Campus Report for the November 2001 Board of Regents’ Meeting
DATE: 9 November 2001
TO: Board of Regents
FROM: G. M. Dennison, President, The University of Montana
RE: Campus Report for the November 2001 Board of Regents' Meeting
- Pfc. Kristofor T. Stonesifer, former UM-M student and member of the Grizzly Battalion, died recently in a helicopter
crash in Pakistan while participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.
- The School of Business Administration ranked number one in the nation for first-time
pass rate of the May 2000 Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. UM-M students
achieved an 82.4 percent first-time pass rate for all subjects tested, compared to
a national average of 17.4 percent.
- Jonathan Weber, former editor-in-chief of The Industry Standard, will serve as the School of Journalism's first T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished
Professor. The visiting professorship brings a distinguished working journalist to
campus for one semester each academic year.
- The new Campus Recreation Center opened on 27 October 2001.This $10 million facility
features over 13,000 square feet of fitness and sports space, nearly 100 new strength
and aerobic machines, and a 45-foot climbing wall.
- A Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award will reunite Division of Biological Sciences
Professor James Gannon and colleagues from the University of Botswana with Gannon's new project, "International
Collaborative Research and Curriculum Development in Applied Ecology."
- The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recently selected Vince Huntsberger as one of 16 National Scholar-Athletes for 2001. This prestigious academic award
given to college senior scholar-athletes provides post-graduate scholarships in the
amount of $18,000.
- The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement
of Support of Education (CASE) selected Economics Professor John Photiades as Montana Professor of the Year.
- Political Science Professor Peter Koehn, a three-time Fulbright award recipient, stands among 12 U.S. scholars and professionals
to receive a $40,000 research grant from the Fulbright New Century Scholars Program.
He will join other researchers to facilitate a deeper understanding of the social
context within which societies, nations, and the global community shape their response
to disease.
- Law faculty members Bill Corbett and Art Lusse have received Fulbright Senior Specialist awards to teach various law courses at
the University of Montevideo Law School in Uruguay between mid-October and late November.
The Senior Specialist Program serves as an opportunity for experienced faculty and
professionals to teach short courses in a variety of settings.
- English faculty member Judy Blunt received the prestigious $35,000 Whiting Writer's Award for her memoir entitled, "Breaking Clean." Each year, ten unrecognized writers deemed to possess exceptional talent and promise
receive the national award.
- UM-M recently contracted with the State to reduce its cost of natural gas and to lock
in on that rate for an additional two years.
- The University's MAP and Campus Master Plan efforts proceed on schedule.