UM ranked 61st in the recently released 2007 Annual College Guide published by Washington Monthly magazine.

It is the third annual college guide released by the magazine, which is based in Washington, D.C.

The ranking system used for the guide includes several factors not given as much consideration in other university-ranking systems, including national service, student social mobility and research contributions.

Texas A&M topped the list, with UC-Los Angeles, UC-Berkeley and UC-San Diego taking the second through fourth spots. Cornell was the only Ivy League university to make the top 20 in the rankings.

Few other schools similar in size and mission ranked as high as UM. Oregon State University ranked 75th, the University of Wyoming ranked 81st, Washington State University ranked 127th and Montana State University ranked 163rd.

For the first time in its 115-year history, UM intends to jointly offer a degree with partner universities in Europe.

UM geosciences Professor Marc Hendrix said the University has been awarded a four-year, $408,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a bachelor's degree program in international field geoscience.

The degree will be issued jointly by UM, the University of Potsdam in Germany and University College Cork in Ireland. Students pursuing the degree will take classes and do fieldwork at all three universities before they graduate.

A long-lost essay written by the late A.B. Guthrie Jr. has been published in a limited edition by UM's School of Journalism.

The school is selling 250 hand-bound copies of the essay that are numbered and signed for $100 each as a fundraiser, primarily for the Guthrie Reading Room in the newly built Don Anderson Hall.

The writing was discovered by Guthrie's niece, Peggy Haugen Bloom of Missoula, who found the manuscript in papers held by her mother, Jane Haugen.

The essay, given the title "Occupation Sheepherder" by Guthrie's daughter, Gus Miller of Butte, was prompted by a headstone Guthrie saw near Choteau at the grave of a sheepherder who lost his life in a storm.

Guthrie was known for his novel "The Big Sky" and others that followed, including "The Way West," which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1950. He was a 1923 graduate of the school of journalism and received an honorary doctorate of literature from UM in 1950.

"Occupation Sheepherder" is available through The Bookstore at UM. For more information, call the journalism school at 406-243-4001.

Fourteen original pieces and 55 dancers will be featured in two programs of the Fall Dance Showcase at UM.

The dance programs feature choreography by UM drama/dance students and faculty and by community members. Works range from contemporary and ballet to aerial and hip-hop, as well as dance theater.

The performances alternate nightly and begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Nov. 13-17, in the Masquer Theatre, located in UM's Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. A matinee performance also will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17.

This year, performances will be held in the Masquer Theatre's "black box," which allows audience members to be seated on three sides of the stage.

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the Drama/Dance Box Office in the PAR/TV Center or by calling 406-243-4581.

UM recently announced the establishment of two laboratories dedicated to training American Indians in basic sciences.

The Native American Research Laboratories are the first research laboratories at any university in the nation developed specifically to provide hands-on, cross-disciplinary research training opportunities for American Indian undergraduate and graduate students.

"The University has made it a priority to assist Native Americans to enter careers in science," said President Dennison.

"The establishment of the laboratories will help immensely because it will provide a safe place for experimentation and guided learning," Dennison said. "I applaud the work of faculty members who have helped to make these laboratories a reality."

• Monday, Nov. 12 -- No classes and UM offices will be closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
• Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 21-23 -- Thanksgiving break. No classes. UM offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23-24.
• Dec. 8-9 -- Study days.
• Dec. 10-14 -- Final exams.
• Jan. 2-18 -- Wintersession classes will be held.
• Monday, Jan. 21 -- UM offices closed. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22 -- Spring semester classes begin.

More than 900 relatives of UM students visited campus Nov. 2-4 for Family Weekend activities, but one Billings family went home with a lot less to worry about when spring semester tuition comes due.

Jon Stepanek, father of sophomore Rose, was the winner of the $1,000 tuition waiver given away during the Pregame Brunch by President George Dennison and his wife, Jane. An excited father and daughter, accompanied by mom Madonna and sister Claire, cheered loudly as Jon's name was called.

The tuition waiver was among hundreds of prizes given away throughout the weekend as parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and friends of currently enrolled students attended a variety of events held in their honor.

Stay tuned for information about next year's Family Weekend.

Two events are coming up at UM that offer students information about working and studying abroad.

From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, Career Services will offer a free workshop titled "How to Pay for Your Summer Travel Overseas." The workshop provides students information about traveling and working abroad -- without dipping into college funds -- and about teaching abroad and how to start an international career.

From noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, the Ask-an-Alum Luncheon -- "Go Global" -- will be held in University Center Rooms 332-333. Students can learn about international opportunities from UM alumni who will share their experiences of work abroad, study abroad and the Peace Corps.

The monthly Ask-an-Alum events are sponsored by Career Services and feature UM alumni who discuss skills gained at the University and what it is like to work in their fields. The first 25 students who attend get a free lunch.

International Education Week 2007 will be celebrated at UM Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 13-16.

Free events during the week provide students information about study and travel abroad and offer opportunities to learn about other countries and cultures.

Presentations planned cover areas throughout world, including Romania, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Nepal, Japan, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Turkey, Thailand and more.

For more information, contact Meghan Squires at UM International Programs, 406-243-6865.

A complete schedule of events is online.

In January 2008, UM's Office for Civic Engagement will offer students an Alternative Winter Break in Hollywood through the Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection program.

The DOOR program began in Denver in the late 1990s and now operates in several U.S. cities.

While in Hollywood, students will work at Habitat for Humanity projects, children's organizations and soup kitchens -- places that will expose them to the contrasts of poverty and prosperity.

The trip, combined with three days of mandatory seminars, is worth two honors credits. Seminars will be held Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 2-4. The group will leave Missoula Saturday, Jan. 5, and return Sunday, Jan. 13.

OCE has sponsored the Alternative Breaks program for more than 10 years. Its goal is to provide students with opportunities to learn through volunteer work with peer groups and to connect with new and different communities.

Information and a trip application are available online or by contacting John Parente, 406-243-5531. Applications are due by Tuesday, Nov. 13.

The 107th Brawl of the Wild football game will take place Saturday, Nov. 17, in Bozeman. The event is the annual college football rivalry game between the Grizzlies and the Montana State University Bobcats. UM students and area Griz fans also know it as the "Griz-Cat" game. (Not "Cat-Griz.")

The rivalry, one of the oldest in the nation, began on Nov. 26, 1897, when the two teams played in Bozeman, with the Grizzlies prevailing. UM leads the Brawl of the Wild series 66-35-5.

During a period that is often referred to as "The Streak," UM won every meeting from 1986 until 2001. The Grizzlies won two NCAA Division I-AA championships during "The Streak" -- in 1995 and 2001.

On a cold, snowy day in November 2002, MSU finally snapped UM's 16-game run. From that point on, the host team has won every year.

The Grizzlies hope to change that this year!

Alumni, parents and friends are invited to attend one of the many Griz-Cat Satellite Gatherings held across the country. More information is available on the UM Alumni Association Web site.

The game also will be broadcast live on KPAX-TV in Missoula, as well as on statewide Montana Television Network stations and Grizzly Football Network radio stations. Satellite coordinates will be released the week of the game on MontanaGrizzlies.com.

Thank you for reading Transcripts and for being part of the UM community.

Go Griz!