All requests for the presence of the bishops are handled through the President’s Office. Requests must include a completed 2012-13 Request for the Participation of a Bishop form. The forms are available from Karen Hennes.

Participation of a Bishop forms are requested even for tentative events rather than submitting them later; it is easier to cancel an event from the calendar than to add a new one.

Questions? Call the President’s Office, (651) 962-6500.

This graduate information session will give prospective students a chance to meet MSW faculty, ask questions and learn more about how a graduate degree in social work can fit into their lives.

For more information about the program visit the Master of Social Work website.

Registration and more information can be found online. You also may register for the information session by calling the Graduate Admissions office, (651) 690-6933, or (800) 945-4599, Ext. 6933.

The award honors Dr. Julie Hays, a member of the Operations and Supply Chain Management Department, who died suddenly in 2007.

Faculty, students and alumni may nominate a faculty member in the Opus College of Business who they feel best meets the award criteria:

• Active engagement with students.
• Ability to stretch and challenge students.
• Concern for the student as a whole person.
• Creative approaches to teaching or the development of effective teaching materials.
• Enthusiasm and passion for teaching

Details about past winners and the nomination process are available on the Julie Hays Teaching Award website. For more information email the OCB Teaching Committee.

Did we miss something? If you see a story about St. Thomas and would like us to include it, be sure to drop us a note at bulletin@stthomas.edu.

“After chilly holiday, a red-hot January for Target,” Star Tribune, Feb. 2, 2012. “Sales growth was double Wall Street’s expectations. But questions remain about the effect of deep discounts.”

“Your Turn: Faithful should share their views,” St. Cloud Times, Feb. 4, 2012. “On Sept. 19, the pro-same-sex marriage group OutFront Minnesota had an organizing event for a reported 550 people of faith, where they began to coalesce various religious people and groups in support of same-sex marriage.”

“Pockets of recovery in housing outstate,” Star Tribune, Feb. 3, 2012. “Last year, housing prices in parts of Minnesota saw double-digit declines. Others bucked the trend.”

“3M execs are cutting costs, but flying high,” Star Tribune, Feb. 4, 2012. “The company says far-flung operations make it necessary to replace its jet fleet.”

“Finally getting a handle on things,” Farmington Independent, Feb. 4, 2012. “I’ve decided that whoever came up with the idea of putting handles on bags was a genius.”

“Minnesota firms pivot in face of Thai floods,” Star Tribune, Feb. 4, 2012. “Production of the world’s disk drives was dramatically disrupted — and local companies have had to adjust.”

“Ellison announces effort to defeat a photo ID requirement for voters,” Star Tribune, Feb. 6, 2012. “U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, joined by representatives of students, seniors and other affected groups, called on Minnesota Democrats to unify in opposition to a photo ID requirement for voting.”

“Gay Marriage Draws Big Crowd at UMD,” WDIO, Feb. 6, 2012. “Hundreds packed into a UMD lecture hall on Monday night, discussing both sides of an upcoming ballot amendment for Minnesota. It’s over whether gay marriage should be banned in the state.”

“Best Buy board member: Ethical culture improves profits,” Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Feb. 7, 2012. “Every day (it seems) I write at least one story about a business crook.”

“Calif. gay marriage ruling’s effect in Minn. is mainly as a symbol,” Star Tribune, Feb. 7. 2012. “The federal appeals court ruling that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California is unconstitutional is likely to have more symbolic than practical effect in Minnesota, scholars and activists say.”

Matthew Sullivan

Profiles for Matthew Sullivan, Jacob Wakem, and Kiana Williams, the three Tommie Award finalists, are available on the Tommie Award website:

Voting for the 2012 Tommie Award finalists will take place Monday through Wednesday, Feb. 13-15. Faculty, staff and undergraduate students will receive an email with voting instructions on Monday.

Questions? Email Vern Klobassa, Tommie Award coordinator.

The Tommie Award has been presented since 1931 to a UST senior. It recognizes achievement in scholarship, leadership, and campus involvement, and represents the highest ideals of the university.

Jacob Wakem

The Division of Student Affairs sponsors the Tommie Award.

Kiana Williams

The event will feature free demo sessions of the five fitness classes offered this spring semester. Sessions will be taught by the AARC’s professional fitness instructors and are open to all UST undergraduate students and current AARC members.

Demo sessions will begin promptly at the following times, and each session will run approximately 45 minutes. (Click on the hyperlink to view a description about each class.)

Demo Day sessions

• 8 a.m. – TRX
• 11 a.m. – Spinning
• Noon – Sculpt
• 1 p.m. – Yoga
• 4:45 p.m. – Zumba

Demo Day sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To participate, be at the AARC 20 to 25 minutes before the beginning of the session and swipe your ID at the front desk. All Demo Day sessions will take place in the AARC’s aerobics rooms (Room 112 or 113). A Demo Day representative will be present to greet you outside of the room.

All participants must be current AARC members and present a valid UST ID to be admitted to the AARC. For more information about Demo Day email arcfitnessclass@stthomas.edu.

Current stories include:

• Coffee Bené second birthday party – Friday, Feb. 10
• Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference – Feb. 25
• Deborah Tannen coming to UST
• Keffer Library 2.0 update: Where are the books?
• Group Study Room scheduling at OSF Library is now online
• Columbia International Affairs Online: What’s new, what’s old, what’s unique?
• Wilson databases now on EBSCO
• Journal of Sports Economics now online
• Mountain of Books (book art)
• Solar flares
• American Medical Association Journal – change in online availability

Check out the blog and tell UST Libraries what you think.

New sociology research database – SocINDEX

SocINDEX with full text identifies resources in the field of sociology and related subject areas. It indexes more than 3,000 journals and provides full text for 890 journals, several dating back to 1908. The new database includes full text for more than 850 books and monographs as well as over 16,800 conference reports. SocINDEX is available via the UST Libraries A-Z database list.

 Program

With globally located teams on the increase and travel budgets on the decrease, the need for virtual conferences is greater than ever. A panel of experts will share their experiences in setting up and hosting virtual conferences in their organizations.

Information to be covered

• Why host a virtual event?
• Who are the providers available?
• What goes into the event?
• Main entry
• Auditorium and speakers
• Booths
• Social networking connections
• Related content to download into an attendees “briefcase”

How virtual events are being used

• LarsonAllen
• UnitedHealth Group
• Wells Fargo

Best practices for hosting a virtual event

• Lessons learned

Q-and-A

Presenters

Hird leads the LarsonAllen Learning and Development Team as it develops, plans and implements learning initiatives that support the firm’s strategic direction. Additionally she is responsible for the overall strategy and direction for Learning and Development and Human Resources to ensure that people and career development initiatives support LarsonAllen’s strategies for people, leadership and culture. Hird is known as a leader for getting things done while working with and through others. She has a passion for helping others develop their talents and leadership capabilities. She enjoys working with leaders who are looking to build their business areas, implement new ideas, and develop their staff and succession plans.

Shields was the learning and development manager for technical learning at Wells Fargo for the past nine years. She led the first virtual conference within Wells Fargo to give team members access to possibilities for the technology environment of the next five to 10 years. She also incorporated information shared by the leading technology companies that participated in the exhibitor booths and studied their vision of the future of technology. Shields has a background in IT and learning, and she has worked in the educational publishing and financial services industries. She lives in Bloomington, Minn., and enjoys traveling and collecting wine.

Weedman leads Talent Development Infrastructure at UnitedHealth Group, where the mission is to Help People Live Healthier Lives. She has a passion for career and leadership development, mentoring and performance consulting. She recently launched “UMentor” where all 90,000 employees at UHG have access to mentor-mentee relationships via an online tool – a highlight of UHG’s “Career Development Week.” Weedman’s background is in IT and human capital in manufacturing, transportation and the retail industries. She lives in Minneapolis near the lakes and loves cooking and spending time with her husband and three kids.

 Sponsors

The Digital Learning Forum’s monthly presentation and discussion is sponsored by the Master of Arts in Technology for Learning, Development and Change, and the Graduate Certificate in E-Learning program in the Department of Organization Learning and Development at the University of St. Thomas.

The lecture is sponsored by St. Thomas’ College of Arts and Sciences and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Deborah Tannen

Tannen’s talk is the third in the university’s annual Public Discourse Lecture Series and one of several St. Thomas initiatives to address the widespread lack of civility in discourse in U.S. society.

Called “the world’s most famous linguist” by The Washingtonian, Tannen is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs and has written extensively about how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships. She is the author of four New York –Times best-sellers, including You Were Always Mom’s Favorite and You Just Don’t Understand, which spent four years on the Times’ best-seller list, including eight months as number one.

Her 1999 The Argument Culture: Stopping America’s War of Words won a Common Ground Book Award and is unique among her books because it focuses on public discourse – in the press, politics, the law and education.

“Our society has become overwhelmingly adversarial, with consequences not only in our ability to solve problems but also in our personal relationships,” Tannen writes on her website.  “The war on drugs, the battle of the sexes, politicians’ turf battles – war metaphors pervade our talk and shape our thinking, urging us to approach anything we need to accomplish as a fight between two opposing sides.

“It’s all part of what I call the argument culture, which rests on the assumption that opposition is the best way to get anything done. … What I’m questioning is the ubiquity, the knee-jerk nature of approaching almost any issue, problem or public person in an adversarial way.”

The author of 22 books, Tannen holds a doctorate in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and has received five honorary doctorates. She also taught at Princeton University and was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, Calif.

St. Thomas’ lecture series and other initiatives, explained Dr. Terence Langan, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, strives to promote discussion of important ideas without the aggression, anger and obstinacy that often cloud such matters in today’s world.

“From its beginning, a guiding principle of the series has been to promote the concept of civil discourse,” Langan said. “From negative newspaper ads, to disrupted city council meetings, to disrespectful treatment of invited speakers, our society has witnessed locally and nationally a breakdown of civility surrounding contentious moral and political issues.”

The idea for the lecture series was developed by the College of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisers and, in part, grew out of St. Thomas’ experiences in recent years with controversies that have involved speakers, films, books and policies.

In addition to the lecture series, St. Thomas is raising funds to establish an Endowed Chair in Civil Discourse, and College and Arts and Sciences faculty continue to look for opportunities to incorporate principles of civil discourse in their curriculum.

Mitch Hinnenkamp

This December, the UST Phillips Scholarship Committee selected Mitch Hinnenkamp as our university’s candidate for the 2012 scholarship. Mitch is in the process of revising his application for the statewide selection process, which will take place this spring. His proposal, the Youth Empowerment Project, aims to promote self-confidence and address bullying issues with youth between the ages of 9 and 12. He plans to partner with the St. Cloud YMCA for an eight-week program that will include speakers, games and learning activities – the highlight of which will be creating public service announcements at the end of each week.

Mitch loves the continuity behind the Phillips Scholarship. He was impressed that “the scholarship rewards previous behavior but also funds future behavior.” To him, helping in the community is a way of life: “It’s more than just receiving money. It’s actually implementing the process and what the scholarship is all about.” He hopes to create a lasting impression with his program. Not only will they have the PSAs as a takeaway from their experience, he knows there will be more: “If you teach young adults a way of living socially and mentally, they will teach others by example.”

Bryant Ortega, our 2010 Phillips Scholar senior, completed his service project this past summer.

He developed Project HOPE (Health Offers People Enlightenment) to incorporate into Project for Pride in Living SEED Camp, a summer day camp for children ages 5 to 11 held at the Bethlehem Community Center in Minneapolis. Through Project HOPE, Bryant aimed to give youth from lower-income families the “chance to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

Bryant volunteered at SEED Camp from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, spending at least one hour a day focusing on living a healthy lifestyle. He taught groups of students about nutritional information, led cooking classes and made fruit smoothies, which many students enjoyed. (Bryant said it was “the highlight of their summer.”)

“Nutrition is my passion,” Bryant said. A Los Angeles native, he volunteered with the California Center for Public Health Advocacy in high school, which inspired him to create Project HOPE. His favorite part of the summer was “seeing the slow transformation of the youth.” He related a story about a boy in his program: When the group was making pizzas, he kept picking off all of the vegetables. After Bryant encouraged him to try a piece with a bell pepper on it, the boy was surprised and said, “Hey! This is good! I like bell peppers on my pizza!”

Amanda McNaughton has been developing a Skills for School program for the East Metro Women's Council, a nonprofit organization that provides resources for the homeless and low-income families.

“I could relate and help them,” Ortega said. “I was able to give them what I had growing up.”

Amanda McNaughton, our 2011 Phillips Scholar, is gearing up to do her service project this summer. A Mahtomedi native, she will work with an organization close to home. She began volunteering at East Metro Women’s Council (EMWC) in White Bear Lake the summer after her freshman year. EMWC is a nonprofit organization that provides resources such as housing, child care and classes for homeless and low-income families. She continued working with the council into the fall of her sophomore year when she learned about the Phillips Scholarship.

For her service project, Amanda has been developing the Skills for School program for EMWC. She will lead approximately 35 3- to 6-year-olds and their moms in an interactive classroom setting to help them prepare for kindergarten. Amanda hopes to work with them on learning activities and social skills, while allowing mothers to have more one-on-one time with their children.

When I asked Amanda if she had any advice for students who hope to follow in her footsteps, she stressed the importance of finding your talents and thinking locally. “Find what you’re good at and start looking in your community. Once you see the need and find an organization that fits, [that connection] never goes away.” Amanda has been preparing for Skills for Schools all year. The program will open its doors this May.

The CILCE staff is immensely proud to be involved in the Phillips Scholarship process. If you will be a sophomore during the 2012-13 academic year and would like to learn more about this opportunity, contact program director Katie Hunt, (651) 962-6801.

Semhar Araia

Semhar Araia ’99 was honored by the White House on Jan. 30, as a “Champion of Change” for her work supporting the efforts of women of the African diaspora. She is the founder and executive director of the Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN), a group she founded in 2007 that works to bring together women of the diaspora − people living outside Africa who consider their roots to be in the continent, by birth or descent. Araia spends about half her time in Africa and is a frequent guest speaker on U.S.-Africa policy, effective advocacy strategies and community organizing. The Champions of Change program recognizes different groups each week, from educators to entrepreneurs, for work they do to bolster their communities.

Dr. Massimo Faggioli, Theology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of “The New Elites of Italian Catholicism: 1968 and the New Catholic Movements,” published in January issue of The Catholic Historical Review, pp.18-40, and “La riforma liturgica conciliare e il futuro del Vaticano II: a proposito del ‘dialogo’ coi lefebvriani,” (The Liturgical Reform of the Council and the Future of Vatican II: About the ‘Dialogue’ with the Lefebvrites), published in the December 2011 issue of Horizonte (Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais – Brazil).

Dr. Habiba Hadziavdic, Modern and Classical Languages Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of an article, “When the Evening Bells Ring:  Wenn die Abendglocken läuten,” published in Directory of World Cinema:  German” (University of Chicago Press, 2012).

 Dr. Michael Hollerich, Theology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, is the author of “Catholic Anti-Liberalism in Weimar: Political Theology and its Critics,” published in The Weimar Moment: Liberalism, Political Theology, and Law, (Leonard V. Kaplan and Rudy Koshar, eds., Lexington Books, 2012, pp. 17-46).

Dr. Valentine Pakis, Modern and Classical Languages Department, College of Arts and Sciences, translated from German Iris Runge: A Life at the Crossroads of Mathematics, Science, and Industry Science, Networks/Historical Studies 43, by Renate Tobies (Basel: Springer, 2012).

James Rogers, Center for Irish Studies, is the author of a personal essay titled “Outside Metaphor,” published in the winter 2011 issue of Ruminate Magazine, a quarterly print journal dealing with faith, literature and art. The essay reflects on the experience of watching his mother age; the title plays off  Outside History, a collection of poems by the Irish poet Eavan Boland.

Dr. John Wendt, Opus College of Business, and Dr. John Miller of Troy University, are co-authors of an article titled “Tragedy at Fujairah: Risk Management and Legal Issues on the Death of Fran Crippen” that has been accepted for publication by the University of Denver Sports and Entertainment Law Journal.

The seminars will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. Fridays in Room 251, Owens Science Hall:

• Feb. 24
• March 2
• March 9
• March 30
• April 13
• April 20
• April 27
• May 4

These workshops are designed for students and recent alumni who are applying to M.D. or D.O. medical schools in the 2012 application cycle. Discussions will cover topics such as how to approach the MCAT, how many and what type of schools to apply to, details of the AMCAS application, the personal statement and interviewing.

“Like” UST Health Professions Advising on Facebook for more announcements.

To register or for more information email Dr. Roxanne Prichard.

UST Music Audition Days, the annual music major and scholarship auditions, give prospective students and their families a chance to learn more about St. Thomas. Music major candidates complete a performance audition, an interview, an evaluation of piano and vocal skills, and a brief music theory and ear-training assessment. Candidates also participate in an open panel with current music majors, brunch at the Binz Refectory and a Q-and-A session with Admissions staff. More than 75 people will visit UST for this event.

Scores from the assessments will be evaluated and scholarships will be awarded in the areas of fretted/bowed strings, keyboard, voice, and woodwind/brass/percussion.

Guests will park in surface Lot O on the south campus and will attend sessions in Brady Educational Center. For more information call Kara Bradshaw, (651) 962-5874.

The Event Service website allows users to search by venue or campus location to find which facility within the university will best accommodate their needs. Inquiries can be made via the website to each individual property.

Each campus provides unique and flexible spaces with audiovisual services, renowned cuisine and superior service.

Conveniently located on historic Summit Avenue, the St. Paul campus is minutes from both downtowns, the state Capitol, Xcel Energy Center and RiverCentre. The St. Paul campus also provides space for youth athletic camps and clinics, banquets, corporate conferences, association expos, meetings, music events and weddings.

The downtown Minneapolis campus is home to more than 50,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, located a few blocks from the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Minneapolis campus can accommodate day meetings, training seminars, conferences, banquets and weddings.

The Gainey Conference Center, in Owatonna, is the university’s full-service conference and retreat facility. Located one hour south of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the center is nestled in 180 acres of rolling country hills and provides a distraction-free setting for meetings, conferences, retreats, banquets and weddings.

For more information visit the Event and Conference Services website.

On Friday, Feb. 10, the AARC will hold free 45-minute demo sessions of several of the fitness classes offered this spring semester. Demo Day sessions will be taught by the AARC’s professional fitness instructors and are open to all UST undergraduate students and current AARC members.

Demo sessions will begin promptly at the following times, and each session will run approximately 45 minutes. (Click on the hyperlink to view a description about each class.)

Demo Day sessions

• 8 a.m. – TRX
• 11 a.m. – Spinning
• Noon - Sculpt
• 1 p.m. – Yoga
• 4:45 p.m. – Zumba

Demo Day sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. To participate in Demo Day, come to the AARC 20 to 25 minutes before the beginning of the session and swipe your ID at the front desk. All Demo Day sessions will take place in the AARC’s aerobics rooms (Room 112 or 113). A Demo Day representative will be present to greet you outside of the room. All participants must be current AARC members and present a valid UST ID to be admitted to the AARC.

For more information about Demo Day email arcfitnessclass@stthomas.edu.

Click to open the Wellness Center's channel.

The Wellness Center has posted the YouTube icon link pictured here to its YouTube channel on the Wellness Center website. Current videos include projects from fall 2011 Nutrition (HLTH 345) students.

The Wellness Center also offers this reminder: “Like” the Wellness Center on Facebook and follow it on Twitter for a chance to win valuable prizes.

UST offers Exchange Active Sync (EAS), which enables users to synchronize their mobile phones with their UST mailbox. Users can synchronize email messages, calendar information, along with contacts. EAS, supported by the most popular smart phones, is easy to configure and the most secure method to stay in touch right from your smart phone. EAS also allows you to passcode your device in the event it is lost or stolen, keeping unwanted eyes from viewing your personal information. In the event your phone is lost or stolen, you even have the ability to erase its contents from within your Outlook Web App account giving you peace of mind that your data is safe.

To get started, check your device’s manufacturer’s website to determine if your phone supports EAS; alternatively, you can check with your phone’s service provider to see if your particular make and model of phone is compatible with EAS. Once you know for sure that your phone will work with EAS, have a look at the IRT website for the settings needed to configure your phone.

If you find your phone is not compatible with EAS, you can still receive your email by forwarding it to a secondary email account that you have configured on your phone. Have a look at the Outlook Web App (OWA) FAQ for assistance with forwarding your UST email to an alternative address.

Jessica (Honeyman) Nelson

St. Thomas students, faculty and staff are invited to hear her talk from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. (following noon Mass) tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Room 238, School of Law. Lunch will be provided through Dean Thomas Mengler’s office.

Prior to joining Felhaber, Nelson was an associate at Dorsey and Whitney and a law clerk to Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. She was part of the second class at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, graduating summa cum laude in 2005 and having her first child just two weeks after taking the bar exam. She now has four children between the ages of 6 and 1. She is an active member of her church community and dedicates a portion of her practice to pro bono work, including serving on the Board of St. Paul’s Outreach. Nelson and her husband, Jesse, live in West St. Paul.

Alumni Reflections presents St. Thomas alumni who discuss how they integrate faith, reason and service into their personal and professional lives. This speaker series is a joint offering of the University of St. Thomas School of Law and the university’s Alumni Association. The series has presented an alumni speaker in the School of Law during the daily worship break once each semester since its inception in 2005.

For more information call Pam Christensen, Alumni and Constituent Relations, (651) 962-6445.

Interested students are welcome to learn more about the program at an information session that will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Room 109, McNeely Hall, on the university’s St. Paul campus.

The program provides a multitude of supports and services such as a summer research program, faculty mentorship, seminars and workshops, cultural excursions and professional development activities, extensive GRE test preparation, and academic and career development support to prepare eligible undergraduate students for a successful transition into some of the best graduate schools and programs across the United States.

The program is actively seeking students who will be juniors next year and who have completed no less than 60 credits with a grade-point average of 2.85 and above. For more information about the program and to see if you qualify, check out the McNair Scholars Program website. The program’s most recent newsletter and be seen  here. You also can email mcnairscholars@stthomas.edu with your questions.

During fall semester 2012, students in the program will study the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1965, and during January Term will continue their study on a two-week trip to the South.

The sites:

• St. Thomas commencement
• Facebook

The granting of promotion recognizes the achievements of faculty in their teaching, professional engagement and service to the university. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rota on his outstanding work.

Public Safety’s alert is posted here. Other recent alerts, advisories and bulletins, as well as crime prevention and safety tips, also are posted on the Public Safety website.