Office of International Programs Global Spring Film Series

The Office of International Programs Global Spring Film Series begins Wednesday, February 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Roxy Theater with a showing of Carbide and Sorrel (Karbid und Sauerampfer). The series continues on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m. with Born in ’45 (Jahrgang 45). The final screening, The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. he March 26^th date is part of International Week at the University of Montana.

The films are free and the campus and Missoula communities are welcome. UM faculty members will introduce the films and facilitate post-film discussions.

Refreshments and snacks will be available.

Call for Artists: Mansfield Library Student Art Competition

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Diversity Committee announces a student art competition with a theme of diversity. Currently enrolled UM students are eligible to submit proposals to produce a piece of art for permanent display in the library. This piece will be developed in line with the Library’s Diversity Plan Action Item 4.1.4 which states in part that the library will commission artwork “depicting the word “library” in international languages.” Interested students are welcome to creatively interpret this idea in the creation of their piece.

Requirements for the final product:

  *   The art must be 5’x7′ and weigh no more than 50lbs.
  *   The depiction of the word library should focus on the non-English languages spoken by international students at UM – for example, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Blackfeet, etc.

The successful candidate will be selected via a competitive process to produce a piece that reflects the spirit of the library and of diversity. The winning applicant will receive a $750 prize and $450 towards materials to be purchased from the UM Bookstore.

For more information, read the full call for artists on the Library’s website.

Biomedical research internship candidates sought

Dr. Mark Lawson, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, will be on the UM campus Tuesday, November 19, 2013, to recruit students interested in biomedical research for an internship program.

The Endocrine Society Minority Access Program offers undergraduate students (sophomore or junior standing) from underrepresented minority groups training in top-notch endocrine research labs and professional development activities that are designed to nurture the educational and career growth of future scientists. Successful applicants will conduct research at one of four institutions located in Colorado, Texas, San Diego, and Virginia. Travel and housing costs are covered and participants will receive a $3,500 stipend for the 8-10 week program. More information on the program is available at https://www.endocrine.org/advocacy-and-outreach/minority-affairs/minority-access-program.

The internship program is open to students with an interest in biomedical research who have two summers left before their final year (sophomores, transfer students, and others who may have a fifth year as an undergraduate). The program requires a 3.0 GPA, although that requirement may be waived for qualified applicants, so please do not hesitate to come and check out this opportunity.

During his visit, Dr. Lawson will also be available to meet with other upper-class students to provide mentoring and career advice and help with identifying summer research opportunities.

From 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. during his visit, Dr. Lawson will provide a talk entitled Career Pathways in Endocrinology, which outlines career choices for students entering mentor programs. At the conclusion of his presentation, there will be ample time for questions. An assortment of doughnuts will be provided.

Dr. Lawson will also be available to meet with other upper-class students to provide mentoring and career advice and help with identifying summer research opportunities.

Dr. Lawson will be in PFNAC 102 on Tuesday, November 19, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact Maria Cole at maria.cole@umontana.edu or 243-5617.

Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference

UMOnline is pleased to virtually host the 16th Annual Accessing Higher Ground – Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference on November 6, 7, and 8th. This conference focuses on the implementation and benefits of accessible media, universal design and assistive technology in the higher education setting. Virtual Conference Tracks A & B provide 26 diverse presentations from national and international speakers, including David Sloan’s keynote talk, Teaching Universal Design – the Dundee Approach.

Both tracks begin at 8 a.m. each day and run the full day, except on Friday when the conference concludes at 12:45 p.m. Track A will be streamed in Todd 201 and Track B will be streamed in Todd 211.

All members of the campus community are welcome to attend sessions of interest. Coffee and refreshments will be provided. For further information, please contact Marlene Zentz at UMOnline (marlene.zentz@umontana.edu or 243-6434).

8th Annual Day of Dialogue: November 6, 2013

The 8th Annual Day of Dialogue takes place on November 6, 2013. This day-long symposium is an excellent chance to hear from faculty, staff, students and community members about the variety of diverse perspectives that make our community stronger and to gain skills in promoting civil discourse that we can use when working with students and colleagues.  All educational sessions, exhibits and related events are free and open to the public.  Please visit the Day of Dialogue website for more information.

If you would like to participate in the Day of Dialogue as a volunteer, helping with Welcome tables, set-up, session introductions, etc., please sign up at http://life.umt.edu/dod/volunteer.php.

Thank you – we hope to see you there!

Diversity Advisory Council Fall Meetings

The remaining Fall 2013 Diversity Advisory Council meetings are:

• Thursday, November 21, 2013, 9:30 – 11 a.m. – UC 326
• Thursday, December 5, 2013, 1:00-2:30 p.m. – UC 333

The Diversity Advisory Council is made up of students, faculty and staff. Committee meetings are open to all campus community members. Please visit the DAC website for more information.

The Diversity Advisory Council’s mission is to encourage, advocate, and facilitate communication, education, and relations among persons of various races, physical conditions, religions, national origins, citizenship, genders, ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and sexual orientation at the University of Montana.

Tackling Bias Webinar June 6

The College of Arts and Sciences will be showing the Society for Neuroscience webinar “Tackling Bias: Best Practices for Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Faculty” on June 6 at 12:00 noon in LA 103B. There is no need to register – please come if you are able.

Research suggests that implicit bias, often subtle and based on cultural stereotypes, influences the recruitment, promotion, and retention of women and diverse faculty in higher education.

Speakers include:

Dr. Anne Etgen,  Professor of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics of Albert Einsten College of Medicine
Dr. Kathie Olsen, Founder and Managing Director of ScienceWorks
Dr. Fred Smyth, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia and Associate of Project Implicit

Visit SfN.org to learn more.

NCBI Offers Course on Eliminating Racism

NCBI Missoula is offering an eight-week course to help efforts to eliminate white racism.

The class provides a small group, experiential learning environment for participants to examine what racism looks like on both a societal and individual level.  It also helps participants transform the prejudicial attitudes in themselves and others in order to become active allies to people of color in the struggle for racial equality.

The class meets from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. every Tuesday from February 5th- March 26th. More information is available at http://www.ncbimissoula.org/civicrm/event/info?id=16.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2013 Events

NCBI Missoula and the MLK Day Planning Committee have put together an event to help celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, January 21. The celebration begins with a rally at Caras Park at 5:00 p.m. and moves to St. Paul Lutheran Church at 6:00 p.m. for a keynote address, awards, and performances.

For more information, please visit http://www.ncbimissoula.org.

New Campus Exit Interview Process

Human Resource Services, the Diversity Retention & Recruitment Coordinator and the Administration & Finance Tech Team are pleased to announce the implementation of a campus exit interview process beginning on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.  In order to capture important feedback from those who depart UM, a team of dedicated professionals has worked to develop surveys that will be used to interview faculty, staff and contract professionals voluntarily leaving the university.    

The information captured on the surveys is completely confidential and will feed into an HRS database for statistical reporting purposes.  While the survey instrument is tailored specifically for each group, there are some overlapping areas, e.g. compensation and benefits questions, work environment and culture, reasons for leaving UM, and demographic information. Reports will be used to examine what UM does well so we can continue our efforts to engage employees and provide meaningful services and collaboration.  The reports may also identify areas in which we can improve. As the submitted surveys enter the database, all names and personal identifiers are removed, leaving raw data and qualitative remarks that can be analyzed. Reports will be pulled from the database after time has passed to ensure a robust body of data and to safeguard those who may have left small departments with few employees. 

Surveys may be administered in one of two ways: via a telephone interview or a survey link emailed to the departing employee. The entire survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. 

We are excited about this important step in identifying ways to strengthen our core values of diversity, engagement, leadership and sustainability.  If you have any questions about the exit interview process, please contact Maria Cole, Diversity Retention & Recruitment Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, at 406-243-5617.