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Welcome to ForUM, the e-newsletter for University of Montana staff, faculty and administrators. ForUM is published weekly during the academic year except during scheduled academic breaks.

"The President's Update," a video series for UM President Royce Engstrom to communicate with the campus community, is now available on the President's Office website and on the official UM YouTube channel.

ForUM Takes a Break   There will be no issue of ForUM on Monday, Nov. 22. The next issue will be in mailboxes Monday, Nov. 29. Happy Thanksgiving!

UM Elects to Remain in Big Sky   UM is staying put. UM President Royce Engstrom announced Thursday that Grizzly Athletics will stay in the Big Sky Conference and the Football Championship Subdivision. University officials had the opportunity to consider a move to the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision. "It was a complex issue with many pros and cons," said Engstrom, who started his new duties as UM's 17th president Oct. 15 and recently attended his first meeting of Big Sky Conference university presidents in Park City, Utah. "In the end, the better course is to stay with the conference we helped establish in 1963 and to continue building on its solid foundation." Engstrom said three principles guided his decision. First, he wanted to maintain the cross-state rivalry between UM and Montana State University-Bozeman, which he regards as essential to the state's cultural fabric. The two institutions played their first college football rivalry game in 1897. Now nicknamed the Brawl of the Wild, it's the fourth-oldest active rivalry in the FCS and the oldest west of the Mississippi. Second, he wanted UM to compete with more mission-similar institutions. He said the recent addition of the University of North Dakota strengthened the Big Sky Conference in that regard. Finally, he wanted to ensure that UM athletic teams can compete successfully and maintain the prestige and integrity the program has demonstrated over the years. "At this time, FCS football presents the best overall fit for the University, it provides our student-athletes and fans with a great experience, and it is consistent with the strategic direction of the University," Engstrom said. "I agree this is the best course for The University of Montana at this particular time," UM Athletics Director Jim O'Day said. "Right now, Grizzly Athletics needs to concentrate on building its athletics infrastructure. That should be our No. 1 priority now and where we should be allocating our energy." Read the full news release

Memjet CEO to Speak at UM   Bill McGlynn, a UM School of Business Administration alumnus and CEO of Memjet, will speak at the public forum of the Harold and Priscilla Gilkey Executive Lecture Series on Wednesday, Nov. 17. McGlynn will present "Technology and Market Disruptions: A UM Graduate's Experiences on the Bleeding Edge of Technology" at 6 p.m. in Gallagher Business Building Room 106. The lecture is free and open to the public. After 24 years at Hewlett-Packard, McGlynn transferred his industry knowledge and executive leadership experience to a new technology startup called Memjet. Memjet's new Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems technology is expected to revolutionize printing. The company fabricates micron-sized features that allow engineering of printer components at 17 times the density of today's technologies, while increasing speed and decreasing size and cost. The UM lecture series was established by Harold and Priscilla Gilkey in 2004 to provide resources for the University's School of Business Administration to host the nation's top business leaders to share their knowledge, expertise and experiences with students, faculty members and the community. For more information call Jodi Mammenga at 243-6723 or e-mail jodi.mammenga@business.umt.edu.

Montana Public Radio Fundraiser This Week   Montana Public Radio has launched its "Go Public" campaign, which aims to raise $165,000 by the end of the year while helping food banks in the station's listening area. MTPR will host an on-air fundraising drive Wednesday through Friday, Nov. 17-19. During this pledge drive, instead of offering premiums in exchange for listener donations, as the station usually does, Missoula Federal Credit Union will match 5 percent of donations to benefit food banks and feeding programs in the donors' zip-code area. The matching funds will go to the Montana Food Bank Network, which will distribute food to their partner food banks throughout western and central Montana. MTPR is counting on $750,000 in listener contributions to meet its operating budget and has raised $585,000 toward that goal so far this year. People can donate anytime by calling 800-325-1565 or by going to the Montana Public Radio website. For more information, call Linda Talbott, MTPR fundraising director, at 243-4215 or e-mail linda.talbott@umontana.edu. Montana Public Radio

Noted Foreign Correspondent Presents Lecture   Stephen Kinzer, an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents, will present "Turkey and Iran: America's Partners in the New Middle East?" on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at UM. The presentation will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the University Center Theater. It is an event of UM's celebration of International Education Week and is free and open to the public. Kinzer's most recent book, "Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America's Future," is described by The Huffington Post as "a bold exercise in reimagining the United States' big links in the Middle East." Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for The New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. His foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire. His appearance in Missoula is sponsored by UM International Programs, the School of Journalism and the Central and Southwest Asian Studies Center. International Education Week at UM

Reading Features Poet Dara Wier   Dara Wier, author of numerous collections of poetry, will read at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, in the Dell Brown Room of Turner Hall at UM. The reading is free and open to the public. Wier teaches at the University of Massachusetts Program for Poets and Writers and the Juniper Summer Writing Institute. Her poetry has been supported by fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the American Poetry Review. She is co-director and founder of the Juniper Initiative for Literary Arts and Action at UMass. Her collections of poetry include "Selected Poems," "Remnants of Hannah," "Reverse Rapture" and more. Wier's work also has been included in recent volumes of Best American Poetry and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. The reading is sponsored by the UM President's Writers-in-Residence Series. For more information, call Karin Schalm, program coordinator, UM Department of English, at 243-5267 or e-mail karin.schalm@umontana.edu.

Nominations Open for Faculty, Staff Awards   Nominations for the 2011 George M. Dennison Presidential Staff Award for Distinguished Accomplishment and the 2011 George M. Dennison Presidential Faculty Award for Distinguished Accomplishment must be submitted by 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. To qualify for the staff award, the nominee must be a classified staff member who has completed five years of employment at UM prior to the date of nomination. The employee must show distinguished accomplishment within his or her work unit that lends excellence, merit, distinction or glory to UM. Nominations for the staff award will be accepted from the nominee or the nominee's supervisor, co-workers, student customers or other constituents. Tenure-track professors and full-time research professors qualify for the faculty award if they have completed five years of employment at UM prior to the date of nomination. The nominee must have distinguished accomplishments that have brought significant recognition to UM at the regional and national levels. Faculty award nominations will be accepted from UM faculty members, chairs and deans. The awards, which include a $1,500 stipend, will be presented at a Charter Day ceremony on Feb. 17, 2011. More information and nomination forms are available on the Office of the President website or by e-mailing Cathleen Collins, assistant to the president, at cathleen.collins@umontana.edu. Office of the President

Holt Retires as UC Director   University Center Director Candy Holt will retire at the end of November. UC Associate Director Liz Roosa Millar will serve as interim director after Holt retires. A limited search for a new director will take place during spring semester 2011. Holt began her career at UM in 1981 and has held a variety of positions on campus. She has served as UC director for six years. During the 2007-08 academic year, the Associated Students of UM honored her with the Barbara Hollmann Outstanding Administrator of the Year Award. Roosa Millar became associate director of the UC in 2008. Before coming to UM, she served as the interim director of the Center for Student Activities and Programming at Pennsylvania State University and as director of Montana Tech's Campus Recreation and HPER Building, as well as Student Unions and Activities. She has spearheaded efforts to ensure full and equal participation in UC programs, services, activities and facilities. In her role as interim director, she will continue work on finalizing and implementing the UC's Strategic Plan.

Blood Drive Challenge Begins Today    Fans, students, alumni and the community can show true Grizzlies pride and give the gift of life by donating blood today and Tuesday, Nov. 15-16, during the fifth annual "Brawl of the Wild" American Red Cross Blood Drive Challenge. The blood drive is a competition between the UM Grizzlies and the MSU Bobcats to see which school can collect the most donated blood for patients in need. The Grizzlies and Bobcats have each won two challenges since the blood battle began in 2006. The blood drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days in the University Center Ballroom. To make an appointment, go to the American Red Cross website (enter sponsor code "gogriz") or call the UM Advocates office at 243-5874 or the American Red Cross at 543-6695.

Support Griz for Kids Toy Drive   The sixth annual Griz for Kids Toy Drive kicked off at the UM football game Nov. 13 and will continue at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at The Bookstore at UM. Faculty and staff are invited to join the Montana Grizzlies football team and the rest of Griz Nation to support local children. Members of the Grizzlies football team and coaching staff will be at the bookstore until 8 p.m. to greet fans and help collect new, unwrapped children's toys and Griz logo wear. The bookstore will offer a 20 percent discount on all Griz logo merchandise during the event, and the players will autograph purchases for the public. Griz linebackers Jordan Tripp and Alex Shaw are leading this year's effort, and they hope to top last year's record-setting drive, when Griz fans provided more than 3,000 toys and $3,500 in cash donations. Toys will go to Mountain Home Montana, Head Start, Early Head Start, Child and Family Services, Youth Homes Inc., Watson Children's Shelters, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, WORD/Futures Program, A.W.A.R.E. and Teen Challenge Montana. Those who can't make the bookstore event and would like to contribute to Griz for Kids can make cash donations at all Missoula Federal Credit Union locations. All gifts are tax-deductible. For more information, call University Relations at 243-4853.

Enjoy Indian Tacos, Fun at Kyi-Yo Events    The Kyi-Yo Native American Student Association at UM will hold two events to celebrate American Indian Heritage Month and to raise funds for the spring powwow to be held on campus. The public is invited to enjoy Indian tacos or frybread at the Kyi-Yo Indian Taco Sale that will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, in The Payne Family Native American Center. Family fun, music, an exhibition of Native American dances and a silent auction of American Indian items will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, in The Payne Family Native American Center. For more information, call Robert Peltier, Kyi-Yo program coordinator, at 243-2669 or e-mail robert.peltier@umontana.edu. Kyi-Yo

President Engstrom's Office Hours   Each semester President Engstrom welcomes members of the campus community to meet with him to discuss issues and topics of their choice. Please call 243-2311 or e-mail prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment to meet with President Engstrom during these times. President Engstrom's office hours for autumn semester are: Tuesday, Nov. 23: 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Dec. 1: 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14: 3-5 p.m.

Faculty/Staff Socials   Socials will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. most Fridays during autumn semester in the Davidson Honors College Lounge. Autumn semester dates and event sponsors are: Nov. 19: College of Arts and Sciences and College of Forestry and Conservation Dec. 3: Mansfield Library Dec. 10: Faculty Senate and Academic Affairs

News About U   Curriculum and instruction Professor Rhea Ashmore was an invited keynote speaker at the 2010 China Hangzhou International Conference on Education Innovations. She presented information on the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education's Learning and Belonging Pre-School to more than 300 Chinese preschool educators and administrators Nov. 7 in Hangzhou, China. Curriculum and Instruction Professor Georgia Cobbs serves on the board of directors of the School Science and Mathematics Association and presented twice during the association's conference Nov. 4-6 in Fort Myers, Fla. She presented "Rural Teachers' Perspectives on an Integrated Mathematics and Science Curriculum" and the hands-on event "Park it and Soar!" Cobbs also was a facilitator for a plenary roundtable discussion on "What is happening to the integration of mathematics and science?" History Professor Anya Jabour presented "The Professor and the Prostitute: Sophonisba Breckinridge and the Morals Court in Prohibition-Era Chicago" at the Newberry Library Seminar on Women and Gender, held Nov. 12 in Chicago. Jabour also attended an Urban History Seminar on the centennial of the publication of Jane Addam's "Twenty Years at Hull House" Nov. 13 at the Chicago History Museum. Mathematical sciences Professor Bharath Sriraman was an invited speaker at the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity in Seoul. He delivered a paper titled "Conceptions of Creativity -- Issues and Perspectives" on Nov. 15 and presented a series of colloquium talks at Korea National University of Education, Gyeongin National University of Education and Seoul National University.

Publications   Sriraman, Bharath (co-author). 2010. "An Exploratory Study of Relationships between Students' Creativity and Mathematical Problem-Posing Abilities: Comparing Chinese and U.S. Students." In The Elements of Creativity and Giftedness in Mathematics, pp. 5-28. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers. Sriraman, Bharath (co-author). 2010. "Does High Achieving in Mathematics = Gifted and/or Creative in Mathematics?" In The Elements of Creativity and Giftedness in Mathematics, pp. 45-66. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers. Stanley, G.D. Jr. (co-author). 2010. "Tiny Sea Anemone from the Lower Cambrian of China." PLoS ONE, 5(10).