Conference To Explore U.S.-China Relationship
 

The implications of China's rapid rise to world power status are the focus of this year's annual Mansfield Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 19-20, at UM.

Top experts from the U.S. and China, led by former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly, will address China's domestic politics, economy, trade and foreign relations.

The entire conference is free and open to the public.

Kelly will deliver the keynote address, "Is There a China Threat?" Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the University Center North Ballroom. A senior diplomat, Kelly served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2001 to 2005.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, three panels will be held in the University Center Theater. They will focus on China's political system, which faces immense internal challenges; China's economy, which dominates global manufacturing and has significantly impacted the U.S. economy; and China's foreign and security relations, highlighted by the country's emergence as a dominant power of Asia.

Mansfield Center 

 Internet2 CEO To Visit Campus
 

Douglas Van Houweling, CEO of Internet2, will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 17-18, to talk about the future of research and education networking.

His first talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Gallagher Business Building Room 122. The topic -- "Research and Higher Education Networking: A New Internet?" -- will discuss new developments in the higher education community that will provide another transformation for the future of networking.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday in University Center Rooms 332-333, Van Houweling will discuss "Networks for Research and Education: The Future." The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session and refreshments from 4 to 5 p.m.

Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Internet2, led by the research and education community since 1996, is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium.

Information Technology 

 Lecture To Explore Pro-Slavery Constitution
 

Paul Finkelman will discuss the historic pro-slavery constitution at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, as part of Constitution Week.

William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy at Albany Law School, Finkelman will speak in the North Underground Lecture Hall. He will discuss "Affirmative Action for the Master Class: Understanding the Pro-Slavery Constitution."

The lecture is free and open to the public.

A prominent scholar of American legal history and a leading authority on slavery and the Constitution, Finkelman is the author and editor of numerous books and articles, including the book "Defending Slavery: Proslavery Thought in the Old South," published in 2003.

He earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Chicago and was a Fellow in Law and the Humanities at Harvard Law School.

Finkelman also was the chief expert witness in Glassroth v. Moore, the recent Alabama case involving a monument to the Ten Commandments.

The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the Provost.

 

 UM Scores High On Performance Assessment
 

UM performed better than 70 percent of four-year institutions on the Collegiate Learning Assessment.

Developed by the Council for Aid to Education with the Rand Corp., the CLA assesses an institution's contribution to student learning.

The assessment presents realistic problems that require students to analyze complex materials that vary in reliability and accuracy. Through written responses, students demonstrate their critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving and communicating abilities.

UM administrators recently received results for the CLA conducted in 2006-07. Results show that UM first-year students performed at the level expected given their entering SAT/ACT scores.

As anticipated, seniors performed better on the CLA than first-year students. The expected difference between CLA scores is 146 points. At UM, however, seniors showed significant gains, scoring 168 points higher than entering students.

 

 Japan Financial Expert Joins Mansfield Board
 

Alicia Ogawa, an internationally known financial analyst and expert on the Japanese financial system, has joined the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation's board of directors.

The Mansfield Foundation is a nonprofit organization with offices at UM and in Washington, D.C., and Tokyo. The foundation promotes understanding and cooperation between the United States and Asian countries through policy exchanges, dialogue, research and education.

Ogawa currently serves as director of the Program on Alternative Investments at the Center on Japanese Economy and Business at Columbia University.

Until 2006, she was managing director at Lehman Brothers. Previously, she spent 15 years in Tokyo, where she was a top-rated bank analyst and director of research for Nikko Salomon Smith Barney.

Ogawa graduated from Barnard College and earned a master's degree in international affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Mansfield Foundation 

 Opportunities Abound At Volunteer Fair
 

More than 20 community agencies will be on hand to inform students and community members of volunteer opportunities in and around Missoula Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 18-19, at UM's Volunteer Fair.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days in the University Center Atrium.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about interesting civic work, while agencies will have the chance to recruit new student volunteers.

The UM Office for Civic Engagement holds a Volunteer Fair at the beginning of fall and spring semesters to help students, faculty and staff and other members of the community find volunteer opportunities in the Missoula area.

For more information, visit the OCE office in Davidson Honors College Room 015 or the OCE Web site.

Office for Civic Engagement 

 Event Brings College Student Leaders Together
 

Montana Campus Compact will host its annual Building Engaged Citizens conference Sept. 21-23 in Billings.

The conference, which will bring together more than 100 college student AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps VISTA members and college student leaders from across the state, will be held on the Montana State University-Billings campus.

The three-day event will feature training on volunteer recruitment, project planning, engaging the campus community, needs assessment, resource development and time management. All sessions are designed to help students address their community and campus needs effectively.

The keynote speech will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. Speaking is Janine Pease, vice president for Native American Affairs at Rocky Mountain College. The lecture is open to the public.

Montana Campus Compact is a UM-based, statewide, nonprofit coalition of 19 colleges and universities committed to renewing the public purposes of higher education by encouraging community service, service-learning and civic-engagement across the state.

Montana Campus Compact 

 Surgical Technologists Host Open House
 

The UM College of Technology will celebrate "Surgical Technologist Week" with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer recently recognized the week in Montana as Sept. 16-22.

The open house will be in the new surgical technology lab, which is located in Administration Building Room AD08 on the east COT campus.

COT also has outreach campuses in Butte and Billings. For more information, contact Debbie Fillmore, director of the COT surgical technology program, at 406-243-7860 or debbie.fillmore@mso.umt.edu.

College of Technology 

 Lifelong Learning Offered At Daly Mansion
 

Sometimes it pays to be 55 or older. Classes in drawing, Old World culinary culture and Hollywood musicals will be offered for this age group at the Daly Mansion in Hamilton through UM Continuing Education

The noncredit courses will be taught five Mondays, Oct. 8 through Nov. 5, and are sponsored by the Montana Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

The public can learn more about the classes and MOLLI at a free open house at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at the Daly Mansion.

Classes also will be held in Missoula on Thursdays from Oct. 4 through Nov. 8 and Fridays from Oct. 5 through Nov. 9.

The courses are:

• "Art Challenge: Drawing," taught by artist and teacher Lynda Skinner.
• "Culinary Culture," taught by Ray Risho, former chef at Missoula's Perugia Restaurant.
• "Hollywood Musicals of the '40s," taught by Esther England, professor emerita of UM's music school.

A full description of courses, class times and a registration form are available online.

Lifelong Learning Institute 

 Monte Once Again Mascot Of The Year Nominee
 

Which motorcycle-riding, back-flipping, two-time winning local celebrity was chosen once again as a nominee for Capital One's National Mascot of the Year?

Of course it's Monte, UM's national champion mascot.

Monte landed the title in 2002 and 2004, and he can win it again because the fans decide the winner this time around in the sixth-annual competition.

That's right, Griz Nation, polls are already open. Just log on to the Capital One site daily to make your vote count.

Monte competes against 11 other furry mascots from the University of Akron, Brigham Young University, the University of Georgia, the University of Minnesota, the University of South Carolina, the University of Southern Mississippi, Syracuse University, UCLA, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky University.

The winning mascot will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.

Vote for Monte 

 Griz Football Stomps Fort Lewis
 

The third-ranked Montana Grizzlies scored on their first three possessions en route to a 49-0 victory Saturday over the visiting Fort Lewis College Skyhawks.

The Grizzlies wasted no time as senior runningback Lex Hilliard scored 11 seconds into the game, breaking up the middle untouched for a 54-yard TD jaunt in front of 22,866 fans in Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Montana outgained the Division II Skyhawks by almost 400 yards for a total of 512, compared to Fort Lewis' 136. Montana had 29 first downs, while Fort Lewis had seven. Hilliard had 14 carries for 86 yards and three touchdowns.

The Griz spread playing time out to all four active quarterbacks. Starting quarterback Cole Bergquist was a perfect 13-of-13 for 163 yards and a touchdown. Bergquist was awarded Offensive Player of the Week by the Big Sky Conference for his efforts.

Montana is off next week and returns to action Sept. 22, hosting Albany.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Montana Volleyball Takes Down Texas
 

The Montana Volleyball team closed out play Saturday evening at South Dakota State's tournament in Brookings, S.D., with a 3-1 victory over North Texas.

The Grizzlies, who open Big Sky Conference play this week, improved to 4-6 with the win.

Montana relied heavily upon its starting six against the Mean Green. Senior Jessica Petersen, juniors Lauren Gustafson and Jade Roskam, sophomore Taryn Wright and freshmen Amy Roberts and Jaimie Thibeault accounted for 61 of UM's 63 kills in the match and all but four of its attacks.

Roskam matched her career high with 18 kills on .245 hitting. She also added 10 digs for her third double-double in three tournament matches. Earlier in the tournament, Montana lost to Long Island University in four matches on Friday and then to South Dakota State in four matches on Saturday morning.

The Grizzlies travel to Greeley, Colo., and Flagstaff, Ariz., this week to take on Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Griz Soccer Splits On Road In Oregon
 

The UM soccer team lost 4-0 to Oregon State last Friday in nonconference action in Corvallis, Ore. But on Sunday, senior midfielder Mahlleace Tomsin scored on a penalty kick in the 75th minute to lift Montana to a 1-0 victory over Oregon.

The win was UM's first of the season, improving its record to 1-3. The goal, Tomsin's first of the season and sixth of her career, came after junior midfielder Sara Campbell was fouled in the 18-yard box.

The Griz are on the road for a second straight week, facing a pair of matches Sept. 14 and 16 at the Minnesota Invitational. Montana opens the weekend at 3:30 p.m. Friday against Iowa State. UM then takes on Minnesota at noon Sunday.

Both matches will be played at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in Minneapolis.

Montana Grizzlies 

 Cross Country Opens At Home
 

UM freshmen Katrina Drennen and Brett Carter, who was competing unattached, won the women's and men's races at Saturday morning's Montana Open at the UM Golf Course.

Both races were over the same 5-kilometer course, and both featured finishes that were not decided until the final straightaway. Drennen won with a time of 18:13 over the soggy course, beating Allie Brosh down the stretch. Brosh, who was competing unattached, finished with a time of 18:25. Carter out-sprinted Eastern Washington's Paul Limpf for the men's title in a time of 15:34. Grizzly junior Dan Bingham was third with 15:53.

Montana competes next Saturday at the Montana State Invitational. The men's five-mile race starts at 9 a.m., and the women's three-mile race begins at 9:40 a.m.

Montana Grizzlies