UM works to refine its brand image

The marketing of higher education currently is at the forefront of discussion at UM. On Nov. 1 the University Council heard a presentation about the development of a brand strategy at the University.

Beth Hammock, vice president of strategic communications and marketing for the UM Foundation, is assisting UM President Royce Engstrom by managing the project. She told the council how the brand development process will work and the expected outcomes.

"We all know The University of Montana has many outstanding characteristics," Hammock said. "The first step will be discerning which qualities are uniquely ours. Then, we will define and refine the UM brand in a way that helps the University better meet its goals."

Hammock says expected outcomes include:

• Enhanced faculty, staff and student recruitment and retention;
• Increased alumni engagement;
• More philanthropic and legislative support.

Read more

Study shows how climate change affects forests 

A new study co-written by UM Regents Professor Steve Running suggests that climate change, insect attacks, diseases and fire will cause many tree species across the Northwest to migrate, decline or even die out over the next few centuries.

The study, published in the journal Remote Sensing and the Environment, outlines the impact that a changing climate will have on which tree species can survive, and where. The study suggests many species once able to survive and thrive are losing their competitive footholds, and opportunistic newcomers will eventually push them out.

In some cases, once-common species such as lodgepole pine will be replaced by other trees, perhaps a range expansion of ponderosa pine or Douglas fir. Other areas may shift completely out of forest into grass savannah or sagebrush desert.

"In Montana, our forests overall have been expanding over the past century, mostly as a result of wildfire suppression and grazing controls," said Running, an ecology professor in UM's College of Forestry and Conservation. "Some of the recent large beetle-kill forests may now come back in today's warmer climate as savannah grasslands or shrub lands."

Read more

Griz for Kids Toy Drive continues at bookstore event

Join the Montana Grizzlies football team and the rest of Griz Nation in supporting local children as the seventh annual Griz for Kids Toy Drive continues at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at The Bookstore at UM.

Members of the Montana Grizzly football team and coaching staff will be on hand until 7 p.m. to greet fans and help collect new, unwrapped children's toys.

The bookstore will offer a 20 percent discount on all Griz logo merchandise, and the players will autograph purchases for the public.

Read more

Help families, veterans during holidays

UM's Office for Civic Engagement will team up with the Salvation Army, the Poverello Center and Valor House this holiday season for the 15th annual Adopt-A-Family and third annual Adopt-A-Veteran programs.

The programs assist people who cannot afford to provide for themselves and their families during the holiday season in effort to ensure everyone in the Missoula area is able to celebrate the holidays.

UM departments, student groups and individuals are encouraged to adopt an area family or to help a veteran through Valor House, the Poverello Center's transitional facility for homeless veterans.

Read more

Montana Rep presents 'Standing on Ceremony' tonight

The Montana Repertory Theatre will present a special, one-night-only performance of "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in the Montana Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center at UM.

"Standing on Ceremony" features a series of short plays about equality, the universal challenge of relationships and the often hilarious power of love. Started as a series of benefit events in Los Angeles, "Standing on Ceremony" aims to raise awareness of marriage equality, and performances will take place across the country Monday at participating theaters.

Admission is free, but a suggested donation of $5 will benefit the Pride Foundation Regional Scholarship Fund for students in Montana.

High-level EU official to speak at UM

The World Affairs Council of Montana, in partnership with the Montana World Trade Center, will host a community Distinguished Speakers Program to explore Europe's financial crisis and why it matters to Montanans.

Featured guest João Vale de Almeida, European Union ambassador and head of the EU delegation to the U.S., will speak at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the University Theatre at UM. The event is open to the public, and admission is free to students and council members. The event costs $5 for nonmembers.

Vale de Almeida will discuss the European debt crisis and its global implications and answer questions from the audience.

Read more

MMAC hosts 'War Poetry' talk in honor of Veterans Day

In observance of Veterans Day, the Montana Museum of Art & Culture will present "War Poetry: Poetry is in the Pity" by UM English Professor Lisa Simon at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Montana Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center at UM.

The presentation is part of the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau program and is free and open to the public.

Simon, who earned a doctorate in English literature from the University of Washington, uses poetry generated by conflict to emphasize the experiences of war from the viewpoints of those who feel its effects at home and on the battlefields.

Read more

Professor to discuss importance of transnationalism

UM political science Professor Peter Koehn will present "Symmetry, Synergy and Serendipity: Reflections on Transnationalism" at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the University Center North Ballroom. Koehn's presentation is part of the Provost's Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series.

He will address reasons why transnationalism is important for higher education in the 21st century, particularly at UM. Koehn will approach the topic through different lenses, including international development, health, engineering, music, fine art, poetry and serendipity.

Read more

Merriam-Frontier writing competition open to UM students

The UM Creative Writing Program is now accepting submissions for the 2011 Merriam-Frontier Award.

The annual writing competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at UM during autumn semester 2011. The award was established by H.G. Merriam, UM professor of English and creative writing from 1919 to 1954, and consists of a $500 prize and publication of the winning entry as a chapbook.

Entries must qualify in one of the following categories:

• Poetry: 20-25 poems
• Fiction: two or more stories (40-60 double-spaced pages)
• Creative nonfiction: two or more essays (40-60 double-spaced pages)

Submissions are limited to one per student and must include a cover page with the title of the manuscript, name, email, phone number and address. All entries must be delivered to Karin Schalm, assistant to the director of the Creative Writing Program, in Liberal Arts Building Room 133 by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Read more

MTPR works with students and soldiers

This fall Montana Public Radio trained students at Willard Alternative High School to record and produce oral histories for the Veterans History Project. The students collected firsthand audio accounts of Montana veterans' service experiences and are now editing the interviews into a one-hour audio special.

The special, "Students and Soldiers," will air on Veterans Day at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, on MTPR stations and will stream online. The raw interviews will be cataloged and archived in the American Folklife collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Read more