Bear Briefs

Economic Revisions—Each year, UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research presents an annual economic forecast for the state, and each June BBER re-evaluates Montana’s current economic forecast in terms of the new information. Problems in housing, credit and financial markets and increasing energy costs have weakened national and state economies, leading UM economists to revise their annual forecast downward. Paul Polzin, newly retired director of BBER, and new BBER Director Patrick Barkey discussed the national and state economies on July 31 during a luncheon program in Kalispell as part of the 20th annual Montana Governor’s Cup. Barkey presented on the national economic landscape and explained the factors contributing to the downturn. Polzin presented on the Montana economy and explained the situation since their forecast presentations in February.

Keys To Success—UM is now a charter member of the College Board’s CollegeKeys Compact. The compact seeks to support students from low-income families as they work toward preparing for, getting into and succeeding in college. UM is one of the first 500 institutions to join this call to action to U.S. schools and colleges issued seven months ago by the College Board, a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. As part of the CollegeKeys initiative, UM has entered into a contract to actively pursue ways and dedicate resources to help students get into and excel in college.

Legendary Griz Honored—The Miami Dolphins announced recently that former UM Grizzly football star and member of the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame Doug Betters will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. Betters, who played for the Dolphins from 1978 to 1987, will be joined by fellow "Killer B" Bob Baumhower. The two decorated defensive linemen will be the 18th and 19th players added to the ring, which is located below Dolphin Stadium’s upper deck. Betters, originally from Arlington Heights, Ill., played defensive end for the Grizzlies during 1974-76 and was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in September 2003. He served as an assistant football coach for the Grizzlies when they won the Division I-AA national football championship in 1995 and again in 1996 when Montana was the runner-up. Betters and his wife, Jennifer, live in Whitefish.

Montana Volunteers Tops—A recently released Corporation for National and Community Service report on the state of volunteering in the United States ranks Montana among the tops in the nation. The report rated Montana nationally at fifth in terms of volunteer rate, with 38 percent of the state’s population reporting that they volunteer. Montana also came in sixth in the nation in terms of volunteer hours, with 47 hours served per resident. In Montana, more people participate in national service each year through organizations such as the Montana Campus Compact, a network of 19 state colleges and universities committed to renewing the public purpose of higher education. Based at UM, MTCC sponsors community service, service-learning, volunteer and civic engagement projects and programs, which are offered to the network’s college and university students, faculty and staff. Information about MTCC is online at http://www.mtcompact.org.

UM Marketing Goes Pro—UM has contracted with a sports marketing company to promote Grizzly Athletics for the next nine years. The comprehensive multimedia rights agreement with Learfield Sports kicks off during the 2008-09 academic year. The agreement enables Learfield Sports, a unit of Jefferson City, Mo.-based Learfield Communications, to oversee all sponsorship and multimedia rights for UM athletics. Work will be done locally by Learfield’s Grizzly Sports Properties, an organization that collaborates daily with UM Athletic Director Jim O’Day and the entire athletics administration. Leading the GSP sales staff will be Gene Peterson, a longtime Missoula resident; Dan Ingram, former assistant director of the Grizzly Scholarship Association; and Todd Howell.