Calendar

March 10
·  UMC Hosts FFA Contests
·  Open House for Pat Downs
·  Admissions Roundtable Discussion
·  S.P.A.C.E. Movie Night:  "Scary Movie 3"
March 11
·  High School Knowledge Bowl Competition
·  UMC Hosts High School Basketball Tournaments
March 12
·  Faculty Seminar Series, Dr. David Arscott
·  Residence Halls close at 4 p.m. for Spring Break
·  UMC Hosts High School Basketball Tournaments
March 13-20
·  Alternative Spring Break
March 13
·  UMC Hosts High School Basketball Tournaments
March 15-19
·   Spring Break
March 15
·  United Staff Association Spring Semester Meeting
March 16
·  Safety Meeting
·  Crookston Chamber Career Day
·  UMC Hosts High School Basketball Tournaments
March 18-19
·  UMC Hosts High School Basketball Tournaments
March 19
·  High School Knowledge Bowl Competition
March 22
·   International Seminar Series:  Vietnam
March 23
·  Great Conversations Series:  "Bioethics in the
   National Spotlight"
March 24
·  Breakfast with the Chancellor
·  Spring Convocation
·  W.O.W. Event:  Singer/Songwriter Bari Koral
March 25
·   Program:  Women Inspiring Hope and Possibility
March 26
·  Spring Semester Campus Assembly
March 26-28
·  SOS Leader Planning Retreat
March 27
·  Super Saturday Campus Open House and
   Recruitment Day
March 29
·  Etiquette Dinner
March 30
·   Program:  Empowering Women to Reduce Risk for
    Heart Disease
·   Faculty/Student Showdown
March 31
·   Barn Yard Olympics
April 15
·   Student Awards Reception

News Items

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Now Available on Campus
On the morning of Thursday, March 4, an automatic external defibrillator or AED was placed into service at the UMC Sports Center.  This is the first such device to be installed on the UMC campus.  Thanks to a grant that the Athletic Department received from the NSIC and additional funding support from Student Affairs, Student Health, and our Student Center, UMC accrued enough funds to make the purchase.  Thanks also to Brian Holmer and Great Plains EMS, who secured a vendor at an affordable price.

This is a significant addition to the Sports Center and will provide quick response for trained personnel to assist cardiac arrest victims in an emergency.  AEDs have increased the successful save rate of cardiac arrest victims in airports across the country by 80%!

Great Plains EMS staff trained Stephanie Goetz, Bill Tyrell, Stacey Grunewald, and me Thursday morning.  We later determined the best location to install the cabinet, and Lew Hanson from Facilities Management completed the work this afternoon.

As time permits, I believe there is interest in having as many staff as possible working in the Sports Center trained and certified in the use of the AED.  We look forward to increasing the number of AEDs on campus to cover such buildings as Sahlstrom Conference Center, Kiehle Building, the new Student Center, and UTOC.  Thanks to all involved for their support for this project.
--Tom Feiro, environmental health & safety specialist

UMC to Host High School Basketball Tournaments
The UMC Athletic Department will be hosting high school tournaments March 5 through March 19.  During these times we ask that if you are going to use the Fitness Center please enter by the south entrance.  Also, parking will be at a premium at times, so we ask that you do not park in front of the Sports Center (mall side) as that is a loading and unloading area for teams, bands, etc.  Thanks for your cooperation, if you have any questions please let me know.  The schedule of games is below.
--Stephanie Helgeson, director, Athletics

Open House for Pat Downs March 10
Pat Downs, director, Valley Technology Park, has accepted a new position working for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives in Fargo, ND.  The campus community is invited to a farewell open house for Pat set for Wednesday, March 10, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the conference room in Valley Technology Park.  His last day at the VTP will be March 11.  Please stop by and wish him well.

Admissions Roundtable Discussion March 10
Faculty and staff are invited to an Admissions Roundtable Discussion on Wednesday, March 10, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Brown Dining Room A & B of Sahlstrom Conference Center.  The topic of discussion will be “What I wanted to know while my student was going through the college selection process!”  Panel participants will include faculty and staff who have recently sent sons or daughters off to college:  Marilyn Grave, Richard Nelson, Lyle Westrom, Laurie Wilson, Ken Myers, and Bill Peterson, led by panel facilitator: John Flemming, director, UMC Office of Admissions.

Sale at UMC Bookstore through March 12
Check out the Winter Clearance Sale going on now through March 12 at the UMC Bookstore, 109 Robertson.  Major price reductions including:  hats for $4.95, t-shirts for $7.95, hoods for $19.95, and much more.

Safety Meeting March 16
The University of Minnesota, Crookston and Northwest Research and Outreach Center will hold annual required safety training on Tuesday, March 16, 2004, at the Youngquist Auditorium, ARC Building.  There will be only one session held.  Training sessions will be refresher courses on Employee Right to Know, Hazardous Waste, Laboratory Safety, and a specialized training session on Lockout/Tagout for designated employees.

Administrators and supervisors please make sure employees and student workers attend the appropriate refresher course(s) for your work area.

8:30 a.m. – Employee Right to Know
9:00 a.m. – Hazardous Waste
9:30 a.m. – Break
9:45 a.m. – Laboratory Safety (for faculty, staff, researchers whose duties include working in our laboratories) 

Lockout/Tagout Specialized Training Session
(Time to be determined.  Designated employees will be contacted.)

Super Saturday Recruitment Event March 27
Super Saturday, an event similar to the Campus Preview Days but with a new twist, is scheduled for Saturday, March 27.

Thanks to Michelle Christopherson, UMC’s Office of Admissions has been able to launch an event that in the future I see as a campus-wide, student organized event for UMC.  This type of event will provide a great deal of exposure for us within the region.  The purpose of a campus-wide open house event in the spring is to provide an opportunity for us to showcase ourselves to prospective students, alumni, and the general public.

While I was with Kansas State University and there still is today, a campus-wide open house in the spring that draws 35-40,000 visitors to the campus. This is a list of some of the events that are part of the open house event:

• Student groups have tables in the K-State Union.

• There are campus tours conducted by the Campus Visitation Program Leaders.

• Admissions sessions for prospective e students and parents.

• There are faculty demonstrations in areas like robotic engineering.

• Tours of the agricultural farms.

I realize that this is something new for us.  However, I believe that we need to begin some new traditions that draw attention to our campus and that provide an opportunity for the residents of region to learn how the campus has changed and what the future holds for us.

Thus far, we have invited all of the prospects who are still in the prospect pool and who have not applied for admission.  Right now, I really don’t know what the turn out will be because the flyer has just been dropped in the mail this week.  However, this event conveniently coincides with the possible approval of the Regents of the new UMC programs, and Andrew Svec is working on the details of promoting these programs.  Next year, we’ll be ahead of the game because we will have scheduled the event as part of our Admissions Operational Plan.  Additionally, I’m hoping that the UMC Ambassadors will become involved in the planning of the event so that this event can be more of student driven event and really their event.

If you’re available and would like to do some type of demonstration or simulation, please let me know.
--John Flemming, director, UMC Office of Admissions

Department Head Search Committee
I am pleased to announce members of the Department Heads Search Committee which are as follows:  Rob Smith, Marilyn Grave, Laurie Wilson, Chuck Habstritt, Pam Elf, and Business and Technology Center student, Ryan Tripp.  Rob Smith has agreed to chair the committee and applications should be directed to him by March 15.

Thanks to the committee for agreeing to serve in this capacity, and let me invite all who care deeply about the future success of our campus to strongly consider applying for a department head position and making a positive difference for our students, faculty and staff.
--W. Daniel Svedarsky, interim vice chancellor, Academic Affairs

Academic Year Calendar Recommendations
The UMC Calendar Committee has forwarded its recommendations to the UMC administration for the academic year calendars 2004-05 through 2008-09.

The recommended calendars can be accessed at <http://webhome.crk.umn.edu/~nelson/>.

Please note the following changes:

1. There are no changes in the 2004-05 calendar.
2. For calendar years 2005-06 through 2008-09 the following principles have been applied:
   1. The fall semester consists of 75 instructional days.
   2. Classes will begin on Tuesday, the week prior to Labor Day.
   3. A faculty-staff in-service day will be held on the 2nd Friday in October (no classes).
   4. Thanksgiving break will consist of Thursday and Friday (no classes).
   5. The last day of fall semester classes will be on a Friday with finals held the following Monday - Thursday.
   6. There will be a two-week semester break between the end of fall and the beginning of spring semesters.
   7. Spring semester will consist of 73 instructional days.
   8. Spring break will coincide with the UM-Twin Cities break.
   9. Classes will end on a Friday.
   10. The spring semester will have a "study" day (no classes or finals) on the Monday of finals week.
   11. Finals will be held from Tuesday - Friday.
   12. Commencement will be on Saturday. 

--On behalf of the Calendar Committee,
Brent Arndt, Student
Sarah Myers, Student
DeAnn Ebert, Student
Peg Sherven, Media Resources
Jason Tangquist, Athletics
Meloni Rasmussen, Student Activities
Lisa Samuelson, United Staff Association
Bonni Buchmeier, Learning Foundations
Twyla Treanor, Business & Technology
Paul Aakre, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Bob Nelson, Vice Chancellor/Registrar (Chairperson)

Accolades
   
UMC has received a grant from the University of Minnesota’s civic engagement initiative, the Council on Public Engagement (COPE), to support “Beyond the numbers: Finding and engaging community energy in very small towns,” proposed by Sharon Neet, professor of history; Susan Brorson, professor of business management; and Richard Nelson, director, Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources.  The interdisciplinary study involving business, agriculture, and the humanities proposes to identify success factors that make small communities and “community” (in the social sense) sustainable and successful in rural Northwestern Minnesota.  The project will also begin a narrative study of northwest Minnesota communities that continue to remain vital despite measured demographic change and decline.  Research will take place over the summer of 2004 and will culminate with a daylong session of discussions and presentations in November. 

After a regional search, it is my pleasure to announce that Rae French has been appointed program associate for the First Year Experience program (60%) and assistant (40%) for the Study Abroad Program.  This is a ten-month position.  Along with these duties, Rae will be assisting with some other duties related to admissions and retention.  These include: 1) assisting with New Student Registration; 2) helping to organize (if needed) specialized on-campus student tours, 3) assisting with training of UMC prospective student tour guides; 4) coordinate New Student Orientation and Welcome Week activities; 5) assist with Campus Preview Days; and 6) assisting with campus retention efforts.  In the latter capacity, Rae will be working closely with John Flemming, director, UMC Admissions.  Please join me in officially welcoming Rae to what she has already been doing on an interim basis!  Also, please give Rae a helping hand whenever you can as we welcome new students to campus and work towards retaining those who are here.
--W. Daniel Svedarsky, interim vice chancellor, Academic Affairs

VolunTEAM Update
Service Learning Fact:  57% of UMC faculty incorporates a service-learning project into their courses.

A volunteer or volunteers is needed to pick up approximately 4 large boxes of groceries and other commodities every third Friday of the month between 1 and 3 p.m. in East Grand Forks and deliver them to two clients in Crookston.  This could be a great opportunity for a club to sponsor.  For more information, please contact LouAnne Olson at Polk County Social Services at 218-281-0637 or louanne.olson@co.polk.mn.us.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Crookston VolunTEAM, please contact Lisa Loegering in the VolunTEAM office (Dowell 112) at 281-8526 or loege005@umn.edu.  Or, simply visit <www.volunteam.org>.

Community Events
Polk County Triad will host “A Taste of Italy Dinner and Silent Auction” Saturday, March 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Crookston High School.  Cost of tickets:  $10 each.  Proceeds will go to purchase defibrillators for Crookston Police squad cars.  Supplemental funds provided by Thrivent.  For tickets, contact Deanna Patenaude, R.S.V.P., Sahlstrom Conference Center 104 or call 281-8288.

Special Dates 
Birthdays
March 12 – Dave Hoff

Reminder:  Faculty and staff are encouraged to share well wishes for birthdays, anniversaries, births, etc. with the rest of the campus.  Please send items for this week’s special dates via e-mail to Andrew Svec at asvec@umn.edu and/or Sue Dwyer at sdwyer@umn.edu.  Thanks.

UMC Insight
UMC Insight, the weekly radio show about UMC, airs on KROX Radio 1260 AM Saturdays at 8:45 a.m.  Tune in Saturday, March 13, to hear another interesting interview.  UMC Insight is hosted by Andrew Svec, UMC director of communications.

UMC Insight files are also available via the Web at:  <www.UMCrookston.edu/newsevents/insight/03-04/index.htm>

UMC Bulletin
The UMC Weekly Bulletin is posted at:
<www.UMCrookston.edu/campusinfo/wkbulletin/bulletin.htm>

Publication Information:
The UMC Weekly Bulletin is published by University Relations weekly September through May.  Copy deadline is noon on Tuesday of each week.  The Weekly Bulletin is edited by Andrew Svec, director of communications, with production assistance by Sue Dwyer, word processing specialist.  Please send items for the bulletin electronically to Andrew Svec at asvec@umn.edu with a copy to Sue Dwyer at sdwyer@umn.edu.

Disability accommodations will be provided upon request for all events.  The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

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