Campuses : Twin Cities Crookston Duluth Morris Rochester Other Locations OneStop myU Search Websites and People What's Inside Brief Campus Conversations Features Home > Brief > Brief (1-11-2012) People Vol. XLII No. 1; Jan. 11, 2012 Editor: Adam Overland, [email protected] Resources for Internal Communications Inside This Issue --Federal Relations update. Related Links --Features: Dictators in the dock; This Week @Minnesota; U of M Moment. --People: R. Scott Studham has been named vice president and chief information officer; and more. Office of the President University News and Events Government & Top News | University-wide | Crookston | Duluth | Morris | Rochester | Twin Cities Community Relations TOP NEWS: FEDERAL RELATIONS UPDATE: Congress recently finalized appropriations levels for FY 2012 and the numbers were, by and large, beneficial for research and education institutions. In the context of the many fights and impasses over spending that have defined this Congress, higher education advocates welcomed funding for priorities such as the Pell Grant program, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. Less rosy is the outlook for FY 2013, when automatic across-the- board budget cuts are set to kick in as a result of the failure of the so-called supercommittee to reach a deficit-reducing deal. For more information, see Federal Relations. Features FEATURE: If dictators who torture, kill, or otherwise abuse their citizens' human rights are overthrown, should they be brought to trial? On one hand, convicting and punishing an ex-dictator would strike a welcome blow for justice in countries where it has been denied. On the other hand, trials may open old wounds and even encourage dictators to hang onto power just to avoid prosecution. In a recent book, professor Kathryn Sikkink comes down strongly on the side of bringing deposed malefactors to trial. For more information, read "Dictators in the dock." THIS WEEK @MINNESOTA: Jan. 2–6. This installment of the weekly video feature takes a look at a new Bell Museum exhibit called "90 Days in the Boundary Waters" by Minnesota photographer Jim Brandenburg, a new clinical trial opportunity from researcher John Wagner, and a reminder to vote for your favorite videos in the student scholarship video contest. For more information, watch "This Week @Minnesota." U OF M MOMENT: It's the time of year when people make resolutions to eat less, exercise more, or be a better person in general. Psychology professor Mark Snyder says there's nothing wrong with making such plans. But to be successful, Snyder says it's more about simple goals than making grand resolutions. For more information, listen to the U of M Moment. Awards, appointments, and other announcements PEOPLE: R. Scott Studham has been named vice president and chief information officer; the U has appointed a search committee for a new vice president for equity and diversity; the U has been awarded a $15 million grant to implement one of the nation's most comprehensive childhood education programs; 13 faculty from around the U system have been chosen to participate in the 2012 Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Cohort Program; the Provost's Committee on Student Mental Health presented its 2012 Award for Outstanding Student Mental Health Leadership to Betty Benson; Jasjit Ahluwalia has been selected to receive the Prevent Cancer Foundation's Prevention Laurel Award for National Leadership; the Confucius Institute was named a 2011 Confucius Institute of the Year; former College of Pharmacy dean Lawrence Weaver has passed away; U in the News features U faculty and staff cited in the media. Read about these topics and more in People. CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS UNIVERSITY-WIDE: Administrative information TXT-U IS THE U's EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION TEXT MESSAGING SYSTEM. Faculty, staff, and students can stay informed about critical campus safety information by registering to receive TXT-U messages at any U of M campus location. For registration and more information, see TXT-U. CHANGE TO LIBERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: Students on the UMTC campus who started in fall 2010 or later can now satisfy their liberal education theme requirements by completing four out of five themes. Students who started before fall 2010 will continue to follow the requirements that were in place prior to fall 2010. This change does not affect students enrolled in programs offered exclusively on the UMR campus. WEB HOSTING SERVICE—TOWN HALL FORUM: The Office of Information Technology has scheduled a forum to inform the U community about its current web hosting services redesign project. Jan. 13, 10–11 a.m., 131A Science Teaching and Student Services. The session will also be available online via UMConnect and a recording will be available after the event. For more information, see town hall. Funding awards and opportunities APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE SPRING GRANT-IN-AID of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship Program in the Office of the Vice President for Research. The grants promote the scholarly and artistic activities of faculty and their graduate students. Proposals must be submitted electronically by Feb. 6. Compliance approvals will be processed electronically as well. For more information, see Grant-in-Aid, email the Research Advancement Office, or call 612-625-2356. CROOKSTON: UMC HAS BEEN NAMED AMONG THE TOP 25 in a SuperScholar's "Smart Choice" ranking of schools offering online bachelor's degrees. For more information, see top 25. A LOCAL FOODS COLLEGE TV SERIES beginning on Jan. 24 will offer an overview of the basics of growing more of your own food, from planning to soils, fruit and vegetable production, and business development. The series, available via interactive television (ITV) at several locations across northwestern Minnesota, continues on Tuesday evenings through mid-March. For more information, see local foods. JAN AAMOTH will be the new director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of the Red River Valley beginning Jan. 12. After 20 years, Deanna Patenaude is stepping down as the organization's director. RSVP of the Red River Valley is housed at UMC's Sargeant Student Center. For more information, see RSVP director. DULUTH: UMD'S GERMAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT assistant professor Dan Nolan and instructor Michael Mullins are creating an iPad application to replace a German grammar guide that has been discontinued. Associate professor Mariana Waisman of the Department of Graphic Design and assistant professor Pete Willemsen from the Department of Computer Science are also involved with the project, as well as students from all three departments through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. For more information, see iPad app. GRAPHIC DESIGN ALUMNUS Jesse Bodell, who executes the branding for the Minnesota Twins, designed 12 versions of a collectable game ticket. For more information, see Twins ticket designs. THE UMD AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT PROGRAMS OFFICE collaborated with the UMD marching band and local musical group 2one8 in a music video based on the song, "New Day," which was written and produced by several artists working with the JeRecords label. To view the video, see YouTube. MORRIS: UMM WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 100 BEST VALUES IN PUBLIC COLLEGES in a national ranking by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. The Morris and Twin Cities campuses were the only Minnesota institutions chosen for best value honors. For more information, see best value. THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE will be held Jan. 19. Students and community members are invited to celebrate King's life and legacy by joining in training related to diversity and social justice, learning about local volunteer opportunities, making a volunteer pledge for 2012, participating in a group service project, and enjoying a free meal and program. For more information, see MLK day of service. UMM STUDENTS Luciana Ranelli '13, biology, secondary education; and Ashleigh Thompson '13, anthropology, American Indian studies; were honored with 2011 Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) Awards. The U-wide award recognizes 13 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who are doing outstanding equity, social justice, and diversity work through academics and/or service to the community. For more information, see UMM SEED. "WILL DEMOCRACY SURVIVE THE ASSAULT ON SCIENCE?," a talk by science advocate and humanitarian Shawn Lawrence Otto, will take place Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m., Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall. Free and open to the public, the talk will also be streamed live for those who cannot attend in person. Otto is an author and a well-known speaker on the world's major unsolved challenges that revolve around science and on the need to encourage elected leaders to engage in finding solutions. For more information, see science lecture. THE WEST CENTRAL RESEARCH AND OUTREACH CENTER (WCROC) was named Outstanding Conservationist for 2011 by the Stevens County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). This recognition was based on WCROC's research and educational programs in horticulture, water quality, renewable energy, dairy, swine, and crop production. For more information, see SWCD Conservation News. ROCHESTER: UMR CONNECTS January community engagement events will focus on the theme of responsible health care. Connect events are held each Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. on the fourth floor of University Square, and are free and open to the public. For more information, see UMR Connects. TWIN CITIES: Administrative information VOTING HAS BEGUN FOR THE DRIVEN TO DISCOVER VIDEO CONTEST and faculty and staff are invited to weigh in. Visit the U's official Facebook page to "Like" your favorite videos. Twin Cities undergraduate students are sharing what they are driven to discover and competing for $30,000 in scholarships. Voting ends at noon, Jan. 17, and winners will be officially announced on Jan. 23. NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 PRESIDENT'S STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD are open until Jan. 27. The award honors the accomplishments of outstanding students at UMTC.