Board of Regents Meeting

May 29-30, 2003
Great Falls, Montana

The University of Montana - Western
Stephen T. Hulbert, Chancellor

Commencement Exercises

On Saturday, May 3rd, 2003 Western held its 106th Commencement Exercises involving 120 graduates in associate, baccalaureate and masters degree programs. The commencement speaker was Mr. John Kuglin, Vice President of Education and Training Programs for ComChoice Inc. Mr. Kuglin is a graduate of Western and a former administrative staff member of The University of Montana Missoula.

Associated Students of UM-Western Elections

In April the student body conducted its annual election of officers and to fill senate seats for the 2003-2004 academic year ahead. Mr. Tate Else, a senior year student in Social Science and Special Education, was elected president. Ms. Kim Wicks, a junior year student in Elementary Education, was elected vice president. The student body also approved a recycling fee and continuation of the student sponsored recycling program.

Experience One

With the unanimous approval of Faculty Senate, UM-Western is proceeding to implement Experience One, or more specifically, the immersion or block scheduling format it reflects. The targeted date for implementation is August 2004. An Implementation Planning Task Force is in place and an agenda has been developed outlining the necessary academic program and administrative support services changes. The 2003-2004 academic year ahead will be used to work through all of the needed academic and administrative changes, including the actual decision on the extent to which immersion or block scheduling will be implemented across the University.

Faculty Accomplishments

Dr. Rita Moore was chosen as one of the three winners in the "Teacher-College" category of the Southwest Montana Reader's Choice Awards 2003. The Montana Standard asked its readers in February to vote on what businesses, etc. they liked the best in the area. Ballots were printed in the newspaper for the 70 different categories. Winners were the choice of the Montana Standard readers (announced in March 31, 2003 issue of Montana Standard).

The following faculty are being recommended to the Board of Regents for receipt of tenure or promotion in rank:

Receiving Tenure:

Dr. Boleslaw Janus, Associate Professor of History

Dr. Amarjit Sethi, Professor of Business

Promotions:

Dr. Diana Francis, promoted to Associate Professor, English

Dr. Eric Funasaki, promoted to Associate Professor, Mathematics

Dr. Sheila Roberts, promoted to Professor, Geology

Montana Tech of The University of Montana
W. Franklin Gilmore, Chancellor

  • Drs. Andrea & Don Stierle were awarded an NIH/BRIN Phase II grant to study "The Use of Signal Transduction Pathways to Isolate Bioactive Metabolites from Berkeley Pit Microbes."
  • Dr. William B. Macgregor, Professional & Technical Communication, was one of 15 finalists for the Eighth Annual Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning and his work will be recognized in an upcoming issue of the Campus Compact Current.
  • The Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Fair was held on the Montana Tech campus on April 19, 2003. The Undergraduate Research Program was established to give undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in research at Montana Tech. The Research Office obtained a substantial increase in support from the National Science Foundation's EPSCor program for stipends and travel monies for student participation at national conferences.
  • Staff and students at the College of Technology banded together to help a student who lost part of her home in a fire last January.
  • Tug Eiden, a junior in Petroleum Engineering, was elected president of ASMT. Eiden recently authored a technical paper that will be presented at an international conference this fall. In April, he attended the Rocky Mountain/Mid-Continent Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Technical Paper Conference in Rolla, MO, and his paper won first place and a cash prize. He will present this paper at the 2003 SPE Annual International Technical Conference and Exhibition in Denver in October.
  • The Montana Tech Environmental Design Team won first place and the Bechtel Award at the 13th Annual Environmental Design Contest in Las Cruces, NM. The Tech team competed among nearly 400 students comprising 66 teams from around the world.
  • The COT's robotic welder was recently highlighted on local TV. The welding students are using the welder to build a frame for a human-powered vehicle manufactured by Lightfoot Cycles in Darby. Lightfoot in under contract with the Personal Energy Transportation Project in Columbia, MO, which ships the HPV's to Angola and the Republic of Congo for use by people whose legs have become nonfunctional due to land mines.
  • Dr. Richard Rossi, Mathematical Sciences, gave a talk at Oregon State University titled "A Study of the Geometric Mean and Geometric Standard Deviation" in April.
  • Drs. Curtis Link, Marvin Speece, Geophysical Engineering, and Pat Miller of PFM Manufacturing in Townsend, received an NSF Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II award for $500,000. The award is to build a "Rapid-Deployment, Three-Dimensional (3-D) Seismic Reflection System."
  • Dr. Courtney Young, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, and Dr. Corby Anderson, CAMP Director, along with colleagues in TMS, SME and CIM professional societies have completed organizing the Hydro 2003 Conference to be held in Vancouver, BC in August. Hydro 2003 is the fifth in a series of symposia that has met every 10 years. It is the premiere event for hydrometallurgists, water chemists, government officials, academia, etc. Prior to the meeting Drs. Young, Anderson, Twidwell and Huang will participate in teaching a short course on hydrometallurgy.
  • Amy Verlanic, Technical Outreach and Upward Bound Director, also serves as Montana's President for ASPIRE, the professional association for all TRIO program staff. In April, Verlanic Hosted MT ASPIRE's annual state meeting in Helena.
  • In March, Technical Outreach hosted the Montana Tech Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
  • Technical Outreach was recently awarded a GEAR UP grant from the OCHE and will be hosting a one-week residential camp for GEAR UP students this summer. In addition, Technical Outreach will host the Upward Bound Summer Academy, an Upward Bound Bridge program and a three week Kids College.

Montana State University-Bozeman
Geoffrey Gamble, President

  • Bonita Peterson, associate professor of accounting at Montana State University-Bozeman's College of Business, is the 2003 recipient of the Montana Society of CPA's Jack J. Kempner Outstanding Educator Award. The award recognizes excellence in areas that include effective teaching, leadership in curriculum development and significant contribution to the accounting profession. Peterson is the fifth MSU-Bozeman accounting professor to receive the award.
  • Associate Professor Daniel Glenn, Montana State University architecture professor, was recently honored with three awards from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). He received the Collaborative Practice Award, the Certificate of Recognition for Program Development and a Grant for Faculty Development. Glenn was recognized for his work in the collaborate design of the new campus plan for Little Big Horn College and a four-part strategy toward Native American Awareness, recruitment and retention of the School of Architecture.
  • Bonnie Kirkpatrick, a Montana State University computer whiz from Dillon, is the most recent MSU student to receive the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for undergraduate excellence in science and math. Kirkpatrick's scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board for two years of undergraduate schooling. Kirkpatrick's work in bioinformatics, using computers to model proteins and predict protein structures, caught the eye of Goldwater Scholarship judges. MSU is among the top ten institutions in the country for the number of students who have received the scholarship, established by Congress in 1986.
  • Kathryn J. Katie Conner of Great Falls, a junior majoring in English literature has been selected as one of 76 students nationwide to receive a coveted Truman Scholarship, one of the country's most highly esteemed undergraduate scholarships. She is the ninth MSU student to receive the $30,000 merit-based grant, established by Congress and awarded to students who evidenced potential and dedication to public service.
  • Two Montana State University seniors have received prestigious Fulbright Fellowships for a year of advanced academic study abroad. The Fulbright fellowships include all expenses for a year of study and research in the country of each student's choosing. Chad Diehl, who attended high school in Gardiner and is majoring in history, will spend a year in Japan researching the ways inhabitants of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remember and write about the atomic bombings of August 1945. During her Fulbright year in Germany, Michelle Yearous, a German language and studies major with an international business minor, will focus on the interaction of students of different nationalities and how the German educational institutions react to and assist students from many countries now immigrating to Germany. In addition to the students,
  • Professor of Economics, Doug Young has received a Fulbright Lecturing/Research Fellowship to spend the 2003-2004 school year in China studying the differences between eastern coastal China and its western areas. The Chinese themselves are very concerned about the uneven development, said Young. Concerns about the potential depopulation of the western rural areas while the coastal urban areas are expanding have prompted the Chinese government to place movement restrictions on its people.
  • Sara Young, the director of the American Indian Research Opportunities (AIRO) program at MSU, was selected as one of 10 individuals nationally to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at ceremonies in Washington D.C. The Aware is administered and funded through the National Science Foundation and goes to people and institutions who work with students in K-12, undergraduate or graduate level education. Young will receive a grant to go toward continuing mentoring activities at MSU.

Miles Community College
Darrel L. Hammon, President

  • Miles Community College continues its implementation of the FIPSE grant. The Board of Nursing recently accepted our proposal to deliver the LPN to RN program in Billings in partnership with the MSU-Billings College of Technology, MSU-Bozeman, and Billings healthcare providers. Students may begin taking summer academic core courses. We plan to initiate the LPN to RN program in the fall via distance learning.
  • Eighteen nursing students were pinned on Friday, May 2, 2003 at Miles Community College 2003 Nurses' Pinning Ceremony. Randy Holland, Physician's Assistant at Holy Rosary Hospital and Miles Community College 2003 Wall of Fame winner, gave the keynote address.
  • On Saturday, May 3, 2003, Miles Community College held its 2003 graduation ceremony and granted the following degrees and certificates: 54 Associate of Arts; 30 Associate of Science; 9 Dual Associate of Arts and Associate of Science; 42 Associate of Applied Science; 3 dual Associate of Applied Science; and 9 Certificates. Johnnie Thomas, independent writer, scholar, and performance artist, gave the keynote address.
  • Randy Holland, PA, former Miles Community College student, was the 2003 Wall of Fame recipient. The Wall of Fame was started three years ago and highlights one of Miles Community College's graduates.
  • Jontee Ohanesian and her Photography II Class just completed their spring photography and video show. Featured photographers included: Matthew Brewer, Donna Faber, Kristi Horseman, Micki Morrow, Sam Pius, Angela Riggs, Shonda Schallenberger, Marcus Schieffert, and Sara Stoeckel. Their photographs and videos were well done. 
  • Miles Community College sponsored its first annual "Passports to Culture" multicultural festival. Over 700 people attended, including 400 area elementary school students. The elementary students completed paintings of their interpretation of "Passports to Culture." Their art is now on display at Miles Community College.
  • The construction project for the new student housing facility continues at Miles Community College. General contractor, Tooz Construction from North Dakota, is about three weeks behind, but they are working diligently to finish the building by September 1. Because of tenuousness of the completion date, we will be starting our fall semester on September 16th, rather than our usual day after Labor Day.
  • Miles Community College held a retirement party for Jonette Potts, long-time Office Technology Program faculty member; and Dennis Lordemann, Chief Technology Officer.
  • Miles Community College co-hosted the Montana FutureGen USA Forum on Thursday, May 1, 2003. More than 40 people attended the afternoon session and 100 people attended the evening forum, including Lt. Governor Ohs, and representatives from the offices of Senators Burns and Baucus and Representative Rehberg. Dr. Paul Williamson introduced Dr. Meyer Steinberg, Brookhaven Labs; and Dr. Lowell Miller, DOE, who then explained the project and how Montana could be a part of it. We believe that the education entities, both secondary and postsecondary, including the Board of Regents, need to support this project for Montana.

Dawson Community College
Terry Hetrick, President

  • Nickolas Murnion, prosecuting attorney for Garfield County, will be the keynote speaker at the 62nd Commencement at DCC. Mr. Murnion is the 1998 recipient of the J. F. Kennedy Library "Profiles in Courage" Award for his five-year struggle with and prosecution of the Freemen, a small group of extremists who specialized in harassing public officials. Mr. Murnion and his family were subjected to death threats, a one million dollar bounty for his arrest and conviction, and tense courtroom dramas.
  • The firm of DG Architects (Billings) has completed the schematic drawings of the new physical education and performing arts centers, and the library expansion. Work on the technical drawings will commence shortly.
  • Bryan Stone, DCC History and Humanities faculty member, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in the field of American Studies and Civilization. He will be awarded his doctoral degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Our congratulations are extended to Dr. Stone for his significant accomplishment.
  • Jackie Schultz, DCC Art faculty member, attended the National Art Education Association Convention in Minneapolis, April 4-8, 2003. Each year, this convention attracts approximately 5000 art educators who professional duties range from K-12 to university to museum education. This is the fourth NAEA conference Mrs. Schultz has attended in her twenty-eight year tenure at DCC.
  • Both of the DCC Men's Baseball and Women's Fast Pitch Softball teams have qualified to participate in their respective regional playoffs. This is the fifth year that each team has qualified for advanced play.
  • The Men's Rodeo team achieved first place at the intercollegiate rodeo conducted in Helena on April 18-20, 2003 and second place at the intercollegiate rodeo at DCC on April 25-27, 2003.
  • On April 29, 2003, the Associated Student Body hosted the DCC Awards Banquet. This annual event recognizes student academic and athletic achievement.

Flathead Valley Community College
Jane Karas, President

  • FVCC will celebrate the successful conclusion of its first major gifts campaign, "Connectingfor the Community's Future." The campaign raised over $4 million, surpassing a goal of $3.3 million, to provide scholarship support and state-of-the-art technology. Campaign Chair and FVCC Foundation member Mick Blodnick, President and CEO of Glacier Bank, will recognize major donors and supporters to the campaign at a campus celebration on May 22, 2003.
  • FVCC's Logger Sports team brought home the Top Overall Teamaward and the coveted Sportsmanship Award from the 65th annual AWFC Conclave Western Collegiate Championship. FVCC has won this "Super Bowl" of logger sports twelve out of the last sixteen years. The team hosted eighty-six competitors at their recent home meet, Stumpjumper Days, again winning the Top Overall Team award. Team members will showcase their skills at the 14th annual Family Forestry Expo, May 10-11, 2003.
  • Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees, Foundation Board, and members of the Flathead Business and Education Council welcomed U.S. Senator Conrad Burns to a campus reception on April 24, 2003. FVCC Board Chair John Engebretson recognized Senator Burns, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, for sponsoring FVCC for a $700,000 appropriation for expanded occupational and vocational programs for students throughout Northwest Montana. Senator Burns was acknowledged for his recognition of the role of community colleges in economic development and job training.
  • Further, U.S. Senator Conrad Burns visited FVCC's newly remodeled Lincoln County Campus in Libby on April 25, 2003, where he was recognized for his dedication to improving access to telecommunications in rural communities. Thanks to the efforts of Senator Burns, the college will have the resources to distance deliver courses between Kalispell and Libby beginning this fall.
  • On April 22, 2003, U.S. Senator Max Baucus spoke to students in FVCC's Introduction to Political Economy class taught by instructor Gregg Davis. The college recognized Senator Baucus for dedication to economic development and a commitment to advancing our community's college. The Senator sponsored Flathead Valley Community College to receive a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for training rural educators to engage students through distance learning technologies and helped secure funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to better position FVCC to respond to the needs of business and industry.
  • FVCC student, Jennifer Donofiro, has received a second place Student Achievement Award for a two-year College Cooperative Education/Internship. This competitive, national award is presented by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association. Donofiro, a business major, completed her internship in fall 2002 at Timberline Tool. Ken and Jeannie Green, President and Vice President of Timberline Tool, provided site supervision.
  • FVCC faculty members, Brenda Rudolph and Lowell Jaeger, received Faculty Fellowships from the Montana Campus Compact for the 2003-2004 academic year. Brenda Rudolph, a Business Instructor, received a fellowship to offer a service-learning component to BUS 132, a course titled Leadership. Lowell Jaeger, FVCC English instructor, has received a Mentoring Fellow. He will serve as a resource for new fellows, like Brenda, through active mentoring and sharing of service-learning activities. Lowell offered the first service-learning class at FVCC this spring 2003 semester as a Faculty Fellow. FVCC is also applying for a Service Learning Capacity Grant which would provide funding over three years to expand and integrate service-learning into courses across the curriculum.
  • FVCC service learning students assisted more than 125 fourth graders on Friday, April 11th, in making 130 clay "wing-shaped" medallions in celebration of National Youth Service Day. These emblazoned, ceramic medallions were inscribed with the words, "Thank you for protecting us. Stay safe," and will be presented to local police, fire, sheriff, and ALERT officers at a special ceremony on May 14, 2003.
  • FVCC was proud to host "Seussville University" on March 19, 2003. Over 200 local third grade students were on campus for a day-long celebration of Dr. Seuss. The children attended classes in art, music, storytelling, and games, and watched a theatre adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story, The Lorax. The event was planned and implemented by FVCC students enrolled in "Service Learning: Our Community Reads," an experimental course taught by FVCC English Instructor, Lowell Jaeger.
  • FVCC's Board of Trustees met on March 31st and voted to participate in the Missouri River Distance Learning Consortium (MRDLC), a Rural Utilities Services (RUS) DistanceLearning and Telemedicine Program grant. FVCC will assume the role of lead partner for this grant, working with partner high schools to create a network to plan, develop, and distance deliver a wider range of educational programming for students, teachers and instructors, and residents in the rural communities served.
  • The seventh annual career fair, "A Rainbow of Options," was held at FVCC on April 23, 2003. Over 40businesses and organizations were on campus to meet with potential candidates from a large cross-section of job seekers including current students and recent graduates of FVCC. The FVCC Career Fair is sponsored through a Carl Perkins grant.
  • Seventy local administrative assistants, receptionists, secretaries, office personnel, clerks, tellers, and business support staff attended FVCC's Administrative Professionals Day Workshop, "Teamwork Works", on April 22nd. Bob Marsenich, Director of Human Resources for Plum Creek Timber Company, was the featured speaker.
  • FVCC President Jane Karas participated in the "Dream It, Do It!" South Lincoln County Revitalization Workshop held in Libby on April 25, 2003. Dr. Karas participated in the Education and Training session. The workshop's featured speaker was U.S. RepresentativeDenny Rehberg.

The University of Montana-Missoula
G. M. Dennison, President

  • Margie Patton, a senior in the School of Journalism from Butte, was selected as the 2003 UM Student Employee of the Year and the 2003 State of Montana Student Employee of the Year. The Office of Career Services sponsored the Student Employee of the Year competition.
  • Barbara Hollmann, Vice President for Student Affairs, was inducted as a "Pillar of the Profession" during the recent 2003 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) national conference in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • The International Student Association, assisted by the Foreign Student and Scholars Office staff, presented the 10th Annual International Culture and Food Festival on 13 April. Thousands of community members, students, faculty, and staff enjoyed the world foods bazaar, ethnic educational displays, and an international cultural show while "Celebrating Our Global Neighborhood."
  • KUFM-TV, UM-M's Montana PBS station, received five regional Emmy nominations from the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The award presentation will take place in Seattle on 21 June.
  • UM-M posted its largest spring semester enrollment ever with a total of 12,626 students, an increase of 212 over last spring's headcount of 12,414.
  • Marcia Dunn, Broadcast Media Center, received the 2003 Montana Library Association's Media Award for her work with libraries and the broadcast of the "Pea Green Boat."
  • A UM-M School of Law negotiation team with students Malin Stearns and Todd Denison finished second in the nation at an American Bar Association competition in February.
  • UM-M celebrated American Indian heritage and culture on 25-27 April during the 35th annual Kyi-Yo Powwow.
  • UM-M's KGBA Radio News won top honors at the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) convention in Las Vegas on 4-7 April. BEA honors outstanding student work in radio, television, and mixed media. Students Danielle Cross, Jenny Kuglin, Keagan Harsha, and Dax VanFossen produced the winning newscast featuring a number of reports on the one-year anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks.
  • Sandi Robinson, Dining Services, recently received certification as a sous chef from the American Culinary Federation. Tom Siegel, Dining Services, received a bronze medal at the 2003 National Association of College and University Food Services Region VIII Culinary Challenge.
  • UM-M student Eldena Bear Don't Walk was selected to participate in the Americans for Indian Opportunity's two-year American Indian Ambassadors Program. The program aims to help early- to mid-career American Indian professionals strengthen their ability to improve the well-being and growth of their communities within a native cultural context.
  • Barb Seekins, International Programs, received a grant to participate in the Fulbright Seminar for U.S. Administrators in International Education from the German-American Fulbright Commission.

Montana State University-Northern
Chancellor Alex Capdeville

  • Canadian Trip - On March 24-26, five MSU-Northern administrators visited four colleges in southern Alberta. The purpose of the trip was to continue development of two-plus-two articulation agreements between Northern and the Canadian schools. The team was also able to meet with Northern Alumni and key administrators from General Electric. The trip was very productive and helped to confirm the positive opportunities available for MSU-Northern in Canada.
  • Commencement - Saturday, May 10, 2003 MSU-Northern held its Commencement ceremonies. Ms. Lynn Hamilton, Vice Chair of the Montana Board of Regents presented the commencement address. There were a total of 391 graduates --242 women and 149 men. Of these, 161 earned their associate's degree, 237 earned their bachelor's degree and 81 earned their master's degrees.
  • Founders Day - Founders' Day at Montana State University-Northern is a special graduation week tradition that honors and recognizes individuals who promote the ideals of service and excellence. Founders' Day is a time when alumni, friends, faculty and students rekindle the spirit of campus life and pause to reflect upon the people, places and events that have helped create an environment for lifetime learning and participation. This year the MSU-Northern Founders' Excellence Awards were presented to four individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the campus and who have received outstanding recognition within their own professional fields. Those honored during the Founders' Excellence Dinner May 9th were: John Kuhr; Norm Gorder and Ken & Karen Myers.
  • 50-year Reunion - Montana State University-Northern welcomed the Northern Montana College Class of 1953 back to campus on May 9th & 10th, 2003, to celebrate their 50th reunion. This is a memorable event for the returning alums and the schedule included campus and community tours, class meetings, and socialization time for the class members to catch up with one another. On Saturday, the "Golden Grads" marched in the processional leading the new graduates in graduation exercises. At the conclusion of Commencement, they joined the Class of 2003 and their families and friends and the faculty, staff and administration at the Student Union Building Ballroom for the graduation brunch.
  • Student Excellence - Fourteen Montana State University-Northern students were recently named student excellence award winners for the 2002-2003 school year. In order to qualify for a student excellence award several criteria must be met. Students must be of junior standing, have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and be actively involved in the campus community. The student excellence award is the highest honor a student at Montana State University-Northern can receive.
  • MSU-Northern Hosted Mini-Technology Exposition - Students, faculty, staff and partners from around the region came to MSU-Northern mid March to celebrate the accomplishments of the College of Education's MIRROR Center. The Center, funded through a grant from the Department of Education's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology (PT3) program, invited state and national technology experts to campus to share their knowledge and to do what they do best -- teach people how to use the latest technology. In partnership with the Fort Peck, Fort Belknap, Stone Child and Blackfeet Community Colleges, and through collaboration with the Golden Triangle Curriculum Consortium, Havre Public Schools, St. Jude Thaddeus School, and the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Center has facilitated the implementation of an ongoing professional development model that utilizes mentors, peer coaches, master teachers, and certification programs to infuse technology-rich activities throughout teacher education.
  • MSU-Northern Flag Flies Proudly - Last year the students designed and purchased a school flag and presented it to Chancellor Capdeville and MSU-Northern at Homecoming. This year's project was erecting a third flagpole in front of Cowan Hall. The project was completed in late March. An official flag raising ceremony was held during campus improvement activities.
  • Montana Flag on display - SmSgt David H. Brewer, an MSU-Northern alum, has presented the university with a Montana state flag that was flown aboard aircraft A-3046 an American "Predator U.A.V." while providing support for Operation Southern Watch. The 15th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron proudly flew this flag on January 6, 2003 over the countries of Iraq and Kuwait. That flag and certificate have been given to the Alumni Office for display.
  • Gear Up Camps - MSU-Northern has received two grants from the Office of the Commissioner for Higher Education to host Gear Up Summer Camps the week of July 7th - 11th on our campus. Gear Up Summer Camps are for students enrolled in Gear Up schools across the state who are entering 9th - 12th grades. The two camps being offered are Y- Nursing? (Youth-Nursing) a program through MSU-Northern's College of Nursing; and My MSU-Northern Story: Traditional Native American Story-Telling Meets Modern Digital Technology, a program through MSU-Northern's Community Technology Education Center.

Montana State University-Billings
Chancellor Ronald P. Sexton, Ph. D.

  • The Deaconess Science Expo, held on the MSU-Billings campus had a record number of participants from K-12 school throughout the region.  The MSU-Billings Borealis Team, students and faculty, working on a NASA-sponsored project to measure the hole in the earth's ozone layer, gave a special presentation to participants.   The Chemistry "Magic Show," put on by Professor Will Wickun and students in the Department of Chemistry, was a hit with attendees.
  • International Business Conference was opened by Governor Judy Martz with 350 people attending. Sessions at the conference included: International finance; distance learning; grain; cattle; and distance delivery of health care.
  • Dr. Matthew Benacquista presented "Gravitational Wave astronomy: A New Window on the Universe," at the Hilands Golf Club.  Dr. Benacquista is currently supported by a NASA EPSCOR research grant to study data analysis of gravitational radiation from white dwarfs.  He is also working with Armenian researchers developing models of gravitational radiation from isolated vibrating white dwarfs and neutron stars.  Dr. Benacquista has just recently been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Italy where he will conduct research on data analysis of gravitational radiation from neutron stars. 
  • Mike Hermanson and Marsha Sampson presented "Utilizing Paraeducators as Links to the Community" at the Office of Special Education Project Directors Conference in Washington D. C.
  • Mike Peterson coordinated a Transition Fair for the schools in the East Yellowstone Co-Op that was held at Laurel High School.  The Transition Fair included speakers and displays from MSU-B COT, Vocational Rehabilitation, Job Service, COR Enterprise, MCD, Job Connection, DD Services, and AWARE.  Approximately 40 people, including teachers, parents, and students, attended the Fair.
  • Robin Hill is a double major in Accounting and MIS, has been selected as a Student Affiliate member to attend the 2003 AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop.  The program, cosponsored by the AICPA Student Affiliate Program and Minority Initiatives Committee, is designed to strengthen the students' leadership, team building, and presentation/communication skills.
  • Mike Peterson participated in the Montana Outcomes review at Forsyth High School. The review provides guidance to the high school on how to improve their transition services to youth with disabilities.
  • Dr. White, Dean, College of Education and Human Services, has been accepted to the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.
  • Mike Hermanson and Mike Peterson presented on Paraeducators as Links to their communities at the American Council on Rural Special Education National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Nell Eby coordinated the Montana Native American Traumatic Brain Injury Conference in Great Falls. There were approximately 100 conference participants.
  • Dr. Tasneem Khaleel, Chair of the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, is featured in the cover story of the current magazine, Yellowstone Valley Woman, in an article entitled "Tasneem Khaleel, Distinguished Professor, Devout Muslim."
  • The MSU-Billings College of Technology and MSU-Extension Service teamed up to host a "Spring Fever:  Agriculture, Home & Gardening Symposium," at the College of Technology.  The Symposium featured over 25 seminars and workshops on applied agricultural operations, agricultural applications of technology, cooking, gardening, and other home related workshops with over 145 people attending. 
  • Dr. Ernie Randolfi has received a conditional letter announcing his receipt of a Fulbright Scholarship to Cyprus. Dr. Randolfi will be working with KENTHEA (Center for Education about Drugs and Treatment of Drug Addicted Persons) and the Turkish Cypriot community as a Lecturer/Researcher on the project "Maximizing the Effectiveness of Health Promotion and Drug Abuse Prevention Programs: What works in Research Based Interventions."

Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology
Dean Mary Sheehy Moe

  • Dean Mary Moe and past Health Sciences Department Chair, Aida Buer, have been honored by the YWCA as Women of Education and Human and Health Services, respectively. A gala dinner honoring the 6 women chosen as 2003 Women of the Year was held at the Heritage Inn on April 30.
  • The Surgical Technology program has received the national merit award from the Liaison council on Certification for Surgical Technologist for achieving a pass rate in the top 10 percent of the country for surgical technology programs. The 2002 Merit Awards are presented to schools at which more than 90 percent of their program graduates who attempted the National Certification Exam in surgical technology were successful, passed the examination, and achieved the status of Certified Surgical Technologist.
  • The annual Student Appreciation Day and Scholarship Ceremony was held on April 17 and 18. Faculty from each program select a >Student of the Year= who are recognized along with scholarship and award recipients. Seven Regent Scholars from the Great Falls area plan to enter the MSU - Great Falls College of Technology this coming fall: Amanda Buckel, Jennifer Gallogly, and Candace Winters, C.M. Russell High School; Katherine Stover, Great Falls High School; Cole Sieler, Brady; Dawn Pettapiece, Cascade; and Jenny Sell, Sand Coulee.
  • Kim Dunlap has been selected as one of 12 student delegates to the American Dental Hygiene Association Annual Session to be held in New York City from June 24 through July 2nd. Kim will participate in a poster competition with a presentation on Dental Hygiene in the Field of Veterinary Medicine. She will be judged on her 7-minute talk, the appeal of her table display and her depth of knowledge. The first prize for the competition is $1,000 for Kim and $1,000 for the College.
  • The Great Falls School District is presently discussing the possibility of offering the Emergency Medical Training (EMT) Basic course for high school students who are in the 3rd semester of Med Prep. This training may lead to employment after completion. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is currently being taught in the high schools as a component of Med Prep.
  • The 10th Annual Great Falls Area Employer Expo Week, held in April, was a collaborative effort of the College of Technology, University of Great Falls, MSU- Northern at Great Falls, Malmstrom AFB Family Support Center, and the Job Service Work Force Center Great Falls. Attendees visited with potential employers, took advantage of expert assistance in resume writing and critique sessions and attended workshops focused on job interviewing skills.
  • Phi Theta Kappa inducted 28 students into the Beta Eta Omicron Chapter on April 18th, with six students taking the oath of office for the year 2003 - 2004.