UMD News Releases

May 2012

• May 11 - Five UMD Faculty Receive Awards
• Four UMD Faculty receive UMD awards and Steve Sternberg receives the UM Alumni Horace T. Morse Award.


• May 11 - UMD Students Reuse and Recycle at Semester's End
• UMD students use several methods to dispose of unwanted items as they leave Duluth at the end of the school year.


• May 8 - UMD 2012 Commencement Ceremonies
• UMD will confer nearly 2085 undergraduate degrees, 225 graduate degrees, and five doctoral degrees at the 2012 baccalaureate and master's degree commencements.


• May 8 - UMD Masters Program Ranks in Top Tier of U.S. News and World Report
• The Masters of Social Work placed 79th nationally, and encourages student development and community practice


• May 8 - UMD Bike/Walk to Work Day
• On Friday, May 18, the city and campus will collaborate on greener transportation options


• May 4 - The Duluth Community Heritage Apple Orchard Breaks Ground on Saturday, May 12 at 9 a.m.
• The public is invited to celebrate the trees that the UMD Heritage Apple Orchard won last year. Plant trees, take a free course on growing apples, and enjoy a day at the orchard!


• May 4 - 2nd Annual CHAMP Day of Service
• Duluth non-profit organizations were given a helping hand from UMD volunteers

April 2012

• April 27 - UMD and Chanhassen Dinner Theaters Announce Alliance
• UMD formalized an alliance with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) to offer internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, and fellowships for UMD students and to bring CDT professional staff to UMD to train students.


• April 24 - Iron Range Master's Graduation Reception
• April Ekholm, Erin Shea, and Rally Hess will be honored at a reception in Chisholm, Minnesota


• April 24 - Local Food Source Provides Grass-Fed Beef
• Grass-fed beef hamburgers, locally grown vegetables and potatoes, and Juneberry-rhubarb crisp are on the menu


• April 18 - Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus: In Concert
• The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will perform on Thursday, May 3 at 8 pm in Weber Music Hall.


• April 17 - UMD Music Student Receives Prestigious Schubert Club Award
• UMD opera singer and music student Sarah Knott received a 2012 Schubert Club Award and Scholarship. She also performed on Minnesota Public Radio on April 18.


• April 17 - UMD Student Employee Honored
• UMD senior Sam Ginsberg, student marketing director for KUMD, was named Minnesota Student Employee of the Year.


• April 17 - Second Annual CHAMP Day of Service
• The second annual UMD CHAMP (Connecting Hopes with Action to Mobilize People) Day of Service will be held on Saturday, April 21.


• April 13 - 2012 Platinum Award for Fit-Friendly Company
• UMD is recognized as having high standards for campus health that include numerous walking trails and a campus wide no-smoking policy


• April 13 - International Sustainable Development and Connections to Duluth
• From April 16-20, a variety of activities and presentations will educate and celebrate sustainability practices


• April 10 - UofM and UMD Support Lacrosse Camp for American Indian Youth
• UMD, the Fond du Lac Band, and others have lent support to a summer lacrosse camp for youth. The camp, in its third year, strengthens our region's American Indian community.


• April 10 - Travel Adventures On All Seven Continents
• On Wednesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in the Weber Music Hall, enjoy a multimedia show by Duluth native and award-winning author Marty Essen


• April 9 - CEO RUSSEL FLEISCHER: LSBE PROFESSOR FOR A DAY
• Russell Fleischer, CEO of HighJump Software, will lecture on Wed., Apr. 11 as part of LSBE's Professor for a Day Speaker Series..


• April 9 - Creativity and Undergraduate Research on Display at UMD
• The 2012 Undergraduate Research and Artistic Showcase will be held on April 12 from 12 noon - 4 pm in the Kirby Ballroom.


• April 5 - What is America: UMD EXPLORES SHARED STORIES
• An eight-day series of lectures, discussions, displays, films, and music help UMD examine its diversity.


• April 4 - Religion and the Holocaust: UMD's Baeumler Kaplan 2012 Holocaust Commemoration
• Five speakers, a film and a play are part of the 2012 Baeumler Kaplan Holocaust Commemoration series and address the issues of religion and the Holocaust.


• April 4 - Nature, Evolution, and Creative Nonfiction
• Released on April 3, UMD Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Susan Maher generated, organized, and fulfilled the two-year publishing plan with Tom Lynch, associate professor of English, from the University of Nebraska.

March 2012

• March 30 - New Student Chapter at LSBE
• On Wednesday, April 4 at 2:30 p.m., the first Student Chapter of the Financial Planning Association in Minnesota will be initiated


• March 27 - UMD Diversity Dialogue With Visiting Professors
• Renowned soprano Geraldine McMillian and pianist David Mayfield speak about their journeys as musicians of color at a Diversity Dialogue.


• March 26 - Successful Alumnus to Speak at UMD
• Free and open to the public with registration required for Tuesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. in the Weber Music Hall


• March 26 - Rally and Send-Off of Students for Bulldog Lobby Day at the MN State Capitol
• Students, faculty, and staff are heading to the Minnesota State Capitol on Wednesday, March 28 at 7:15 a.m.


• March 22 - Senior Vice President of Google and UMD Alumnus Awarded 2011 ACM Fellow Honor
• Amit Singhal has been named a 2011 ACM Fellow for his search and information retrieval contributions


• March 21 - TechFest 2012
• On Friday, March 23 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Kirby Student Center Ballroom, the public is welcome to learn about new technology from social media to digital networking to the latest applications.


• March 1 - Choral Event Launches Scholarship
• On Sunday, March 4 at 3 p.m. in the Weber Music Hall, the UMD Dr. Vernon Choral Scholarship will launch with a special concert.

February 2012

• February 24 - UMD Program Strengthened with $75,000 Wells Fargo Gift
• Representatives from Wells Fargo announced a gift of $75,000 from Wells Fargo Bank Duluth to support the Financial Markets Lab in the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE)


• February 24 - Annual Awareness Event About Eating Disorders
• On Monday, February 27 in Bohannon 90 at 7 p.m., Kitty Westin, national advocate for people with eating disorders, will kick off UMD's Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness week


• February 24 - National Dance Marathon Celebrates Children’s Hospitals
• Have fun for a great cause! Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 24 in the UMD Kirby Center Ballroom, help raise funds for the student-led Dance Marathon national movement for the Children's Miracle Network


• February 16 - Vince Magnuson To Be Honored With Prestigious National Award
• On Monday, February 20 at 3 p.m. in the UMD Weber Music Hall, Vince Magnuson will be presented with the William Plater Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement


• February 14 - Antiracist Author to Speak at UMD
• On Thursday, February 16 at 6 p.m. in the Kirby Ballroom, author Tim Wise will speak at this free event


• February 9 - 4th Annual UMD Darwin Day Lecture Series
• Join the Department of Geological Sciences and the Department of Biology at UMD on Friday, February 10 at 3:15 p.m. in room 185 of the UMD Life Science building


• February 9 - Three Open Houses for Prospective MTAG Students
• The first cohort is underway while applicants for the second cohort are welcome at open houses for the UMD Master of Tribal Administration and Governance program


• February 9 - Student-Led ASL and AFA Clubs "Usher" in The Miracle Worker Performance
• Join Champ and UMD students starting at 1 p.m. in the Marshall Performing Arts Center


• February 9 - 2012 Rudolf Nissim Award Presented to UMD Assistant Professor
• Gene Koshinski, UMD Assistant Professor of Percussion, was awarded the 2012 Rudolf Nissim Award for his Concerto for Marimba and Choir


• February 9 - UMD Announces New Scholarship Applicants Being Sought for 2012-2013 FinnFest USA '92 Scholarship Awards
• UMD Announces New Scholarship Applicants Being Sought for 2012-2013 FinnFest USA '92 Scholarship Awards


• February 3 - Duluth Community Invited to Annual "Spring Feast"
• On Tuesday, February 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the UMD Kirby Ballroom, celebrate at the annual "Spring Feast" with the UMD American Indian Learning Resource Center


• February 3 - Campus and Community Connection
• Three UMD students wear costumes and help raise money for a six year old with cancer

January 2012

• January 27 - "The Holocaust: Resistance and Survival"
• A series of films portraying the Nazi oppression


• January 22 - Celebrate the Launch of UMD's New Confucius Institute
• On Saturday, January 21 at 3 p.m. in the Weber Music Hall, Gao Hong, world-renowned pipa soloist, will perform with the Carleton College's Chinese Music Ensemble.


• January 3 - Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Endorses UMD's State Bonding Request
• UMD, with a 40-year commitment to American Indian studies, has become a center of American Indian learning

December 2011

• December 20 - Winter Solstice Invitation to Community Families
• On Thursday, December 22 from 4-9 p.m. at the UMD Planetarium, enjoy full-dome shows every half hour, as well as arts and crafts projects with a stellar theme


• December 19 - New! Civil Engineering Masters Degree
• The Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MS-CE) is intended for students pursuing a research emphasis and seeking in-depth knowledge in an area within civil engineering.


• December 19 - National Design Award Recognizes UMD
• The James I Swenson Engineering Building was recognized with a 2011 AIA/CAE Educational Facility Design merit award.


• December 16 - National Publication Features Mathematics Professor
• The Association of American Colleges and Universities journal Liberal Education features Professor of Mathematics and Associate Department Head Carmen Latterell


• December 14 - Holiday Reading by Local Author
• On Friday, December 16 at 3 p.m. in the Weber Music Hall, enjoy a live holiday reading by author and English Professor Joseph Maiolo


• December 7 - Equity and Diversity Award Honors UMD
• The University of Minnesota system presented UMD with the 2011 Equity and Diversity Outstanding Unit Award.


• December 7 - An Evening in Chicago
• UMD Alumni Reception at the Victory Garden's Biograph Theater

November 2011

• November 30 - UMD Research Featured by National Science Foundation
• UMD faculty work documenting the Chippewa language and training of indigenous scholars is one of four research projects filmed by the National Science Foundation Science Nation video series


• November 30 - UMD Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Appointed
• Dr. Andrew J. Schokker has been appointed UMD's Executive Vice Chancellor for Academica Affairs


• November 30 - Maroon and Gold Holiday Tree Topped with a Bulldog
• Several LSBE students joined together and decorated a UMD-inspired holiday tree for the non-profit organization, the American Red Cross Northland Chapter, to include in the annual Fitger's Holiday Forest silent auction


• November 30 - UMD's Large Lakes Observatory Tapped for National Geographic Special
• "Drain the Great Lakes" will be aired at 9 p.m. EST, Thursday, December 1 and rebroadcast at 10 p.m. EST. The program features data and research provided by UMD's Large Lakes Observatory


• November 29 - A "Ritchie Boy" comes to UMD
• On Monday, December 5, Minnesota's own "Ritchie Boy," Walter Schwarz, will tell about his experiences as one of the mostly Jewish men who fled Nazi Germany only to return to Europe as soldiers in U.S. uniforms.


• November 22 - American Institute of Architects Chicago Chapter Honors UMD
• UMD's James I. Swenson Civil Engineering building was recently honored with the prestigious Distinguished Building Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago chapter and was selected to grace the cover of the current issue of Chicago Architect, AIA Chicago's magazine.


• November 16 - Peering into the Past and Present of New England
• On Monday, November 28 at 5 p.m. in the 4th floor Library Rotunda, author and historian Jean O'Brien will present "Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians Out of Existence in New England."


• November 16 - MN Power to Present $18,183 Energy Rebate Check to UMD
• On Tuesday, November 22 at 9 a.m. in the Ianni Residence Hall lobby, MN Power will present an energy rebate check to Chancellor Lendley C. Black


• November 14 - Top Teams Compete for Regional Placement in Retail Analytics Event
• On Thursday, November 17 at 4 p.m., four local high schools will compete in the regional finals by presenting profit and promotional strategies to a panel of regional and national judge sponsors.


• November 14 - Professors to Receive Global Engagement Award
• UMD Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Zhuangyi Liu, and U of MN Twin Cities School of Medicine Professor of Anesthesiology Kumar G. Belani will be honored on November 16 at 4 p.m.


• November 14 - Author and Associate Professor Wins Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction
• Linda LeGarde Grover from the UMD department of American Indian Studies was honored on November 3 with the Janet Heidinger Kafka prize for her book The Dance Boots.


• November 11 - UMD Students Establish ASL Club
• Admission will be free for the first 10 people who attend the event on Saturday, November 12 starting at 11 a.m. at the Lake Superior Zoo


• November 6 - Towards Zero Death: Grant Enforcement Project
• Directed by Tom Isbell, written by Sara Thomsen, and presented by UMD, Duluth, and regional community artists on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Performing Arts Center


• November 1 - Land of Plenty: How Did You Come to Be Here?
• Directed by Tom Isbell, written by Sara Thomsen, and presented by UMD, Duluth, and regional community artists on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Performing Arts Center

October 2011

• October 26 - Community's Children & Families Invited to UMD's Haunted Halls
• UMD has used the grant for campus-wide signs, banners, and posters; an increase in officer enforcement; and a higher visibility of patrol cars and officers during large events and holiday weekends.


• October 26 - U of M President Kaler to visit Duluth and Cloquet Oct. 27-28
• President Kaler will tour UMD, speak at an all-campus public forum, meet privately with area legislators, and tour the Cloquet Forestry Center


• October 25 - U of M Regents Give Green Light to Duluth American Indian Center
• The board voted at its October 14 meeting to include the AILRC in the University of Minnesota's 2012 state capital request


• October 24 - NEMBA READINGS - MEET THE AUTHORS
• Connie Wanek, Peter Geye, and Dennis Herschbach will read from their works on Thursday, October 27, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the UMD Library Rotunda


• October 24 - CED 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION RECEPTION
• Thursday, October 27, 2011 at the DECC Harborside Ballroom from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. a reception will be held celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CED


• October 24 - Large Lakes Observatory Awarded NSF Grant
• The National Science Foundation has awarded $485,226 to UMD's Large Lakes Observatory research program


• October 20 - Spilly's Recipe Contest
• Minnesota Sea Grant's "Salute to Lake Superior's Sustainable Fisheries" will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the U of M McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis.


• October 20 - UMD and Silver Bay Launching Sustainability Project
• The groundbreaking ceremony for the building construction will be held at 1:30 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011, in Silver Bay, Minn., at the Eco-Industrial Development Site just north of the Silver Bay traffic lights on Scenic Highway 61 (next to AmericInn)


• October 20 - Zombie Fest 2011
• Free and open to the public, six professors from UMD will present the zombie topic from a variety of disciplines on Thursday, October 27 at 7 p.m.


• October 18 - Scientific Discovery on UMD Campus Takes Major Step Toward Commercial Use
• A new potentially life-saving therapy discovered by scientists on the UMD campus of the University of Minnesota has taken a major step toward commercial use.


• October 13 - $1.2 Million NSF Award for Project Baseline
• Julie Etterson and a team of co-principal investigators have been awarded $1.2 million for a large seed bank where seeds will be stored.


• October 12 - Professor to Be Honored with Gallery of Success Award
• Jean "Rudy" Perrault will be honored on Friday, October 14, 2011 with the Gallery of Success Award at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


• October 11 - First Annual Food Week
• Robert Kenner, producer of the documentary Food, Inc., will speak about the film on Thursday, October 20 at 8 p.m. as part of UMD's First Annual Food Week.


• October 11 - Homecoming 2011: "This is Bulldog Country"
• The homecoming schedule begins on Friday, October 14 and ends on Saturday, October 22.


• October 11 - Twin Ports Heartwalk 2011
• Over 135 walkers on 13 teams with 60+ volunteers from UMD were involved at the 2011 Twin Ports Heartwalk


• October 5 - Faculty Art Show at the Tweed Museum of Art
• From now through March 4, 2012, visit the Tweed Museum of Art to view the faculty art show. A reception will be held on Tuesday, October 11 from 5-7 p.m.


• October 4 - Director of the Center for Ethics and Public Policy
• Assistant Professor Shane Courtland has been appointed director of the Center for Ethics and Public Policy


• October 3 - Speech Language Pathologist Event
• Dr. Joan Arvedson will present "Pediatric Swallowing & Feeding: Decision Making with Complex Patients" on October 15, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. in LSBE 118

September 2011

• September 28 - Weisman Art Museum Invites Eun-Kyung Suh to Create Exhibit
• From October 2, 2011 through May 20, 2012, Eun-Kyung Suh's exhibit will be on display at the Weisman Art Museum


• September 27 - Statement Regarding Recent Incident on University of Minnesota Duluth Campus
• Statement Regarding Recent Incident on University of Minnesota Duluth Campus


• September 27 - NSF Collaborative Research Grant
• NSF has awarded $241,482 to research conducted by a team, including Peter Willemson, UMD associate professor in the Department of Computer Science.


• September 27 - LSBE Distinguished Speaker Series: Dan Fishback
• Tuesday, October 4 from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., alum Dan Fishback will present "Skate To Where the Puck is Going to Be"


• September 26 - EPA Awards $400,000 to University of Minnesota Sea Grant
• EPA 2011 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative includes the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program with a $400,000 award.


• September 22 - Vehicle-to-Vehicle Technology
• UMD research has led to a unique technology for the future of traffic control that fulfills the transportation-communication criteria set by the U.S. Department of Transportation.


• September 22 - Master of Social Work Award
• Julia "Bunny" Jaakola is the recipient of the 2011 Outstanding Master of Social Work Field Supervisor and Civic Engagement award.


• September 21 - Military Friendly Campus
• UMD is ranked among the top 15% of military friendly higher education institutions in the nation.


• September 21 - Sustainable Agriculture Project Event
• The Sustainable Agriculture Project welcomes the community to free tours and harvesting on Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.


• September 21 - Director of External Affairs Announced
• Susan Banovetz has been named the director of External Affairs, effective September 26, 2011.


• September 14 - Film Screening of Philip Pearlstein: Naked Vision
• On Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weber Music Hall, the UMD film screening of Philip Pearlstein: Naked Vision will be presented.


• September 12 - Diversity: How Did You Come to Be Here?
• The online questionnaire invites the UMD community to answers questions about ancestry and heritage, as well as what led each person to the university as a student, staff, or faculty member.


• September 9 - UMD Constitution Week Activities
• From Monday, September 12 through Friday, September 16, UMD is hosting a campus-wide Constitution Week with a variety of scheduled events.


• September 8 - KUMD 103.3 FM Features a Special Radio Panel Discussion on 9/11
• On Friday, September 9 at 10 a.m., KUMD 103.3 is featuring a special radio panel discussion "Reflections of 9/11".


• September 7 - UMD Names Residence Hall in Honor of Former Chancellor Ianni
• A dedication ceremony on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. will name the new UMD student residence, Ianni Hall.


• September 6 - UMD Planetarium Reopens
• The UMD Planetarium has new high-backed seats, full-dome theater presentations, and free public shows on Wednesdays and Fridays.

August 2011

• August 31 - UMD Bulldog Welcome Week 2011
• Bulldog Welcome Week begins on Thursday, September 1 with the Chancellor, staff, and administrators helping students move in on campus.


• August 31 - UMD Strategic Plan Provides Focus for Upcoming Year
• 750 staff and faculty will be addressed by Chancellor Black during two events on Wednesday, August 31, and Thursday, September 1. The UMD Strategic Plan will be included in the Chancellor's address at both events.


• August 18 - UMD at the Twins
• Join alumni, family, and friends at Target Field for a pregame party at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 for the Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals game.


• August 9 - UMD's Precambrian Field Camp
• From now through August 20, UMD's Precambrian field camp is underway throughout northern Minnesota with 22 geology students and several UMD leaders.


• August 4 - UMD at the State Fair
• Scheduled stage shows and events will be presented by UMD faculty, staff, and students at the Minnesota State Fair on August 27, 2011 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.


• August 3 - UMD Farm Providing Internships and Sustainability
• UMD faculty, staff, and the Duluth community worked together to create a field site for experiential learning and research, as well as academic internship opportunities.


• August 1 - Lisa Erwin Takes Role as UMD Vice Chancellor for Student Life on August 15
• Currently the Vice President for Student Development and Enrollment at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, Lisa Erwin will begin her duties on August 15 as UMD Vice Chancellor for Student Life.

July 2011

• July 27 - UMD Bulldog Signs NFL Contract
• UMD running back, Isaac Odim, signs with NFL San Diego Chargers.


• July 26 - College of Liberal Arts Associate Dean Has Been Named
• Dr. Olaf Kuhlke has been named as the College of Liberal Arts Associate Dean.


• July 25 - UMD Revitalizes the Experts List
• The revitalized Experts List is a user-friendly database that now incorporates a keyword search tool.


• July 25 - Campus-Wide Juneberry Picking
• The final Juneberry picking tour is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 at noon, starting at the Solon Campus Center.


• July 19 - The Lake Superior Writing Project Mini-Institute 2011
• From Monday, July 11 through Friday, July 15, The Lake Superior Writing Project Mini-Institute gave a variety of teachers a rare opportunity to learn more about the writing process.


• July 18 - UMD Night With the St. Paul Saints
• On Friday, July 22, the UMD Alumni Association is sponsoring a pre-game picnic at 5:30 p.m., followed by the game at 7:05.


• July 14 - UMD Bike/Walk to Work
• 20 UMD employees left their vehicles at home and either walked or biked to work on July 7, 2011, traversing a total of 89.54 miles.


• July 13 - The National Science Foundation Collaborates with UMD Research
• From July 5-8, the National Science Foundation producer, Marsha Walton, directed and filmed four science research projects conducted by UMD experts.