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April 6, 2009 | Vol. 37, No. 28

In this issue:

'NBC Nightly News' Features College Program
Public Service Topic Of Lecture Today
Global Exchange Co-Founder To Speak At UM
Rural Law Symposium This Week
Easter Eggstravaganza At UM Saturday
Montana Tribes Web Site Unveiled
GradFac Research Conference April 11
Ethics Institute Registration Open
Outdoor Gear Sale At UM April 14
Mansfield Library Offers April Workshops
Math Film Festival At UC Theater April 14
Library Celebrates Information Centennial
Consultant Available for Retirement Planning
Staff Senate Meeting Schedule
Faculty Senate Meeting Schedule
President Dennison's Office Hours
Faculty/Staff Socials
News About U
Publications

Campus Links

Recent UM Publications

Welcome to ForUM, the e-newsletter for University of Montana staff, faculty and administrators. ForUM is published weekly during the academic year except during scheduled academic breaks.

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'NBC Nightly News' Features College Program

Grateful Nation, a nonprofit organization that offers full college scholarships and outreach services to children of Montana soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, was featured March 31 in a "Making a Difference" segment on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."

David Bell, an insurance executive and a 1996 UM graduate, and John McCarrick, a New York attorney, founded Grateful Nation in 2007 as a way to give back to fallen soldiers and their families. The pilot program was created in Montana with the goal of eventual implementation in all 50 states.

The new program, which can be used to attend any school in the Montana University System, is administered by Teresa Branch, UM vice president for Student Affairs. Program funds are managed by the UM Foundation.

UM President George Dennison said, "Grateful Nation offers an important service for the children of Americans who have made the greatest sacrifice for their country. We view it as a privilege for the University to participate in this effort. I can think of nothing more appropriate than a guarantee of education for the children of fallen heroes."

View the Video Segment

Public Service Topic Of Lecture Today

James Davison Hunter, an expert in meaning and moral order in times of political and cultural change in American life, will give the next installment of the President's Lecture Series at 8 p.m. today in the University Theatre.

Hunter will present "Public Service and the Idea of a Changing World." He will reflect on contemporary cultural change and its implications for individuals, institutions and society. The event is UM's J. Stanley Kimmitt Memorial Lecture on Public Service.

From 3:10 to 4:30 p.m. today, Hunter will give a seminar titled "On the Priority of Culture to Politics" in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. The seminar and the lecture are free and open to the public.

Hunter is LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and director of its Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. He is the author of "The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age Without Good or Evil" and co-author of "Is There a Culture War? A Dialogue on Values and American Public Life."

President's Lecture Series

Global Exchange Co-Founder To Speak At UM

Kevin Danaher, co-founder and executive director of Global Exchange, will present "Accelerating the Transition to a Green Economy" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, in the North Underground Lecture Hall.

Global Exchange is an internationally known educational and advocacy organization focused on issues of globalization, free trade and sustainability.

Danaher's expertise includes subjects such as green economies, globalization, U.S. foreign policy, activist strategies to promote sustainability, and the policies of the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.

For more information, call environmental studies Associate Professor Dan Spencer at 243-6111 or e-mail daniel.spencer@umontana.edu.

Rural Law Symposium This Week

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Attorney General Steve Bullock are two of the speakers planned for the Honorable James R. Browning Symposium on Rural Law April 6-10 at UM. The symposium is free and open to the public. A variety of speakers and panels will address rural law issues such as ranching and agriculture, water rights, rural practice, natural resources and meth use.

Bullock will be the keynote speaker during a lunch session from noon to 1:30 p.m. today in the University Center Ballroom. The topic will be "Competition and Concentration in Agricultural Markets."

Schweitzer will keynote a session about rural development challenges from 6 to 8 p.m. today in the UC Ballroom.

A full symposium program is on the Montana Law Review Web site.

Montana Law Review

Easter Eggstravaganza At UM Saturday

Egg hunters and fun seekers need look no further for their quarry than the UM Oval during the ninth annual Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, April 11.

The hunt gets under way when the Main Hall bell tolls 1 p.m. Lawns surrounding the Oval will be filled with more than 20,000 prize eggs -- including 2,000 eggs packed with coupons that can be redeemed for larger prizes -- and 25,000 pieces of individually wrapped candy during Montana's largest egg hunt.

The event is free and open to the public. There will be separate sections for age groups 0-2, 3, 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9. Kids who find the maroon, silver and gold eggs will be rewarded with top prizes.

Easter Eggstravaganza is organized by University Relations, with generous sponsorship from local businesses.

University Relations

Montana Tribes Web Site Unveiled

A new Web site about Montana's Indian tribes that offers hours of video interviews with Native people, learning activities and other resources is now online.

The site -- Montanatribes.org -- was funded by the state Office of Public Instruction's Indian Education Division and UM. The educational resource for citizens and teachers was created by UM's Regional Learning Project, which produces multimedia educational products about American Indians and regional history.

Project Director Sally Thompson said the new site, designed and developed by Kim Lugthart, may be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Read the Full News Release

GradFac Research Conference April 11

The eighth annual Graduate Student and Faculty Research Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 11, in University Center third-floor meeting rooms. All events are free and open to the public, and child care will be available.

Concurrent oral presentations will take place from 9:10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4:50 p.m. Poster sessions will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

A roundtable discussion -- "From Sustainability to Restoration: A Multi-Disciplinary Discussion" -- will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Panelists are Associate Professor Nancy Cook, Professor Stephen Greymorning, Associate Professor Neva Hassanein and Associate Professor John Maron.

Those who plan to attend the conference luncheon or who will need child care are asked to call Associate Professor Kari Harris at 243-4685 or e-mail gradfacconf@mso.umt.edu. More information is on the conference Web site.

GradFac Research Conference

Ethics Institute Registration Open

UM's Center for Ethics has opened registration for the fourth annual Environmental Ethics Institute to be held during May and June.

This year's seminar is titled "Fire, Restoration, and Wilderness in an Age of Climate Change." The online portion will take place from May 18 to June 7, and participants will meet at UM in Missoula for six days beginning June 8.

The early registration fee is $348. Early registration will run through April 15. Registration after April 15 costs $408. The registration deadline is May 14.

Seminar instructors are Andrew Light, professor of philosophy and environmental policy and director of the Center for American Progress at George Mason University, and Christopher Preston, UM associate professor of philosophy and author of the newly released biography "Saving Creation: Nature and Faith in the Life of Holmes Rolston III."

Featured speakers for field trips include UM Regents Professor of Ecology Steve Running, contributor to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change, and UM environmental studies Professor Robin Saha, principal author of "Toxic Waste and Race at 20 (1987-2007)."

Registration forms are on the Center for Ethics Web site. For more information, call Justin Whitaker at 243-6605 or e-mail justin.whitaker@mso.umt.edu.

Center for Ethics

Outdoor Gear Sale At UM April 14

The Used Outdoor Gear Sale will take place Tuesday, April 14, in the University Center. The semiannual sale is a fundraiser for UM's Outdoor Program. It is open to the public.

Those who want to sell gear can bring it to the UC between 7 and 11 a.m. The Outdoor Program collects 15 percent of the sale price.

The sale runs from noon to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Unsold gear can be picked up between 5 and 7 p.m.

For more information, call the Outdoor Program at 243-5172 or e-mail campusrec@mso.umt.edu.

Mansfield Library Offers April Workshops

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library will offer a Research Workshop Series this month for UM faculty members and graduate students to learn about new tools and resources available.

The workshops will address how to keep current and manage research through use of RefWorks, Table of Contents alerts and other tools and resources. The library also will offer a copyright workshop for authors.

Workshops will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Student Learning Center on Level 2 of the library:

Wednesday, April 15: "Managing Your Research."
Wednesday, April 22: "Keeping Current."
Wednesday, April 29: "Copyright for Authors."

RSVPs are appreciated, but drop-ins will be accepted. To RSVP or for more information, call Kate Zoellner at 243-4421 or e-mail kate.zoellner@umontana.edu.

Math Film Festival At UC Theater April 14

Get your thinking caps and popcorn ready. The 10th annual UM Math Film Festival is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, in the University Center Theater.

A total of 10 feature-length and short films will be shown from 3:15 to 8:45 p.m. Short films by UM senior Laura Williams will run between feature films.

For more information, call math Professor Nikolaus Vonessen at 243-6222 or e-mail nikolaus.vonessen@umontana.edu.

Math Film Festival Schedule

Library Celebrates Information Centennial

In 1909, the UM library was designated a federal depository library. As one of the 1,250 libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library receives federal publications from the U.S. Government Printing Office and makes them available to the public.

The Mansfield Library will hold the following events to celebrate the centennial of the designation. All events are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 7, 6-8 p.m.: "Government Information Producers and Consumers: Panel Discussion." Theta Rho Room, Level 4 of the library.
Wednesday, April 8, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Centennial celebration. Main floor of the library.
Thursday, April 9, 6-8 p.m.: "Government 2.0: Keep Up Talk Back" by Mansfield Library Government Information Librarian Jennie Burroughs. Missoula Public Library, large meeting room.

For more information, call Betsy Delassio at 243-6049 or e-mail elizabeth.dalessio@umontana.edu.