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| May 1999 Bear Briefs
Continued Funding-Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care, a year-old national program based at UM, has received a $799,904 grant from its parent organization, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program, directed by UM Research Professor Ira Byock, M.D., is one of the first and largest to offer financial and technical support for projects around the country to demonstrate innovative, comprehensive end-of-life care in various systems and settings. In its first year the program supported 22 projects ranging from very rural to very urban. Among them is a project in 32 native villages in Alaska, which are accessible only by air. West Rotunda-The University Theatre's new rotunda was named for Alfred and Loralee West of Paoli, Pa., during a dedication ceremony in early May. The Wests gave $200,000 to UM in 1997 for renovation of the theater. Another $300,000 from the Wests paved the way for developing the School of Fine Arts' Master of Media Arts degree program, which graduated its first two students during UM's May 15 Commencement ceremonies. West Rotunda is a popular spot for receptions and other special events. Giving Back-Various Greek fraternities and sororities received kudos at a recent Greek Awards Banquet on campus. Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority received the Kliber Philanthropy Award for raising money and volunteering time to organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the American Red Cross and Special Olympics. Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority won the Campus Involvement Award for their members' outstanding interaction with campus organizations. Spring semester scholastic awards went to Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Sigma Nu fraternity and Delta Gamma sorority received the awards for fall semester. Top Teacher-Students who have never taken a class from Mehrdad Kia are missing out, judging from the teaching accolades the associate professor of history has collected over the past two years. Kia is among the most-decorated UM faculty member in history, after receiving two awards at this year's Faculty/Staff Awards Reception. Silent Sentinel, a senior honorary society, chose Kia to receive its coveted Most Inspirational Teacher of the Year Award. He also received this year's Tom Boone Town and Gown Award for campus and community involvement. Now he's won every teaching honor UM has to bestow. Kia won the 1997 Distinguished Teaching Award and has been named professor of the month by two student groups. Kia's work with the local school district and his participation in the inaugural Community Lecture Series earned him the prestigious Tom Boone Town and Gown Award. Appealing Site-A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was on campus May 7 to hear four cases in the Law Building's Castles Center. This was the second year that the judges have convened a court at UM. Circuit Judges Harry Pregerson and A. Wallace Tashima of Los Angeles and Sidney R. Thomas of Billings heard three civil appeals and one habeas corpus case in the morning, then stayed for a legal seminar at the School of Law that afternoon. Thomas is a graduate of UM's law school. Top Stories-For the second year running, KUFM news director Sally Mauk received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in electronic journalism from the Radio and Television News Directors Association. She won the award for a series of reports on wolves in Yellowstone National Park. As a regional winner, Mauk qualifies as a candidate for the national Murrow award. The national winner will be announced in June. New Deans-UM has named three new academic deans, after a yearlong, national search. Longtime UM German Professor Gerald Fetz is the dean of the Davidson Honors College, a position he has held on an interim basis during the 1998-99 academic year. Jerry E. Brown, professor and journalism department head at Alabama's Auburn University, is the new dean of the School of Journalism. Shirley Howell, currently associate dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at the University of Northern Colorado, is dean of the School of Fine Arts. Brown and Howell will assume their new positions this summer. Quiz Bowl Champ-UM freshman Carl Beatty beat out students from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, to earn the top score at a Quiz Bowl Tournament last month at the University of Washington. Quiz Bowl, a fast-paced question-and-answer competition similar to College Bowl, tests students' knowledge of history, science, literature and other fields. UM's team was sponsored by the University Center, Davidson Honors College and the President's Office. Honors Institute-The 1999 K.R. Schwanke Honors Institute will open June 20 on campus with three UM faculty members teaching their specialties to classes of top-notch high school juniors and seniors. The two-week program offers three courses: Lights, Optics and Lasers; Approaches to Film; and Critical Reading and Writing. Students will take one course, which will earn them two semester college credits if completed successfully. Scholarships are available for tuition and on-campus housing. For more information, call the Davidson Honors College at (406) 243-6140. The application deadline is June 7. |
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