Around the Oval
UM is often referred to as the “Harvard of the West,” and judging by the prestigious visitors campus hosted fall semester, it’s easy to see why.
September saw UM visits by Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards; U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.; the family of the late Joseph Stanley Kimmitt, former secretary of the U.S. Senate; and rock-and-roll superstar Elton John.
In October UM hosted James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and James Taylor, legendary singer-songwriter.
Edwards, former senator from North Carolina and John Kerry’s running mate on the Democratic ticket in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, made a brief campaign stop in Missoula September 4. Speaking to a crowd in the University Center Ballroom, he ran down his list of talking points—everything from the Iraq War (he wants to end it) to free college educations (he would make them available for students willing to work ten hours a week).
Roberts was the fourth member of the U.S. Supreme Court to lecture in the School of Law’s Jones-Tamm Judicial Lecture Series when he visited campus September 13 in the University Theatre. At the close of a long, hot Montana wildfire season, Roberts’ speech was inspired by the Norman MacLean book Young Men and Fire. He encouraged UM law students by comparing lawyers and firefighters, saying both were willing to fight difficult battles using their intelligence.
Robert Kimmitt, U.S. deputy secretary of the treasury, and his brother Mark Kimmitt, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense, were joined at UM September 21 by three siblings—Mary Laxton, Jay Kimmitt, and Judy Rainey. Their father, Joseph Stanley Kimmitt, was a Lewistown native, UM alumnus, and Army colonel who served as secretary of the U.S. Senate during 1977-81—when Montana Sen. Mike Mansfield was majority leader. The family was on campus to announce the J. Stanley Kimmitt Public Service Lecture and Internship. Kimmitt, who died in 2004, is said to have considered himself “a gopher-shooting Montana boy at heart.”
Elton John’s September 28 concert filled the Adams Center with 8,000 fans—many of them decked out in feathered boas, rhinestone-laden sunglasses, and similarly outrageous apparel. The pianist, singer, and songwriter put on a show befitting his legendary reputation, belting out No. 1 hits such as “Madman Across the Water,” “Yellow Brick Road,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Candle in the Wind.” Sir Elton accepted an invitation from UM to return April 11, 2008, for an encore concert.
James Hansen, called the “oracle of climate science,” spoke October 22 on “The Threat to the Planet: How Can We Avoid Dangerous Human-Made Climate Change?” As director of NASA’s Goddard Institute, Hansen has been a leader in the charge to acknowledge and fight global warming. Taking on the current administration, he said his goal was to uphold NASA’s mission “to understand and protect our home planet.”
Folk rocker James Taylor had Montana on his mind when he played October 27 to a sold-out crowd in the Adams Center. A guitar on his lap, Taylor’s famously smooth voice filled the arena with old favorites such as “Sweet Baby James” and “Something in the Way She Moves.” How sweet it was, the Missoula crowd seemed to say.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
As the famous French novelist Alphonse Karr said, “The more things change, the more they are the same.” Just ask alumnus Don Oliver ’58, who created and produced a five-minute video segment on the University District as a companion to a sidebar he wrote for the fall 2007 issue of the Montanan.
Oliver, who had a 30-year television news career with NBC, is recognizable as the narrator of the piece, which can be found on the video-sharing Web site YouTube.
“Many university communities across the nation have deteriorated and are in disrepair,” Oliver says in the video. “But here in Missoula, strong leadership by caring owners has maintained the charm and integrity of the University District.”
Since the video was posted in August, more than 2,000 viewers have logged on to watch it.
The segment explores the past, present, and future of the University District with archived images and video of houses as they stand today. It can be viewed by going to http://www.youtube.com and searching “University of Montana district.”
The President's Corner
As I settle before the “infernal machine” to make a few comments for this issue of the Montanan, I think about a recent opportunity to peruse once again H.G. Merriam’s all too brief but highly readable book, The University of Montana: A History (1970). Among other events, Merriam recounts the experience of campus during the four major military conflicts involving the nation and the students and faculty of the University during its first three-quarters of a century. As he notes, the direct impact on campus differed, depending on the conflicts. But the commitment and dedication of the students and faculty to do all they could in their own ways in service to the University, state, and country persisted. Just so for the conflict in Iraq, as the interesting article by Alex Strickland indicates. Even considering the deeply held differences of opinion about the involvement and its likely outcome, the University community supports its members as they decide how to contribute. A University community by definition always supports its own, respecting individual choices.
This issue focuses on a few alumni and their contributions to the University. Some have contributed by voluntarily placing themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of loved ones, friends, and community, as Strickland’s article demonstrates. Others have contributed through distinguished achievements in their chosen careers, as has Hans Gudegast, a.k.a. Eric Braeden, who attended The University of Montana in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Still others have done so through their support for various University projects and their willingness to donate time, energy, and valuable resources to assist the University. The Montana Museum of Art & Culture has amassed the largest collection of art between Minneapolis and Seattle because of these efforts, as Ginny Merriam notes in her fascinating story on our permanent art collection.
As evidence of the critical importance of alumni contributions to any University, I will cite the institutional ranking developed recently by Washington Monthly. The approach relies on three critical categories: institutional contributions to social mobility, research, and service. The ranking for mobility takes account of the proportion of graduates who receive Pell grants because of financial need or are first-generation college students; for research, by the proportion of graduates who do advanced study and become scholars in their own right; and for service, by the number of those who graduate in ROTC or who enter the Peace Corps and other service-oriented agencies and institutions. Using this approach, UM currently ranks sixty-first among all colleges and universities in the country, up twenty points over last year’s ranking. In my view, the record will only improve with time.
George M. Dennison, ’62, ’63
President and Professor of History
Two School of Fine Arts alumni—ceramicist/author/musician Beth Lo ’74 and composer/singer/actor David Simmons ’83—will be the featured guest artists this spring for UM’s School of Fine Arts eighth annual Odyssey of the Stars—A Celebration of Artistic Journeys. Scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, the event benefits the School of Fine Arts scholarship fund. Odyssey of the Stars showcases performing and visual arts alumni who have gone on to successful careers in the arts in concert with current UM students.
Lo, a UM art professor, is a distinguished national and international contributor in the field of ceramics. Her pottery has been featured as the cover story in American Craft Magazine; at the Ceramics International Invitational in Beijing, China; and in a variety of exhibitions in Mexico, Taiwan, China, Germany, and major venues throughout the United States. Her art also has appeared in the Chinese Ceramic Newsletter, Contemporary Ceramics, Seattle’s International Examiner, and The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio), and has been acquired by the Microsoft Corporation and Cheney Cowles Art Museum in Spokane, as well as by notable private collectors.
Lo’s recently published children’s book, Mahjong All Day Long, earned her the 2006 National Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award and was designated a Montana Book Award “Honor Book.” In addition to Lo’s life as an artist, she leads another life as a musician. A member of the nationally recognized Big Sky Mudflaps, Lo will be joined on stage by this popular Montana band. An alumna of the UM Department of Art, she received a master of fine arts degree in ceramics.
Simmons, an acclaimed singer with an electrifying baritone voice, is an artist who has worn many hats. A composer, playwright, and lyricist, he is an inspirational singer-songwriter whose recording credits include U*B*U, Yes I Can, and I Believe, all recorded with the U*B*U Band on the independent U*B*U Music/Joyful Records label. An internationally known musician and actor, his touring and performing experiences have included traveling to more than twenty countries on four continents. Simmons starred as Matthew in numerous regional productions and national tours of Harry Chapin’s bluegrass musical Cottonpatch Gospel.
Simmons also has composed numerous soundtracks for the Minnesota Planetarium, short films, and children’s musicals. For the past eight years, Simmons has served as coordinator of music and worship leader for the LivingWord Worship and services at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota. Simmons received a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance (cum laude) from UM.
Odyssey 2008 spotlights students from the departments of Music and Drama/Dance, assisted by the Department of Media Arts and the Department of Art. For sponsorship and ticket information, call the School of Fine Arts Dean’s Office at 406-243-4971.
UM Professor Snares Share Of Nobel Peace Prize
UM forestry Professor Steve Running never dreamed his name and
“Nobel Laureate” would be paired. But that changed October 12
when a Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Al Gore of An Inconvenient Truth fame
and the authors of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
report.
Since Running was lead author of a chapter about the ecological impacts of climate change on North America in the IPCC report, he snagged part of the prize for himself and UM.
“This is such an unimaginable honor, and I’m just stunned,” Running says. “Nobody on the IPCC committee expected this award because a Nobel Peace Prize has never gone to a committee before.”
The only other UM faculty member ever associated with the Nobel is Harold Urey (1893-1981), who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery of heavy hydrogen, also called deuterium.
Running was nominated by the U.S. government in May 2004 to help write the 2007 IPCC report. His U.S. working group author team then met with teams from the 180 IPCC member nations at meetings in Austria, Australia, Mexico, and South Africa over the next two and a half years. The final report, which presents strong evidence that humanity is artificially warming our world, was unveiled in Brussels in April 2007. The report is available online at http://www.ipcc.ch.
Running directs the College of Forestry and Conservation’s Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, which has crafted software for NASA environmental satellites. He travels extensively nationwide to speak about climate change. In December he was promoted to Regents Professor.
He contends combating climate change is the monumental task of our time. “We have no more time for arguing about petty details while huge climate changes occur before our eyes,” he says. “We need to get society to calmly acknowledge these climate facts and get to work.”
UM Ranks Among Best In NationUM ranked sixty-first among all colleges and universities in the country, up twenty points from last year, in the 2007 Annual College Guide published by Washington Monthly magazine.
It is the third annual college guide released by the magazine, which is based in Washington, D.C.
The ranking system used for the guide includes several factors not given as much consideration in other university-ranking systems, including national service, student social mobility, and research contributions.
UM President George Dennison expressed support for the ranking approach, noting that it emphasizes social mobility for students through access to Pell grants; defines research not only in terms of dollar volume but also by the number and percentage of graduates who go on to advanced work in their disciplines; and includes service, such as participation in the Peace Corps and ROTC and other forms of civic engagement.
Paul Glastris, editor of the magazine, noted in a column that the magazine’s purpose in compiling the guide was to “focus on what colleges are doing for the country” rather than on what they do for individual students or faculty members. Rankings are based on how much a college or university “contributes to the higher good,” he wrote, adding that “nearly every challenge America now faces could be met in part by better harnessing the power of our colleges and universities.”
Few other schools similar in size and mission ranked as high as UM. Oregon State University ranked seventy-fifth, the University of Wyoming ranked eighty-first, Washington State University ranked 127th, and Montana State University ranked 163rd.
An Artist’s Etchings ON DISPLAY
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture will exhibit thirty-five rare
etchings created by the artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings from the John Villarino Collection will be at the museum from March 11 to April 29, 2008. The etchings will be exhibited in the Meloy Gallery, located in UM’s Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.
The exhibition was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions to commemorate the 400th birthday of the seventeenth century Dutch painter, draftsman, and etcher who is considered one of the most skilled and beloved figures in the history of art. It includes etchings created by the master between 1629 and 1654.
The museum also will feature Rembrandt’s etching The Persian (1632) from its Permanent Collection.
Rembrandt is widely recognized as the greatest and most innovative practitioner of the etching technique of intaglio printmaking. He created 300 prints that constitute a body of work unparalleled in richness and beauty and was an inspiration for generations of printmakers.
Rembrandt rendered the poor and underprivileged with the same empathy that he brought to his portraits and narrative subjects. In his etchings, the beggars are not disgraceful but rather individuals who demand a degree of respect.
His profound sympathy for his subjects, as well as the Christian notions common in seventeenth century Netherlands, motivated him to depict his beggars in Biblical scenes.
Where's Your Griz Been?
Mary Kay Kriley ’93 (left) and Casey Anne Kriley ’94 share
their Griz pride in front of a statuette at the 2007 Primetime Emmys on
September 16. “Casey was nominated for Project Runway as one of the
producers. Her dad, UM media arts Professor Jim Kriley, took the photo. What
a celebration!” Mary Kay Kriley writes.
Congratulations, Kriley family. You’ve won a $50 gift card to The Bookstore at UM.
Do you have a photo sporting your Griz gear in an amazing place? If so, send it along with a brief description to: themontanan@umontana.edu. Winners will receive a $50 gift card to The Bookstore at UM and see their winning photo published in the Montanan. To be considered, photos must be in focus with the UM or Griz logo clearly visible.
Griz Stars Shine During Great Season
The scrappy Wofford College Terriers and a last-second field goal that
went wide left—barely—ousted the Montana Grizzlies from the
Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on November 24.
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But what a season they had.
The 11-1 Griz went undefeated during the regular season for the first time since 1996. They beat the Bobcats in Bozeman 41-20. Coach Bobby Hauck was named Big Sky Coach of the Year.
It was a season filled with stellar performances. Kroy Biermann, a senior defensive tackle from Hardin who wore scary red contact lenses, won UM’s first-ever Buck Buchanan award, given to the nation’s top FCS defensive player. During the season he tallied sixty-one tackles, fifteen sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one blocked field goal. He ranks second at UM for career sacks with thirty-two.
Lex Hilliard, the senior running back from Kalispell who somehow rebounded from a devastating Achilles’ heel injury a year ago, ended his brilliant career with a school-record fifty-two total touchdowns and fifty rushing TDs. His 4,018 rushing yards were just fifty-two behind the school record set by Yohance Humphery during 1998-2001.
Then there was Dan Carpenter, the senior kicker from Helena who definitely won’t be remembered for the last one that got away. He ended his career as the all-time kick-scorer in FCS history with 413 points. The previous record was held by another Griz kicker, Chris Snyder, who scored 394 points during 2000-03. Carpenter only missed four of the twenty-three field goals he attempted in 2007. His seventy-five career field goals are a national FCS record.
Montana Griz, Lady Griz Basketball Get Rolling with Talented Players
In his first year as Montana’s head coach, Wayne Tinkle led the
Grizzly men’s basketball team to a 17-15 season, 10-6 in Big Sky
Conference play. This year he’s looking to improve that record and move
his team into some post-season play.
This season Tinkle has an experienced team led by seniors Andrew Strait at center and Matt Martin at guard. Add in junior forwards Jordan Hasquet and Kyle Sharp, junior college transfers Ceylon Elgin-Taylor and Sean Watson, and the Grizzlies appear geared for a successful campaign. A talented group of sophomores led by guards Cameron Rundles and Ryan Staudacher add depth. True freshman Brian Qvale at 6’11” is already contributing as a big man inside for the Grizzlies.
The future looks bright as well, as the Griz have three other freshman recruits, two with names familiar to Montana basketball. Derek Selvig, 6’ 10”, from Glendive, follows in the footsteps of his father, mother, aunt, and uncle, who all played for UM. And 6’ 5” Tyler Hurley from Anaconda follows his uncle to Grizzly basketball. Guard Zach Graves rounds out the freshman class.
Tinkle and the Grizzlies never have to look far to see how success is achieved. Under the tutelage of twenty-nine-year veteran Lady Griz coach Robin Selvig, UM was named seventh on the list of all-time best women’s basketball programs by Street & Smith’s magazine, the bible of college hoops, in 2005. Selvig’s record is 672-192 (.778) as a coach at Montana, and he ranks sixth in the nation on the list of “Winningest Active Division I Coaches.” A native of Outlook, Montana, Selvig is well-known for finding success close to home by recruiting in the Treasure State. His current roster of fourteen features eleven players from Montana.
Montana returns a seasoned squad with three seniors and a talented group of juniors. Topping the list is junior guard Mandy Morales, who was a Kodak/WCBA honorable mention All-American as a freshman and sophomore. She also is a Big Sky Conference MVP, and one of eleven finalists for last year's Nancy Lieberman Award—which honors the nation’s top point guard. Start adding in all the other experienced talent on the team—forwards Britney Lohman, Johanna Closson, and Dana Conway; guards Laura Cote, Sonya Rogers, and Lauren Beck; and centers Tamara Guardipee and Shadra Robinson—and you have a team that could easily be playing in the NCAA tournament at season’s end.
