A new UM study shows that it takes students working for a bachelor's degree an average of 4.88 years to graduate.

The study looked at students who had originally enrolled at UM and then graduated in 2004. The study did not include students who began school at other institutions.

Nationally, according to the most recent data by the National Center for Education Statistics, students graduating from four-year institutions graduated after 4.8 years, which means UM is close to the national average. The national study also compared the results with students who graduated in 1993, who took an average of 5.3 years to graduate.

UM's data shows more than 40 percent of 2004 graduates completed their degrees in four years. Almost 73 percent finished in less than five years.

Officials credit the results to UM's Four Bear program, which offers planning assistance and priority registration to help students graduate in four years.

UM invites graduating seniors, as well as their friends and family, to celebrate at the Griz Grad Send-Off Wednesday, May 11, on the Mansfield Mall.

Held from 5 to 7 p.m., the event will feature authentic Italian calzones and root beer floats, as well as live music by the Volumen. Students who have purchased class rings can pick them up at the celebration, and several University administrators will be on hand to congratulate attendees.

In addition, information from the Office of Career Services and Foreign Student and Scholar Services will be available.

In case of rain, the celebration will move to the University Center Atrium. The Griz Grad Send-Off is sponsored by the UM Alumni Association and the UM Foundation.

UM student Ashley Sparano was recently chosen as one of only eight student interns for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.

Sparano, a junior from Missoula double majoring in business administration and communication studies, will serve her internship in Washington, D.C., from May 23 to Aug. 5. The eight committee interns will be joined by four law interns.

Sparano first heard of the internship opportunity through UM internship coordinator Cheryl Minnick. She also has a marketing internship with First National Bank in Missoula.

Sparano will work at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, located near Capitol Hill.

UM students are asking the community for donations to take to schools in Vietnam and Cambodia as part of their service-learning experience.

Art supplies, toothbrushes, toys and vitamins are needed for the community-service locations on the trip. Cash donations or business gift cards also will be accepted to purchase needed items. Donations can be left at the Office for Civic Engagement in Social Science Building Room 126.

Six UM students and two trip coordinators will travel to Vietnam and Cambodia in June for three weeks to wrap up their service-learning seminar, "Experiencing Southeast Asia."

Students will participate by volunteering at the 15 May School in Ho Chi Minh City, the Crazy Kim Café in Nha Trang and the Chua Loc Tho Temple School and Orphanage. The students also will visit various historical and cultural sites in the countries.

A conference under way in Missoula, "Battles Won and Lost: Historic Preservation Stories and Issues," will include two workshops at the UM School of Law tomorrow, Saturday, May 7.

The workshops are "Preservation Issues and the Law" at 10 a.m. and "Preservation Now: Case Studies and Regional Problems" at 1:30 p.m. The workshops are free and open to the public, but a noon luncheon fee of $8 will be charged. The working lunch will offer a chance to discuss preservation issues with the specialists in attendance.

The conference features experts from the Montana Preservation Alliance, the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and UM's Land Use Clinic.

For more information, call (406) 258-4933.

Sociology Assistant Professor Rebecca Richards received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and do research at the University of Joensuu in Finland during the 2005-06 academic year.

Richards will help develop and teach a course in the sociology of non-wood product harvesting for the forestry school and study wild berry harvesting in Finland. She is one of about 800 faculty members and professionals from the United States who will travel abroad to more than 140 countries for the 2005-06 academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The award-winning television series produced by Montana PBS premiers its 23rd program this weekend.

"Backroads of Montana: Collecting Memories" will air at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7, and 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 8, on Montana PBS stations. The series highlights interesting people, places and events from around the Treasure State.

The latest program includes segments on an icon of 1950s television, Montana native Kirby King, better known as "Sky King"; Schafer Air Field in the Bob Marshall Wilderness; a woman in Fairfield with an unusually large hankie collection; a Missoula woman whose entrepreneurial dream is an inspiration to those around her; and a tour of the Fort Peck Dam near Glasgow.

Come watch UM dancers get their groove on at the annual Spring Dance Concert, under way in the Montana Theatre in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. nightly through Saturday, May 7. Tickets cost $15 for the general public and $12 for students and senior citizens. They can be purchased by calling (406) 243-4581.

The concert features local and national performers and includes the work of guest artist Antonietta Vicaro. Performances feature the 10 best pieces chosen from dance showcases and informal concerts held throughout the year.

All performances are created with costumes and lighting courtesy of students and faculty in the Department of Drama/Dance.

The Montana men's tennis team lost 4-0 to Idaho State last week in quarterfinal action at the Big Sky Men's Tennis Championship in Phoenix, Ariz. The Grizzlies ended their season with a 7-14 overall record and a first-round loss for the sixth consecutive season.

The No. 5-seed women's tennis team also lost 4-0 to No. 1-seed Sacramento State in last week's semifinal action. The women ended the season with an 8-14 overall record. Sac State snapped UM's streak of five straight matches with doubles-point wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions.

UM senior Dane Brubaker broke the school record in the javelin with a throw of 225-5 at Saturday's Griz- Cat Dual at Dornblaser Field.

Montana also added one NCAA Midwest Region qualifier and two Big Sky Conference qualifiers, but it was Montana State University that came away with the team victories. The MSU men defeated the UM men, 105-90, to break the Grizzlies' three-year win streak. Bobcat women won by a score of 113-90, their ninth straight victory in the annual dual.

Brubaker's heave of 225-5 broke the previous UM record of 221-2, set by Doug Lefler 2003.

Montana's newest NCAA regional qualifier also came in the men's javelin. Freshman Logan Labbe finished second in the event behind Brubaker with a distance of 213-5, more than 11 feet beyond the NCAA regional qualifying mark of 202-2.