Bear Briefs

Board of Regents Adds New Member—Clayton Christian, owner and chief executive officer of Stewart Title of Missoula, has been appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to the state Board of Regents, which oversees the Montana University System. Christian replaces John Mercer of Polson, who resigned in March, and his term expires in February 2008. A Polson native and UM alum, Christian bought a Missoula title company in 1996 and then partnered with Stewart Title Guaranty to open title companies in eight other cities. He hopes to use his new position to help provide quality, affordable higher education for students and their families.

New Library Dean Hired—A woman with more than 30 years experience at college libraries has been named dean of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library at UM. Bonnie Allen, associate university librarian at Oregon State University in Corvallis since 1999, will join UM July 10. She replaces Frank D’Andraia, who left UM last June for a position with University at Albany, State University of New York. Allen has held administrative responsibility that includes strategic planning, budgeting, policy and personnel for the operational units that serve OSU’s three campuses. She holds a master of business administration degree from Portland State University and a master of library science degree from Indiana University.

UM Researcher Published in Science—An article by UM paleontologist George Stanley, an expert on modern and ancient coral reefs, appears in the May 12 issue of Science, one of the world’s leading research journals. The article, “Photosymbiosis and the Evolution of Modern Coral Reefs,” describes how mutually beneficial relationships between one-celled algae called zooxanthellae and corals stimulated reef growth and led to successful reef building across the eons and into modern times. Stanley was invited by Science to write the article, and this is the fourth time he has published in the journal.

What Lewis and Clark Saw—Landscapes of the Lewis and Clark Trail in a variety of 20th-century art styles will be exhibited through Aug. 19 in the Meloy and Paxson galleries of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture at UM. The exhibition, titled “Landscapes Along the Lewis and Clark Trail,” features 45 paintings and prints from the museum’s Permanent Collection, depicting scenes in Montana and Washington. Museum hours through May are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. During June, July and August, museum hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Faculty Rewarded For Excellence—The UM College of Arts and Sciences has recognized two faculty members for their teaching excellence and exceptional work with UM students. Winston and Helen Cox Educational Excellence awards went to Bryan Cochran, assistant professor of psychology, and Adam Nyman, assistant professor of mathematical sciences. The awards go to faculty members who have not received tenure at UM. Winners receive at least $500 to purchase books of their choice for UM’s Mansfield Library, plus an unrestricted cash award. While service, research and publications are important in determining award recipients, the primary focus is excellent teaching and time dedicated to mentoring and advising students.

UM Introduces New Blog—A new blog called “Switchbacks” provides a bird’s-eye view of news and events at UM. The blog was named in honor of the 13 switchbacks on Mount Sentinel’s M Trail. It features timely and interesting news from across campus and beyond, as well as weekly event highlights, important campus information and personal insights from University employees. Readers are invited to join the conversation in the comments section under each post. The blog, developed by University Relations, is online at http://umontananews.blogspot.com/.

‘Flat Spot’ Encouraged—The UM student government has passed a resolution encouraging students to take more credits each semester to save money and finish earlier. As students are registering for fall semester, senators with the Associated Students of UM hope their resolution draws attention to the so-called “flat spot” — the fact that it costs the same amount of money to take 21 credits as it does to take 12. The measure acknowledges that high student loans are a problem for many UM graduates. Introduced by ASUM Sen. Andrea Helling — now the ASUM president — the resolution also cites a UM study that shows students who take an average of 15 credits a semester have a 50 percent greater chance of graduating. The study also shows that students who take advantage of the flat spot graduate in less time with less debt and a higher grade-point average.

Historical Maps Available—The Regional Learning Project at UM has scoured archives across the continent, seeking historical maps of Big Sky Country. The latest finds — 20 maps titled “Missouri & Yellowstone River Headwaters/Crow” — have just been published. The maps are fourth in a series of five called “Discovering Our Own Place, A Map Saga for Montana.” The 9-by-12-inch images show areas west of the Continental Divide at various stages of Montana’s development. The maps are available at The Bookstore at UM for $54, and educational discounts are available. For more information, call (406) 243-1234.

Radio-TV Earns Honors—Projects by UM radio-television students and Associate Professor Ray Ekness were chosen as best in the nation at the recent Broadcast Education Association conference held in Las Vegas. Ekness took top honors in the faculty television news competition for his work “Cowboy Poet,” a profile of Great Falls resident Paul Zarzyski. Eli Bierwag and Kevin Farmer took top honors in the television sports reporting category with a story on UM’s lacrosse team. Producers of The Footbridge Forum, which airs on UM’s KBGA radio station, won first place in the student audio competition and also were named “Best of Festival” winners at the conference. UM junior Ryan Coleman received the Harold E. Fellows Scholarship for academic performance and integrity.

Radio Reporter Advances—Stan Pillman, a senior in the UM radio-television department, is one of five students who are finalists for the Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s radio news competition. The program, funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, is college journalism’s most prestigious awards competition. Pillman took first place in the preliminary round of the journalism awards competition in radio news. He earned $2,000 and was invited to compete in the semifinals. In April, he learned that he has advanced to the competition finals, which will be held in June in San Francisco.