Bear Briefs

Vote for Monte—Which motorcycle- riding, back-flipping, two-time winning local celebrity is once again a nominee for Capital One’s National Mascot of the Year? It’s Monte, of course, UM’s national champion-winning mascot. “This is Monte’s third appearance on the team in six years,” said Kenny Dow, UM mascot coordinator and assistant marketing director. “After a two-year hiatus, we are very proud of his return.” Monte landed the title in 2002 and 2004, and he can win it again because the fans decide the winner in the sixth-annual competition. Polls are already open. Just log on to http://www.capitalonebowl.com daily to make your vote count. The mascots with the best win/loss records will face off in online playoffs beginning in November. Monte competes against 11 other furry mascots. The winner will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.

Industry Pioneers—UM will honor the 2007 Lewis & Clark Pioneer in Industry Award recipients – Stuart Evey, founding chairman of ESPN, and Warren Miller, founder of Warren Miller Entertainment – at a dinner ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 4, in the University Center Ballroom. Evey, who was born in Havre, went on to work for the Getty family. While there, he was approached by an entrepreneur seeking financial support for a total sports cable network. Evey convinced Getty management to invest and assumed responsibility for running the small startup – ESPN – and the rest, as they say, is history. Miller started making ski films in the 1940s and continues to do so today at the age of 81. He has provided quick-witted commentary for all the films he has produced, and his voice is unmistakable in the world of skiing. He currently is Ambassador of Skiing at the Yellowstone Club at Big Sky, where he spends winters. Evey and Miller also will speak at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in the University Theatre. The presentations are free and open to the public and the campus community. Reservations for the dinner were required before press time.

Princeton Rankings—Only about 15 percent of four-year colleges in the United States are listed in the Princeton Review’s “Best 366 Colleges,” and UM made the grade. The rankings in the new 2008 edition are based on Princeton Review’s survey of 120,000 students. The top schools earn a two-page profile with student comments. A summary of the UM survey said students are friendly and love Missoula, everyone loves the Grizzlies, there is great off-campus food and the athletic facilities are great. One student wrote, “Missoula is like nowhere else in the world.” Others wrote, “You can enjoy both ‘the outdoors and a great education’ at UM, a school that ‘is whatever you want it to be. It can be hiking and fishing, tailgating at Griz games and dancing at the Foresters’ Ball, earning a great education and experiencing new cultures abroad, or it can be a little bit of everything.’” Two Montana schools made the list: UM and Montana Tech of UM.

National Awards—UM Professor Carol Brewer has crossed the country this year to collect two prestigious education awards from national scientific societies. Brewer was presented the Ecological Society of America’s 2007 Eugene P. Odum Award at a ceremony in August during the joint meeting of ESA and the Society for Ecological Restoration in San Jose, Calif. In May she received the 2007 American Institute of Biological Science Education Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Brewer is associate dean of UM’s College of Arts and Sciences and teaches plant ecology and science education in the University’s Division of Biological Sciences.

Gerontology Minor—The first of an estimated 76 million baby boomers turned 60 last year, and the proportion of the U.S. population that is elderly will continue to increase into the foreseeable future. With these demographic shifts, the need for academic preparation in the processes of aging has increased. UM is responding to the need with the introduction of an interdisciplinary gerontology minor that will prepare UM graduates in several fields of study and help them to be more competitive in their career choices. “Nearly every profession and discipline will be impacted by the growing numbers of older adults,” said Professor Cindy Garthwait, who is coordinating the minor at UM. “In addition, new and innovative careers are being created to respond to the needs and concerns of an aging population.” Because the UM minor is interdisciplinary, it can be integrated into a student’s major area of study. For more information call Garthwait at 406-243-2954, e-mail her at cynthia.garthwait@umontana.edu or go online to http://www.health.umt.edu/ige.

Dialogue—UM will hold its second annual “Day of Dialogue: Building Communities of Difference” on Thursday, Nov. 8. The event symbolizes the University’s commitment to diversity and aims to help achieve true communities of difference on campus and in Missoula. The campuswide symposium focuses on the topics of race, gender, ethnicity, ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, employment hierarchy and academic discipline. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members will deliver presentations, performances, workshops and more throughout the day. The day’s events will begin at 9:30 a.m. with opening remarks, followed by educational sessions beginning at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, call Emily Yaksitch, 406-243-5622. Information also is online at http://www.umt.edu/dayofdialogue.

Lifelong Learning—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 non-credit 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 at a free open house at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at the Daly Mansion. The classes also will be held in Missoula on Thursdays from Oct. 4 through Nov. 8 and Fridays from Oct. 5 through Nov. 9. Lynda Skinner will teach “Art Challenge: Drawing.” Ray Risho will teach a course titled “Culinary Culture.” Esther England, professor emerita of UM’s music department, will teach “Hollywood Musicals of the ’40s.” A full description of courses, class times and a registration form are available online at http://www.umt.edu/ce/plus55. Registration and course information also are available by calling Continuing Education at 406-243-2905 or by visiting the campus office located on the second floor of the James E. Todd Building.