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May 4, 2009 | Vol. 37, No. 32

In this issue:

Commencement Set For May 16
Kalm Appointed Dean Of UM College
UM Preps For Possible Influenza Outbreak
Co-Teach Manager Wins State Award
Art Conservation Expert To Give Talk
Fun For All At Spring Thaw
Bill Harley Returns To UM Stage
Spring Dance Concert This Week
Zoological Museum Hosts Bhutanese Display
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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Commencement Set For May 16

More than 3,000 graduates are invited to participate in UM's 112th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 16, at the Adams Center.

The general ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Technology will begin at 9:30 a.m. The general ceremony for professional schools and colleges will be held at 2 p.m. After each ceremony, students will disperse to various campus locations for individual awarding of diplomas.

This year's Commencement speaker is Craig Barrett, board chair for technology giant Intel Corp.

UM will present two honorary doctorate degrees during the Commencement ceremonies. Caleb Shields, a resident of the Fort Peck Reservation, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the morning ceremony. Phyllis Washington of Missoula will receive an Honorary Doctor of Education degree during the afternoon ceremony.

Commencement weekend concludes with the ROTC Commissioning at 6 p.m. Saturday outside Schreiber Gymnasium. More detailed Commencement information is on the Registrar's Office Web site.

Registrar's Office

Kalm Appointed Dean Of UM College

Stephen Kalm, an award-winning vocalist, opera singer and UM music professor, has been appointed dean of the University's College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Kalm has served as interim dean since the retirement of Shirley Howell in May 2008. He joined the UM faculty in 1994 and was chair of the music department from 2002 to 2008.

"We are very delighted to have Dr. Kalm accept this leadership role," UM Provost Royce Engstrom said. "He has been an exceptional faculty member and did excellent work while serving as interim dean. We are entering an especially exciting time for arts, with the new status as the College of Visual and Performing Arts and new leadership in the dean's office."

UM President George Dennison agreed, saying, "With Dean Kalm providing the leadership, we have assurance that the college will continue the great tradition in the arts at The University of Montana."

UM Preps For Possible Influenza Outbreak

UM actively participates in Missoula's countywide pandemic influenza planning process, which is led by the Missoula City-County Health Department. The value of such planning is now evident with reports of a swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the spread of this outbreak to the United States and other countries.

It is important to understand that in the early phases of a potential outbreak, information is often incomplete, opening the door for misinterpretation or speculation. Information and advisories can change rapidly.

For updates, visit the following Web sites. The Missoula City-County Health Department's Hot Line is 258-3500.

Read the Full News Release

Co-Teach Manager Wins State Award

Mary Finnegan, manager of UM's Co-Teach Preschool, was named Montana Special Educator of the Year by the Montana Council for Exceptional Children. Finnegan is the first early childhood professional to be selected for the award, which recognizes someone whose work reflects student success, continued professional development and the highest educational quality.

Finnegan began her tenure at Co-Teach 11 years ago as a student employee and paraeducator and continued in that position until 2003, when she graduated from UM with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She then served as the Co-Teach supervising special education teacher. This spring she will earn a UM master's degree in education with an emphasis in early childhood special education.

The Co-Teach Preschool is a program of UM's Division of Educational Research and Service. It has operated at UM since 1980 to prepare children with diverse abilities for the transition to kindergarten and to help them build a foundation for later school success. The program is unique, Finnegan said, because children with disabilities learn alongside children without disabilities.

Co-Teach Preschool

Art Conservation Expert To Give Talk

The Montana Museum of Art & Culture will present a free gallery talk by renowned art conservator Carmen Bria on Monday, May 11. The talk begins at 7 p.m. in the Masquer Theatre, located in the PAR/TV Center.

Bria is owner, director and chief conservator for the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts in Denver. All 23 paintings in MMAC's current exhibition "The Fra Dana Collection: Preservation & Conservation" were recently restored with Bria as the lead conservator.

The exhibition will be at the museum through May 16. MMAC hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There is no charge for admission.

Montana Museum of Art & Culture

Fun For All At Spring Thaw

Students from UM's Entertainment Management program will host the annual Spring Thaw event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 8, on the Oval. Spring Thaw festivities, designed to bring together the UM and Missoula communities, will include live music, games and giveaways.

The event is free and open to the public, but donations of nonperishable food items to benefit the Missoula Food Bank are encouraged. Proceeds from a raffle that includes paid airfare for two to Las Vegas, tickets to see Phish in concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre and more will go to local charities and the student program.

The funk/jazz trio Soulive will top off the day with an 8 p.m. performance in the University Theatre. Concert tickets are $18 in advance. They are available at The Source in the University Center. Tickets will cost $20 at the door. For more information about Spring Thaw, call Scott Douglas at 243-5695 or e-mail scott.douglas@business.umt.edu.

Entertainment Management

Bill Harley Returns To UM Stage

Grammy Award-winning singer and storyteller Bill Harley will perform Sunday, May 17, at UM, and he's bringing "Zanzibar," one of his most requested stories. The event begins at 2 p.m. in the University Theatre.

Tickets for the UM performance cost $15 for people 19 and older and $10 for those 18 and under. They can be purchased online at GrizTix, at all GrizTix locations or by calling 243-4051 or 888-MONTANA. Limited premium seating is available for $20 for those 19 and older or $15 for people 18 and under.

GrizTix

Spring Dance Concert This Week

UM's Department of Drama/Dance will offer its year-end Spring Dance Concert nightly Wednesday through Saturday, May 6-9. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Montana Theatre, located in the PAR/TV Center. Tickets are $18 for general admission and $14 for students and seniors.

To show appreciation for long-standing commitment and service to UM, President Dennison and the drama/dance department will provide faculty and staff one free ticket to the Spring Dance Concert. In addition, a second ticket may be purchased for $7.

To get faculty/staff tickets, present your Griz Card at the Drama/Dance Box Office in the PAR/TV Center.

Department of Drama/Dance

Zoological Museum Hosts Bhutanese Display

The campus community is invited to a ceremony Friday, May 8, to unveil a display of Bhutanese culture and biology through UM's Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. on the first floor of the Health Sciences Building. Refreshments will be served.

The display -- "National Symbols of Bhutan" -- was developed by Phurba Phurba, a biologist attending UM through a teaching and research program with the Ugyen Wangchuck Environmental and Forestry Institute in Bumthang, Bhutan.

Phurba has worked with UM biological sciences Professor Kerry Foresman to learn curatorial techniques and develop a wider exposure to Western studies in mammalogy, ornithology and plant taxonomy. He will initiate development of a natural history museum at the Bhutanese institute this summer.

Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum

Staff Senate Meeting Schedule

The final Staff Senate meeting for spring semester will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 13, in University Center Rooms 330-331. The Staff Senate also will meet on Wednesday, June 10. Meetings are open to the campus community. More information is available on the Staff Senate Web site.

Staff Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Schedule

The final Faculty Senate meeting for spring semester will begin at 3:10 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. More information is available on the Faculty Senate Web site.

Faculty Senate

President Dennison's Office Hours

Each semester, President Dennison welcomes members of the campus community to meet with him to discuss issues and topics of their choice.

The President's office hours for spring semester are:

Wednesday, May 6: 1-3 p.m.

Please call 243-2311 or e-mail prestalk@umontana.edu to make an appointment to meet with President Dennison during these times.

Faculty/Staff Socials

Socials will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Fridays in the Davidson Honors College Lounge. Spring semester dates and event sponsors are:

May 8: President Dennison

News About U

Department of Art Assistant Professor Kevin Bell is among the newly elected 2009-11 board members of Foundations in Art: Theory and Education. Bell is the editor of the national association's journal, FATE in Review.

Department of Geography Senior Lecturer Udo Fluck conducted a training session -- "Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace" -- for City of Missoula employees April 23. The training, developed for human resource personnel who interact with non-locals, incorporates and addresses a wide range of cross-cultural aspects.

Publications

Books and Publications

Drake, Richard. 2009. "Il delitto Moro trent'anni dopo." In Le vene aperte del delitto Moro: Terrorismo, Pci, trame, e servizi segreti. (Ed.) Salvatore Sechi. Florence: Mauro Pagliai Editore, pp. 19-30.

Loisel, Clary. 2009. "Print the Myth: Elena Poniatowska's Biographical Fiction." Confluencia: Revista Hispanica de Cultura y Literatura, 24(2), 83-92.

McKusick, James C. 2009. "Coleridge and Language Theory." In The Oxford Handbook of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (Ed.) Frederick Burwick. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 572-587.

Sriraman, Bharath (co-author). 2009. "Agency in Mathematics Education." In Critical Issues in Mathematics Education. (Eds.) P. Ernest et al. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, pp. ix-xvi.

Sriraman, Bharath (co-author). "Social Justice and Mathematics Education: Issues, Dilemmas, Excellence and Equity." In Critical Issues in Mathematics Education. (Eds.) P. Ernest et al. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, pp. 319-336.

email: brenda.day@umontana.edu

phone: 406-243-2522

fax: 406-243-4520

web: http://www.umt.edu/urelations