Bear Briefs

Athletes Rewarded For Service — Two UM student-athletes received 2008 Montana Athletes in Service Awards in November. Grace Harris, a UM junior, majors in political science and is a member of the women’s soccer team. Jordan Hasquet, a UM senior in information systems, plays on the men’s basketball team. Harris serves as a peer advocate for the Undergraduate Advising Center and volunteers with UM’s Lutheran Campus Ministry. Hasquet has volunteered for a number of organizations, including St. Joseph’s and the Ronald McDonald House. He also donates his time as a youth basketball coach for teams and clinics. Erica Perry and Tanner Ripley of Montana State University also received the awards. The 2008 awards were presented by UM President George Dennison, MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Allen Yarnell and Montana Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger at the Grizzly-Bobcat football game Nov. 22, in Missoula. The awards are sponsored by the Montana Campus Compact, a nonprofit coalition of 19 college and university presidents committed to helping students develop the values and skills of citizenship through civic engagement and participation in public service. For more information, visit http://www.mtcompact.org.

Keeping The Leopold Legacy Alive — Retired UM Professor Richard Taber was presented the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award from The Wildlife Society in November. It the highest honor bestowed by the society. The lifetime achievement award honors the famous American conservationist and is given to those whose careers have made a difference to the cause of wildlife conservation. Taber studied under Aldo Leopold at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the UM faculty in 1956 as an assistant professor of wildlife biology. He rose through the University’s ranks to professor, assistant leader of the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and associate director of the Montana Forest and Range Experiment Station. In 1968, he moved to the University of Washington, Seattle, where he served until his retirement in 1985. Taber returned to Missoula in 1986, where he taught at UM as an adjunct professor. He now lives in Salisbury, N.C.

Crown Of The Continent On The Table — Thirty-two leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors met Nov. 6-7 for a roundtable at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell to explore the future of the Crown of the Continent — the 17 million-acre ecosystem that spans Alberta, British Columbia and Montana and is anchored by Glacier and Waterton national parks. Participants included representatives of public land management agencies, conservation groups, businesses, universities, communities, and elected and appointed officials. They came from Alberta, British Columbia and Montana. The leaders agreed on a number of issues that confront the region, including the need to generate a sustainable economy, conserve wildlife corridors and respond to fire and insect threats. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and UM’s Public Policy Research Institute convened the Crown of the Continent Roundtable. For more information call UM’s Matt McKinney at 406-457-8475 or e-mail matt@umtpri.org.

GSA Releases New License Plate — The Grizzly Scholarship Association at UM has unveiled its new GSA Griz Plate. Proceeds from the sale of the plates will benefit the GSA, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support student-athlete scholarships. In addition to the regular vehicle registration fees, the plates cost $45. The GSA receives $30 of that fee. Each year thereafter, the full GSA license plate $30 renewal fee benefits the nonprofit. Those who already have a GSA plate can receive the new plate for a one-time charge of $10. Visit your local Montana motor vehicle department for more information or to purchase the new license plates.

Economic Forecast Seminar On Tour — Economic researchers and experts from throughout the Montana University System will head to nine cities in January, February and March to present the 34th annual Montana Economic Outlook Seminar. This year’s seminar theme is “Montana’s Transportation Future: Opportunities Around the Next Curve.” Sponsored by UM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the seminar will feature Steve Albert, director of the Western Transportation Institute, discussing the connection between Montana’s transportation system and its economy. BBER economist Paul Polzin will highlight the latest economic trends and explain what they mean for Montana. He also will present an economic forecast for each seminar city. Bureau researchers and other experts will examine recent trends and the outlook for Montana’s important industries. All seminars begin at 8 a.m. and end after the luncheon at about 1 p.m. The $80 registration fee includes the seminar, a proceedings booklet, lunch and a one-year subscription to the Montana Business Quarterly. Continuing education credits are available for a $20 processing fee. A complete seminar schedule is on BBER Web site at http://www.bber.umt.edu. Register online or by calling 406-243-5113.

It’s Never Too Late To Learn — Registration is now open for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UM courses to be held in January and February. The courses, available to people 50 and older, are taught by dynamic UM and community educators. An Osher Lifelong Learning Institute annual membership fee of $20 is required to register for courses. Annual memberships run from July 1 to June 30. Tuition for each course is $60. A full description of all courses and class times, information about instructors and a registration form are online at http://www.umt.edu/ce/plus50. For more information, call UM Continuing Education at 406-243-2905.

Law Lecture Series Receives $50,000 — A fund managed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana has provided $50,000 to benefit a prestigious law lecture series at UM. The donation will boost UM’s Judge William B. Jones and Judge Edward A. Tamm Judicial Lecture Series, whose distinguished lecturers have included five members of the U.S. Supreme Court — most recently Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on Sept. 24. The money came from the court’s Attorney Admission Fund, which is generated from fees paid by those wishing to practice law in Montana’s U.S. District Court. UM’s Jones-Tamm series honors the memory of two former Montanans who had distinguished careers on the federal bench in Washington, D.C. Both Jones and Tamm were trial judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Tamm also served on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. The two judges had strong ties to Montana and its law school.

Geosciences Receives Donation — UM’s Department of Geosciences recently received a donation of seven plexiglass sand- and clay-filled groundwater models from Mountain Water Company, Missoula’s water utility. The models will be used by more than 300 students each semester who take Geosciences 101, a laboratory accompanying the Introduction to Geosciences lecture class. “This is an excellent example of how a local business’ support of the university has a significant positive impact on our undergraduate education program,” said Bill Woessner, chair of the geosciences department.

Humanities Montana Names New Director — Humanities Montana recently announced that Ken Egan, a specialist in the literature of the West, will take the position of executive director on Feb. 1, 2009. Egan, now a professor of English at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., is well-known to Montanans. He served on the Board of Humanities Montana during 1989-93 and taught from 1985 to 2002 at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, where he was faculty chair and divisional chair of Arts and Humanities. Egan was born in Polson and graduated from high school in Great Falls. He received his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. A reception to welcome Egan back to Montana and Humanities Montana, and to say goodbye to retiring Executive Director Mark Sherouse will be held in mid-March.

Journalism Student Snags National Scholarship — Michael Houchin, a junior from Butte majoring in radio-television at UM’s School of Journalism, was recently awarded a national scholarship from the Broadcast Education Association for the 2009-10 school year. Houchin will receive the Walter Patterson Scholarship, sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters. This is the seventh straight year that a student from UM has received a BEA scholarship. Houchin is one of 15 students from 14 universities who will receive scholarships next year. The winners were selected by the BEA Scholarship Committee at its fall meeting in Washington, D.C., and announced in mid-November. Association scholarships are awarded to outstanding students for study at universities that are institutional members of the organization.

Album Recorded At UM Up For Grammy — A recording of a live performance at UM by children’s storyteller and songwriter Bill Harley has received a Grammy nomination in the Best Spoken Word Album for Children category. The album, “Yes to Running: Bill Harley Live,” is a collaboration between Montana PBS and Montana Public Radio and was recorded in June 2006 at the University Theatre. Dan Dauterive, operations director at KUFM-TV and Montana PBS, originated the idea of recording the popular performer and is credited on the album as co-producer with Harley. Michael Marsolek, MTPR program director, was the audio engineer for the recording. The Grammy Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on Feb. 8.