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ForUM
March 15, 2010 | Vol. 38, No. 25 
 
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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.



 Presidential Search Committee Selected
 

Clay Christian, Board of Regents vice chair, at the direction of board chair Steve Barrett, has selected the 20-member search committee tasked with finding the successor for UM President George M. Dennison, who intends to retire Aug. 15 after two decades at the helm.

"I feel we have the right group to undertake the difficult job of trying to replace President Dennison," said Christian, who will lead the search committee. "George has been one of UM's chief assets since 1990, and the new president will need to be as dynamic, creative and inspiring as he has been."

Dennison, UM's 16th president, announced his intention to retire in August during a campus Convocation held in January. He is the University's longest-serving president.

The committee will begin the search for the next president immediately. Information about the search process can be found on the President of the University Web site.

Read the Full News Release 

 Lecture Examines Value Of Friendship
 

Internationally known philosopher and Princeton University Professor Alexander Nehamas will give the next installment of the President's Lecture Series at UM.

He will present "Because It Was He, Because It Was I: The Good of Friendship" at 8 p.m. Monday, March 22, in the University Theatre. The event is UM's Henry Bugbee Annual Lecture in Philosophy.

Earlier that day from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m., he will give a seminar titled "Friendship and Other Non-Moral Values" in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. Both events are free and open to the public.

Nehamas is the Edward N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in Humanities and professor of philosophy and comparative literature at Princeton. He is the author of the classic "Nietzsche: Life as Literature" and many other books. Writing in opposition to the dominant trend in recent years to make philosophy look more and more like a science, he has set himself the task of reclaiming the defining tradition of ancient Greek philosophy as a quest to master the art of living. He will speak about the place of friendship in a philosophically engaged life.

President's Lecture Series 

 UM Administrators Receive Awards
 

Bill Johnston, director of UM's Office of Alumni Relations, and David Forbes, dean of the University's College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, earned awards for outstanding leadership during the Montana Ambassadors annual meeting and conference held Feb. 25 in Great Falls.

Johnston received the 2009 Montana Ambassador of the Year Award for his service representing the state of Montana and Montana Ambassadors.

Forbes was named the Montana Ambassadors 2009 Michael P. Malone Educator of the Year. He has led the UM college and its Skaggs School of Pharmacy to a place among the top 10 in the nation for funded research. The award recognizes his leadership in strengthening the college's exceptional academic and research programs.

Montana Ambassadors is a nonprofit organization of leaders in business, education, and local and state government with a common dedication of doing business in Montana and furthering the best interests of the state.

 

 Wall Street Journal Editor To Speak At UM
 

Rebecca Blumenstein, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at The Wall Street Journal, will present the UM School of Journalism's second annual Jeff Cole Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, March 18.

"Making Journalism and Global Coverage Relevant in the Internet Age" will begin at 7 p.m. in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Blumenstein is a deputy managing editor and international editor of The Wall Street Journal. Most recently, she was managing editor of The Wall Street Journal Online. Previously, she was the China bureau chief. She oversaw the China team that won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2007. Blumenstein also was named to the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship for 2009.

School of Journalism 

 International Week Opens Today At UM
 

UM International Programs and other University departments will host several events in honor of International Week, March 15-19.

The opening ceremony will take place at noon today in the University Center Atrium. Speakers are Mehrdad Kia, associate provost, UM International Programs; Effie Koehn, director, UM Foreign Student and Scholar Services; and Felicity Dugo, president, UM International Student Association. Rashmeen Doowa will perform a Kathak Indian dance to "Aaja Nachle."

Events feature a presentation titled "Ethiopia: A Land of Diversity" by visiting scholars Tsige Gebre-Mariam and Masresha Fetene, professors at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place at noon Tuesday, March 16, in University Center Room 332. It will highlight Ethiopia's eclectic cultures, as well as AAU's graduate programs and prospective collaboration with UM.

UM will host several other events throughout the week. For a complete International Week schedule, visit the International Programs Web site and click on "International Week."

International Programs 

 Panel To Discuss Baxter Decision
 

The UM Center for Ethics will host a panel discussion Tuesday, March 16, on the ethical challenges the state Legislature will face after a recent Montana Supreme Court decision on a case involving aid in dying.

"Aid in Dying after the Baxter Decision: Ethical Challenges for Montana Legislators" will take place from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. The event is free and open to the public.

The panel will be moderated by bioethicist Michael Hanson of the UM Liberal Studies Program and College of Technology. Panelists include Montana Reps. Michael More and Dick Barrett; physicians Stephen Speckart and Eric Kress; private practice lawyer Mark Connell; Bernadette Franks-Ongoy, executive director of Disability Rights Montana; and Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz, vice president of Mission Leadership at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center and member of the St. Patrick Hospital Ethics Committee.

UM Center for Ethics 

 Learn Significance Of Green Advocacy
 

UM's Department of Communication Studies will host "From Greenwashing to Social Advocacy: The Ethical Imperative in Green Branding" at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, in Liberal Arts Building Room 11.

Brant Short, professor of communication studies at Northern Arizona University, will give the presentation.

Many Americans are suspicious of organizations that present a green perspective in corporate discourse, but labeling such messages as "greenwashing" presents numerous problems. Short will present an alternative perspective, grounded in rhetorical theory, to help consumers better understand the function and significance of green advocacy.

The presentation is sponsored by a grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State University. For more information, call the UM Department of Communication Studies at 243-4293.

Department of Communication Studies 

 Dennison To Perform At Earthquake Benefit
 

UM President George M. Dennison will headline a talent show slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in the University Center North Ballroom.

The show, organized by Alpha Lambda Delta, the Honors Students' Association and the American Indian Business Leaders at UM, is a fundraiser for earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile. The student organizations will donate all ticket proceeds to Doctors Without Borders relief efforts, and they also will accept larger donations at the show.

Tickets for the show cost $5 for the public and $3 for those 21 and under and UM students with valid Griz cards.

Along with Dennison on guitar, the show will feature students and faculty performing special talents. Missoula Mayor John Engen will emcee the event, and UM mascot Monte will make an appearance. Event organizers will raffle various prizes, including Griz basketball tickets, football photo prints and Griz apparel.

For more information, e-mail Kelsey Olson at kelsey.olson@umconnect.umt.edu or Tyler Emerson at tyler.emerson@umontana.edu.

 

 Mansfield Center Hosts Brown Bag Series
 

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center will offer five free lecture events during March and April in its Spring 2010 Brown Bag Lecture Series at UM.

All lectures will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Mansfield Center Conference Room, located on the fourth floor of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library.

The first lecture of the series will take place today when Nathan Domitrovich, UM Department of Anthropology graduate student, presents "Southwest China's Land and People: Focus on Guizhou Province."

Other lectures in the series will be held March 23 and April 12, 21 and 27. For more a complete lecture series schedule, visit the Mansfield Center Web site.

Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center 

 Afghanistan Topic Of Mansfield Event
 

Owen Sirrs, a faculty associate with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center Defense Critical Language/Culture Program at UM, will give an overview of the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan on Tuesday, March 23.

Sirrs will give a presentation titled "Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan," followed by a community discussion, from 7 to 9 p.m. in James E. Todd Building Rooms 203-204. The event is free and open to the public.

Sirrs will examine the fundamentals of the U.S.-led counterinsurgency strategy and explore its effects in the recent campaign in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province. The following discussion will be about whether counterinsurgency is the appropriate strategy in light of fading international support for the Afghan effort, the legitimacy of the Afghan government, and America's competing domestic and international priorities.

 

 Group To Study Four-Day Workweek
 

A campus study group has been appointed to gather feedback and identify major benefits and potential costs of the proposed four-day workweek -- one of many options presented by UM President George M. Dennison to address the withdrawal of the federal stimulus funds and a predicted shortfall in state revenues.

Study group co-chairs are Christopher Comer, dean of UM's College of Arts and Sciences, and Rosi Keller, associate vice president for Administration and Finance. The study group includes faculty, staff and students from across campus.

Campus community members can submit comments to the study group and follow the group's process on the Four-Day Workweek Web site. Comments also can be e-mailed to fourdaystudy@mso.umt.edu.

Open forums will be scheduled soon for the campus community. The study group will analyze comments received, consult widely and provide recommendations in early May.

Four-Day Workweek 

 Mortar Board Seeks Nominations
 

UM's Penetralia Chapter of Mortar Board will sponsor the 23rd annual Senior Recognition Ceremony to recognize distinguished students Friday, May 14. At the ceremony, one outstanding senior from each department and from each Associated Students of UM organization will be honored with an engraved medallion and award certificate.

Mortar Board asks that each academic unit and each ASUM-recognized organization select one outstanding senior for recognition by UM President George M. Dennison. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, March 26.

Selection criteria and the nomination form are on the Mortar Board Web site. Forms should be turned in to Mortar Board, c/o the Undergraduate Advising Center, Lommasson Center Room 269. For more information, call Mortar Board adviser Jennifer Zellmer-Cuaresma at 243-2600 or e-mail jennifer.zellmerc@mso.umt.edu.

Mortar Board 

 Spring Lunch Series Under Way
 

The Faculty/Staff/Clergy Spring Lunch Series, sponsored by Emmaus Campus Ministry, includes two more events this semester.

The series is held from noon to 1 p.m. at Emmaus House, 532 University Ave. Soup, bread, coffee and beverages will be provided. RSVPs are not necessary.

Following is the series event schedule:
  • Thursday, March 18: "Climate Change and the Moral Responsibilities of Higher Education" by Dane Scott, director, UM Center for Ethics.
  • Wednesday, April 14: "Who Do You Say that I Am? Classical and Contemporary Christologies" by Professor Paul Dietrich, UM Liberal Studies Program.
For more information, call Rev. John Lund at 406-396-4974.

 

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

The president's office hours for spring semester are:
  • Friday, March 19: 1-3 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 23: 9-11 a.m.
  • Thursday, April 8: 9-11 a.m.
  • Monday, April 12: 3-5 p.m.
  • Friday, April 23: 10 a.m.-noon


 

 Faculty/Staff Socials
 

Socials will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. most Fridays during spring semester in the Davidson Honors College Lounge. Spring semester dates and event sponsors are:
  • March 19: Continuing Education; Davidson Honors College
  • March 26: President Dennison
  • April 9: Academic Affairs
  • April 23: Alumni Relations
  • April 30: President Dennison
  • May 7: College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences


 

 News About U
 

News About U Associate Professor Neva Hassanein represented the Environmental Studies Program at two meetings with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on March 6 in Bozeman. Hassanein and others met with Vilsack to share ideas on promoting sustainable agriculture and local food systems in Montana.

 

 Publications
 

Books and Publications Cleveland, Cory C. (with others). 2010. "Linking Environmental Nutrient Enrichment and Disease Emergence in Humans and Wildlife." Ecological Applications, 20(1):16-29.

Marczak, Laurie B. (with others). 2010 "Are Forested Buffers an Effective Conservation Strategy for Riparian Fauna? An Assessment Using Meta-analysis." Ecological Applications, 20(1):126-134.

 

Submissions must reach University Relations, 317 Brantly Hall, by noon Tuesday for inclusion in the following week's newsletter. Be sure to note that the submissions are for ForUM. E-mail submissions may be sent to campnews@mso.umt.edu. Items will be included as space permits. For more information, e-mail Brenda Day, ForUM editor.
phone: 406-243-2522
fax: 406-243-4520