DATE: 19 September 2000

TO: Board of Regents

FROM: G. M. Dennison, President, The University of Montana

RE: Campus Report for the September, 2000 Board of Regents Meeting

         Long-term retention data note the importance of faculty involvement in the retention of students. With faculty support, a comprehensive Student Retention Plan is in its first year of implementation.

         A broad-based faculty committee also authored a comprehensive academic advising plan which complements the Retention Plan and is in the second year of implementation.

        Assessment data, including information on student withdrawal, is providing information constantly to update and redesign processes for student success.

        Noel-Levitz student satisfaction data, National Survey of Student Engagement data and UCLA Freshmen Survey data will guide future retention strategies.

        Gates Millennium Scholarships: Nine recipients with awards ranging from $5,124 to $8,060 (average $7,289).

        The MBA is now offered at seven locations in Montana-Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. The first year is delivered via the world-wide web and the second year is delivered by interactive TV (Metnet).

        David Forbes, Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, will be honored on Friday, 22 September 2000, as the "2000 Pharmacy Alumnus of the Year" by the University of Wisconsin Pharmacy Alumni Association.

        UM Professor of Journalism Carol Van Valkenburg was named Teacher of the Year by The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan international foundation dedicated to promoting free press and free speech. The title comes with a medal and a $10,000 award.

        The Mansfield Center is developing a digital resource library that will make available the history of America's Wars in Asia over the internet.

        Thomas Martin, senior research scientist with the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, has been awarded the 2000 Elliott Coues Award, presented by the Council of American Ornithologists Union to recognize path-breaking and innovative research that advances the science of ornithology. Professor Martin earned the award for his 20 years of research into the causes and consequences of nest predation in birds.

        The School of Forestry, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, developed a technique that identifies specific locations and high-quality images of forest fires and provides the information to firefighters within two hours. Within six months, it is anticipated that this information will be available within a few minutes.