June 2003

Bear Briefs
Education Leader-Paul Rowland has accepted the dean position at the UM School of Education. He will begin his UM position July 1, replacing Roberta Evans, who served as dean of education during 2001-03. Rowland received his bachelor of arts and master of science degrees from Rutgers University and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University. Prior to his doctoral studies, he taught science in public schools and coached soccer. For the past 14 years, Rowland has served at Northern Arizona University as a faculty member, department chair and director.

New Foundation President-Laura Brehm, currently vice president and national director of development for the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land, will join the UM Foundation Aug. 1 as president and chief executive officer. She will succeed Sharen Peters, who retires June 30. Brehm has worked 30 years in advancement, almost exclusively in higher education, except for her current position at TPL, where she and her team raised $29.3 million last year. Before that she was at the University of California, Berkeley, most recently as assistant dean for development and alumni relations at the Haas School of Business. While at Berkeley, Brehm was involved in several large capital campaigns -- the last one a $75 million effort for the business school's endowment, faculty support and programs.

Emmy Accolades-Programs produced by UM broadcast journalism students have been nominated for two Northwest Regional Emmy Awards. UM received two of four possible nominations in the student category for programs titled "Business: Made in Montana" and "Montana Journal: First on the Scene." The awards will be presented by the Seattle-Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences during a June 21 ceremony in Seattle. UM students also won three of four scholarships given by the organization. The three $1,000 awards went to Aaron Flint of Glasgow; Jessica Hamner of Hayden, Idaho; and Marci Krivonen of Billings. All are juniors in UM's Department of Radio-Television. The Emmy organization also recognized first-year graduate student Gwen Lankford of Missoula by nominating her for a national internship. She is a finalist for an internship with documentary filmmakers.

Science and Society-UM will host a lecture series this summer that delves into the intersection between science and culture. The four lectures by Montanans will cover topics of interest to local residents such as genetic modification, food security, science and art, and sustainable architecture. The Science Within Society Lecture Series is being sponsored by UM's National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NFS EPSCoR). The lectures will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays in UM's North Underground Lecture Hall on June 19, June 26, July 10 and July 19. The events are free and open to the public.

Peaceful Volunteers-The Peace Corps recently released its 2003 list of "Top Producing Colleges and Universities," and UM-Missoula tied with Stanford University at 10th place in the category of universities with 5,001 to 15,000 undergraduates. The schools are ranked according to the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Today, 32 alumni from UM work with people of the developing world as Peace Corps volunteers.

Scholarship Winners-Two UM students have been named Udall Scholars for 2003-04 by the Morris K. Udall Foundation. Jamie Kennedy of Browning and Peter Nelson of Rapid City, S.D., are two of 80 students from 32 states selected for the award on the basis of academic merit. Each will receive a $5,000 scholarship. In addition, junior Quenna Szafran received one of 30 honorable mentions and a $350 scholarship to be used for educational expenses. The Morris K. Udall Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding students with excellent academic records. Visit www.udall.gov for more information.

University Relations | Cary Shimek, Editor
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2004 The University of Montana