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DATE:               November 12, 2001

TO:                   Board of Regents

FROM:              Dr. Ronald P. Sexton, Chancellor, Montana State University-Billings

RE:                   Campus Report for the November, 2001, Board of Regents' Meeting

 Enrollment up 13 FTE from OCHE target, up 58 from last year, up 53 headcount from last year.

 

�   Crisis Management Team activated to deal with Anthrax scare.  Procedures are being implemented to reduce the risk of incidents on campus.  People are being made aware of possibilities and trained to respond properly.  Staff meetings scheduled to reaffirm safe mail handling procedures.

 

�   Currently, 21 students have enrolled in the newly developed A.S. degree with a program in Fire Science.

 

�   An NEH grant has been secured to present faculty seminars on the Cultural Survival of Native Americans.

 

�   College of Business faculty, Bea Wallace, elected Secretary of the NW Area Conference of the American Society of Women Accountants; also serves as President-elect of the Billings Chapter of ASWA.

 

�   Collaborative NIH/BRIN grant submitted in partnership with MSU-Bozeman, MSU-Northern, and the McLaughlin Research Institute has been awarded.  MSU-Billings will receive $150,000 for the purchase of lab equipment and lab renovations.

 

�   Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival held on the MSU-Billings campus attracted 60 teachers and students from Idaho and Montana and over 350 people to the recitals.

 

�   Daimler/Chrysler Corporation conducted service technician training for Montana dealers at MSU-Billings College of Technology.

 

�   Dr. Audrey ConnerRosberg scheduled a "National Depression Screening Day" activity at the College of Technology.  Individuals with significant depression symptoms were referred for counseling.

 

�   Emergency Response Training for employees was conducted on campus on October 10.

 

�   Child Care and Enrichment Center zoning request to the Billings City Council has been approved.

 

�   MSU-Billings is recipient of a 5-year $133,000 grant from the Department of Education for student childcare scholarships (campus grant).

 

�   MSU-Billings is part of the City/County Health Services team to develop community plans for dealing with bio-hazards.

 

�   Author Peter Matthiessen presented the October Distinguished Lecture. 

 

�   A successful, fun kick-off of MSU-Billings  75th Anniversary was held on October 13 when current and former students, faculty, and staff  walked from downtown Billings in commemoration of the day 35 years ago when faculty and staff walked  from downtown classrooms up to the campus  first building, McMullen Hall.  Five women who participated in the first walk took part in the event as well as a number of emeritus faculty.

 

�   Banner 5 upgrade successfully completed.

 

�   All campus employees and supervisors to receive MAP training have been trained or are signed up for future training sessions. 

 

�   Wellness Fair scheduled for all employees on November 15, blood test/screenings, flu immunizations, etc.

 

�   VA-HUD Special Project Grant of $1,197,360 was awarded to the College of Business to be used for economic development activities.

 

�   Montana Center on Disabilities and the College of Business collaborated on a project for which  a $75,000 grant from the Department of Labor has been awarded.

 

�   June Hermanson of the Montana Center on Disabilities received a Developmental Disabilities Award for Advocacy.

 

�   Montana Center on Disabilities is collaborating with Rocky Mountain Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center of Denver, CO, to provide technical assistance on accessible Information Technology to public and private educational entities.  Montana Center and Parents Let's Unite for Kids (PLUK) are Montana liaison for the project.

 

�   Jay Shaw will be presenting "I Laughed Till I Learned" at the prestigious Northwest District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance this spring in Boise, ID.

 

�   Farzad Farsio, College of Business faculty member, coauthored with two students, now graduated, an article entitled  "Economic Value Added and Stock Returns," which has been accepted for publication in Financier.

 

�   The University has begun a process to develop and install a propane backup fuel supply system in order to be able to purchase lower cost interruptible gas service.

 

�   Student participation in community service activity has quadrupled this semester.