This is the last TGIF of 2005. The e-newsletter will return Friday, Jan. 20, with your weekly dose of UM news, events and sports.

Spring semester classes begin Jan. 23.

Preliminary results from recent research conducted by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at UM show that the number of nonresidents who come to the state each year reached a milestone this year.

The state had 10 million nonresident visitors during 2005.

That does not mean that 10 million cars drove into Montana this year – the average group size was a little more than two people per travel party – but it does indicate a strong year for travel in the state by car and by air.

In fact, nonresident visitation in Montana increased 4 percent over 2004 numbers, the same increase expected in the United States in 2005 by the Travel Industry Association. And these nonresidents were spending money in Montana at a rate of more than $1.9 billion per year and contributed more than 29,000 jobs, as well as $531 million in generated income.

The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research is housed in the UM College of Forestry and Conservation and conducts tourism research annually for the state. Reports are available at the institute’s Web site.

Two UM faculty members have been selected to receive National Endowment for the Arts 2006 Literature Fellowships.

The awards went to Michael Downs, visiting assistant professor in UM’s School of Journalism, and Associate Professor Debra Earling, who teaches in the University’s departments of English and Native American Studies.

NEA Literature Fellowships recognize writers of prose, encouraging the production of new work by affording them the time and means to write. Each Literature Fellow receives $20,000. More than 900 applied for the 50 fellowships awarded to writers across the United States.

Downs’ short fiction has been published in literary reviews and anthologies. A native of Hartford, Conn., he currently is completing a collection of stories centered around the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944.

Earling, a member of Montana's Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, is the author of the award-winning novel “Perma Red.” This year, Earling wrote “The Lost Journals of Sacajewea” to accompany a Missoula Art Museum exhibit.

UM will hold events at high schools in communities throughout the region to provide information about financial aid options for higher education.

The events are free and open to the public and are for anyone who plans to attend any college, technical or trade school that participates in federal aid programs.

Financial aid specialists at each presentation will offer step-by-step instructions on how to complete the federal application for financial aid, as well as information about scholarships, the Lifetime Learning tax credit, and a new program, Montana Partnering for Affordable College Tuition.

Events are scheduled for:

• Superior: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20
• Thompson Falls, 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 9
• Darby, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9
• St. Regis, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10
• Ronan, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10
• Corvallis, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11
• Florence, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11
• Polson, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12
• Drummond, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12
• St. Ignatius, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17
• Browning, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24

Area residents also can get information at Financial Aid Night in the University Center Ballroom in Missoula at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4.

For more information, call UM’s Financial Aid Office, (406) 243-5373, or Enrollment Services, (406) 243- 6266, toll-free (800) 462-8636.

Eight Montana Volunteers in Service to America were recognized for their work throughout the state this year in a formal ceremony Tuesday in Helena.

Montana Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger gave the ceremony’s keynote address.

The VISTA honorees served through the Montana Campus Compact during 2005, bringing Montana communities long-term sustainable solutions to hunger, housing and school-performance needs.

The volunteers and their campus partners are Holly Williams, UM-Western; Kyle Gunderman, Montana Tech of UM; Sydne Campbell, Fort Peck Community College; Jenny Eck and Christa Weathers, UM-Missoula; Kaz Omi, MSU-Billings; Lessie McKinney, MSU-Bozeman; and Adam Chiappone, MSU-Northern.

Montana’s VISTA volunteers seek innovative ways to address critical needs by connecting the resources that college and university campuses provide with community organizations. This year more than 200 volunteers have performed nearly 3,100 hours of service in the state.

The UM Department of Women’s Studies is launching its Summer Institute in 2006.

The institute offers eight women’s and gender studies courses designed to appeal to UM students and community members and to fit into busy schedules. Students can earn credits to be applied toward undergraduate degrees at UM.

Courses cover a wide variety of topics, including the effects of globalization on women and children, the psychology of family violence, and literary liaisons in 19-century French literature.

For more information or to register, call the department at (406) 243-2584 or e-mail wsprog@mail1.umt.edu.

The Peace Corps is looking for college graduates who want to experience another culture while volunteering their time and skills.

Positions are available overseas in such fields as education, health, agriculture, business, and environmental and youth work. The Peace Corps is now accepting applications for summer 2006.

In exchange for a two-year commitment, Peace Corps volunteers receive paid living expenses, health care, transportation and a $6,075 completion bonus. Most student loans are deferred while serving.

With 41 alumni volunteers serving in the Peace Corps, UM is No. 10 on the organization's list of "Top Producing Colleges and Universities." The ranking, earned three years in a row, puts UM ahead of other medium-sized institutions such as Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard.

For more information, visit the Web site or call (800) 424-8580.

If tap dance strikes your fancy, mark your calendar for the Feb. 20 “Tap Dogs” performance at UM.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. All seats are reserved and there is a two-ticket limit for the show. Tickets are $45 and are available through GrizTix, by calling (406) 243-4051, or by visiting the Adams Center Box Office.

“Tap Dogs,” which originated in Australia, features an all-male tap crew that has gained rave reviews over the past decade of touring and performing. Time Out New York has called it “A high-voltage tap sensation ... a hell of a good time.”

The show is the concept of Neil Perry, who grew up in the steel town of Newcastle, Australia. After temporarily setting his interest in dance aside to gain a union card in the steel industry, Perry combined his interest in tap with the industrial themes of his hometown and work. The result won Perry the Olivier Award for choreography in 1996.

Four players scored in double figures to lead the UM men's basketball team to a 78-72 overtime victory over Drake Saturday night in the title game of the Drake Regency Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.

Junior forward Matt Dlouhy and sophomore Andrew Strait contributed 17 points apiece to lead Montana offensively. Senior Kevin Criswell scored 16 points and fellow senior Virgil Matthews added 15.

The previous night, Strait registered 17 points and seven rebounds and Criswell poured in 18 points to lead the Grizzlies to an 81-57 win over Mississippi Valley State. Criswell was named tournament MVP and Strait was elected to the all-tournament team.

Returning home to Dahlberg Arena Wednesday night, the Griz defeated the UM-Western Bulldogs 110-71. Senior guard Kevin Criswell scored 21 points, sophomore forward Andrew Strait added 20 points, and all 12 players who suited up scored. The game total was the second-most points scored in Montana school history, just one off the record of 111 points scored in a 1965-66 win over Idaho State.

The 8-1 Grizzlies head to California before the holiday break, playing UC-Riverside Dec. 19 and Santa Clara Dec. 22.

The Montana women’s basketball team held Long Beach State University to 29.6 percent shooting Saturday night at UM’s Dahlberg Arena, staving off a late 49er rally to post a 58-57 non-conference victory.

Senior Katie Edwards hit two freethrows with 11 seconds remaining to put the game away.

Tuesday night, in a game that had 20 lead changes, the Lady Griz had the final one, rallying for an 82-77 victory over Santa Clara at Dahlberg Arena. Senior Katie Edwards and freshman Mandy Morales both scored a team-high 18 points for UM. Montana improves to 5-2 with the wins.

The Lady Griz continue their three-game home stand tonight against 7-1 Miami. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Dahlberg Arena.

The Montana Grizzlies broke into the No. 25 spot in this week’s mid-major basketball poll on CollegeInsider.com. The Griz, who have won their last eight games, are making their first appearance in the poll since 1993-94, posting their best start (8-1) since that season's 13-0.