The University of Montana
A Legacy of Giving
The University of Montana 2005 President's Report

President Report pages


Highlights Of The Year

One of UM's newest faculty members is an explorer, boldly going where no man has gone before. Dan Reisenfeld, a NASA astro-physicist, recently joined the University's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Before that he taught at Harvard and the University of New Mexico. Reisenfeld loves teaching, but his ultimate passion is using space probes to expand our knowledge of the universe. He has worked on a number of NASA spacecraft with startling names, including Ulysses, Genesis, Cassini, Deep Space 1 and the Interstellar Boundary Explorer. Reisenfeld is still deeply involved with interpreting data for the space administration, and he intends to get UM students working on NASA projects in his new Montana Space Flight Prototype Facility, which will test designs for future probes.


UM climbed up on the Peace Corps' list of "Top-Producing Colleges and Universities." The University previously held the No. 10 position on the list of medium-sized institutions, but with 39 alumni volunteers, UM now ranks ninth among colleges with undergraduate enrollments between 5,001 and 15,000. The new rankings place UM ahead of institutions such as Boston College and the University of Notre Dame, and Brown, Yale, Harvard and Tulane universities.


NASA has extended the mission of its Terra environmental satellite for three years, and that's good news for UM's Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, which crafted software for Terra and its sister satellite, Aqua. The decision means continued funding for NTSG's director Steve Running, a longtime UM research professor, to continue work in monitoring the Earth's surface. The $1.3 billion Terra satellite is an orbiting stethoscope that provides daily checkups on the Earth's health. It scans the entire planet every one to two days. Running, who has received more than $20 million in NASA grants during his UM tenure, said the latest funding will extend the mission through 2009.


UM's magazine, the Montanan, won the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Award in the Most Improved Magazine category in the Association of Educational Publishers competition. Editor Joan Melcher led a year-long redesign effort that premiered with the fall 2004 issue of the magazine. The Montanan is mailed three times a year to more than 65,000 UM alumni and friends. In addition, the Montanan was named a finalist in two similar categories in competition sponsored by the Association of Western Publishers.


So how did the skunk cross the road? Or the weasel, marmot, vole or porcupine? A lot of times they didn't. These small animals get flattened on highways that fragment their habitat. But a new invention recently patented by UM aims to protect them from humanity's automotive hazards. It's called the "critter crawl," and it's the brainchild of Kerry Foresman, a UM biology professor and animal ecologist, and Cory Claussen, an employee of Roscoe Steel & Culvert Co. of Missoula. The critter crawl is basically a shelf suspended inside a culvert to allow animals to move easily and safely under a highway, even when the culvert contains water. The shelf floor is metal mesh with holes smaller than 1 inch to allow small animals to cross comfortably. The shelf also is removable so it doesn't impede water and debris movement during floods or high-water events. Four of the culvert shelves are now in use beneath U.S. Highway 93 in the Bitterroot Valley. Roscoe Steel, which made the shelves, has been licensed by UM to market and manufacture critter crawls.


Fans have always thought Lady Griz basketball is tops, but now the team has an official endorsement to back that up. Street & Smith's magazine, the bible of college hoops, named UM seventh on its list of all-time best women's basketball programs. Published in the "Greatest College Basketball Programs" issue, the list touted UM and head coach Robin Selvig for winning 20 or more games in 24 of the last 26 seasons. In addition, Montana's 16 regular-season conference championships and 15 tournament titles rank second in the nation, trailing only Old Dominion. Selvig's 614-179 record in his 27th season in 2004-05 ranked him sixth among active head coaches for winning percentage and 10th in victories. The Lady Griz further distinguished themselves nationally as one of only three female squads in the 2005 March Madness tournament to have a 100 percent graduation rate.


President George W. Bush nominated UM President George Dennison for a four-year position on the National Security Education Board, and in early 2005, the University's president received confirmation from the U.S. Senate. The board was created under President Clinton to educate U.S. citizens about foreign cultures, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and enhance international education and security. Aside from numerous years in higher education, Dennison throughout his career has maintained a strong interest in public diplomacy and international education and has spent a considerable amount of time in other countries forging student exchange opportunities for UM. Dennison believes strongly in the board's mission and says he will do all he can to assure that the United States succeeds in positioning itself for effective functioning in the increasingly global world of today.


For the second time in three years, Monte, the lovable Grizzly bear mascot, was named National Mascot of the Year. He was crowned on national television during the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day. The victory came with a $10,000 award for the UM mascot program. Monte first won the title during the competition's inaugural year in 2003. A show-stealer at any event, Monte again clawed his way over the other 11 critter mascots named as finalists in the competition through online voting and video highlighting his crazy antics and interaction with fans.


After more students earned prestigious Morris K. Udall Scholarships this year, UM now has received more Udalls than any other institution in the nation since the scholarship program started in 1996. With four of this year's 80 Udalls coming to UM, the University broke a tie with Cornell for the No. 1 position. 2005 winners are Zachary Benson of Colstrip; Marcia St. Goddard of Browning; John Powell of Muncie, Ind.; and Jeffrey Ross of Rivers, Manitoba. The Udall Foundation awards merit-based scholarships of up to $5,000 to college sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated outstanding potential and a commitment to pursuing careers related to the environment. UM is known for producing top scholars: It ranks fifth among public universities in producing Rhodes Scholars, with 28 so far.


UM Executive Chef Tom Siegel brought home a gold medal in the entr‚e division from the second annual Montana Chef Competition for the Culinary Excellence Award. Sponsored by the Montana Department of Agriculture to promote the use of Montana ingredients at fine-dining restaurants, the contest drew more than 100 entries in three categories of competition.

 

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Rita Munzenrider, Director
University Relations
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2006 The University of Montana