Bear Briefs

J-School Names Pollner Professor—Esquire magazine writer-at-large Chris Jones will be the 2009 T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished Professor at the UM School of Journalism. Jones, who also is a contributing writer for ESPN: The Magazine, won a National Magazine Award in Feature Writing in 2005 and is a finalist for this year’s National Magazine Award in Feature Writing. He has been a writer for Esquire since 2002 and for ESPN since 2008. At UM, Jones will teach a course in narrative nonfiction writing and will serve as a mentor for students at the Montana Kaimin, the student newspaper. He’ll also deliver a public lecture in October. Jones is the ninth Pollner professor, a position created to honor the memory of T. Anthony Pollner, a 1999 journalism school graduate who died in 2001.

UM Foundation Completes Fundraiser—A fundraising program developed to support endowed scholarships at UM has been completed, successfully meeting a goal to help up to 1,000 students whose endowed scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year were threatened by the economic downturn. The program, “1,000 Promises to Keep,” was launched in December by the UM Foundation, Alumni Association and University Relations. It raised nearly $250,000 in private donations to ensure the economic slowdown does not affect students who rely on privately funded scholarships. In addition, revenue from the University’s license plate fund will be used to augment the funds available to support these scholarships. This combination allowed the University to meet the need for endowed scholarship support.

Web Site Offers Info On Montana Tribes—A new Web site about Montana’s Indian tribes that offers hours of video interviews with Native people, learning activities and other resources is now online at http://www.montanatribes.org. The site, which took a year to develop, was funded by UM and the state Office of Public Instruction’s Indian Education Division. It is an educational resource for citizens and teachers, was created by UM’s Regional Learning Project, which produces multimedia educational products with American Indian educators about regional history. Project Director Sally Thompson said the new site, with its comprehensive look at all tribes in a single state, may be the first of its kind in the U.S. Montanatribes.org contains about 100 video clips, and the classroom resources page offers an hour and a half of video.

UM Launches Climate Change Minor—In March UM announced the creation of one of the nation’s first undergraduate degree programs devoted to the challenges and opportunities global climate change presents. The new minor in climate change studies will combine rigorous training in sciences with course work in ethics and policy to offer students a unique, multidisciplinary understanding of climate change. Students will examine the scientific and social dimensions of global climate change, as well as explore potential solutions. They will take an interdisciplinary introductory course and six credits in each of three areas of study: climate change science, climate change and society, and climate change solutions. UM Regents Professor of Ecology Steve Running directs the new program. Information about the climate change program is online at http://www.cfc.umt.edu/CCS/. For more information, call program coordinator Nicky Phear at 406-243-6932 or e-mail nicky.phear@umontana.edu.

Butte Educator Receives Award—Laurie Rossberg, who teaches seventh-grade language arts at East Middle School in Butte, was presented the 2009 Maryfrances Shreeve Award for Teaching Excellence at UM’s 20th annual School of Education Reception, held March 27 in Missoula. In her 18 years at East Middle School, Rossberg has made a positive contribution to the lives of hundreds of students – as a teacher, student council adviser, volleyball director and cross-country coach. The award is named for the late Maryfrances Shreeve, who taught with distinction around western Montana and was the first award recipient. Award winners are presented with a check for $2,000 and another check for $1,000 to be used for teaching resources or other school needs.

Museum Features Works From Permanent Collection—Forty-eight artworks and artifacts from more than 10,000 in the Permanent Collection of the Montana Museum of Art & Culture are on display now in two exhibitions at the museum. “Campus Picks – Permanent Collection Works Selected by Campus Community” is on view in the Meloy Gallery. “The Fra Dana Collection: Preservation and Conservation” is in the museum’s Paxson Gallery. “Campus Picks” highlights the diversity of the Permanent Collection, as well as the art preferences of the University community. Works included in the exhibition were chosen by a committee of 25 University community members. “The Fra Dana Collection” showcases 23 paintings by the artist, her teachers and friends. The exhibitions run through May 16. MMAC is located in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center at UM. For more information, call 406-243-2019 or go to the museum’s Web site at http://www.umt.edu/montanamuseum.

Business School Honors Successful Alumni—The UM School of Business Administration will honor three alumni for outstanding career achievements at the 62nd annual Donor Recognition and Scholarship Awards Banquet in May. John MacMillan, UM class of 1958, has been named an Outstanding Distinguished Alumnus. A native of Kalispell, MacMillan retired as president and chair of the board of Glacier Bancorp Inc. in 1998. Joseph Valacich has been named an Outstanding Alumnus. In 1982, he received a bachelor’s degree at UM and then went on to earn an MBA from the University in 1983. A native of Great Falls, Valacich is the George and Carolyn Hubman Distinguished Professor in MIS at Washington State University, Pullman. Dallas Neil has been named an Outstanding Early Career Alumnus. Neil received a bachelor’s degree from UM in 1999 and an MBA from the University in 2000. A native of Great Falls, he is a former NFL halfback and punter. Neil launched Kinetic Sports Interactive, a fitness software company, which was sold in 2007. Since then he has launched and co-founded several successful businesses.