- Board of Regents March meeting highlights.
- Features: Carlson School alum leading aid effort for Ukrainian refugees in Poland; Transplant saves 4-week-old after sudden liver failure; Training your future doctors.
- Awards and Recognition: Sri Zaheer, dean of the Carlson School of Management, has announced her plan to step down as dean next year; and more.
Board of Regents March meeting highlights
U of M Regents continued work to increase support for scholarships and financial aid, advancing two important legislative requests at its March meeting. The University is seeking state funding to increase support for students who already participate in the Promise Program, and also to extend this support to a much wider range of students. Additionally, the Board continued a series of discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion work on the University’s Crookston and Morris campuses and received the annual report from the Board’s student representatives. See the news release for more details.
Carlson School alum leading aid effort for Ukrainian refugees in Poland
With the Russian invasion ongoing in Ukraine, more than 2 million refugees have fled for border countries, including 1.2 million to Poland, according to the UN Refugee Agency. It’s there where Dorota Serafin is leading the team at Polish Humanitarian Action to provide critical humanitarian aid in both countries.
Transplant saves 4-week-old after sudden liver failure
It was a big surgery for a tiny patient: After suffering sudden liver failure in 2021 when she was just 4 weeks old, Elsie Freeman became one of the smallest infants in Minnesota to ever receive a liver transplant. A care team at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital successfully completed the transplant in Minnesota last fall.
Training your future doctors
There is a nationwide shortage of physicians, and here in Minnesota, the provider shortage is more pronounced in rural areas—where half the state’s population resides but only about 12 percent of its physicians practice. University of Minnesota Medical School vice dean of education and academic affairs Mark Rosenberg talks about what it will take to fill Minnesota’s physician shortage.
Awards and Recognition
Sri Zaheer, dean of the Carlson School of Management, has announced her plan to step down as dean next year to return to her tenured faculty position; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.
Minnesota Law to launch Racial Justice Law Clinic
People and organizations continue to advocate for justice and change in Minnesota, confronting stark racial inequalities and persistent violence against communities of color. A new legal clinic at Minnesota Law aims to target deeply embedded, systemic racial inequalities and discrimination while training future lawyers to make an impact on this critical work. The Racial Justice Law Clinic will launch in fall 2022 and will be led by Liliana Zaragoza, who is joining the faculty as an associate clinical professor of law.
‘From Transaction to Transformation’—A learning module for community-engaged leaders and learners
“From Transaction to Transformation” is an online professional development learning module for community-engaged leaders and learners created by University of Minnesota's Office for Public Engagement. The module offers a captivating, interactive roadmap for conducting public engagement and features the wisdom and talents of some of the University's most successful engagement scholars and practitioners.
Technologies to support teaching
U of M instructors rely on technologies to support their teaching practice. Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) can help instructors choose and use technologies. This month, ATSS is posting a rubric for exploring new technologies on its blog, Extra Points; hosting the Digital Sparks webinar (a fast-paced presentation about technology tools that might be new to you); and sharing good practices for evaluating a new tech tool.
LinkedIn Learning contract expires in April
The University’s contract with LinkedIn Learning will expire on Apr. 15. The Office of Information Technology will not pursue renewal for a number of reasons, including that systemwide licensing is not cost-effective at current usage levels, the vendor’s business model no longer aligns closely with the University's mission, and alternatives are readily available for individuals to pursue. Contact Technology Help with questions.
Health Discovery Hub part of University capital request
The University’s Health Discovery Hub will serve the health needs of Minnesota by operating as the core for statewide clinical trials and research involving the University of Minnesota. The U of M is seeking $140 million in state funding for the Health Discovery Hub as part of the University's 2022 Capital Request.
UMN Headlines: March 2022
As the March installment of the “UMN Headlines" video series shows, winter didn’t slow the University of Minnesota down. This episode shares highlights from around the University of Minnesota System, including Bulldogs and Gophers at the Winter Olympics, a visit from the First Lady, faculty honors, Jeopardy! success, and more. See past episodes here.
Researchers show variety of factors contribute to mothers’ ability to reduce transmission of COVID-19
Mothers from diverse backgrounds did not feel in control, were unsure of how to follow public health guidance, and felt disconnected from family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to University of Minnesota Medical School and School of Public Health research.
Research Brief: How omicron infects cells while evading immunity
Researchers at the U of M identified the structural mechanism that may explain why omicron is so effective in infecting people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, and suggested ways to curb its spread. Additional recent Research Briefs include “Meaningful Standards for Auditing High-Stakes Artificial Intelligence.”
Sept. 21-23 - University of Minnesota Biennial Pharmacogenomics Conference
Registration for the 2022 U of M Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Conference is open. The event is designed for healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, mental health providers, program managers, or genetic counselors who are interested in implementing PGx tools to provide higher-value care to their clients.
Featured virtual events
March 17 - 2022 Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota
March 18 - Introduction to Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku)
March 18 - Minoritization of International Students
March 21 - Futurity: Thinking beyond Borders
March 23 - Sentinels of the Sea and Sky
March 23 - Web GIS: Introduction to ArcGIS Online
March 24 - The Unbearable Weight of Being Chinese
TERF scholarships awarded, four U of M Crookston students get $1,000 each
The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) awarded four $1,000 scholarships to sophomore Abby Olsen (Chisago City, MN), sophomore Jenna Pedrow (Blaine, MN), junior Kendra Putzke (Esko, MN), and sophomore Ashleigh Lueder (Rochester, MN).
Expert Alert: Talking to Children About Traumatic Events
Professor Alyssa Boardman, UMD Department of Education, offers tips for talking to kids about war, the pandemic, natural disasters, and other traumatic events. Kids benefit most from talking with safe adults in child-friendly language. “As their brains are still developing, children are learning how to process the strong feelings and emotions that can result from ongoing stressors,” Boardman writes.
Experimental art in late East Germany: book and art exhibit
Sara Blaylock, assistant professor of art history, is sharing her rediscovery of East German artists of the 1980s in her book Parallel Public: Experimental Art in Late East Germany, which highlights the work of dozens of artists from this period. The Tweed Museum of Art is also featuring a companion exhibit, “Anti-Social Art: Experimental Practices in Late East Germany,” through May 15.
‘Office Hours’ with Ryan Frane
In this episode of “Office Hours,” UMD talks with Ryan Frane, professor of Jazz Studies. Frane is driven by student success while fully embracing all that being a teacher means. ”It means a resource, it means a friend, it means being a compromiser, it means being an includer, and it means being all kinds of things that bring joy and balance to everyone else’s life,” says Frane.
Founders Scholar Convocation
Rachel Johnson will present “Systemic Racism in American Healthcare: Making UMN Morris Part of the Solution” for the Founders Scholar Convocation, March 22. Johnson is an associate professor of biology at U of M Morris and is a member of the U of M Masonic Cancer Center. She holds a PhD in immunology from the Mayo Graduate School and a BA in biochemistry and molecular biology from Boston University. Founders Scholars explore questions and ideas that increase knowledge of the campus mission.
School Of Public Health and College Of Pharmacy students working with UMN Morris Challenge
Adey Fentaw, BA, and Janette Romero Saenz, BA, from the School of Public Health and Aisha Waseem, BS, from the College of Pharmacy are working with UMN Morris Challenge to help gather data, community interest, expertise, and delivery approaches to engage populations in active change.
UMR Career Pathways: Patient Care
UMR's innovative degree programs and integrated curriculum provide students with a foundational undergraduate education. Discover how Katie Nelson navigated UMR’s many health career pathway opportunities with an individually planned capstone to prepare herself for a PhD program at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Learn more about UMR Pathways.
Art for all
Only a few decades ago, art made by people with disabilities was often discarded. Today the University of Minnesota’s new Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) is doing the opposite. Adorning the walls of the MIDB’s Blythe Brenden-Mann Foundation Community Center is a rotating selection of art made by people with disabilities. It’s part of “Art for All: The Stephanie Evelo Program for Art Inclusion,” a collaborative effort to share and promote work by artists with disabilities. View the gallery.
Better cancer therapies, faster than ever before
Directing a person’s own immune system to fight off cancer once seemed like only a distant hope. But at the University of Minnesota, there’s a new piece of equipment that’s accelerating researchers’ progress toward making such immunotherapies available to patients of all ages. Read about the Helios Mass Cytometer at the University’s Institute for Cell, Gene, and Immunotherapy.
Plan for more transportation time through March 26
The campus community will see an increased amount of traffic and activity on and around campus due to Minnesota high school basketball tournaments and aquatics events. Traffic on streets and at parking facilities will be heavier. Public parkers will see higher event parking rates at some facilities.
Featured Events
March 17 - Yoga in the Gardens
March 23-27 - Pop-up Exhibition: Transformation: Art from the Inside
Through March 24 - EXHIBITION | Sundry. Multidimensional Design