC TV
Minnesota State University Moorhead’ s weekly Campus News program, now in its 24th season, is now on the air at 7 a.m. Saturdays on Prairie Public Television.

The half-hour newscast focuses on local and regional colleges, including some stories from campus around the world. It is written, reported, photographed and produced by MSUM students.

MSUM senior Candace Thornberg is the student producer this year; junior Cory Tolliver is the production director; and Tessie Jones, Kim Long and Candace Thorberg will share anchoring duties.

About 50 students are involved in the overrall production. They are supervised by Rob Kupec, an adjunct instructor and WDAY meteorologist who teaches the producing class at MSUM. WDAY reporter Kevin Wallevand teaches the Campus News reporting class, and WDAY anchor/reporter Kerstin Kealy teaches the writing class. All are former Campus News staffers. MSUM mass communications professor Martin Grindeland is director of the Campus News Project.

Dubbed the musical of the century…
MSUM THEATRE PRESENTS ‘CATS’ FEB. 28-MARCH 3
MSU Moorhead Theatre presents the hit Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical “CATS” a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 28-March 3 in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre.

Directed and choreographed by Craig Ellingson, the MSUM production will involve more than 70 student actors, dancers, musicians and stagehands. The magnificent stage set is a rubbish dump, three times larger than life, where the Jellicle Cats have come out to play.

For ticket information, call the MSUM Box Office at 477-2271.

Since opening in London in 1981, the pop-cultural phenomenon has been seen my more than 65 million people worldwide, staged in more than 150 cities in over 40 productions and in 14 languages. It was winner of the London Evening Standard Award and Olivier Award in 1981, and gathered seven coveted Tony Awards on Broadway in1983.

Dubbed the musical of the century, “CATS” holds the record as the longest running musical ever in London and New York. It’s based on a series of poems by T. S.Eliot.

‘WHITE TEACHER TALKS ABOUT
RACE’ AUTHOR JULIE LANDSMAN
SPEAKS HERE ON FEB. 15
Julie Landsman, author of “A White Teacher Talks About Race” and a 28-year veteran teacher in the Minneapolis Public School District, will discuss her book at 8:30 a.m. in the student union ballroom and again at 3 p.m. in room 227 of the student union.

She’s a guest of the university’s Comstock Visiting Scholars Series and the College of Education and Human Services.

In “A White Teacher Talks About Race,” Landsman takes the reader through a day of teaching and reflection about her work with a group of ethically and racially diverse high school students in an inner city school.

Landsman has also taught writing, literature, and education at Carleton College and Hamline University. She’s the author of another book about her teaching experiences, “Basic Needs: A Year with Street Kids in a City School.”

Her essays on education appear frequently in national publications and her short story “Suspension” won the 2005 New Letters Award in Fiction.

Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Her 8:30 a.m. talk is titled “What’s Race Got To Do With It?” and her 3 p.m. session will be an informal discussion based mainly on questions from the audience.

THREE FINALISTS SELECTED FOR DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Six weeks ago a search committee was charged by President Roland Barden to gather applications and make recommendations for the leadership of MSU Moorhead’s athletic program. The committee has recommended three of the applicants as finalists.

In alphabetical order, the finalists are: David Herbster, Director of Athletics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Doug Peters, Director of Athletics at Valley City State University; and Gregory J. Walaitis, Associate Athletic Director for Development at Fresno State University.

Next, the finalists will visit the campus to meet with students, faculty and staff. The University aims to make the decision in March in order to have a new head of Dragon Athletics under contract by summer.

The campus visit schedules and information submitted by the finalists will be made available via the MSU Moorhead Web site in the near future.

President Roland Barden appointed Warren Wiese, Vice President for Student Affairs, to chair the search committee. The other committee members are: Greg Peterson, Dragon Fire; Larry Scott, MSUAASF athletics representative; Dennis Aune, MSUAASF representative; Cindy Phillips, IFO (faculty association) representative; Benjamin Smith, IFO representative, Robin Abraham, AFSCME representative; John Haugo, MSUM Alumni Foundation representative; Tammy Blake, women’s volleyball head coach; Rollie Bulock, women’s soccer head coach; Drew Waters, Student Athletic Advisory Committee representative; Megan DaPisa, Student Athletic Advisory Committee representative; Kathleen Enz Finken, Dean of Arts & Humanities; Yvonne Condell (faculty emerita), community member; and Sherry Senske (alumna), community member.

Dr. Betsy Alden of Alden & Associates has been the consultant for the search. Her firm is experienced in selecting personnel for higher education institutions that compete in NCAA Division II.

Sylvia Barnier has been serving as the interim Athletic Director since the departure of Dr. Alfonso Scandrett, Jr. earlier this year.

VERONICA MICHAEL NAMED COORDINATOR OF MSUM’S STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM
Veronica Michael has been named coordinator of Minnesota State University Moorhead’s new Student Success program.

In the new position, Michael will be responsible for overseeing programs aimed at freshmen and transfer students: Dragon Days (freshman registration), transfer student registration programs, Parent Orientation, New Student Orientation and Family Day.

Michael, who earned a degree in English at MSUM in 1995, has worked in the university’s Admissions office as a counselor and assistant director for the past six years.

The Student Success program was developed by a work group last summer that looked at ways to better restructure exiting programming for new students and their families.

A 1990 graduate of Climax High School, Michael is originally from the West African nation of Sierra Leone and the daughter of Edward and Joy Michael and Linda J. Michael.

Currently pursuing a mater’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at NDSU, she and her husband Matthew Myrold, a supervisor with the Educational Day Program at the Fargo Public River’s Edge School and also an MSUM alum, live in Fargo.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING STUDENT ACADEMIC CONF. PRESENTATIONS IS FEB. 9
MSUM’s Ninth Annual Student Academic Conference will be held Wednesday, April 11 in the Comstock Memorial Union. 

The deadline for submitting  applications for the conference  is Friday, Feb. 9. For details, go to http://web.mnstate.edu/acadconf/

The purpose of the afternoon event is to showcase the work and talent of MSUM students through presentations, posters, and creative works.

DEANS’ LECTURE NEXT WEEK LOOKS AT EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING
“Using Emerging Technologies to Improve Student Learning,” a Deans’ Lecture Series event, starts at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 in CMU 227.

Barbara Hoppe, Instructional Resources, will look at some of the methodologies that have been used at MSUM, sharing experiences faculty and students have had with integrated technology and some of the strategies that have worked in both a traditional classroom and with a hybrid or online class. Technology integration, she said, is fast becoming one of the biggest challenges of education. 

GOVERNOR RELEASES BUDGET RECOMMENDATION
Gov. Tim Pawlenty released his biennial budget recommendation last week, which consists of a $2.9 billion increase in state spending with the majority of the new money going toward education and tax relief.  

For Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the recommended budget increase is $123 million over the biennium.  This amounts to approximately 70 percent of the $177 million system request.

Included in the budget recommendation is $60 million for technology, $12 million for the recruitment and retention of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education, $10 million to expand science, technology, engineering and math education, $3 million to expand health care education, $3 million for a Biosciences Center of Excellence, and $10 million for management innovation.

In addition to the above, the governor recommended $25 million for the system for a "performance bonus" based on meeting goals related to the system's strategic plan. The system must meet three of the following measures to access the funding: * Increase the percentage of students taking STEM courses by 5 percent

* Increase enrollment of upper division Center of Excellence programs by 5 percent

* An increase of at least 1,400 students trained on electronic medical record technology

* Increase the number of students taking online courses and/or increase online course offerings by 10 percent

* Expand utilization by 10 percent of "awards of excellence" or other initiatives that reward innovations

The governor also recommended $92 million for his ACHIEVE II program that awards students with post-secondary scholarships for taking challenging classes in high school.This funding would be appropriated to the Office of Higher Education. Pawlenty is also recommending a $75 million appropriation to the Office of Higher Education for a veterans' package that would eliminate state income taxes on military pay and military pensions. This package also includes $30 million for a Minnesota GI Bill that will provide up to $2,000 per year in higher education benefits to veterans and their dependents.  

For a summary of the governor's complete budget, visit:

www.finance.state.mn.us/budget/operating/200809/070122_summary.pdf

CHEMISTRY SEMINAR FEB. 12:SIGNALING AT THE MEMBRANE
Anne Hinderliter, Chemistry, will discuss “Signaling at the Membrane: Concepts and Consequences” from 3 to 4 p.m.  Monday, Feb. 12 in Science Lab 118. It’s a Chemistry Seminar event.

STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS ANNOUNCED
The College of Social and Natural Sciences Student Advisory Board announces the recipients of Student Research Grants for Spring 2007. Eleven proposals were submitted and seven received funding. Recipients include:

1. Bodini Herath, who is studying the impact of fish and dragonfly larvae predators on the macroinvertebrate assemblage of wetlands;

2. Molly Dowling, Ashley LaPlante, and Amanda Laplante, who are researching growth rates, mortality rates, and degree and kind of sexual dimorphism in painted turtles;

3. Ryan Walsh, who is studying the Brassica rapa, also known as Wisconsin fast plants;

4. Brent Voels, who is researching the onset of abiotic induction of systemic acquired resistance in plant cell walls;

5. Josh Lunski, who is examining the impact of the earth's magnetic field on migration patterns of dragonflies;

6. Evelyn Fuentes and Adriane Maag, who are researching cardiovascular disease;

7. Alex Brandt, who is determining the morphological structure of tetrakis porphine films.

The College of Social and Natural Sciences awards $6,000 in student research grants each year. Recipients are required to present their work at the MSUM Student Academic Conference. Fourteen projects were funded this year out of 28 proposal submitted.

ACTIVIST AUTHOR NELSON PEERY SPEAKS HERE FEB. 8 ON RACISM & RIGHTS
Minnesota native Nelson Peery, the author of the award-winning “Black Fire: The Making of an American Revolutionary,” will talk on “Racism, Class Struggle and the Future of America” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 in MSU Moorhead’s King Auditorium.

His talk is sponsored by the university’s TOCAR Initiative (Training Our Campuses Against Racism). He will also be visiting a number of classes while on campus.

Peery grew up in Wabasha, Minn., the son of a postal worker and the only African American family in town until his father was transferred to Minneapolis. During the Depression, he became a hobo, an experience that gave him a unique view of racism and the American economy.

After author Meridel Le Sueur taught him to write during evening classes in Minneapolis, he published “Black Fire” in 1994, a book that explored the contributions of Black soldiers during World War II and, using his own experiences, demonstrated how to become a “revolutionary” for civil and human rights.

He’s also the author of “The Future Is Up to Us: A Revolutionary Talking Politics with the American People” (2001), and “Black Radical: The Making of an American Revolutionary 1946-1968,” scheduled for release this spring.

Recently the Minnesota Historical Society interviewed Peery for its “Minnesota’s Greatest Generation” project.

A activist for civil and human rights for 60 years, Peery is also a founding member of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America (formerly the Communist Labor Party). He currently lives in Chicago.

MSUM’s History department and Black Student Alliance are also sponsors of his appearance on campus.

EXHIBITION REPLACED WITH STUDENT WORK
The exhibit "Pattern & Structure," work by Liz Whitney Quisgard, slated for display in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gallery Feb. 5 – 22, has been cancelled.

In lieu of this exhibit, the current shows "Plot" by Cedar Marie and "VIgnette Reliquaries" by Erin Holscher Almazan will remain on view through Tuesday, Feb.  6.  Then from February 12 - 21 a student curated exhibit titled "Interplay" will be on view. It will feature the work of students who are members of SIVA (Students Involved in the Visual Arts), and the photo, ceramics, and drawing guilds at MSUM.  Gallery hours are: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Fridays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., or by special appointment.  gudmunja@mnstate.edu.  Meet the artists from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Refreshments will be served.

DRAGON FOOTBALL PLAYERS VOLUNTEER AT FARGO KIWANIS PANCAKE FEED FEB. 10
Head Dragon football coach Damon Tomeo and the  MSUM football players are volunteering their time at the 49th Annual Pancake Karnival on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Fargo Civic auditorium in the Centennial Hall.

They will be serving pancakes, flipping pancakes, and preparing sausage from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Stop by, enjoy some pancakes and sausage, and say hi to our student athletes.

Advance tickets are available for $4. Contact Judy Peterson, President of the Fargo Kiwanis at 477-2093. The Fargo Kiwanis is a corporate sponsor of the MSUM July 4th Event.