May 2003

Bear Briefs
Confluence of Cultures-The first major Montana event commemorating the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition will be held May 28-30 at UM-Missoula. Hundreds of participants are expected for "A Confluence of Cultures: Native Americans and the Expedition of Lewis and Clark." The three-day symposium will offer a uniquely Indian perspective on the Corps of Discovery and its pivotal impact on American history. Organized by UM and the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, the symposium is open to all and designed to stimulate learning through lectures, cultural presentations, art exhibits and more. The conference fee is $40. Registration information is available online at www.umt.edu/cultures.

Participants also can e-mail symposium assistant coordinator Linda Juneau at cultures@mso.umt.edu or call her at (406) 243-6093 for a registration form or more information.

Lewis and Clark Art-UM's Montana Museum of Art and Culture will mark the beginning of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial with two related exhibits, "Centennial and Bicentennial: Lewis and Clark in Perspective." The exhibits open May 16 and run through Sept. 6, with an opening reception set for May 28 in conjunction with UM's "Confluence of Cultures" conference, which will offer American Indian perspectives on Lewis and Clark. The exhibits will feature western artists who have depicted the Corps of Discovery, including Edgar Paxson and his "Sacagawea" and Ralph DeCamp and his "Gates of the Mountain." Contemporary artists will offer perspectives often tinged with humor and irony.

Honors Interim-Betsy Wackernagel Bach has been appointed interim dean of UM's Davidson Honors College. Bach, who temporarily replaces Dean Jerry Fetz, has served as assistant provost since 1999, beginning her career in 1984 as a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies. Bach received her doctoral degree in speech communication from the University of Washington. She has published in numerous professional journals and is co-author of "Communication in Complex Organizations." In 1996-97 she served as president of the Western States Communication Association. Meanwhile, Fetz will serve as interim dean of UM's College of Arts and Sciences while a national search is under way for that position.

Radio Raves-KBGA Radio News at UM-Missoula won top honors at the Broadcast Education Association convention April 4-7 in Las Vegas. BEA honors outstanding student work in radio, television and mixed media, and the competition's judges decided a KBGA newscast that aired Sept. 11, 2002, was best in the country. The winning UM newscast featured a number of reports on the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. The program was produced by UM-Missoula junior Danielle Cross and directed by senior Jenny Kuglin, both students in the Department of Radio-Television. Additional Sept. 11 coverage came from R-TV juniors Keagan Harsha and Dax VanFossen.

Tops in Television-UM radio-television students walked away with 16 regional Mark of Excellence Awards during the recent Society of Professional Journalists award ceremony in Spokane, Wash. UM student projects swept two categories: television in-depth reporting and television feature photography. They placed first in five different categories, along with numerous second- and third-place awards. The first-place winners advance to the national competition where they will be judged against winners from 11 other regions. National finalists will be announced in July, and the awards will be presented in August at the SPJ national convention in Tampa, Fla. They won for television and radio pieces with titles such as "Teacher of the Year," "Lost Woodsman" and "First on the Scene."

Olympic Opportunity-Get involved with the biggest athletic event in Missoula this spring by volunteering at the Special Olympics Montana State Summer Games May 21-23. UM is hosting the Olympic Village in the East Auxiliary Gym. Volunteers are needed for the village, which will feature game booths, arts and crafts, live entertainment and much more. The Olympic Village will be open to roughly 3,000 Olympians, their families and coaches from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21-22. If you would like to get involved, call Jessica Wilcomb in University Relations at (406) 243-2488 or e-mail her at jessica.wilcomb@mso.umt.edu.

Native Name-Canada's Siksika Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy recently honored Dave Strobel, dean of UM's Graduate School, with an Indian name, "Sacred Juniper." The rare honor recognizes the creation of a partnership between UM and the Siksika Nation promoting the health care education of tribal students. Chris McHugh, the tribe's Horn Society leader, conducted the naming ceremony, held April 1 at the Siksika Community Center on the Siksika Reserve in Alberta, Canada. The decision to honor Strobel was made by Chief Adrian Stimson; Tyler White, director of Siksika Health Services; and the Holy Societies of Siksika.

Library Scholar-Jonathan Bennion, a first-year law student from Billings, has been awarded UM's $3,000 Susan Koch Library Research Scholarship. Competitors for the scholarship write papers or complete projects using primary-source materials at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library. Bennion's winning paper was titled "See How He Ran: Mike Mansfield's 1952 Senate Run" - a timely topic since the library recently celebrated Mansfield's 100th birthday. The competition was open to undergraduate and graduate students at all UM campuses. The scholarship is named for Susan M. Koch, a Montana native who earned an education master's degree from UM in 1976.

New Staff Image-UM-Missoula's Staff Senate has introduced a new logo designed to recognize the hard work of staff employees. The logo features a grizzly bear image with the words: "The University of Montana Staff: Heart of the Grizzly." Employees picked up lapel pins with the new logo during Staff Appreciation Day events on April 23.

Emmy Honors-Montana PBS at UM-Missoula has earned five Northwest Emmy nominations. The winners will be announced June 21 in Seattle. Producer and director Gus Chambers and Paul Zalis, a writer and co-producer, were nominated for a television program titled "For This and Future Generations" in the cultural/historical documentary category. Producer and director John Twiggs was nominated in the informational children and youth program category for his program "Really, Really Big Floods." Chambers, Twiggs and Ray Ekness, a Montana PBS associate producer and UM radio-television assistant professor, also earned a nod for their "Backroads of Montana" television program in the cultural/fine arts special or series category. In addition, Twiggs landed another nomination for a "Backroads" piece titled "Seed Pictures" in the cultural/fine arts segment category. Ekness and Jeremy White, a former UM student who runs a computer animation and design service in Seattle, also were nominated in the special video effects category for "Really, Really Big Floods."

Summer Learnin'-From accounting to women's studies and lots in between, summer at UM-Missoula offers many options for enriching your knowledge. Two five-week summer sessions are planned: May 27-June 27 and June 30-Aug. 1. Shorter courses and workshops also will be held throughout the summer. Courses include such diverse offerings as Acting for Non-Majors and Celestial Navigation on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. For information, view the catalog online at www.montanasummer.com or call (406) 243-6014.

Kottke Concert-University Theatre Productions presents the return of legendary musician and songwriter Leo Kottke in concert at 8 p.m. Monday, May 19 in UM-Missoula's historic University Theatre. Tickets cost $19 in advance and $21 the day of the show, and they are available at all TIC-It-E-Z locations or by calling (406) 243-4051 or (888) MONTANA.

University Relations | Cary Shimek, Editor
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2004 The University of Montana