Bear Briefs

Main Hall Gets A Face-Lift—The bells on Main Hall at UM fell silent this month as campus prepares for renovations on the clock tower and roof, set to begin by July 21. In a $1.4 million state- and university-funded project, construction crews will replace the roof, make masonry repairs and build a web of iron structural supports inside the tower for seismic reinforcement. The goal of the project is to make changes while maintaining the legendary look of the University’s cornerstone. UM architect and project manager Jerry Ballas said this is the first major reconstruction project on the building’s exterior. Crews will replace two layers of wood shingles with recycled rubber shingles. Masonry crews plan to tackle brick deterioration on the clock tower and refinish parts of the granite entryway. New structural supports will brace the interior of the tower from its top to the second floor. UM accepted a bid from Quality Construction for the renovations. The work on Main Hall is expected to be finished in December.

UM Partners With College In Dubai—UM has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai-based American University in the Emirates, paving the way for future collaboration, including student and faculty exchanges. UM Associate Provost for International Programs Mehrdad Kia said AUE administrators contacted UM with the hopes of forging a partnership. He said AUE has particular interest in collaborating with UM’s College of Education and School of Business Administration. UM, for its part, would be able to strengthen its programs in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic, fields of study that are seeing increased student interest, Kia said. The collaboration between the two universities could include joint research projects, conferences, meetings, seminars and workshops, according to the memorandum of understanding.

White To Lead Health Education Center—Larry White, former president and CEO of St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, has been selected to direct the Western Montana Area Health Education Center at UM. The center is a grant-funded government program that focuses on recruiting pre-college students to health careers, recruiting professionals to underserved rural communities and connecting communities to better health services. It is located on the UM campus in Skaggs Building Room 173. White retired from St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center in 2003 and has been working as an independent consultant for health care projects in the community and at UM. He has served as acting director of the education center at UM since it opened its doors in October 2008.

Community Service Program Lands Grant—The Montana Campus Compact, a statewide nonprofit organization based at UM, recently received notice that its Campus Corps program will get a funding boost of $758,333 in a competitive award grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The new grant will allow MTCC to support the service efforts of more than 950 college students. The grant comes in part from the national AmeriCorps budget that will help sustain the program from fall 2009 through summer 2012. Additional funding was awarded to MTCC through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds will help MTCC provide training, support, living allowances and education awards for students who complete a set number of service hours.

Co-Teach Preschool Earns Statewide Honors—The Co-Teach Preschool Program at UM was recently recognized for exemplary instruction by the Montana Behavioral Initiative. The Early Childhood Exemplar School designation is given to one early childhood school in the state each year. With the award, Co-Teach Preschool joins a prestigious group of educator teams and schools that meet the highest standards for promoting a positive educational environment and children’s safety. The initiative is sponsored by Montana’s Office of Public Instruction and aims to help develop attitudes, skills and systems to ensure the success of public school students regardless of ability. Co-Teach is an inclusive early childhood education program for 3- to 5-year-olds with diverse abilities. It is part of the Institute for Educational Research and Service at UM.

Center Hosts Neuroscience Retreat—UM’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Structural and Functional Neuroscience hosted the 11th Annual Montana Neuroscience Retreat on June 5-7 at the Double Arrow Resort in Seeley Lake. The annual retreat, co-hosted with Montana State University's Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, brings together a national sampling of scientists, including faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students and clinicians involved in neuroscience research. More than 75 scientists from Montana and national institutions attended this year’s event, the largest retreat since it began in 1998. The keynote speaker was Dr. Randy Blakeley, director of the Conte Center for Neuroscience Research at Vanderbilt. Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein from Johns Hopkins University also spoke about his research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and the development of potential new therapies.

Dining Services First In Local Foods Contest—The National Association of College and University Foods Services recently awarded UM Dining Services first place for their entry in the NACUFS 2009 Best Local Foods Recipe competition. UM Executive Chef Tom Siegel’s recipe for Hutterite Chicken and Big Sky Mushroom Ragout was awarded top honors in the very competitive national field. The recipe highlights University Dining Services’ commitment to growing relationships with local food producers. The recipe includes foods from the New Rockport Hutterite Colony in Choteau, the Meadow Gold Dairy in Great Falls, Garden City Fungi in Missoula, Western Montana Growers’ Cooperative in Arlee, Mission Mountain Winery in Dayton and Montola in Culbertson. The six Montana food producers and 54 other vendors throughout the state participate in UM’s Farm to College Program. Program vendors supply UDS with a variety of locally produced foods and beverages. UDS purchases $450,000 annually in local foods.