President George W. Bush recently nominated UM President George Dennison for a four-year position on the National Security Education Board.

The decision is now left up to the U.S. Senate, which Dennison believes will act on the matter in the near future.

The National Security Education Board was set up in December 1991, by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, as part of the National Security Education Act. The board, along with the National Security Education Program and the National Security Education Trust Fund, was created to educate U.S. citizens to understand foreign cultures, strengthen United States economic competitiveness and enhance international competition and security.

Dennison comes to the board highly qualified to fulfill its goals. Aside from numerous years in higher education, throughout his career he 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.

Dennison said his time spent examining the issues of the board goes hand in hand with the work he already does for the University.

Students in UM's Department of Radio-Television decided to find out what lies at the heart of rural Montana. Late last year, they traveled U.S. Highway 89, stopping in to meet the residents and document a day in the life of five towns.

They produced a television documentary, "Montana Journal: Small Towns in the Big Sky," which will air this weekend on Montana PBS. Showtimes are 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, and 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 6.

The documentary travels to Bynum, where a woman made a remarkable discovery; to Fairfield, where residents are reaching out to help a youngster who has touched their hearts; to Clyde Park, where residents welcome visitors with a cup of coffee and a chat; to Wilsall, where an age-old dispute has everyone tongue-tied; and to Emigrant for a tour of the scenic Paradise Valley.

The program is hosted, researched, written, photographed and edited entirely by seniors in the Department of Radio-Television.

UM's 26th annual Wilderness Issues Lecture Series, "The Future of Wilderness in America: Change, Continuity and Conservation," is being held each Tuesday through April 26.

Sponsored by UM's College of Forestry and Conservation, the lecture series brings together a diverse group of scholars and leaders to reflect on the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. The free, public lectures are scheduled for 7 p.m. in Gallagher Building Room 122.

Upcoming lectures include:

• Feb. 8 -- "Looking Back, Looking Forward: What History Tells Us About Wilderness Designation and Management," Doug Scott, policy director for Campaign for America's Wilderness.
• Feb. 15 -- "Has Global Warming Started Yet? Will Wilderness Look the Same?" Steve Running, UM ecology professor.
• Feb. 22 - "Ecological Restoration and Wilderness: Trojan Horse or Hopeful Future?" Dan Spencer, UM environmental studies adjunct assistant professor.
• March 1 -- "Wilderness in a Red and Blue World," Bill Meadows, president, Wilderness Society.

A complete schedule is available on the Web site in PDF format. For more information, call Nicky Phear at (406) 243-6932 or e-mail nphear@forestry.umt.edu.

A UM program is building an international bridge between the University and Missoula by sending foreign students into the community as speakers.

The students are involved in the Foreign Student and Scholar Services Speakers Bureau, which allows them to meet with classes and civic groups in the community.

UM has 419 foreign students from 73 countries on campus this year. During spring and summer of 2004, 23 students participated in the Speakers Bureau.

Community and University members interested in submitting a request for a foreign student volunteer can call Foreign Student and Scholar Services at (406) 243-2226.

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library at UM has been a leader in creating the Northwest Digital Archives -- a powerful new tool for researchers across the region and around the world.

NWDA provides enhanced access to more than 2,200 archival and manuscript materials at 16 institutions across Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. At UM the database links to more than 200 collections in the K. Ross Toole Archives.

The types of information available on NWDA were previously available only through time-consuming manual searches, limiting most access to expert academic researchers.

UM journalism student Michael Cohea placed in the latest round of the national Hearst Journalism Awards Program.

Cohea, a senior from Missoula, captured eighth place and a $500 award. He competed in the categories of feature and portrait/personality photography.

The Hearst Journalism Program has been called the "college Pulitzers." More than 100 accredited schools of journalism in the United States participate in the competition each year, with more than $400,000 in scholarships and grants awarded.

The A.P. Sloan Foundation has established a Sloan Scholars Program at UM, providing supplemental financial support for American Indian graduate students studying the natural sciences.

The Sloan Scholars Program provides supplemental funding of $30,000 over a two-year period for master's level students and $36,000 over a three-year period for doctoral students.

In addition, science programs must offer students a teaching or research assistantship in order for students to be eligible for Sloan funding, as the money is provided as a supplement to departmental assistantships.

Funding for students will be available fall semester 2005 through fall semester 2007.

Street & Smith's magazine, the bible of college hoops, recently named UM seventh on its list of all-time best women's basketball programs. The list was found in a "Greatest College Basketball Programs" issue.

UM and coach Robin Selvig earned the ranking by winning 20 or more games in 24 of the last 26 seasons, and Montana's 16 regular-season conference championships and 15 conference tournament titles rank second in the nation, trailing only Old Dominion.

In addition, Selvig's 614-179 record in his 27 seasons ranks him sixth among active head coaches for winning percentage and 10th in victories.

Four players scored in double figures, led by senior forward Kamarr Davis with 18 points as Montana defeated host Eastern Washington 68-58 last Saturday.

Davis, who returned to a starting role against EWU, was 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line. Junior guard Kevin Criswell added 16 points, freshman guard Matt Martin scored 11, and sophomore forward Matt Dlouhy had 10 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.

The Griz were 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) from the line overall, and made 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) free throws in the second half.

Meanwhile, Portland State defeated Montana 89-77 last week in Portland. Davis came off the bench for 25 points for Montana. The Grizzlies shot 49 percent, but committed 26 turnovers for 31 PSU points.

The Grizzlies are back home this week for a pair of Big Sky Conference games, hosting the Weber State Wildcats last night, and the Idaho State Bengals Saturday. Tip-off for the Griz-Bengal contest is 5:05 p.m.

Junior Jody McLeod had her fourth career double-double and junior Katie Edwards had her second big game in a row to lead Montana to a 73-53 victory over Portland State Jan. 27 at Dahlberg Arena.

McLeod had 11 points and matched a career high with 14 rebounds, and Edwards went 5-for-10 from 3-point range to score a game-high 25 points.

Two nights later, McLeod had her second straight double-double and Montana closed the game on a 17-6 run over the final 6:17 as the Lady Griz defeated Eastern Washington 72-65.

Edwards scored a team-high 18 points for Montana, handing the Eagles their first league loss. The Lady Griz won their fifth straight game and improved to 12-6 overall, 5-0 in league play.

The Lady Griz hit the road to face Weber State and Idaho State this week. Montana played the second-place Wildcats Thursday night and will tackle the fifth-place Bengals at 2:05 p.m. Saturday.