Bear Briefs

Bound for Romania—Emily Darrell, a graduate student in journalism at UM, has been awarded a U.S. student Fulbright scholarship to Romania, where she will teach English as a foreign language. Darrell, who hails from Warrenton, Va., will be one of more than 1,450 citizens who will travel abroad during the 2008-09 academic year for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Two Receive Public Health Awards—UM's new School of Public and Community Health Sciences has announced its first Research Award winners. John Felton, who is pursuing a master's degree in public health at the University, and UM Assistant Professor Duncan Campbell were recognized for their outstanding research in the discipline of public health during the school's Student Orientation on Aug. 29. In addition to the Research Award, each recipient received $100 and presented his work to the school's students and faculty members and public health professionals. Felton was recognized for his work documenting identification, intervention and management strategies during the 2006 outbreak of norovirus in Billings — the largest community-based norovirus outbreak ever documented. Campbell was recognized for his work on the prevalence and correlates of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder among depressed military veterans in primary care. The school, housed in UM's College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, offers academic online learning programs that lead to a master's degree in public health or a Certificate of Public Health.

Alumni Join Board—Five UM graduates were recently elected to the board of directors of UM’s Alumni Association. New board members are James Bartell of Kildeer, Ill.; Brandon Byars of Portland, Ore.; Susan English of Billings; R. Scott Horsley of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Erin Niedge of Miles City. Bartell is a 1963 graduate of UM’s School of Business Administration. Byars graduated from UM in 1993 with a degree in communication studies. English earned a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology at UM in 1973. Horsley received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from UM in 1973. Niedge, received a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in sociology from UM in 2005. She currently is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at UM.

Compare Colleges Online—In an effort to produce more accountability in higher education, UM helped develop and implement a new national Web site that allows students and their families to easily compare institutions of higher learning. The College Portrait of Undergraduate Education site can be found online at http://www.collegeportraits.org. It provides high school students, parents, guidance counselors and other stakeholders with access to basic information about colleges, such as student characteristics, costs and learning outcomes – all in a user-friendly format. To date, more than 300 public four-year universities and colleges have volunteered information for the site. In Montana, in addition to UM as a founding participant, Montana State University-Bozeman and MSU-Billings have joined the ranks. UM-Western and Montana Tech of UM plan to participate as well. The site contains a wealth of information, ranging from undergraduate costs and student enrollment to types of degrees awarded.

Professor Wins Prized Grant—UM Professor Heather Bruce is one of only five recipients nationwide to be awarded a $10,000 Teacher Development Grant from the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation. Bruce teaches English education at the University and directs the UM-based Montana Writing Project. The grant, which is renewable for three years, will fund the project’s initiative “Implementing ‘Indian Education for All.’” Through the initiative, Bruce will work with a group of K-12 teachers to create curricula and teaching strategies that enhance literacy achievement and understanding of Montana’s Native peoples.

Gannon Honored For Innovation—Rob Gannon, director of academic and budget personnel at the UM Provost’s Office, has been awarded a 2008 SunGard Higher Education Innovation Award. The award honors a team's or an individual’s demonstrated human resource innovation. Gannon was nominated for the award by UM Human Resources Services Director Betsy Hawkins for his leadership role with a joint labor management group that worked to tackle the issue of access to affordable health care for children and dependents of Montana University System employees. The award recognizes Gannon’s role in the development of the MUS Dependent Premium Waiver Program. Gannon received the award Oct. 13 in St. Louis. As part of the award, UM also will receive $3,000 from SunGard Higher Education to fund an endowment or scholarship on Gannon’s behalf.

Dialogue About Diversity—UM will hold several events that are free and open to the public during “Day of Dialogue: Building Communities of Difference” on Thursday, Oct. 30. Events during this year’s campuswide symposium will include more than 30 educational sessions, panel discussions, workshops and exhibits designed to engage campus and Missoula community members in discussions concerning diversity. The day will begin at 9:10 a.m. in the University Center Atrium with opening remarks by Lucy France, director of UM’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office. Educational sessions will be held beginning at 9:40 a.m. at various locations in the University Center. Elizabeth Birch, founder of the Human Rights Campaign, will give the keynote address from 4:10 to 6 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. UM Department of Drama/Dance students will perform “Swan Lake: Undercurrents” to open the keynote presentation. A complete Day of Dialogue schedule of events and more information is online at http://www.umt.edu/dayofdialogue.

Jump-Starting Relay 2009—The 2009 Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will be held Friday and Saturday, May 1-2, at UM. Liz Martin, co-chair of the event, said she hopes to top 2008’s total with a goal of 50 teams. She also needs volunteers to serve on the planning committee or to assist committee members. Relay co-chair Alyse Johnson invites those who have been diagnosed with cancer to get involved with planning the relay and forming teams for the event. For more information, call Martin at 406-529-4635 or Johnson at 541-231-6551. Martin can be reached by e-mail at elmlake17@gmail.com. Johnson’s e-mail address is alyse.johnson@umontana.edu.