Calendar

June 18
·  Heart of the Valley Golf Tournament in Ada
June 18 and 19
·  Relay for Life on the UMC Mall
June 25 and 26
·  NWSA Reunion
July 17
·  Teambacker Golf Classic
July 22
·  Mark Olsonawski Golf Tournament in Hallock
July 28
·  New Student Registration
August 1-5
·  Summer Start
August 18
·  RAs Arrive
August 19-22
·  Crookston Ox Cart Days
August 26
·  International Student Orientation
August 27-29
·  New Student Orientation
August 27
·  Residence halls open for new students
August 30
·  Fall Semester classes begin
September 6
·  Labor Day Holiday

News Items

Neet, Brorson Named Department Heads
UMC officials have selected Sharon Neet, D.A. and professor of history, to serve as department head for the UMC Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department and Susan Brorson, Ph.D. and professor of business management, to serve as department head for the UMC Business Department.

Neet holds a Doctor of Arts in recent U.S. history from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND.  She also holds a Specialist in Education in history education and a Master of Arts in recent U.S. history, both from Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS.  Her Bachelor of Arts in history is from Washburn University, Topeka, KS.

Neet has been a member of the faculty at UMC since 1990.  Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of rural development and non-Marxian socialist reform publications (1885-1920).  Teaching responsibilities at UMC have included courses in recent U.S. history, national and comparative government, Minnesota history, cultural pluralism in American history, and Western civilization surveys, among others.

Neet has published numerous articles, papers, abstracts, and book reviews.  Topics have ranged from her research of the Appeal to Reason, a progressive, socialist newspaper of the early 1900s recognized for its impact on public opinion and policy, to the use of interactive multimedia and computer software technology to improve teaching and learning in higher education.  This coming June she will present “A Business History of the Appeal to Reason, 1895-1914,” at the Business History Conference at the University of Nottingham in England.

Brorson holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership with a minor in research from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.  Her master’s degree in marketing education is also from UND.  She completed her bachelor’s degree in distributive education at Minnesota State University, Moorhead.

Brorson joined the UMC faculty in the fall of 1977 as a business instructor and earned the rank of professor in 1997.  Most recently she has served as the program manager for the business management degree program.  Her research interests have focused on technology enhanced learning, e-commerce, women’s entrepreneurship issues and rural economic development. 

Excellence in teaching has been a hallmark of Brorson’s career at UMC.  In the spring of 2003 she was honored by faculty peers and alumni with UMC’s Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of her significant contributions to teaching.  She had previously earned the same honor in 1986. 

In addition to her teaching and advising responsibilities, Brorson has worked on a number of grant-funded research projects.  In 1999 her proposal "Using Internet Based e-Commerce as a Strategic Business Tool" was funded through the University of Minnesota’s Technology Enhanced Learning Grant Program.  Later that year and into 2000 she developed and managed a grant, "Emerging Women Entrepreneurs Program: Online Incubator and Portal," funded by the Ford Foundation and the Red River Trade Council.  That grant built on Brorson’s previous work on a grant from the Ford Foundation, "Emerging Women Entrepreneurs Telecommunications Technology Project,” which helped regional entrepreneurs develop websites and marketing strategies for small businesses.

Ada Golf Tournament June 18
Once again UMC Teambackers will sponsor the Heart of the Valley Golf Tournament in Ada on Friday, June 18.  The golf tournament is a five-man scramble; the entry fee is $40 per person.  This fun-filled day starts at 11 a.m. with a pre-tournament social at the golf course.  The tournament starts at 1 p.m., and the post-tournament social is at the Ada VFW following the golfing.  Last year we turned away teams, so please sign up early!.
--Steve Olson and Bill Tyrrell, co-chairs, Ada Golf Tournament

NWSA Reunion June 25-26
The annual Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) Reunion is scheduled for June 25-26.  Honored classes include 1924, 1929, 1934, 1939, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, and 1964.

The event begins Friday, June 25, at 5:30 p.m. with a fish fry and social in a tent near the Kiehle Building.  Registration begins on Saturday, June 26, at 8 a.m. and continues through 5 p.m. in the Kiehle Rotunda.  Saturday’s events include golf at Minakwa Golf Club beginning at 9 a.m., or ttendees may choose to attend a garden party at 9 a.m. at the Peterson Gazebo on the UMC campus mall.  Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

The annual business meeting will take place at 1 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium, followed by “A Really Big Show” honoring the Class of 1954.  Class photos will be taken from 2 to 5 p.m. in Kiehle.

A buffet dinner is set for 5:30 p.m. in Brown Dining Room, followed by a program at 6 p.m. to honor the Top Aggies for 2004.

Prairie Café 2004
Northern Great Plains Inc. invites you to participate in our 2004 Prairie Cafe.  Held annually, Prairie Cafe is an open and informed discussion among selected invitees on a current or timely topic regarding the economic, social or environmental future of the Northern Great Plains region.  The primary objective of Prairie Cafe is to stimulate innovative thinking among the participants about the topic.   

The 2004 Prairie Cafe will be held Monday, July 26, in the River Bluff Meeting Room at Ponca State Park,  Ponca, Nebraska.  Ponca State Park is located approximately 20 miles northwest of South Sioux City, Nebraska.  The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude by 3 p.m.  The 2004 Prairie Cafe will be modeled upon the World Cafe format.  This year's topic: Mapping the Future - Discovering the Northern Great Plains in 2015.

In 1803, Lewis and Clark set out to map the unknown future of the United States. We pay homage to that voyage of discovery by calling this year's Prairie Cafe Mapping the Future - Discovering the Northern Great Plains in 2015.  Starting with a story describing a fictional but possible future for North America in 2015, participants will discover implications for the Northern Great Plains region.  Conversations will center around these four sectors - agriculture, energy, population and information technology.  By exploring these maps of a possible future for the region, participants can bring into clearer focus what they think may happen and what they want to see happen.  

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Barbara Ricord by June 30. Watch for future details concerning the day's activities. We are excited about this year's topic and hope to see you there!
--Jerry Nagel, president, Northern Great Plains Inc.

Summer Start Set for Aug. 1-5
Nearly 50 incoming new students are scheduled to attend UMC’s Summer Start, set for August 1 through 5.  Summer Start is an optional program offered to introduce new students to college life at UMC.  Students register for Computer Applications (CA) 1010 “Introduction to Computer Technology,” a one-credit introduction to technology course required of all new students.  In addition to receiving academic credit, students live in campus residence halls and participate in outside social programs to help make the transition to college easier.  Rae French will be coordinating Summer Start. 

Office Assignment and Reassignment
The Interior Space Assignment Committee has begun reviewing office space assignments for 2004-05. The goal is to complete all assignments within the next couple of weeks to allow for the changes to be effective July 1.  If you know that you will be moving/leaving/relocating please consider having your office packed and ready to re-locate by the end of June to allow for an orderly move.  Thanks for your help.
--Bob Nelson, vice chancellor, Student Affairs; Registrar

Talking Technology with Indiana State
Six faculty and staff members from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, visited UMC on Tuesday, May 25.  They came to UMC to discuss ubiquitous computing, UMC's laptop computer initiative, and the integration of technology into curriculum.  The group toured UMC's technology center in Kiehle Building and visited with faculty and staff about their experiences using technology at UMC.  The Indiana State group was the most recent of hundreds of groups to visit UMC, taking its tour of technology.  Earlier in the month a group of eight faculty and staff from Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., made a visit to UMC for a similar technology tour.

Win $100! Help Design the UMC/NWSA Centennial Logo
With its roots in the Northwest School of Agriculture dating back to 1905, today’s UMC is a four-year, public university.  Beginning in June 2005 and running through November 2006 (November 30, 1966, was UMC’s dedication as a college), the campus will mark a century of educational service to the state of Minnesota.

We plan to offer a series of events for all UMC and NWSA alumni, but we need your help designing a logo.  Draw up your concept and send it to us.  If the Centennial Planning Committee uses elements of your logo design, you could earn a $100 prize!

Send your logo ideas to:

UMC/NWSA Centennial Planning Committee
115 Kiehle Building
2900 University Avenue
Crookston, MN 56716

Staff Updates

Corky Miller joined the NETS staff as an applications programmer on June 1.  He will fill the position vacated when Kristi Puppe resigned.  His focus will be video conference and network support for K-12 and library sites.

John Zak, editor and photographer for University Relations, will return to work in June.  John has been dealing with health complications from an accident since September 20, 2003.  He will begin with a part-time phase-in over the month of June.

Brian Dingmann has been hired as an assistant professor in the tenure-track faculty position for biology.  He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John's University, Collegeville, MN.

Farewells

Dan Lim, assistant professor of information technology and director of UMC’s Instructional Technology Center, has accepted a position at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee.  He will carry the rank of professor and will also serve as the director of faculty development and online learning.  He will be leaving on June 20, but he will continue a relationship with UMC as a consultant and teacher for selected online courses.

Rebekah Seeger, information technology professional in UMC’s Instructional Technology Center, is moving to the Twin Cities with her husband, Grant, who will begin his medical residency program at the U of M. 

Andrew Svec, director of communications, has accepted the director of marketing position at the Washington Pavilion for the Arts and Science (www.washingtonpavilion.org) in Sioux Falls, S.D.  He will begin work there in late June.

Accolades

UMC student Sonja Hathaway of Grand Forks has been selected to be one of four finalists to debate in the Great American Think-Off, set for Saturday, June 12 in New York Mills, Minnesota.  Sonja will argue her position regarding same-sex marriages in front of a live audience beginning at 7 p.m. on June 12.

Ken Myers, associate professor of hotel, restaurant and institutional management, was quoted in an article in the May 2004 edition of Minnesota Business Magazine.  In the article “Behind the Curtain” (pp. 36-40) Ken Myers comments on the trend of using unique concepts and experiences in dining establishments to draw more customers.

Special Dates

Birthdays

June 16 - Don Sargeant
June 20 - Bruce Brorson
June 22 - Linda Wilkens
June 24 - Linda Olson
June 24 - Krista Proulx
June 25 - Sue Kreager
July 5 - Keith Knapp
July 11 - Sue Brorson

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@mail.crk.umn.edu and/or to Sue Dwyer at sdwyer@mail.crk.umn.edu. Thanks.

Bulletin Schedule for Summer
Following are the scheduled publication dates for the summer editions of the UMC Bulletin with submission deadline dates in parentheses.

• July 12 (deadline, Friday, July 9)

• August 9 (deadline, Friday, August 6)

The UMC Weekly Bulletin will resume publication on Wednesday, August 18, 2004.  Deadline for submission for that edition will be noon on Tuesday, August 17. 

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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