Winter 1997 Montanan - Volume 14, Number 2 Several hundred people attended the October 11 dedication of the new business building, which featured speeches from dignitaries including Governor Marc Racicot (above). Business Building Dedicated The day couldn't have been more beautiful. On October 11, the skies were bright blue, the trees flame-red as hundreds of onlookers packed the courtyard for the dedication of the William and Rosemary Gallagher Building for the School of Business Administration. There was pomp and circumstance galore: a ribbon-cutting by Rosemary Gallagher and speeches from the likes of Governor Marc Racicot, President George Dennison, Capital Campaign Chair Phyllis Washington and business Dean Larry Gianchetta. Then the crowd poured inside to take a peek at what $15.5 million of state and private money will buy. The four-story, disability accessible building took two years to complete and features state-of-the-art technology and classrooms ranging from small seminar rooms to tiered 250-seat classrooms. Computer industry giants pitched in to outfit the building with current technology. A $303,415 grant from Hewlett-Packard paid for more than 100 personal computers and four network servers, while Microsoft Corporation employees donated software applications. Employees of both companies donated their time and travel to install the equipment. UM News Online Starting Friday, February 7, you can keep a weekly tab on the news at The University of Montana from your computer. TGIF (Think Grizzly, It's Friday) as the e-mail news service is called, will feature news bites about the people and events on campus, compiled by the University Communications news bureau. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to listproc@listserv.umt.edu and in the message type: subscribe ucomm firstname lastname. (Substitute your first name and last name.) A scene from To Kill A Mockingbird, the Montana Repertory Theatrežs most extensive tour to date. The tour began January 23 in Lancaster, California, and will end in Covington, Virginia, on May 3, after playing in fifteen states. Go Dry, Young Men You know the stereotype: frat boys, beer kegs, sprawling parties. Well, this fall the image of fraternity life underwent a radical change at The University of Montana in response to a new "dry" policy for UM's Greek chapters. After assault reports near fraternity houses last September brought the issue to a head, UM's All Greek Council agreed to ban alcohol from all fraternity houses, except in the private rooms of members who are of legal drinking age. Limited exceptions will be granted for special events, such as alumni gatherings, with a licensed bartender. A no-alcohol policy was already in place at UM sororities. All Greek Council President Drew Way said fraternity members approved the policy in an effort to help bring the image of fraternities in line with their goals and principles. "We no longer wish to be known for alcohol and partying," Way said. "That's not our main focus. And we don't want to attract members for whom drinking and partying is the main focus. We want the focus to be on our basic principles of tradition, brotherhood and sisterhood, and philanthropy. "We also want to be good neighbors," he said, noting that parties at fraternity houses have created problems for residents of the University area. "I'm very pleased that the leaders of the Greek system realize the seriousness of the problems caused by alcohol in their houses," said Dean of Students Barbara Hollmann. Perhaps the best thing about UM's new fraternity alcohol policy was that it was developed by fraternity members themselves, she said. "We are probably the first university that has passed this sort of initiative voluntarily, and not as the result of a death or other major incident," she said. Touch That Dial: Turn to KUFM-TV Here come "Sesame Street," "Barney," "Masterpiece Theatre" and "Backroads of Montana"-courtesy of your new local public television. With the arrival of KUFM-TV Channel 11, based at UM, viewers in the Missoula and northern Bitterroot valleys have a public television station in their community for the first time ever. KUFM-TV hit the airwaves in January, operating as a partner with KUSM-TV, which is licensed to Montana State University-Bozeman. The two constitute Montana Public Television, a statewide network providing viewers with informative, educational and entertaining programming. KUFM-TV's studio is located in UM's Performing Arts and Radio/TV Center. Organizers hope KUFM-TV will be as successful as KUFM, Montana Public Radio, which has served Montanans for thirty-one years. William Marcus, director of UM's Broadcast Media Center, said viewers can expect the same dedication to quality they have come to expect from Montana Public Radio. Praise the Lord and Rewrite the Constitution? On the eve of the 1996 general elections, scholars, politicians and clergy gathered on the UM campus to examine the role of religion in the electoral and governing process. The 1996 Mansfield Conference, "Religious Values and the Political Process," featured three keynote speakers: religious scholar the Reverend Martin Marty, Harvard history Professor Tu Weiming and anthropology Professor Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban. On October 20 and 21, they explored the relationship between religions and politics in the United States, the Islamic world and China. The conference finished with a knee-slappin' bang the following night, when the Mighty Clouds of Joy gave a free gospel concert to Missoulians young and old. Borgmann Named Regents Professor Groundbreaking scholarship, commitment to teaching and years of service to the campus and community earned UM philosopher Albert Borgmann the rank of Regents Professor. Borgmann, the third UM professor ever selected for the prestigious title, was granted the lifetime professorship by the state Board of Regents on September 19. "I think Professor Borgmann is particularly well qualified for this distinction," said President George Dennison. "He has distinguished himself as a philosopher and is one of our really shining lights in scholarship." Borgmann's book, Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry, was the focus of an international workshop. Record Enrollment If you thought sidewalks seemed rather crowded the last time you were on campus, you were right. The largest freshman class in UM history and a growth spurt at the College of Technology helped lift fall semester enrollment to a record high of 11,886. Last year's fall enrollment was 11,753. And if a recent survey-funded by the Associated Students of UM, the University Teachers' Union and UM administrative offices-is any indication, those students will be here more than four years because they will have to spend more time working to support themselves. Surveyed students (40 percent of 628 responded) cited the rising costs of tuition and living in Missoula as the leading factors keeping them at UM for more than four years, said sociology Professor Dan Doyle, who analyzed the results with forestry Professor David Jackson. Forest Service Chief Joins UM Faculty U.S. Forest Service Chief Jack Ward Thomas traded the beltway for the Big Sky, when he retired in November to become UM's Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation. Thomas will teach, guide graduate student research and offer public service in the fields of wildlife conservation and ecosystem management for sustainable development. Thomas, an internationally known wildlife biology researcher, also will oversee the Theodore Roosevelt Wildlife Research Station and administer the work of the Boone and Crockett Club's Conservation Program. "I look forward to this opportunity and to returning to the West; that's where my heart is," Thomas said when he announced that he was leaving the federal agency he served for thirty years, most recently as its thirteenth chief. Homecoming 1996 "Taking Care of Business" Images of Homcoming '96 include, clockwise from left, Singing On the Steps, parade floats, the Alumni Band, a fan, and Monty the mascot at the football game against Idaho State. Converting Degrees So you've got your two-year training as a diesel mechanic- now you want to go on and get your bachelor's degree. No problem. The Montana Board of Regents has unanimously approved a program making it easier to convert an associate degree of applied science to a four-year bachelor's degree. Under the program, holders of two-year degrees from the College of Technology or other technology colleges can transfer credits to UM, then take upper-division classes and general education requirement classes to earn a bachelor's degree. Research Vice Presidency, Anyone? First there was Walter E. Bollenbacher, a biologist from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who accepted the job, then withdrew for personal reasons. Then came Matthew Ames, an oncology researcher at the Mayo Clinic. But when Ames withdrew his acceptance of the vice presidency for research and development last fall, some began to wonder if the position was somehow jinxed. The hiring committee, however, has gone back to work again in hopes of finding a vice president to oversee UM's burgeoning research efforts. Three's a charm? Robert Kiley Dies Robert Kiley, who was dean of UM's School of Fine Arts from 1972 to 1979 and an art professor for more than 35 years, died unexpectedly on June 28, 1996. Kiley served as an adviser to the National Endowment for the Arts and was a past president of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans. A practicing artist and photographer, Kiley retired from teaching in 1989 and moved to Boca Raton, Florida. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis.