MSU budget forum today, Monday, May 2

The University Planning, Budget and Analysis Committee (UPBAC) is hosting an open forum on the proposed fiscal year 2006 budget at 2 p.m. today, Monday, May 2, in SUB Ballroom D.

The proposed $111-million budget, up 8 percent over the current year's budget, includes fixed-cost increases, pay plan costs and inflationary adjustments.

It also includes funds for the new core curriculum (Core 2.0), upper division nursing courses, graduate program enhancements, retention programs and other program enhancements the committee views as essential to improving the quality of education.

It also factors in an annual tuition increase of $480 for residents and $605 for non-resident students, increases that are up for final approval by the Board of Regents later this month.

The draft budget can be viewed online at UPBA Web site. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

The 23-member budget committee meets throughout the year to craft a balanced budget that reflects, as best possible, the university's mission, goals, obligations and strategic initiatives.

Following Monday's public review of the proposed FY06 budget, UPBAC will forward the budget to MSU President Geoff Gamble. For more information, contact Pat Chansley at 994-4373.

U.N. Foundation official to speak at MSU on Wednesday, May 4

Gillian Sorensen, senior adviser at the United Nations Foundation and a national advocate on matters related to the U.N., will discuss the relationship between the United States and the U.N. at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 in SUB 276.

Sorensen's talk, "U.S. and U.N.: Can this Marriage be Saved?" will tackle the complexity of the relationship between the United States and the United Nations at a time when relations between the U.S. and U.N. are on rocky ground. A question and answer period will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

From l997 to 2003, Sorensen served as Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations under Secretary-General Kofi Annan. For more information, contact: Elaine M. Grimm, 570-1233, or e-mail her at lainey@u.washington.edu.

Center presents symposium on war, peace and Burton K. Wheeler

War, peace and the role of Montana's legendary senator Burton K. Wheeler in America's history will be discussed during an education forum scheduled Thursday, May 12 in the SUB Ballrooms. MSU's Burton K. Wheeler Center, the MSU Department of History and Philosophy, the Montana Committee for the Humanities and the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West at the University of Montana will sponsor "B. K. Wheeler and the Coming of the War," which will focus on the use of power and decision-making at the highest levels.

A full slate of historians, philosophers and political scientists, including former Montana Rep. Pat Williams, will speak about Wheeler as well as the complexities involved in the democratic process involving the decision to go to war.

Wheeler, who served as a senator for Montana from 1923-47, was fictionalized as the vice president in Philip Roth's recent novel, "The Plot Against America." In addition, Wheeler's early opposition to involvement in World War II prior to Pearl Harbor is also of contemporary interest given current events, according to Gordon "Corky" Brittan, director of the Wheeler Center.

In addition, the Vigilante Theatre Company and Chrysti "The Wordsmith" Smith will perform a free dramatic reading of "Dance 'Round the Flagpole," an original play about the life of B. K. Wheeler just prior to WWII at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Museum of the Rockies' Hager Auditorium. Cost of the forum is $15, which includes all conference materials, lunch and breaks. For more information, contact the Burton K. Wheeler Center at 994-0336, or to register, go to the Wheeler Center Web site.

Graduation scheduled for Saturday, May 7

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer will deliver the charge to the graduates during MSU's 109th commencement, which is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 7. Three colleges will hold individual ceremonies before the main event, and five colleges will have individual college ceremonies after the university commencement. The times and locations can be found at this MSU News article.

Film screening. The first graduates of MSU's Master's of Fine Arts program, Science and Natural History Filmmaking, present a screening of three films, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, May 6, in the Visual Communications Building Theatre, room 182, on the MSU campus. The screening session is free and open to the public. Praveen Singh's Emmy-winning film, "Indian Leopards--The Killing Fields," opens the screening session. At noon, Paul Hillman will present "Henry Wood Elliott: Defender of the Fur Seal." Tracy Graziano's "Spirit Dog: America's Little Wolf" begins at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact Julie Geyer at 994-5884.

Last Staff Bulletin. The final edition of the Staff Bulletin will be published on Monday, May 9. Deadline for the final Staff Bulletin is Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Submissions should be sent to staffbulletin@montana.edu.

Finals. Final exams begin today, Monday, May 2, and continue through Friday, May 6.

Ask-Us Lost and Found sale. Coats, calculators, textbooks, and other lost-and-found items are for sale 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. today, Monday May 2, in SUB 276. Nothing is priced more than $5. Call 994-INFO for details.

Dependent Partial Tuition Waiver applications. For employees of MSU, the priority-filing deadline for fall semester is May 29. The application form is available at Personnel and Payroll Services, 19 Montana Hall, or on line at Personnel and Payroll Services Web site. If the student is planning on attending another unit of the Montana University System, check with that campus for its deadlines.

Concerts. Improvisation final will begin at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Senior Matthew Green will perform on the trombone, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 4, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Senior Edward Vaught will perform on the organ at 3 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at St. James Episcopal Church, 5 West Olive. Senior Crystal Grooms will perform on the flute, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Call 994-3562 for more information.

Top faculty. Dedicated teachers, dynamic researchers and faculty devoted to the betterment of Montana are among the winners of the top MSU 2005 faculty awards. The annual awards honor achievement in faculty research, teaching, outreach and creative projects. The awards will be presented at the University Honors Banquet on May 6.

Cox Awards for scholarship and teaching. An authority on medieval literature and an expert on cattle nutrition are the recipients of the 2005 Cox Family Awards for Creative Scholarship and Teaching. Janice Bowman, professor in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, and Gwen Morgan, a professor of English, each will receive a $2,000 honorarium from the MSU Foundation as well as an $800 stipend to be used for the purchase of books dedicated in their honor at MSU's Renne Library.

Bowman's teaching and research focus on beef cattle nutrition. She has collaborated with plant breeders to develop barley diets for cattle, which may reduce feeding costs while providing Montana's barley growers with an additional market. She has received grants for more than $5.2 million since 1992. Over the past 10 years she has advised many students while publishing 35 refereed papers, three book chapters and many other scientific communications. Undergraduate students consistently rate her as one of the best teachers in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences.

A nationally recognized authority on Anglo-Saxon literature, Morgan is a prolific writer and researcher who integrates ancient themes into contemporary issues in ways meaningful to today's students. Examples of such pairings are courses on Joan of Arc through the ages, medieval authority in pop culture and even sexual politics in the vampire fiction of Anne Rice. Morgan edits the anthology, "This Year's Work in Medievalism." Her challenging courses are sought out by the English Department's best students, and she instills in them a thoroughness and passion for research and intellectual life.

Wiley Award winners. A physicist who looks at the really big picture, a pioneer in nanotechnology and an activist for human rights worldwide have won this year's Charles and Nora L. Wiley Faculty Award for Meritorious Research. Neil Cornish, professor of physics, Trevor Douglas, professor of chemistry, and Franke Wilmer, professor of political science, will each receive $2,000 as winners of the 2005 awards. Sponsored by the MSU Foundation, the prizes are given in honor of the Wileys, who were pioneer ranchers in eastern Montana.

Cornish has a worldwide reputation in theoretical physics, but he plays major roles on concrete missions like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, the Big Bang Observatory and the NASA Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. With information from the WMAP, Cornish helped determine that the universe is 78 billion light years across. The finding was deemed by Discover magazine as one of the top 100 discoveries in 2004. He will be a member of the LISA International Science Team for the next three years. LISA -- said to be the most ambitious scientific mission ever proposed by NASA -- will measure gravitational waves in space. Cornish has attracted substantial funding from the National Science Foundation and NASA, has assembled a large group of graduate students at MSU, and teaches and mentors undergraduates.

Douglas is regarded as one of the best bioinorganic chemists in the world. He is also an outstanding teacher who gives his students the confidence that they, too, can succeed. Since arriving at MSU, Douglas has established the Center for Bioinspired Nanomaterials and created a wide network of national and international collaborations across disciplines. He has been published extensively in the scientific literature, including four papers in the journal "Science" and one paper each in the journals "Nature" and "The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." He has pioneered new areas of nanotechnology that have applications for medicine, catalysis and microelectronics. He has contributed to the creation of new drug delivery systems, efficient methods for hydrogen production and the development of advanced memory systems for computers.

Wilmer's body of work speaks with depth and insight into two fields: the primal causes of international human conflict and the rights of the world's indigenous people. Wilmer's research in refugee camps in the former Yugoslavia resulted in the book, "The Social Construction of Man, the State and War: Identity, Politics and Violence in the Former Yugoslavia." Scholars from throughout the world credit Wilmer's book with explaining the root cause of social identity and violence in that bloody chapter of recent history. Wilmer is skilled and willing to share her research and ideas about international human rights in the world outside the university. She recently was selected as chair of the Montana Human Rights Commission, and she is an award-winning classroom teacher.

The James and Mary Ross Provost's Award for Excellence. Greg Francis, physics, is the recipient of the James and Mary Ross Provost's Award for Excellence. He will receive a $2,500 honorarium for the award. In its seventh year, the Provost's Award recognizes excellence in teaching and scholarship.

Francis is known as a superlative instructor devoted to excellence in teaching. He typically teaches five large lecture courses every academic year and receives outstanding evaluations from students and faculty alike. Recognized for making physics more enjoyable and easier to understand with memorable demonstrations, he has transformed the art of teaching physics to non-majors at MSU. He is called upon regularly to give exhibition classes to high school students and to speak to the Montana Legislature. He spreads the value of inquiry-based learning to MSU graduate students and faculty members, but his innovative teaching is recognized nationally, as well. His reputation has expanded with the classroom materials he has written and his contributions to the American Association of Physics Teachers.

MSU Excellence in Outreach Award. Gordon Brittan, Regents Professor of Philosophy, and Michael Vogel, MSU Extension Housing and Environmental Quality Specialist, have been selected as the 2005 recipients of MSU's Provost's Excellence in Outreach Award. Each will receive a $2,000 honorarium.

Brittan is an internationally renowned scholar and masterful teacher of philosophy, but some believe his most enduring legacy may be his extensive outreach. Brittan has been executive director of the Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy since 1991. Founded in 1988, the center is at the forefront of identifying and shaping issues important to all Montanans. Brittan helped found the Livingston Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee and has been closely involved with the Montana Wind Working Group and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. His ability to translate scholarship to public discourse has gained him a reputation as one of the most important public spokespersons for life in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He has worked tirelessly to establish two endowed chairs at MSU -- the Wallace Stegner Chair and the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies. He has shepherded the annual Hausser Lecture and makes the philosophical foundations of several disciplines more apparent.

Vogel's many projects, which center on homes and environmental health, have generated about $10.7 million in grants. Two programs of particular note are the Montana Extension Disaster Education Network and his Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program. The EDEN network is a statewide collaboration to improve emergency services to citizens and is part of Montana's Homeland Security Strategic Plan. His weatherization assistance program helps low-income Montanans reduce heating costs. In 2004, the program reduced the heating costs of more than 2,000 Montana households by an average of 21 percent. Vogel also initiated, with the state of Montana, the Montana Weatherization Training Center, which became the model for the U.S. Department of Energy's Central Region Weatherization Training Center.

Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research/Creativity Mentoring. David Klumpar, physics professor and director of MSU's Space Science and Engineering Laboratory, and Kimberly Myers, professor of English, have won the 2005 Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research/Creativity Mentoring. They will each receive a $2,000 honorarium.

Klumpar arrived at MSU in 2000 and currently supervises about 60 undergraduate students in various programs involving space. As director of MSU's Space Science and Engineering Laboratory, Klumpar gives students opportunities to conceive, design and carry out research projects. Faculty members act as mentors only. One SSEL project is BOREALIS, a high-altitude ballooning program that has had more than 20 successful flights so far. Some of the balloons were launched in January from the Arctic. MEROPE, another student program, is the first satellite ever built in Montana. October Skies at MSU gives students the chance to design a rocket motor. Some students are working on MIMIC, the National Space Grant student mission to Mars.

Myers is a master and award-winning teacher who is recognized as a mentor and inspiration to students, far beyond the norm. She developed and teaches an undergraduate course designed to prepare students interested in jobs in higher education in a wide range of subjects ranging from curriculum design to research. She also volunteer teaches in the University Honors Program and to WWAMI medical students by linking medicine to the humanities. She tirelessly and enthusiastically supports the independent research and intellectual development of students of all levels.

The Meritorious Technology/Science Award. Mark Jutila, professor of Veterinary Molecular Biology, is the 2005 recipient of MSU's Meritorious Technology/Science Award. The award carries a $2,500 honorarium and recognizes an MSU faculty member who has made at least one significant technological or scientific contribution that could be transferred or already has been transferred to the private sector. The discovery has the potential to be a useful product or process.

Jutila is world-renowned for his work on immune system cells, called lymphocytes. In his most significant finding, Jutila discovered and developed antibody EL-246, which has led to patents and licensing agreements. In the near future, the antibody should also lead to a novel treatment for pulmonary disease. The technology was licensed by MSU to LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals and subsequently to Abbott Laboratories for commercial development as a treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Jutila has been a driving force behind the biotechnology industry around Bozeman. He was a cofounder of Montana ImmunoTech, now LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, which employs more than 40 people. Jutila promotes MSU on a state, regional and national level. He incorporates ongoing research into the classroom, giving students the tools they need to take biotechnology into the next generation.

President's Excellence in Teaching Award. Sustained excellence in teaching characterize the recipients of the 2005 President's Excellence in Teaching Award. Professors Ferdinand Johns, architecture, Marvin Lansverk, English, and John Paxton, computer science, each will receive a $2,500 honorarium.

Johns is an accomplished teacher who has a knack for developing individual creative talents of his architecture students. Johns' innovations in the School of Architecture led to the school adopting a review week at the end of each semester, which has raised the bar on the level of student work. He helped develop a studio pairing first-year students and master's students under a master teacher. He revised a building construction class for second-year students into a practical course where students engage in actual system, technologies and construction methodologies "in the real world." Johns led a revision of a third-year design studio on technology, a strategy that has earned the MSU third-year design studio recognition by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture as the best of its kind among similar courses in all schools of architecture.

A specialist in 18th- and 19th-century British literature, particularly the work of William Blake, Lansverk's teaching specialties extend across a wide range of literature courses. Integrating his mantra, "Words Matter," Lansverk's teaching is characterized by both innovations and commitments to service learning. He designed and taught distance learning courses in introductory literature, supervised student internships, developed a junior-level course in Prophetic literature and has sponsored a wide range of undergraduate student research. He is an adviser to 25 undergraduate majors and to the MSU English Club. He is the recipient of a statewide grant for service learning and has served as a mentor for professors interested in incorporating public service into their courses. Lansverk also volunteers as a storyteller for kids and adults weekly at Bozeman's United Methodist Church.

Paxton, an expert in artificial intelligence, has engaged his students with his excitement for computer science by developing or co-developing 14 new courses during his 15 years at MSU. He was named "Computer Science Teacher of the Year" eight times and received the MSU Alumni Association/Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence six times. His students often remark that he has a knack for explaining difficult concepts and is able to adjust difficult explanations to fit the audience. Paxton's innovative teaching style has taken him to several countries including El Salvador, New Zealand and Morocco to teach mini courses in computer science. This summer he will lead a course in Ireland where MSU students will learn why Ireland has been so successful in the European software industry despite its remote location, which is not unlike Montana's.

Betty Coffey Award. Wendy Stock, professor of economics, will receive the Betty Coffey Award. The award was established in memory of Betty Coffey, an engineering professor from 1977-1984 who was noted for her teaching excellence and her contributions to women's equity. The award is given to a member of the MSU community who demonstrates achievement in incorporating women's perspectives into the curriculum and achievement in developing academic programs that contribute to the elimination of persistent barriers to the success of women. Stock's areas of emphasis include the effects of labor market policies, female labor force participation, professional labor markets, the education and training of economists and job displacement. Stock teaches the introductory-level "Economic Way of Thinking" course to more than 1,000 students a year as well as the advanced level "Labor and Human Resource Economics."

Sabbaticals. Eleven faculty members at Montana State University-Bozeman have been awarded sabbaticals for the 2005-06 academic year, according to MSU Provost David Dooley. Their projects, to be completed during the sabbaticals, range from collecting samples of volcanic rock in Alaska's Pribilof Islands to studying with performers of baroque music in Europe. The 11 faculty members granted sabbaticals, their academic department, term of the sabbaticals and proposed projects are:

John Antle, agricultural economics and economics, will be on sabbatical during spring semester 2006 to conduct research that will improve economists' ability to understand agricultural production systems. He will collaborate with faculty at the University of California, Davis.

David Dickensheets, electrical and computer engineering, will be on sabbatical for fall semester, 2005. He will study with Hans Peter Herzig at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, for six months on a project to design, analyze and build photonic-crystal waveguides.

Todd Feeley, earth sciences, will be on sabbatical spring semester 2006 collecting volcanic rock samples from the Pribilof Islands in Alaska and performing geochemical analysis on the samples at the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. The project will help scientists understand the dynamics of magma systems and volcanoes.

Johan Jonsson, music, will be on sabbatical for spring semester 2006 studying J.S. Bach's "Sonatas & Partitas." Jonsson, a violinist, plans to perform one or two of the pieces for the public and will also produce a digital CD recording of all or part of the work. In addition, he will study with several performers and Baroque performance scholars in Europe, Portland and Seattle.

Linda Karrell, English, will be on sabbatical for the entire 2005-2006 academic year. Karrell plans to complete her second scholarly work, "Rewriting the Author," which focuses on examples of rewriting definitive texts from the perspective of a minor character. Her work will take her to New York to study materials from the Stratemeyer Syndicate, publishers of the "Nancy Drew" mysteries and to the Syracuse University Library, which houses the papers of L. Frank Baum, author of the "Wizard of Oz."

Bridgett Kevane, modern languages, will be on sabbatical for the 2005-2006 academic year to work on her book, "The Sacred and Profane: Religious Discourse and Cultural Renewal." The book examines faith in contemporary Latino and Latina literature.

Isaac Klapper, math, will be on sabbatical for the 2005-2006 academic year. Klapper plans to travel to the University of North Carolina, Exeter University in the United Kingdom and the University of Malmo in Sweden to work with scientists and mathematicians studying the physics and modeling of biofilms and other related materials.

Wes Lynch, psychology, will be on sabbatical for the 2005-2006 academic year. Lynch will work with scientist Alayne Yates at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii to collect data on the eating and weight-management problems among native Hawaiian youth. Lynch hopes to use the data gathered during his study to compare to his models and data aimed at predicting eating disorders and obesity among Native American and non-Native adolescents with possible application in suggesting intervention strategies in Native communities.

Walter Metz, media and theatre arts, will be on sabbatical for the 2005-2006 academic year. The film scholar plans to write a book, "Canonical Intertexts: The Cinema and Western Civilization."

Michael Peed, art, will be on sabbatical spring semester 2006. The ceramicist plans to write and illustrate a book on the early beginnings of ceramics and techniques used around the world to find clay and produce ceramic objects without kilns, clay mixers or pottery wheels. Peed will travel to Oaxaca, Mexico and the adjoining states of Chiapas and Michocan to interact with artists and view pre-Columbian collections. He also hopes to initiate a cultural exchange between artists in Mexico, MSU and Bozeman.

Elaine Peterson, library, will be on sabbatical during spring semester 2006 to travel to Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand to study digital data collection from users of native and aboriginal peoples collections. Peterson hopes to translate her sabbatical findings to her work at MSU mounting a digital library of Native Americans images.

Raising money. MSU's Master of Fine Arts - Science and Natural History Filmmaking presents, "Learn the Secrets of How to Raise Lots of Money," a workshop for anyone who raises money regardless of the issue or cause. The workshop will be presented by filmmaker and fundraiser, Chris Palmer, 9 a.m.-noon, Wednesday-Friday, May 25-27, in the Visual Communications Building - Studio B. For more information, call Burns Technology Center at 994-6683.

ASMSU Day Care. The ASMSU Day Care located on the MSU campus in the Louise Shunk Building, at 1295 West Garfield, is now accepting children of MSU faculty and classified employees staff. Open to children age 2 1/2 through kindergarten. For information or to sign up for daycare, contact Mary Bolick at 994-4370.

Bozeman Friends of International Students. Each year MSU welcomes new international students from more than 60 countries. An opportunity exists to personally meet these fascinating young people through Bozeman Friends of International Students (BFIS). BFIS matches an international student with a community member or family based on shared interests. Friends typically meet with their student at least once a month. This is not a home stay program. Contact Susan Reisch in the Office of International Programs at 994-6462 or e-mail sreisch@montana.edu to ask questions or apply.

Spring makeover. Forward Focus, the quarterly newsletter of the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at MSU, has a new look. The highlights of this spring makeover are color photos of Montana's featured manufacturers and a new layout on glossy, white paperstock. The current issue features retired MSU soil scientist/entrepreneur Earl Skogley. Forward Focus is sent to Montana's 2,350 manufacturing firms and interested stakeholders. View the new issue at the MMEC Web site (PDF).

Herrick Hall Lounge and fireplace dedication. Faculty, staff, students and the general public are invited to the dedication of the renovated Herrick Hall Lounge at 10 a.m., Friday, May 6, on the second floor of MSU's Herrick Hall. New period furniture, donated by MSU alumni and friends, will be dedicated in memory of Bertha Clow, professor in the Home Economics Department from 1929 to 1970. The fireplace will be dedicated in memory of Pauline Blue Deem's years of service as the Sheridan County extension agent. For more information, contact Deb Redburn at 994-7906.

WISE. Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) and Montana EPSCoR presents a statewide symposium for sharing women's research experiences, networking with fellow students and faculty mentors, and developing strategies for balancing career and family. Montana Networking Symposium for Undergraduate Researchers and Mentors is May 22-24, in the SUB. All students and faculty interested in supporting the successes and exploring the challenges faced by young women entering into science careers are invited to join. Students engaged in research or who will be starting research are encouraged to attend.

Campus residence hall lodging will be provided for up to two nights; all meals will be provided; gas and travel stipends are available for travel greater than 75 miles round trip; and extra travel fund scholarships are available for students in need traveling long distances. Registration deadline is May 6. For more information, see Montana Networking Symposium Web site or contact Stephanie Cunningham, Montana Networking Symposium Coordinator, at scunningham@montana.edu, or 994-6652.

Teaching, learning and technology workshops. The Burns Technology Center presents two summer WebCT workshops. "Digging Deeper: Mining with Advanced WebCT Tools," is 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday, and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 7-8, in EPS 126. "Creating a Hybrid Course Using WebCT" is 9 a.m.-4 p.m., on Wednesday, and 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 13-14, in EPS 126. Each two-day event provides exploration and hands-on experience with WebCT for both new and existing WebCT users. Registration is required and space is limited. Online registration and more information are available at the BTC's Teaching, Learning and Technology Web site.

Strategies for Enhancing Student Engagement. The Teaching and Learning Committee and the Burns Technology Center are co-sponsoring a two-day workshop, "Strategies for Enhancing Student Engagement," 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 17, and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 18, in EPS 126. The workshop will focus on ways to determine how well students are learning as well as how teaching can be fine-tuned to further assist student learning. In addition, the workshop will explore various ways to engage students in assessable activities that go beyond simple tests and papers; including facilitating small groups and the promotion of active learning. Throughout the workshop, participants will discover how to effectively implement these strategies and explore ways in which instructional technology can assist in this process. Registration is required and space is limited. For more information and to register, visit the Teaching, Learning and Technology Web site.

COT@MSU. The Great Falls College of Technology has a branch office on the MSU campus, temporarily located at 103 Hannon Hall. The COT staff is able to enroll, register, process fee payments and advise students.

In addition to the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree offered in Computer Technology at the Bozeman Tech Center downtown (522-0830), the COT is offering an AAS degree in aviation, instructor-taught math classes on the MSU campus (Math 065 and 101), two English courses for students seeking additional preparation prior to taking freshman English (ENGL 118 and 119), and Introduction to College (COLS 100).

Students can register for any combination of MSU and COT courses to qualify as a full-time student. To register for COT courses, students need to contact the COT office, 103 Hannon Hall, 994-5536 or shicswa@msugf.edu. Students must fill out a short dual enrollment form, which incorporates both admission and registration. For more information and a schedule of course offerings, contact Stefani Hicswa, director of Bozeman operations, at 994-5536.

Summer gym-pass memberships. Summer passes may be purchased beginning May 9. Rates are as follows:

• University Single -- $60
• University-Related -- $75
• Summer Student -- $60
• Summer Student Spouse -- $30

Purchase passes in Intramural and Recreation Office, 202 Shroyer Gym, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.

Gym complex building hours changing. Beginning Saturday, May 7, summer gym hours will be:

Monday-Friday   6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday   CLOSED

Intramural summer fitness classes. Monday-Thursday 12:05-1 p.m.

Monday - Functional Fitness (Kelly)
Monday - Power Walking (outside) (Linda)
Tuesday - Mat Science (Kelly)
Wednesday - Functional Movement (Linda)
Wednesday - Power Walking (outside) (Kelly)
Thursday - Cardio and Toning Challenge (Katie)

MSU employees - Non-gym members: $55 (allows access to 11 weeks of fitness classes for summer.)
MSU employees - gym members - No Cost

Summer fitness consultations. Personal fitness consultations will be available during the summer months. Call 994-6309 for an appointment. Gym members receive free fitness consultations.

Intramural Web site. Log on to the Intramural Web site for gym complex building hours, climbing wall hours, fitness class schedules, Intramural activity schedules, gym membership information and fitness consultations.

Art. The annual B.F.A. Exhibition is displayed through May 6 in the Helen E. Copeland Gallery. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more information, call 994-2562.

Reference art. Watercolor paintings by Mary Keefer, reference librarian, MSU Libraries, are now on exhibit in Renne Library's Heathcote Court and reference area on the first floor. A sampling of her paintings and information about Keefer are available online at the MSU Library Web site.

Exit art. The Exit Art Gallery in SUB 286 features drawings by Mary Ann Kelly. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and noon-4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Call 994-1828 for details.

Laurence Carucci, anthropology, presented a paper at the combined meetings of the American Ethnological Society/Society for Psychological Anthropology entitled "Pedagogical Promise or Disciplinary Disguise: Shifting Experiences of Marshallese Youth in Primary School." The conference was held in San Diego, Calif.

Marleen Eitzen recently joined the Burns Technology Center at MSU as associate director of public relations and development to lead the center's marketing, public relations and fundraising. Before joining the BTC, Eitzen was a multimedia project manager for Microsoft Studios in Redmond, Wash. Eitzen was previously a vice president at RXL Pulitzer, a nationally and internationally recognized leader in educational technology applications and multimedia development. She also spent six years as a Northwest anchorwoman and reporter for regional CBS News affiliates.

Heather Estvold, administrative associate recently joined the staff at the Burns Technology Center. She provides support for the center's program managers for credit and non-credit programs. Currently, she is organizing the logistics of upcoming summer events including Summer Sports Camp, Peaks and Potential and various conferences.

Keri Garver, recently joined the staff at the Burns Technology Center as a curriculum specialist. Garver is an education and public outreach team member for various NASA missions. Her responsibilities include writing online science curriculum materials for teachers, maintaining the education and outreach portion of a mission Web site, and creating informative pieces for students and the community covering astronomy and earth science topics to be distributed via mission web sites. In addition, she writes teacher-training materials for the National Science Teachers Association.

Theresa Huyser, recently joined the staff at the Burns Technology Center as the Montana JASON coordinator. She is responsible for all aspects of the Montana JASON Project, including marketing, development and teacher training. She works to bring the JASON Project, a science- and technology-based education program, to elementary and middle schools across Montana.

Jonathan Paver recently joined the staff at the Burns Technology Center as an online learning specialist. He provides technical and pedagogical support, including direct assistance with design and implementation, for faculty and instructional staff who are creating online learning opportunities and resources for MSU students and programs. He supports the use of online courseware and instructional methodologies by designing, developing, and delivering online learning resources and experiences. He also contributes to the design, development and implementation of training strategies, opportunities and support resources for members of the MSU community using and developing online instructional resources.

Julie Pester recently joined the staff at the Burns Technology Center as instructional technology specialist. She provides functional support and maintenance of WebCT software as well as technical assistance to faculty and students using WebCT. She is a Montana native and an MSU grad.

Smoking policy. Proposed revisions to the MSU smoking policy can be viewed on the Legal Counsel Web site. Direct any comments to Robert Lashaway, director of Facilities Services, at RVL@facilities.montana.edu. The comment period expires Tuesday, May 3.

Hangtags. Starting with fall semester 2005, users of MSU parking lots will use hangtags instead of decals to avoid tickets. The current system of decals doesn't work well when a user drives a different car to campus on different days. With hangtags, a person can drive any car he or she chooses. The hangtag dangles from the mirror. No extra stops at the Police Station or Paylot Kiosk to pick up a hangtag for the day are necessary. Drivers will not have to worry about getting a ticket for driving the car without the decal.

The freedom to choose has a price. There will no longer be second car discounts for anyone. In the past, discounts were available if a family drove more than one vehicle to campus, but now each driver that comes to campus will pay a full share to use MSU's parking facilities. If a driver forgets the hangtag, the user will have to purchase a day hangtag for $2.50 or risk getting a ticket. The police will void the first ticket a user receives for forgetting to utilize the hangtag or forgetting the hangtag in the other car. After that, the full price of a parking ticket will help jolt the user's memory. Questions, concerns, or comments can be sent to parking@montana.edu.

MSU faculty retirees reception and dinner. The 30th annual MSU faculty retirees dinner will be held Tuesday, May 24, at the MSU Alumni/Foundation building at Lincoln Street and 11th Avenue. The no-host reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner following at 7 p.m. President Gamble and his wife, Patricia, will share the evening with the retirees. Dinner will be followed by a discussion, "Climate Change, Montana State University, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," led by Lisa Graumlich, executive director of the Big Sky Institute and professor of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. For information, dinner reservations, or to arrange transportation, call the Alumni Office at 994-2401.

Wilderness first aid. Two Wilderness First Responder courses will be hosted by the ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program at MSU. Courses will be offered May 21-29 and Aug. 6-14. Cost is $425 for ASMSU students, $450 for MSU affiliates and $475 for the general public. Wilderness First Responder is a 72-hour course, which is excellent training for outdoor enthusiasts who regularly find themselves and their travel companions in remote settings, far from ambulance service or medical care facilities. Certification through Wilderness Medical Associates is valid for three years. Contact ASMSU Outdoor Recreation at 994-3621 for additional information.