American Indian Activist To Speak At UM
 

Winona LaDuke, a leading international activist for American Indian and environmental causes, will give the next installment of UM's President's Lecture Series on Monday, Feb. 25.

LaDuke's presentation -- "Creating Just Societies: The Environment, the Economy and Human Relations in the Next Millennium" -- will focus on what is required for the creation of just societies that are in harmony with nature. The event will take place at 8 p.m. in the Montana Theatre, located in UM's Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.

Earlier that day from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m., LaDuke will give a seminar titled "Indigenous Thinking on Sustainable Development: Strategies for the Northern Plains-Great Lakes Region" in Gallagher Business Building Room 123.

Both events are free and open to the public. They are presented in collaboration with UM's academic affairs office, the University's women's studies, environmental studies and Native American studies programs, and the Montana Museum of Art & Culture.

LaDuke, a member of the Anishinaabe nation, is executive director of Honor the Earth, a national organization formed to meet the needs of a growing Native environmental movement. She has published numerous articles, testified at government hearings and was Ralph Nader's Green Party vice-presidential running mate in 1996 and 2000.

President's Lecture Series 

 Celebrate UM's Birthday Feb. 19
 

UM will celebrate its 115th birthday with a Charter Day awards ceremony and reception on Tuesday, Feb. 19. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom and is free and open to the public.

Charter Day festivities are held each year to honor the University and its dedication to excellence by recognizing exemplary campus and community members. UM Provost Royce Engstrom will present several 2008 Charter Day awards.

Missoula Mayor John Engen will attend the celebration to present an official proclamation of University of Montana Day.

Alumni Association 

 Book Tackles Public Lands Debate
 

A new book by UM Associate Professor Martin Nie examines what drives ongoing conflicts surrounding public lands and resources and how they can be better managed.

The book -- "The Governance of Western Public Lands: Mapping Its Present and Future" -- was released this month by University Press of Kansas.

In the book Nie, who teaches natural resource policy in UM's College of Forestry and Conservation, explores factors that make issues controversial, how they have been dealt with in the past and ways they might be better managed in the future.

Mike Dombeck, who has served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service and director of the Bureau of Land Management, said the book "should be required reading for all students of public policy and land management, as well as those who depend upon and care for our public lands."

The Governance of Western Public Lands 

 Lecture Delves Into Blackfoot Indian Story
 

An upcoming UM lecture will examine a traditional Blackfoot story about the origins of large-scale communal hunting on the northern Plains.

"'The Lost Boys' and Buffalo Jumps" is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, in Gallagher Business Building Room 106. Part of UM's Charter Day celebration, the event is free and open to the public.

The speaker, Eldon Yellowhorn (Otahkotsskinna), is a North Peigan from the Piikani First Nation in Brocket, Alberta. He is an assistant professor of First Nations studies and archaeology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Yellowhorn will discuss a Blackfoot story about the constellation that tribal members call the "Lost Boys." The story may offer an answer to the archaeological mystery about the appearance of the Besant culture. It also may explain links between the Besant and Blackfoot cultures.

The lecture is sponsored by the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, a regional studies and public education program at UM.

O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West 

 View British Modernist Paintings
 

Two paintings by influential modernist British artists -- "E.O.W. on her Blue Eiderdown" by Frank Auerbach and "White Relief" by Ben Nicholson -- are now available for public viewing in the UM President's Office lobby in Main Hall.

Auerbach, with colleagues Lucian Freud, Leon Kossoff, R.B. Kitaj and Francis Bacon -- collectively referred to as the School of London -- helped spearhead a renaissance in British figurative art.

Nicholson was one of the most important and controversial British Modern artists. In 1934 he made the first of his carved and white-painted reliefs that quickly identified him at home and abroad as England's most dedicated modernist.

The paintings are on loan to the Montana Museum of Art & Culture from a private collection. Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Montana Museum of Art & Culture 

 COT Offers Free Prep Classes For Veterans
 

The UM College of Technology will offer free college prep courses for qualified veterans starting Feb. 20.

Classes will meet in the evening twice per week, Monday through Thursday, until May 6. Course offerings include basic computer skills, writing and math, and all will be held in a small classroom setting. Classes are offered at the COT through the Montana Veterans Upward Bound program.

For more information or to enroll in one or more classes, call 877-356-VETS.

Veterans Upward Bound 

 Brown Bag Lecture Series Set
 

UM's spring semester International Brown Bag Series begins Thursday, Feb. 14, with a presentation by Arnie Sherman, executive director of the Montana World Trade Center.

Sherman will present "Montana World Trade Center and its Role in International Exchange and Development" from noon to 1 p.m. in the Central and Southwest Asia Program seminar room (Old Journalism Building Room 303).

Other lecture series events will be held during March and April. All lectures are free and open to the public. A complete series schedule is on the Web site. For more information, call International Programs at 406-243-2288.

International Brown Bag Series 

 Charitable Giving Makes A Difference
 

Each year UM's Charitable Giving Campaign offers faculty, staff and administrators an opportunity to give back to the community. During the 2007-08 campaign, 770 UM employees gave a total of $127,757 -- a new giving record that far exceeded the campaign's $115,000 goal.

Giving has increased by 41 percent over the past five years thanks to all the donors and the hard work of UM employees who serve on executive or steering committees and as campus solicitors, said campaign Chair Sharon Dinkel Uhlig. She said 109 employees served as campus workers during the 2007-08 campaign, which ran from Oct. 22 to Nov. 16.

During each annual campaign, donors can choose from more than 75 Montana agencies that serve a broad range of interests and needs -- everything from feeding the hungry to preserving open space.

Charitable Giving Campaign 

 Scholarships Available For Wilderness Students
 

The UM Wilderness Institute is now accepting applications for its Wilderness and Civilization Program and related scholarships.

Wilderness and Civilization is an interdisciplinary, two- semester academic program that allows a small group of students from UM and around the country to study firsthand how the ecology, politics, history and culture of a place shape conservation efforts. Upon completion of the program, students receive a minor in wilderness studies that is designed to complement any major.

Students must be accepted into the 2008-09 Wilderness and Civilization Program to be eligible for the scholarships. Scholarships range from $700 to $6,000.

The program is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, and is offered for $292 per semester in addition to UM tuition and fees. Program courses meet numerous general education requirements and count for up to four honors courses.

For more information about the wilderness studies scholarships and the Wilderness and Civilization Program, e-mail wi@cfc.umt.edu or call 406-243-5361.

Wilderness and Civilization Program 

 Lady Griz On Top In Big Sky
 

Montana defeated Portland State 77-73 in overtime on Jan. 31 in a matchup of the Big Sky Conference's top two teams.

Junior Mandy Morales led Montana with 17 points, with Johanna Closson and Brittney Lohman adding 15 each and Sonya Rogers 14. Montana hit 13-of-15 free throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes when the Vikings were called for 12 fouls.

Saturday night, senior Johanna Closson scored 16 points to lead five players in double figures as the Lady Griz pulled away in the second half for a 77-59 victory over Eastern Washington at Dahlberg Arena. Montana improved to 17-4 with the win and wrapped up the first half of Big Sky Conference play in first place at 7-1.

Joining Closson in double figures for Montana were senior Laura Cote and junior Sonya Rogers with 13 each, junior Mandy Morales with 11 and junior Britney Lohman with 10.

Montana will play at Montana State at 7 p.m. tonight in its only game of the week.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Grizzlies Split On The Road
 

The Montana Grizzlies lost 68-70 to the Portland State Vikings Jan. 31 in a Big Sky Conference game in PSU's Stott Center. PSU made two free throws with five seconds remaining to seal the victory. Senior guard Matt Martin tied junior guard Ceylon Elgin-Taylor for Griz scoring honors, as they each had 15 points.

Sunday, the Grizzlies got four points from junior forward Jordan Hasquet in the last minute of the game and pulled out a 59-57 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles at EWU's Reese Court. Hasquet scored a team-high 15 points and also had a team-high 8 rebounds.

The Grizzlies' record is 4-5 in Big Sky Conference play, 10-12 overall. UM has lost three of five Big Sky games by a total of five points. The Grizzlies host the Bobcats at 7 p.m. Saturday in Dahlberg Arena.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Montana Adds 33 Players In 2008
 

Head football coach Bobby Hauck announced the addition of 33 new student-athletes who will compete for the Griz in the fall.

UM inked 31 from the prep ranks while pulling in two transfers. A couple of highlighted players are receiver Trumain Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder out of Stockton, Calif., and defensive tackle Matt Hulse, a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder from Hamilton High in Phoenix. Twelve recruits are from Montana.

Montana Grizzlies