Alumna Katie Schnieder ’12 Joins Office of Community Engagement through AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Appointment

Posted on April 9, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

Katie Schneider, a 2012 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Crookston from Delano, Minnesota, and former community adviser, has begun a one-year AmeriCorps VISTA appointment in the Office of Community Engagement, following training in Albuquerque, N.M., February 26 – 28, 2013. Schneider will assist with community service and service-learning efforts. She will coordinate service days such as Meet Crookston through Service, National Youth Service Day, and MLK Day of Service.

Her degrees are in equine science and agricultural business, but her passion has always been to work with a non-profit organization. Growing up on a hobby farm with sheep and horses along with her 14-year history as a member of 4-H, Schneider found herself donating time to help youth interested in horses and riding. The first time she received a thank you note from someone following an equine clinic she hosted, Schneider knew that working for a non-profit was her goal. “When the opportunity to work as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer on the campus opened, I was interested immediately,” she says. “It is the chance to get students involved in service and make a difference and for me to do the kind of work I love.”

Lisa Loegering, assistant director for Community Engagement is looking forward to having Schneider on board. “We run community service and service learning out of the same office, and having Katie here is an opportunity to develop new programs, new projects, and to really move this office forward,” Loegering says. The AmeriCorps VISTA appointment is for one year with an option for a second year. Schneider lives on campus and will be working with community service in the residence halls as well.
Loegering and Schneider will work as a team, but Loegering hopes to have people see Schneider as the face of community service on the campus. That idea sounds good to Schneider, “I am excited to get students involved in volunteering,” she says. I know the campus and it is exciting to be back in this capacity. I am looking forward to working with Lisa and building on what is going on here.”

Background
The U of M, Crookston has a history of community engagement that began long before the office by that name was established. Faculty realized early on that many of the courses taught on the Crookston campus were best taught beyond the doors of the classrooms. In 1996, the Office of Service-Learning was established and housed under student activities. In addition to coordinating the service-learning program, this office also coordinated community service projects and America Reads. In 2011, the name was changed to the Office of Community Engagement to better describe the goals and more accurately define the activities. They work directly with local agencies, organizations, and individuals to address community needs.

The mission of the Office of Community Engagement is to serve as a resource for faculty for the integration of service-learning, support students in their development as engaged citizens and scholars, and foster mutually beneficial campus-community partnerships to address community needs. To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu/services/ServiceLearning.

Posted in Students | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alpha Lambda Delta to Host Third Annual Pi Run on Saturday, April 20, 2013, with New Route and New Race Distance; Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the old Carnegie Library

Posted on April 2, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

All proceeds to benefit the Carnegie Library Restoration Project Fund

Alpha Lambda Delta at the University of Minnesota Crookston is hosting the third annual

Chancellor Fred Wood hands in his registration forms for the 3rd Annual Pi Run to Alpha Lambda Delta President Alexandra Skeeter.

Pi Run on Saturday, April 20, 2013. The run will include a new route along with a new distance for runners. A 10K has been added to the traditional children’s Fun Run and the Pi Run, a race of 5 km (3.1 miles), a distance roughly equal to Pi. Registration is $20 for adults and $5 for students. For a registration form, visit www.theirrationalrace.com or call 218-281-8432 with questions. All runners and walkers are encouraged to participate.

The schedule for the morning begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration in the Carnegie building at Ash Street and 2nd Avenue in Crookston followed by the Fun Run at 9:30 and the Pi Run and 10K at 10 a.m. Awards will be presented to the top three overall female and male finishers. All children participating in the Fun Run will receive a finisher’s medal. Early registration guarantees 5K and 10K runners a shirt.

The race route will follow a similar one to the 2012 Ox Cart Run hosted by the Crookston Running Club starting and ending at the Carnegie building.

All proceeds from the race will benefit the Carnegie Library Restoration Project Fund. The goal of the library renovation is to possibly turn the Carnegie building into an arts and cultural center for the community and region. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1984 and the Lake Agassiz Regional Library of Crookston, built that same year, stands adjacent to it.

Major sponsors for the Pi Run include Herc-u-lift Inc. and HB Sound & Light. Anyone interested in contributing to the project should contact Brian Dingmann at 218-281-8249.

Background

Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) is an honor society at the University of Minnesota, Crookston for students who have maintained a 3.5 or higher grade point average and are in the top 20% of their class during their first year or term of higher education.

Posted in Higher Education, Students | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fifth Annual Fiesta in the Spirit of Cinco de Mayo Celebrates Northwest Minnesota Artists on Friday, April 12, 2013, at the University of Minnesota, Crookston

Posted on April 2, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

Tiles in the Eagles Nest on campus commemorate Cindo de Mayo.

Spring means it’s time for celebrating the fifth annual Fiesta in the Spirit of Cinco de Mayo at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. This year’s celebration will pay tribute to the artists of Northwest Minnesota and takes place on Friday, April 12, 2013, beginning at 3:30 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public. The food, art, and entertainment will strive to adhere to the artistry, materials, and ingredients indigenous to the Mexican people.

From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., there will be art demonstrations in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center; a Northwest Arts Exhibit in the Prairie Room and a Silent Auction in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center; and a drum-making and rhythm activity for young children in the Eagles Nest, Sahlstrom Conference Center. The Drum Circle, led by Diane Lagasse, is designed for music lovers of many ages, but younger children must be accompanied by a parent. The two Drum Circle sessions are limited to 35 per session and take place in Owen Hall 270, one session at 4:30 and one at 5:30 p.m. This activity is also popular with junior and senior high age as well as adults.

Video presentations from Fresh Voices youth leadership students will take place every half hour in the Northern Lights Lounge. Crookston High School students will have an exhibit in the International Lounge.

From 4:30 to 7 p.m., a Mexican supper will be served in Brown Dining Room, followed at 7:30 p.m. by a performance of Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc, a professional dance and drumming group from St. Paul, Minn., in Kiehle Auditorium. The celebration concludes with a family dance from 9 until 11:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom with a DJ from Z Martin Entertainment.

The art demonstrations will feature Crookston artists Irene Bertils working in chalk pastels; Trey Everett who uses words to create his art; and Mary Jane Doak, an artist who creates mosaics using a variety of materials. Joining these local artists will be fiber artist Sue Jacobson, from Fertile, Minn., and potter Karla Nelson from Grand Forks, N.D., who is an art teacher in the “Artists in the Classroom” program in the Grand Forks School District, and a teacher at Muddy Waters Clay Center. She will be making pottery and demonstrating the potter’s wheel. Also taking place simultaneously will be opportunities for children to use comparable art materials to create their own works of art.

The silent auction will to raise scholarship support for the Ramona Mendez Endowed Scholarship fund. The academic scholarship honors the memory of Ramona Mendez, a long time employee of UMC Facilities. Her son Kenneth is a graduate of the U of M, Crookston and a lead member of the fiesta planning committee. The scholarship was initiated during the 2011 “Fiesta in the Spirit of the Cinco de Mayo.”

Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc (DMC) is a community of individuals and families that are dedicated to the preservation, promotion and practice of the Mexica/ Azteca culture including ceremonies, dance, accurate history, arts and craft, and philosophies. Fiesta organizers believe this troupe, with their dedication to the preservation, promotion, and sharing of the Mexican culture, reflects their own goal of providing quality artistic, cultural education for all who attend the Fiesta. To learn more about DMC, visit http://www.cuauhtemoc.org.

Background
The fiesta is sponsored in part by a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, which serves the seven counties located in the northwest corner of the state. The Arts Council receives funding from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment from the Minnesota State Legislature. Other sponsors include the Crookston Convention and Visitors Bureau; Northwest Mental Health Center; Tri-Valley Opportunity Council; and Concerts and Lectures; Diversity and Multicultural Affairs; Career and Counseling Services; and the Coca Cola Community Initiative Fund at the U of M, Crookston.

The goal of the Cinco de Mayo celebration at the U of M, Crookston is to promote learning, understanding, and appreciation for the Mexican culture through traditional Mexican entertainment, crafts, and cuisine. The planning of the event includes students, faculty, staff from departments across the Crookston campus along with members of the Crookston community, and the Crookston High School VOICES Hispanic Youth Leadership group.

Posted in Higher Education | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tastefully Simple Founder and CEO Jill Blashack Strahan Speaking at the U of M, Crookston on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at Noon in Kiehle Auditorium

Posted on February 13, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

Tastefully Simple Founder and CEO Jill Blashack Strahan will speak at the University of Minnesota, Crookston on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, as part of a entrepreneurship speakers’ series sponsored by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES). Her presentation entitled Small Beginnings–Big Dreams will take place at noon in the Kiehle Auditorium. The event is free and the public is welcome.

Following the presentation, Blashack Strahan will be available to sign her book, Simply Shine: Stories That Stirred the Fire. In the book, she shares her inspirational journey with Tastefully Simple. The books will be available for purchase that day.

As a top female entrepreneur and author, Blashack Strahan is an inspiration to entrepreneurs and women across the nation. She was born and raised in Villard, Minn., and grew up on her family’s farm, where she was deeply influenced by her father’s entrepreneurial spirit. She managed and owned Jill’s Grill in Villard and eventually started a retail gift basket shop. Then her future took a revolutionary turn. Prior to selling her business in 1994, Jill participated in a Holiday Crafters Tour to promote her gift baskets. She provided samples of the easy-to-prepare foods and experienced remarkable sales. Jill realized the power of taste-testing and the idea of Tastefully Simple was born.

Tastefully Simple is an award-winning $100 million company with more than 300 employees and some 21,000 independent consultants. Blashack Strahan is recognized as an exceptional CEO, having won numerous awards for her achievements and unique philosophies of positivity and abundance.

Background
Funded through a grant from the Department of Education, CRES assists entrepreneurs in Northwestern Minnesota with the development and creation of their entrepreneurial enterprise. CRES, located on the Crookston campus, serves eleven counties including Beltrami, Clearwater, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau.

The mission of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES) is to encourage entrepreneurship through educational leadership, applied research, and insightful consulting.? The CRES engages the students, faculty, and research facilities of the University of Minnesota in Crookston in order to stimulate the entrepreneurial culture and strengthen the economic vitality of northwest Minnesota.

The CRES is housed in Dowell Hall 117. For information, call 218-281-8595 (cres@tc.umn.edu), or visit www.umccres.org.

Posted in Business Department, Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies, Faculty, Higher Education | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chinese Dance Theater to Grace the Kiehle Auditorium Stage on Saturday, February 9, 2013, at 7 p.m.

Posted on February 1, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

The Chinese American Association of Minnesota (CAAM) Chinese Dance Theater will celebrate the culture of China with a dance performance at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. The dance theater will perform on Saturday, February 9, 2013, in Kiehle Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the performance starting at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door at $5 for adults, $3 for children and high school students, and $1 for students at the U of M, Crookston with their ID. Advanced tickets are available by contacting Rae French at 218-281-8339 (rfrench@umn.edu).

Preceding the dance performance, a workshop will be held for all ages from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in Bede Ballroom and the International Lounge both located in the Sargeant Student Center. The workshop will feature demonstrations of Kungfu, a tea ceremony, art display, lantern making, and more. The workshop is free. An option for dinner is also available in Brown Dining Room at 5 p.m. for $7.67. Activities are designed for families with children of all ages.

Background
Chinese dance incorporates a variety of forms and styles of movement derived from 53 diverse ethnic groups’ traditions. It involves not just unique Chinese dance sequences and movements but also the cultural and historical basis of the dances. The CAAM Chinese Dance Theater is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Chinese cultural heritage and enriching a diverse community through the universal language of dance.

Since 1992, CDT has served families and delighted audiences with some of the best locally-produced Chinese dance concerts in the country. We are a community-based organization under the artistic direction of a world-renowned choreographer and teacher. A division of the Chinese American Association of Minnesota, the oldest, largest Chinese American community organization in Minnesota, CDT performs before 17,000 live audience members every year. With a dance school, annual concerts, and outreach performances, CDT is the largest Chinese dance organization in the Midwest. To learn more, visit www.caamcdt.org.

This performance is made possible by the University of Minnesota’s Confucius Institute and the Office of International Programs at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. The workshop is made possible by the Multicultural International Club, International Programs Office, and the Korean Student Clubs on campus.

Posted in Music and theater | Leave a comment

Among the Nation’s Best: U of M, Crookston in U.S.News & World Report’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs

Posted on January 15, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

U.S.News and World Report has ranked the University of Minnesota, Crookston among the nation’s “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs” for 2013. The U of M, Crookston was ranked in the top quartile at #60 out of the 247 higher education respondents in this year’s survey. Rankings were based on factors such as graduation rates and academic and career support services offered to students among others. The campus ranked especially high in the sub-category Student Services and Technology coming in at number 18.

U.S.News & World Report published these rankings for the first time in 2102 in response to today’s high demand for education provided in a flexible manner.

“Our faculty and staff are leaders in the field of online education and have been working for more than a decade to provide access to our high quality degree programs in a manner that is consistent with our public land grant mission. Their experience with and understanding of online students is unparalleled,” said Fred Wood, chancellor of the U of M, Crookston. “This recognition is confirmation of the exemplary efforts of our faculty and staff to provide quality programs and the best online learning experience for students who need the flexibility that online learning affords.”

The U of M, Crookston currently offers ten degree programs entirely online (these degrees are also offered more traditionally on-campus as well). They include Accounting (B.S.), Applied Health (B.A.H.), Applied Studies (B.S.), Business (B.S.), Communication (B.S.), Health Management (B.S.), Information Technology Management (B.S.), Manufacturing Management (B.M.M.), Marketing (B.S.), and Quality Management (B.M.M.). The online programs are administered through the Center for Adult Learning and delivered via three academic departments: Business; Liberal Arts and Education; and Math, Science, and Technology. The campus currently has more than 700 online only degree-seeking students.

While U.S.News has applied some of its rankings standards used for traditional schools, measures were developed and used to evaluate online programs. U.S.News defined a distance education program as “a program for which all the required coursework for program completion is able to be completed via distance education courses that incorporate Internet-based learning technologies. Distance education courses are courses that deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously.”

Online bachelor’s degree programs were ranked in three different sub-categories: Teaching Practices and Student Engagement, Faculty Credentials and Training, and Student Services and Technology. Ranking indicators for the Teaching Practices and Student Engagement category included class size, teacher response timeframe, student collaboration policy, and anti-plagiarism screening policy among others. Student services and technology-based indicators included live tutoring and 24/7 tech support, the ability for students to receive classes through both audio and visual, and having all courses centralized into a single student information system, such as Blackboard or Moodle.

Data was collected from for-profit, private, and public schools. For more information about the rankings methodology, go to www.usnews.com/education/online-education/bachelors.

For more information about the University of Minnesota, Crookston and its online degrees visit www.umcrookston.edu/online, call 800-862-6466 ext. 8681, or e-mail cronline@umn.edu.

Posted in Higher Education, Online | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Storyteller Jim Pfitzer to bring Influential Author and Forester Aldo Leopold to Life on Thursday, January 31, 2013, at the University of Minnesota, Crookston; Performance in Kiehle Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Posted on January 14, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast. Storyteller Jim Pfitzer will bring Leopold to life on the stage of Kiehle Auditorium on Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 7 p.m. The performance titled “Aldo Leopold – A Standard of Change” is free and all are welcome.

The one-man play, written by and starring storyteller Jim Pfitzer, is set during an evening in and around the famous Wisconsin Shack that inspired much of Leopold’s writing, the performance explores the influences and challenges that led to the writing of the widely popular book A Sand County Almanac.

As a U.S. forester, Leopold was instrumental in the creation of our first federally designated wilderness in the Gila National Forest. In 1935, he and his family initiated an ecological restoration experiment on a worn-out farm along the Wisconsin River outside of Baraboo, Wisconsin where they planted thousands of pine trees, and restored prairies.

A little more than a year after his death in 1948, Leopold’s collection of essays A Sand

County Almanac was published and required reading for most wildlife management students across the country. With over two million copies sold, it is one of the most respected books about the environment ever published, and Leopold has come to be regarded by many as the most influential conservation thinker of the twentieth century as well as the father of the field of wildlife management.

“When confronted with a modern conservation dilemma, those in the wildlife profession often ask, ‘What would Aldo Do?’ and there is generally a quote from Leopold’s writings that nails it!” says Professor Dan Svedarsky, former president of The Wildlife Society. “Many of Leopold’s writings are applicable to the sustainability movement as well.”

Best known for his nature-based personal tales told with a distinctly southern delivery, storyteller and native Chattanoogan Jim Pfitzer has been lauded a “true Tennessee treasure” and his work called “old fashioned and avant-garde at the same time.” Pfitzer performs and teaches workshops from coast to coast. To learn more about Pfitzer and the performance, visit http://www.jimpfitzer.com.

The event is sponsored by UMC Concerts & Lectures, UMC Natural Resources Club, and the Coca Cola Beverage Partnership Grant.

Posted in Agriculture and Natural Resources Department | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Third Annual Justin Knebel Memorial Ice Fishing Tournament Scheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2013, at Zippel Bay Resort on Lake of the Woods, Williams, Minn.

Posted on January 14, 2013 by University of Minnesota Crookston

Fish for prizes and support scholarships during the 3rd Annual Justin Knebel Memorial Ice
Fishing Tournament to be held Saturday, February, 2, 2013. The tournament, which supports scholarships at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, will be held at Zippel Bay Resort on Lake of the Woods, Williams, Minn. Tickets are available for $20 by contacting Alysa Tulibaski at 701-215-4300 or Bill Tyrrell at 218-281-8436. Tickets are also available at Zippel Bay Resort, 6080 39th St. NW, Williams, Minn., 800-222-2537.

Registration, limited to the first 150, begins at 10 a.m. on the ice at the tournament site with fishing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the first person to catch a fish, along with prizes for the largest walleye, northern, sauger, and perch caught during the tournament. The registration fee also includes a $5 raffle ticket and road access fee. Additional raffle tickets will be available at the gate. All proceeds from the tournament support the Justin Knebel Memorial Scholarship Fund at the U of M, Crookston.

The Justin Knebel Memorial Ice Fishing Tournament is sponsored by Zippel Bay Resort and Streiff Sporting Goods in Warroad, Minn.

Background
Justin Knebel, who played basketball for the U of M, Crookston Golden Eagles, grew up in Warroad, Minn., graduating from Warroad High School in 2001. A talented athlete, he lettered in basketball, cross country, and track. After graduation, he attended the University of Minnesota, Crookston where he played basketball as a point guard for the Golden Eagles. Head Basketball Coach Jeff Oseth describes him as the ultimate team player working hard on the court and in the classroom.

Besides his passion for playing basketball, Knebel loved the Warroad area and outdoor sports in Minnesota, making the ice fishing tournament an apt tribute to the memory of this outstanding student-athlete. For more information on the tournament, visit www.umcrookston.edu/justinknebel.

Posted in Alumni | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Collegiate Crops Judging Team from U of M, Crookston Finishes Second in Both National Contests held in November in Kansas City and Chicago

Posted on December 17, 2012 by University of Minnesota Crookston

The national crops judging contests have a long and celebrated history. The University of

In the photo: Second place Collegiate Crops Team at the 2012 Kansas City Crops Contest, left to right: Dan Grefsrud, Travis Lund, Missy Geiszler, Rob Proulx, and Matthew Green

Minnesota, Crookston Collegiate Crops Teams have been a part of that history since 1967, and this year, the team from the Crookston campus placed second in both national competitions held in November in Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago, Ill. The 2012 team consisted of three agronomy majors including Dan Grefsrud, a senior from Hawley, Minn.; Travis Lund, a senior from Brandon, Minn.; and Missy Geiszler, a junior from Mayer, Minn.

The team was coached by agronomy instructor Rob Proulx, assisted by Matthew Green, a senior from Greenbush, Minn., who is a triple major in agronomy, agricultural systems management, and agricultural business. Green was a member of the 2011 Collegiate Crops Judging Team from the U of M, Crookston.

In the Kansas City Crops Contest held November 13, each team member earned scores of 95% or above in seed analysis which qualified them each for All-American Recognition. Lund finished in second place in grain grading, tied for second place in seed analysis, and finished in fourth place in plant and seed identification, giving him a second place finish overall. Geiszler finished second in plant and seed identification, fourth in seed analysis, and sixth in grain grading, giving her a fifth place finish overall. Grefsrud tied for second with Lund in seed analysis and finished seventh in grain grading and sixth in plant and seed identification, leading to a sixth place finish overall.

In the Chicago Crops Contest held November 17, All-American Recognition (scoring 95% or above) was earned by Lund in grain grading, seed analysis, and plant and seed identification; Geiszler in seed analysis and plant and seed identification, and Grefsrud in seed analysis. Lund finished first in seed analysis, third in plant and seed identification, and fifth in grain grading, giving him a third-place finish overall. Geiszler finished fourth overall, with fourth place finishes in grain grading and plant and seed identification and a third place finish in seed analysis. Grefsrud finished sixth overall, tying for second place in seed analysis, finishing seventh in grain grading, and finishing eighth in plant and seed identification.

Both second place finishes by the U of M, Crookston team came just behind first-place Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., and ahead of Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., who placed third. Other top finishers were Purdue University; University of Wisconsin, Platteville; South Dakota State University; Australian National Team; Fort Hays State University; and Cloud County Community College.

Background
The crops contests integrate a student’s knowledge of agronomy into three categories: seed analysis, grain grading and crop and weed identification. The Kansas City and Chicago contests represent the national finals of collegiate crops competition for the year. Preparation for crops contests teaches evaluation of crops for quality relative to certification, viability, and marketing.

The first Collegiate Crops Contest was held in 1923 and in Kansas City in 1929. Collectively in the 89 years of competition, 163 crops contests have taken place. Teams from the U of M, Crookston have competed in the crops contests for 45 years. They have finished in the top four more than 30 times and four times when the team fell out of the top four, the teams consisted of only two members rather than the usual three-member team. Both times those teams placed sixth overall. To learn more about the contests, visit www.crops.org/students/contests.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U of M, Crookston Receives $100,000 Grant from the U.S. Department of State to Establish an American Cultural Center in China

Posted on December 17, 2012 by University of Minnesota Crookston

A $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State will fund a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota, Crookston and Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic (ZJETP) to establish an American Cultural Center in China. The purpose of the cultural center, to be located on the campus of ZJETP in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is to cultivate greater understanding between the United States and China. One of the unique aspects of the American Cultural Center at ZJETP is the construction of a 3-D immersive lab similar to the one located on the Crookston campus.

Students in China will be able to use the lab to demonstrate American historical scenes and visit sites in the U.S. including universities, national landmarks, and other places of interest. The lab combines the most recent computer technology, sensor technology, and visual technology to allow users to “immerse” themselves in a virtual environment and interact with that environment. Along with the 3-D immersive lab, the American Cultural Center at ZJETP will include a multimedia conference room and theater, a reading room, and an e-reading room.

To be eligible for the grant, an applicant had to demonstrate expertise in one or more of the following subject areas: people-to-people exchanges, cultural and academic programming, international cooperation, institution-to-institution partnerships, and the ability to develop and implement programs in China. The one-time grant funding, which runs from September 20, 2012, through September 20, 2013, will promote a greater understanding of and appreciation for American culture.

Jingpeng Tang, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department on the Crookston campus is the grant’s principal investigator. Kim Gillette, Ph.D., director of the Office of International Programs will join Tang to serve as the cultural center’s deputy directors. Serving as their counterpart as deputy director in China is Mingdi Gu, who is the director of the international office at ZJETP.

According to Tang, the American Cultural Center is the natural outgrowth of a long-term relationship between the U of M, Crookston and ZJETP. “We have been partners with Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic since 2005,” Tang says. “This American Cultural Center will help foster mutual understanding between both countries, assist with student recruitment, and further our campus mission of outreach. We are excited about the opportunity and proud to be included among the campuses that have this kind of collaboration.” The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is home to the only other center of this kind in the U of M system.

One of the long term goals for the American Cultural Center at ZJETP is to use it as a bridge to universities, businesses, industries, governmental and non-governmental agencies in the United States and Zhejiang province and the Yangtze River Delta of China, including Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The Center also opens doors for potential research opportunities across both campuses.

Background
Over their history, the U of M, Crookston and ZJETP have collaborated on student exchange, faculty exchange, curriculum construction, and joint programs. More than 50 students from ZJETP have attended the U of M, Crookston in the software engineering, business management, and agricultural business programs. These programs allow ZJETP students to transfer to the U of M, Crookston to complete a bachelor’s degree. The Crookston campus also established an English as Second Language (ESL) Center on the ZJETP campus. Study abroad opportunities for both faculty and students at the U of M, Crookston have been enhanced by the relationship with ZJETP and many have taken advantage of the opportunity to visit the campus in China.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment