April 8, 2008

Inside this Issue

Campus Assembly Report Online
Campus Celebrations
Food Service Operation Changes
Events & Activities
Student Online Radio Station Created

From the Chancellor

At long last it appears spring may be here. I’m sure some warmer weather, melting snow and green grass will lift everyone’s spirits. It’s just in time as we all look forward to graduation.

Activities Create Buzz
The campus community has hosted many groups over the past few weeks. Some include Business Activities Day, River Watch, Career Day with the Crookston Area Chamber, the Women’s Health Fair and the Home Grown Economy Conference. All provide the opportunity for students to learn more about the University of Minnesota, Crookston and at the same time extend the knowledge and resources of the campus to the region. Thanks to all the faculty and staff who provide leadership for these programs.

On Wednesday evening, April 2, the International dinner series held its final event. All four dinners were very well attended by students, faculty and staff and members of the Crookston community. International students did a great job providing entertainment and information about their home country. Dining Services staff prepared and served a variety of foods for everyone to experience. Many thanks are due to Study Abroad Coordinator Rae French and the international students for planning and hosting the dinners. Thanks also, to Associate Music and Theater Professor George French for providing musical support for the dinners.

Campus Celebrations
I continue to hear positive comments about the Stan and Pat Alseth gift announcement to the U of M, Crookston. This gift will have a lasting impact on campus. I want to express appreciation to Director Corby Kemmer and staff members Rose Ulseth and Sue Dwyer from the Office of Development & Alumni Relations and Director Krista Lemos and staff members Elizabeth Tollefson and John Zak from University Relations for the great job they did with the public celebration and announcement of the gift.

Also congratulations go to Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team members for winning the regional competition for the ninth straight year. They will compete in the national competition in Chicago in May. Thanks to Business Department faculty members Eric Burgess and Kenneth Johnson for their leadership of the SIFE team.

We look forward to celebrating more accomplishments and achievements of students at the U of M, Crookston on April 10 at the Student Awards Ceremony. The event begins at 7 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium.

Change in Food Service Operations
Last Friday, April 4, the University announced the vendors who are being recommended for Board of Regents approval for food and beverage services on all University campuses. The Crookston campus is recommending that the Regents accept the proposal from Sodexo to manage and provide dining services on campus.

This decision is the result of an extensive process over several months. I am confident that the contract and partnership with Sodexo is responsible and fiscally sound and that it will help meet the campus community’s expectations and provide an exceptional student experience. For more background details, please refer to the frequently asked questions and answers available online.

Around Campus
An announcement was made last week regarding a Pulse Survey that was recently sent to faculty and staff. I strongly encourage you to take time to complete the survey. This information will be used to identify issues on campus and levels of satisfaction with employment at the University of Minnesota.

My report and update presented at Campus Assembly on April 2 is now posted online on my home page. I encourage you to take time to learn about the progress the University of Minnesota, Crookston campus has made over the last year and where we are headed. We have much cause for celebration as well as opportunity to address a number of challenges as we continue to educate exceptional students, foster and recognize exceptional faculty and staff, strengthen an exceptional organization and promote exceptional innovation.

Your contributions are moving the campus forward and your continued support and participation are critical to ongoing organizational success.

Chuck
– Charles H. Casey, Chancellor
University of Minnesota, Crookston 

Featured Events & Activities

Community Dialogue with Office of Service Learning, April 17 – This is a chance for community agencies, organizations and individuals to brainstorm community needs and ideas for potential service-learning and community service projects. The event is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Kiehle 116. For more details: 218-281-8526 or loege005@umn.edu.

Beautiful U Day, April 17 – A tradition since 1997, Beautiful U Day combines hands-on beautification efforts with academic forums to celebrate University of Minnesota campuses across the state and acknowledge the responsibility to maintain both physical and natural resources.

Sixth Annual Carl Spackler Open Golf Tournament, April 19 – The tournament begins at 10 a.m. and is open to students, faculty, staff and the community. All proceeds will be used to help students attend regional and national education conferences. For more information, call 920-418-1486 or e-mail fredr142@umn.edu.

Mapping Your Retirement, April 15, 17 and 23 – This educational course will assist seniors in creating alternate ways to stay connected and productive, to retool for second careers and to develop new skills for navigating transitions. The series is open to the public and is sponsored by the Minnesota Rural Health Association and the U of M, Crookston. For more information, contact Center for Adult Learning Director Michelle Christopherson at 218-281-8679 (mchristo@umn.edu). News Release

We look forward to seeing you. For more details or to discover what's happening this week, visit UMC Today at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews or review our news page at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews/stories.

Around Campus

Academic Affairs – Faculty have submitted a proposal to deliver a criminal justice degree at the Crookston campus. It has been forwarded to the Twin Cities for review and Board of Regents consideration this summer.

Congratulations to the Horticulture Club for winning a $4,000 grant from the U of M Institute on the Environment to build a Native Plant Demonstration Garden. This hands-on learning opportunity will show students and the community how to implement sustainable practices by using native plants in landscaping.

Student Affairs and Enrollment – Under the leadership of senior Joe Field, the Crookston campus SIFE team developed and now operates the online radio station Golden Eagle Mix at www.goldeneaglemix.com. Last month, Campus leadership approved work space for the radio station on the second floor of Kiehle Building on the south side of the auditorium and up to $1250 to support infrastructure improvements to add a door to the designated area.

Celebrate the work of community and University partners during Public Engagement Day April 17 with Andrew Furco, Ph.D., associate vice president for public engagement at the University of Minnesota. The public is invited to a poster session with refreshments beginning at 10:30 a.m. At 12:15 p.m., Furco will address students, faculty and community members outlining his vision of what it means to be an engaged university followed by a time of reflection by a campus and community panel. News Release

Finance & University Services – Enterprise Financial System (EFS) end-user training began April 1, 2008. The Business Affairs Office staff will be attending training on multiple training modules. Other users on campus will be directed to the modules they will need to prepare for the new financial system.

A pre-construction walk through took place in preparation for the updates to the biology lab on the third floor of Dowell Hall. Staff from the Twin Cities Capital Planning and Project Management Department will be on campus May 15, 2008, to help with our Facilities Management Plan and the update of the Campus Master Plan.

Development & Alumni Relations – Thank you to all involved in the preparation of the March 27 news conference in which we announced one of the largest unrestricted gifts to the U of M, Crookston in recent memory from the late Stanley and Hanorah “Pat” Alseth, Baltimore, Md. The gift of more than $260,000 will be utilized to support eight initiatives on campus. See the news release for more details. The event was attended by more than 50 people and was a celebration of the lives of Stan and Pat Alseth.

The second annual Bill Tyrrell Walk-A-Thon will take place at Ed Widseth Field on April 24. The goal is to raise $15,000 for Golden Eagle athletic scholarships, so please consider making a pledge to Bill’s 5-mile walk and come out to support Bill. You can pledge online at www.umcrookston.edu/billswalk.

Join us on Friday, April 25, for Teambackers Fun Nite at the Crookston Eagles Club. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets in advance; all dollars raised will go to support student-athlete scholarships.

For more information on how you can support the U of M, Crookston and our students, please contact Corby Kemmer, director of Development & Alumni Relations: 218-281-8434; toll free 800-862-6466 x8434; e-mail ckemmer@umn.edu. Thank you for your support!

University Relations – Now you can search the U of M, Crookston and Golden Eagle Athletics Web sites faster and more effectively. The E-Communications Web team along with Technology Support Services have worked together to make the Web site “search” function even better. We now have more control of results for keyword searches by setting “key matches” (promotion of specific Web pages) and pointing visitors to “related queries” (associated alternative words or phrases with specified search terms). We can also use filters and remove old URL’s that might still be indexed. Another new feature of our search is that you can choose to search other U of M campuses without leaving our site. Thank you for your patience as we will be working now through the end of the summer to make our Web pages more search-engine friendly and help you find needed information.

Student Thomas Ohmacht (ohmac050@umn.edu) recently joined the Web team. He will be working with Web intern Tyler Derosier under the direction of E-Communications Manager Amber Bailey (albailey@umn.edu) to maintain and enhance the Web site. Help us keep the Web pages current by sending suggestions and letting us know when you run into problems on the site.

Athletics – Two student-athletes, Delano Robinson (men’s basketball) and Amber Meyer (volleyball), have been picked to attend the 2008 NCAA National Student-Athlete Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., May 27-29. Only 700 students were picked out of 1,840 nominations, and we are very excited that two Golden Eagle student-athletes are attending.

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) spring meetings are scheduled for April 27 and 28 in Plymouth, Minn. Chancellor Casey, Faculty Athletic Representative Cleon Melsa, Ph.D., Athletic Director Stephanie Helgeson and Assistant Athletic Director Natasha Kuhle will be attending.

The U of M, Crookston Athletic Awards (SAAC) program will be held on April 23 at 6 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium. The event is co-sponsored by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and the community and campus are welcome and encouraged to attend.

On April 26, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee will be hosting a tailgate for Golden Eagle baseball and softball games. Come out to enjoy brats and beverages along with other fun activities throughout the day. The event is open to the public.

Visit www.goldeneaglesports.com for schedules and cheer on the Golden Eagles.

Human Resources – An employee benefits information session with Melinda Soderberg, University of Minnesota Employee Benefits Specialist, will be held on campus April 18. The session is designed to help with retirement planning and answer any questions regarding retirement or University benefit plans. Call Jacquie Normandin in Human Resources at 218-281-8346 to schedule an individual meeting on April 18 to discuss any specific health, life, disability, dental or retirement questions. Individual meetings will be held in Room 244 (second floor) of the Student Center starting at 8 a.m.

Publication notes: The E-Update is published twice each month August thru April and once each month in the summer, May thru July. Issues are posted online.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this news update, please send them to urumc@umn.edu.