Sustainable by design

As you pick up this issue of Connect!, you may notice a different look and feel to the paper and printing. This change is just one element of our new visual identity system, which reflects the college’s character and mission. Using sustainable practices for production of marketing materials is an important part of the college’s philosophy. For that reason, Connect! is now printed on recycled paper containing 100-percent postconsumer content and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The cover stock is 30-percent postconsumer. Paper manufacturing is powered by landfill-generated biogas, and no chlorine is used in production. This philosophy will extend to all college communications and will include selecting the appropriate vehicle for each message, including electronic communications at times. However, it is important to recognize that college alumni are scattered across the globe and that access to the Internet may be limited for this or other reasons. If you would prefer to receive an e-mail link to Connect!, please e-mail sbeyer@umn.edu.

College welcomes students back to campus

On September 5 at the McNamara Alumni Center, the college welcomed its newest members. Entering graduate and undergraduate students had the opportunity to meet with the dean, department chairs, and student organizations. The number of first-year students at the college increased dramatically during the 2007–08 school year, as several departments, including kinesiology and work and human resource education, are welcoming freshmen for the first time. Later that day nearly 500 college faculty, staff, and students gathered at the premiere College Block Party. Partygoers enjoyed food, live music, and a variety of activities, including “speed minton” (a badminton tournament), and a hula-hooping competition. They were given T-shirts and disk fliers that feature the new visual identity. The event, held in front of Burton Hall, helped energize the college community before the fast-paced routine of classes set in.

The college community and families picked up goodies with
the new visual identity at the College Block Party.

Dean meets with Twin Cities communities of color

Dean Darlyne Bailey has held several public meetings, collectively titled “Building Bridges with Communities of Color,” as a means of fostering community outreach and engagement. The first meeting, held in June at the Franklin Community Library in south Minneapolis, gathered about 25 community members who spoke about successful educational programs within their organizations. A second June meeting was held at north Minneapolis’s Sumner Public Library.“

These meetings have been incredibly powerful, largely because we’ve let community members take the lead,” says Serena Wright, college events coordinator. “We’re asking them to tell us what they need, rather than dictating their needs to them.”

As of publication, a third meeting is scheduled for November 18 at the Vietnamese Community of Minnesota in St. Paul. Future meetings are tentatively planned with groups including the local Native American community. The meetings will continue into 2008.

CEHD’s fair royalty

Ann Miron, an undergraduate in the Department of Work and Human Resource Education, was named the 54th Princess Kay of the Milky Way for the Minnesota State Fair. As part of her duties, Miron will serve for one year as the official ambassador for the Minnesota dairy industry. During the fair, she spent about eight hours having her likeness carved out of a 90-pound block of butter.

Education gains and losses in the 2007 legislative session

The 2007 Minnesota legislative session included both victories and setbacks for education.

As part of the 2007 Omnibus E–12 Education Act, the state funded an early childhood literacy program intended to increase the literacy skills of children in Head Start programs and to encourage parental participation in such efforts.

The act also funds the formation of regional math and science teacher training centers. In conjunction with this appropriation, the Department of Education will work with school districts to create Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) schools across the state, which will focus on integrating technology and engineering into science and math curricula.

A newly-funded world languages pilot program will also take effect over the next two years. The program will award five world language grants to schools interested in developing model K–12 world language programs and improving existing programs. 

“Minnesota has a real legacy of participation in government, and it’s important for us as a college to be a part of that,” says Richard Wassen, senior fellow for legislative and policy affairs. A grant program promoting professional teaching standards was vetoed. The program would have provided qualified teachers with the opportunity and funding to receive national board certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Wassen expects college priority issues for the 2008 legislative session to include school finance reform and oversight, research-based options for student assessment, and additional programs to help students compete in the globally important areas of math, science, technology, and foreign language acquisition.

PHOTOS: studiobechi, Patrick O'Leary