November 6, 2007 (Vol. 7, No. 1)

This Month's Top Stories . . .

• Record Enrollment this Fall
• New Student Center Opens
• Campaign Closes Over Goal at $278.4 Million
• $6.7 Million Grant for Lake Champlain Research
• UVM Ranked Among Top Six "Green" Schools Nationally
• Nicholas Kristof Delivers 32nd Aiken Lecture
• A Farewell to Raul Hilberg
• UVM Wins National Recycling Award
• Professor Wins Poetry Book Prize
• Record Year for UVM Fund
• In Memoriam—Robert Flynn, Jeanne Fossani
• Campus Kudos

New Student Center Opens (up^)
The academic year opened in a celebratory mood with the opening of the Dudley H. Davis Student Center, the $61 million campus centerpiece formally dedicated October 5 as part of the annual Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities. Designed to serve as a much-needed central gathering space for the campus, the 186,000-square-foot Davis Center is home to a variety of student organizations, from the Student Government Association to the student-run newspaper and radio station, and also houses office space for the Department of Student Life; dining options, including local vendor New World Tortilla and Brennan’s Pub and Bistro; a student-run local products vendor and a full-service Chittenden Bank branch; a student game room; meeting rooms; and spectacular ballrooms with views of the Green Mountains to the east and Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks to the west. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=10952.

Campaign Closes Over Goal at $278.4 Million (up^)
The most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of the University of Vermont raised a grand total of $278,461,113 during its six-year timeline, exceeding its $250 million goal by eleven percent. A record 79,268 donors contributed to the campaign, 40,607 of them from Vermont. The campaign total includes $146,631,311 in support of faculty teaching and research, $76,158,057 for student scholarships and fellowships, $22,729,934 for new or refurbished facilities, $4,668,017 for athletics, $3,316,035 for the Fleming Museum, $2,675,294 for the university libraries, $1,644,086 to bring distinguished visiting scholars and artists to campus, and $20,638,380 unrestricted as to its use. Alumni accounted for $97,337,305 of the total, followed by foundations ($83,900,129); corporations ($28,540,651); friends of the university ($24,597,876); organizations ($22,224,321) and parents of current and former students ($21,860,830). Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11012.

$6.7 Million Grant for Lake Champlain Research (up^)
A $6.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to the Vermont EPSCoR program at the University of Vermont promises a novel way forward for understanding the watershed of Lake Champlain while at the same time giving Vermont strength in an advanced new form of analysis called "complex systems computation." Senator Patrick Leahy provided key leadership for securing the 3-year grant, "Complex Systems Modeling for Environmental Problem Solving." Senator Leahy and UVM president Daniel Mark Fogel announced the grant on Friday, September 28. "We salute Senator Leahy's longstanding leadership for the well-being of Lake Champlain and commitment to keeping Vermont at the front edge of advanced environmental technologies," said Fogel. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11107.

UVM Ranked Among Top Six "Green" Schools Nationally (up^)
The Sustainable Endowments Institute has ranked UVM among the top six schools nationally for green practices and policies in its just released College Sustainability Report Card. UVM received an overall grade of A-, the highest grade given by the institute, along with Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, Carleton College and the University of Washington. The institute graded the 200 U.S. colleges and universities with the largest endowments in seven categories and then awarded an overall grade. Its aim is to show a correlation between an institution’s green practices and its investment decisions. In addition to its overall grade, UVM received a B in the Climate Change and Energy subcategory; an A in Food & Recycling; an A in Green Building; an A in Transportation; a B in Endowment Transparency; a B in Investment Priorities; and an A in Shareholder Engagement. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2509.

Nicholas Kristof Delivers 32nd Aiken Lecture (up^)
A capacity crowd of 900 packed Ira Allen Chapel on Monday, October 1, to hear New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Nicholas Kristof address what he called "the most important thing happening in the world today," the rise of China. The occasion was the 32nd George D. Aiken Lecture, UVM's annual public policy lecture series. Kristof's topic was "The Promise and Price of Modernization in China." Speaking to the many students in the audience, he said, "… your parents' or your grandparents' generation were profoundly affected by Europe. Your own generation and that of your descendents, in the same way, is going to be profoundly shaped by Asia and … especially by China." More at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11113.

A Farewell to Raul Hilberg (up^)
Friends and colleagues of Raul Hilberg’s weaved together a portrait of the late professor of political science during a tribute on October 23 at Ira Allen Chapel. Their words offered moving testimony to the journey of the man who courageously pioneered the study of the Holocaust. A faculty member at UVM from 1956 to 1991, Hilberg was author of The Destruction of the European Jews (1961), which meticulously documents the Nazi killings of more than 5 million Jews and is regarded by Holocaust scholars as a masterwork in the field. The university established its Center for Holocaust Studies in 1992 to honor Hilberg's teaching and research accomplishments. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2507.

UVM Wins National Recycling Award (up^)
The University of Vermont received the National Recycling Coalition's "Outstanding College or University" award for 2007 to recognize the University's pioneering programs and ongoing accomplishments in recycling and waste reduction. Erica Spiegel, UVM's solid waste and recycling manager, received the award at the NRC's annual congress in Denver, Colorado, on September 17. Each year, UVM diverts 960 tons of material from landfills, about 35 percent of the university's total waste stream. "We're increasingly making recycling part of the fabric of who we are as a university. This award is a reminder that composting and recycling are fundamental to all our efforts at sustainability," Spiegel said. Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2436.

Professor Wins Poetry Book Prize (up^)
Tony Magistrale, professor of English, is the 2007 winner of the Bordighera Poetry Prize for his manuscript "What She Says About Love." The annual prize, established in 1997 and sponsored by The Sonia Raiziss-Giop Charitable Foundation, is restricted to Italian-American authors and is intended to recognize excellent writing, benefit American poets of Italian ancestry, and preserve the Italian language. The Bordighera Press will publish a bilingual (English and modern Italian) edition of the collection next year. For more information about Magistrale's award, including some samples of his poems, visit Tony Magistrale.

Record Year for UVM Fund (up^)
Fiscal year 2007 was a record-breaking year for the UVM Fund, with annual gifts to the university exceeding $9.5 million for the first time ever and surpassing the previous record of $7.3 million. The number of alumni, parents and friends contributing to the UVM Fund also increased to 24,860 — the best number in university history — giving UVM the sought-after distinction of having the highest donor participation rate among public universities in New England. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=11001.

In Memoriam (up^)

Robert Flynn
Robert Flynn, assistant professor of drawing in the Department of Art and Art History, died unexpectedly on September 23 from a heart attack. Although his time at UVM was short — he began his post in the art department just this fall — his teaching career spanned many years. A celebrated artist, he taught drawing, painting, printmaking and art history at several institutions in Florida, including Barry University, Florida International University and New World School of Art. A campus memorial service was held on Tuesday, October 2, in Williams Hall.

Jeanne Fossani
Jeanne Fossani, a research associate and lecturer with Community Development and Applied Economics, as well as a Spanish instructor for Continuing Education, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 24 at Fletcher Allen Health Care surrounded by friends and family.  Jeanne was much loved by her students and passionate about her work centering on coffee farmers and their communities in Costa Rica, where she had lived and taught for ten years at Earth University. At the University, under the auspices of a grant from the Canaday Family Foundation, Jeanne developed a course called "Coffee as a Crop, Culture, Commodity and Conservation Tool." Jeanne was also the producer of "BirdSong", a film that explores the connection between coffee, farmers, the environment and us.

Campus Kudos (up^)

Black Women's Intellectual Traditions, published by The University of Vermont Press, a member of University Press of New England, is winner of The Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize in the anthology category. The prize is awarded annually by the Association of Black Women Historians for the best book, anthology and article about African American women's history.

Joshua Bongard, assistant professor of computer science, was recognized by Technology Review magazine as one of the world's top innovators under the age of 35 for his work on a new generation of intelligent machines. Selected from more than 300 nominees by a panel of expert judges and the editorial staff of Technology Review, the TR35 is an elite group of accomplished young innovators who exemplify the spirit of innovation in business, technology and the arts.

Dr. John Braun, associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation, received a Russell Hibbs Award at the Scoliosis Research Society's 42nd Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. Named in honor of orthopedics innovator Russell Hibbs, M.D., a chief of surgery at New York Orthopedic Hospital during the early 1900s, the award recognized Braun's paper, titled "The Effect of Two Clinically Relevant Fusionless Scoliosis Implant Strategies on the Health of the Intervertebral Disc," as the best basic science paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting.

Peter Callas, research associate professor of mathematics and statistics, Dr. Tania Bertsch, associate professor of medicine and director of clerkships, and Dr. Alan Rubin, research associate professor of medicine, co-authored a telemedicine paper titled "Effectiveness of Lectures Attended Via Interactive Videoconferencing vs. In-Person in Preparing Third-Year Internal Medicine Clerkship Students for Clinical Practice Examinations (CPX)" in Teaching and Learning in Medicine.

Kevin C. H. Chiang, associate professor of business administration, co-authored an article with Xiyu (Thomas) Zhou published in the Corporate Finance Review. The article, "Mutual Fund Post-Acquisition Management Retention and Its Performance Implications," is based on a study focusing on post-acquisition mutual fund management retention or separation and its subsequent performance implications.

Rocki-Lee DeWitt, dean and professor of management in the School of Business Administration, and co-authors Donald D. Bergh of the University of Denver, and Richard A. Johnson of the University of Missouri, had a paper published online in Strategic Management Journal titled, "Restructuring Through Spin-Off or Sell-Off: Transforming Information Asymmetries into Financial Gain."

Jeffrey Dinitz, professor of mathematics and computer science, discussed his work on on Vermont Public Radio in September.

Susan M. Dinitz, senior lecturer in English and coordinator of UVM’s Writing Center, won the 2007 Ron Maxwell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Promoting the Collaborative Learning Practices of Peer Tutors in Writing. The award was presented at the 24th annual National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW) on October 20, hosted this year by Penn State University.

Connell B. Gallagher, library professor emeritus and former Head of Special Collections at the Bailey/Howe Library, has been appointed as an Archivist at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He is helping to create a plan for the archival preservation of the records of the committee.

John Gennari, associate professor of English and director of the ALANA U.S. Ethnic Studies Program, is the winner of an ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for "Blowin' Hot and Cool: Jazz and Its Critics" (University of Chicago Press, 2006). The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers presents the award annually. Gennari will receive the award in a ceremony at Lincoln Center on December 13.

Alex Hodges, postdoctoral associate in molecular physiology and biophysics, Elena Krementsova, senior researcher in molecular physiology and biophysics, and Kathleen Trybus, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, co-authored a paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry titled "Engineering the processive run length of myosin V."

Christopher Koliba, assistant professor in Community Development and Applied Economics, recently had an article published in the Journal of Public Affairs Education titled, "Engagement, Scholarship, and Faculty Work: Trends and Implications for Public Affairs Education."

Bridget Taylor Kreger, a junior student majoring in medical laboratory and radiation sciences in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, received the Dennis Weissman/Washington G-2 Reports Scholarship Award for Excellence in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the 25th Annual Lab Institute in Washington D.C. on October 11.

Ann Laramee, adjunct assistant professor of nursing, was the lead author of an analysis of the prevalence of low literacy among heart failure patients with diabetes titled "Relationship of literacy and heart failure in adults with diabetes" in BMC Health Services Research. Co-authors on the paper were Nancy Morris, associate professor of nursing, and Dr. Benjamin Littenberg, Henry and Carleen Tufo Professor of Medicine and director of general internal medicine.

Kathleen Liang, associate professor of community development and applied economics, presented an article, "Exploring the Myths of Optimism and Realism in Entrepreneurship Related to Expectations and Outcomes" at the annual conference of Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The article, co-authored by Paul Dunn, professor in the Department of Management and Marketing at University of Louisiana at Monroe, won the 2007 Best Paper Award and will be published in the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Mark Levine, professor of medicine, is serving a four-year term as governor of the Vermont Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the national organization of internists.

Barbara McIntosh, professor of business administration, has been awarded a contract by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to develop learning modules on the aging workforce. Professor McIntosh is chair of MaturityWorks Alliance, a division of the National Council on the Aging.

Wolfgang Mieder, chair of the Department of German and Russian, has edited the 24th volume of Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship with various articles by proverb scholars from around the world. The book contains a contribution by his colleague Kevin McKenna, professor of German and Russian. Mieder's article deals with "'Bis dat, qui cito dat': A Global Distribution of Proverbial `Care Packages." Mieder is also the author of four articles. Two of them, "Proverbs in the Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson" and "Proverbs as Cultural Units or Items of Folklore," appeared in Berlin in the massive two-volume publication Phraseology: An International Handbook of Contemporary Research. His paper on "Yankee Wisdom: American Proverbs and the Worldview of New England" is part of an essay volume on phraseology and culture in English, and the fourth essay, "'The Proof of the Proverb is in the Probing': Alan Dundes as Pioneering Paremiologist, " appeared in the journal Western Folklore. A book containing more than three decades of letters written between Mieder and folklorist and professor Lutz Röhrich has also been published. The letters deal primarily with their shared interest in international proverb scholarship.

Fayneese Miller, dean of the College of Education and Social Services, has been appointed by Governor James Douglas to a six-year term as a member of the Vermont State Board of Education.

Yogi Misra, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Animal Science, received a NACTA Graduate Student Teaching Award from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Yogi has taught in courses at UVM in Anatomy and Physiology; Nutrition, Metabolism & Feeding; and Endocrinology. His thesis research is in the area of breast cancer, and his advisor is Dr. Feng-Qi Zhao.

Anthony Morielli, associate professor of pharmacology, is lead author of an October 15 PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) Online Early Edition article titled "An essential role for cortactin in the modulation of the potassium channel Kv1.2." Co-authors on the paper include graduate students Michael Williams, Jonathan Markey, and Megan Doczi.

Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, was featured in a CNN segment titled "President Bush's Forgotten State." The report was about how Vermont is the only state the president has not visited during his time in office. Nelson told CNN National Correspondent John King that Vermont was a "photo opportunity (Bush) does not need." Nelson's thoughts on the matter appeared widely elsewhere in the media via the Associated Press and the Washington Post.

Jane Okech, assistant professor of counselor education and counseling, is lead author of an article co-authored with Deborah Rubel of Oregon State University, titled "Diversity competent group work supervision: An application of the supervision of group work model (SGW)." This article is published in the September Journal for Specialists in Group Work.

Robbie Pfeufer Kahn, associate professor of sociology, is a recipient of the The Humane Society of the United States' eighth annual Animals and Society Course Awards, which recognize academic excellence in courses focusing on the relationship between people and animals.

Sigma Theta Tau International has selected an article by Betty Rambur, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, titled "Education as a Determinant of Career Retention and Job Satisfaction Among Registered Nurses," as the 2007 recipient of the Best of Journal of Nursing Scholarship in the "Profession and Society" category.

Maria Ramos, assistant professor of pathology and general internal medicine fellow in clinical research, is the lead author on an analysis of the possible connection between certain diabetes medications and cancer titled "Association between cancer prevalence and use of thiazolidinediones (TZDs): results from the Vermont Diabetes Information System" published in BMC Medicine. Co-authors are Dr. Charles MacLean, associate professor of medicine, and Dr. Benjamin Littenberg, Henry and Carleen Tufo Professor of Medicine and director of general internal medicine.

An article by Richard Single, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, and seven other researchers titled "Global diversity and evidence for co-evolution of KIR and HLA" appears in September's Nature Genetics. The paper is available online at http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ng2077.html.

James M. Sinkula, professor and John L. Beckley Chair of the School of Business Administration, had an article accepted for publication titled, "Does Market Orientation Facilitate Balanced Innovation Programs? An Organizational Learning Perspective" that will appear in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Product and Innovation Management. The article was co-written by William E. Baker, professor of marketing at San Diego State University.

Dr. Matthew Watkins, professor of medicine, was co-author of a September Journal of the American College of Cardiology article titled "Effects of Ad5FGF-4 in Patients With Angina An Analysis of Pooled Data From the AGENT-3 and AGENT-4 Trials."

Burton Wilcke, associate professor in the Department of Medical Lab & Radiation Sciences Pathology, served as co-director and was on the faculty for the first George Washington University-Association of Public Health Laboratories International Institute for Public Health Laboratory Management at George Washington University, October 15-26. The seminar was designed for senior public health professionals who are responsible for planning, managing and directing national public health laboratory systems.

Dateline UVM Would Like to Hear from You: (up^)
Send comments, questions, and address changes to Dateline UVM Editor, Jay Goyette (jay.goyette@uvm.edu).