New! Update on Hiring Efforts in CLAS

With about faculty 65 interviews completed in the Dean’s office, I am pleased to report that we now have about 20 acceptances or offers out to the finalist in your candidate pools. I think that you should be generally very pleased with the caliber of candidates your departments have been able to attract in this year’s hiring bonanza.  I am well aware of the amount of effort the search committees and chairs have and are putting into this crucial effort, and I thank all of you for the work you are doing. Nothing is more important to our future success as an institution than hiring the right faculty members to join with us in advancing our strategic plans. If a few searches fail, please do not be discouraged; it is far better to get the best people here than it is to succeed in this round. If searches do not succeed this year, we will roll the money over and try again next year. The pool will often be completely different just one year later. Hiring the almost right person versus the right person is analogous to what Mark Twain said of the difference between using the almost right word and the right word: the difference is as between the lightning bug and the lightning.

Jim Hageman
Interim Dean 

New! Reminder: Spring Open House Tomorrow

As a reminder, this year's Spring Open House is scheduled for tomorrow Saturday, Mar. 1. To learn more about the Open House, please view this document. (Room layout).

Please contact Barbara Edwards, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management, with questions.

New! Classified Staff Performance Evaluations

A reminder to all supervisors of classified staff
The current performance evaluation cycle for classified staff ends Mar. 31, 2008.  The deadline for submitting original copies of complete, signed evaluations to the Human Resources Office is Monday, Apr. 15, 2008.  Evaluations should be sent to Campus Box 130, Attn: Evaluations. (additional information)

New! Mass Spectrometer to be Featured Mar. 3

An open house to debut the Shared Analytical Services Laboratory's new mass spectrometer will be 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Mar. 3, at the Shared Analytical Services Laboratory, NC 3009. There will be a slide show with information on the capabilities and uses of the instrument. Contact Brad Stith with questions.

New! Innovative Programs: Working with Denver's Homeless

Thursday, Mar. 6
4:00 - 6:00 pm, Sigi's Cabaret in the Tivoli
Service providers and program leaders will discuss the diversity of Denver’s homeless population and the opportunities and challenges associated with the city’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. A volunteer coordinator will be on hand to describe opportunities for members of the Auraria community who are interested in working directly with Denver’s homeless population or with issues related to homelessness. Sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Students of Sociology Club.

Also visit "Denver’s Road Home: A Photo Exhibit on Homelessness in Denver" Mar. 3-7 in the Tivoli Multicultural Lounge. Sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Students of Sociology Club.

Contact Paula Fomby with questions.

New! Mathematical Sciences Department to Host Local Student Conference this Weekend

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics: Mar. 1
The SIAM student chapters of Colorado are hosting their fourth annual regional student conference on applied mathematics for all schools along the Front Range. This event will allow students from different universities in the area to see what is being done in this field and promote interest in applied mathematics in general. (additional information)

ACT Grant (Advancing Curricula and Teaching): Offered by CLAS

Application Deadline: Apr. 18
The Dean and Associate Deans of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) at the University of Colorado Denver are pleased to announce the 2008-09 CLAS Advancing Curricula and Teaching (ACT) grant.  CLAS ACT funding is designated to further develop a campus environment which supports and encourages approaches to teaching and learning that advance goals of the college’s strategic plan.
(More information)

Nominate Grad Students for Scholarship

Nominations Due Apr. 1
The UC Denver downtown campus offers two scholarship opportunities to our students:  the undergraduate Alumni General Scholarship and the Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship.  Both programs award $2000 per academic year to each scholarship winner ($1000 each semester upon verification of their continuing eligibility).   

Only one graduate scholarship per college is awarded at this time, and requires faculty to nominate deserving students to Dean Hageman, who will make the final choice.  Undergraduate students apply directly to the Alumni Office and compete for multiple awards.

Please send your nominations of students for the graduate scholarship to Jill Hutchison in the Dean's Office by Apr. 1 for the 2008-9 award.

2007-2008 CLAS Research Innovation Seed Program (CRISP)

Monday, Mar. 3 Deadline
CRISP grant proposals are invited from all tenured and tenure-track faculty to support research activities that will result in applications for external funding.  Details of the program, submission requirements, allowed expenses, and required activities are included in the attached document, and the deadline for submission is Mar. 3, 2008.  The college has committed $100,000 this year to support this program, which was developed by Dean Hageman, Associate Dean Brenda Allen, and Associate Dean Mary Coussons-Read. 

Drafts of the program announcement were reviewed and supported by the CLAS Leadership Team, the CLAS BPC, the CLAS Council and the CLAS Chairs.  The college anticipates making approximately 5 awards in each track of the program.  Note that an essential aspect of the CRISP application is developing and documenting a relationship with the Office of Sponsored Programs to identify potential funding sources, and Mary Coussons-Read is glad to facilitate this process. 

Please contact Mary Coussons-Read with any questions you might have regarding the announcement, the program or submission.

REMINDERS: Important Due Dates for Dean's Office Documents

The following items are due to Associate Dean Tammy Stone by the dates listed below. Please contact her if you have any questions.

Feb. 21: One-page nominating letter for Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award

Mar. 1: Sabbatical applications

Mar. 4: Complete dossiers for faculty awards (research/creative activity, service, t/tt teaching and non-tt teaching)   

Mar. 14: Electronic copies of the Faculty Report of Professional Activities are due to both your department chair and Tammy Stone

Mar. 15: Complete dossier for Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award     

Apr. 1: Graduate student nominations due to Jill Hutchison for the Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship

CLAS in the Spotlight

Physics and Engineering students at the University of Colorado Denver along with Professor Martin Huber, PhD, are sharing the science spotlight as scientists of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment announced that they have regained the lead in the worldwide race to find the particles that make up dark matter. The CDMS experiment, conducted a half-mile underground in a mine in Soudan, Minn., has again set the world's best constraints on theories which attempt to describe the properties of dark matter candidates. (Red Orbit and Science Daily)

Events

Jake Adam York, Associate Professor of English
Reading and Reception for his book, A Murmuration of Starlings Saturday, Mar. 1
4:00 pm
Cameron Church (1600 S. Pearl Street, Denver) followed by a reception at Book Buffs

CLAS Technology in Teaching Showcase and Discussion
Monday, Mar. 3
9:30 - 11:30 am
Chancellor's Conf. Room, 14th Floor, Lawrence St. Center
Click here to RSVP 

Computational Mathematics Colloquium
Kristian Sandberg, CU Boulder
Monday, Mar. 3
11:00 am - 12:00 noon
CU Building, Room 626
Seminar Title: "Mathematical Methods in Seismic Imaging"

Operations Research Seminar
Phantipa Thipwiwatpotjana and Weldon Lodwick
Wednesday, Mar. 5
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Seminar Title: "Algorithm for solving optimization problems with Interval Valued Probability Measure"

Biology Spring Seminar Series
Mary Reyland, Anschutz Medical Campus
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Friday, Mar. 7
Noon - 1:30 pm
NC 1539
Seminar Title: "Protein kinase C delta and apoptosis: Location, location, location "

Copper Nickel, Issue 9 Release Reception
Friday, Mar. 7
7:00 pm
Matter Studio
2134 Market Street, Denver
free and open to the public

Medical Narrative: Critical Perspectives on Storytelling
Health and Humanities Colloquia, sponsored by the Colorado Center for the Public Humanities
Wednesday, Mar. 12
2:30 - 4:00 pm
Tivoli 640, UCD Downtown Denver Campus
**lunch provided**
Contact Dr. Amy Vidali to RSVP, receive copies of the readings, and reserve your lunch! (303-556-4765)
See Colorado Center for Public Humanities Web site for more information.

Biology Spring Seminar Series
Rob Guralnick, CU Boulder
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Friday, Mar. 14
Noon - 1:30 pm
NC 1539
Seminar Title: "Integrating phylogenetic and ecological niche modeling approaches in historical biogeography research"

Biology Spring Seminar Series
Mary Coussons-Read, Dept. of Psychology
Friday, Mar. 21
Noon - 1:30 pm
NC 1539
Seminar Title: "Neural-Immune Interactions in Human Pregnancy "

Research and Creative Activities Symposium
Friday, Apr. 11, 2008
10:00am - 3:00pm
North Classroom Atrium
(information)

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hiring Efforts

Spring Open House

Classified Staff Evals

Mass Spectrometer

Innovative Programs: Working with Denver's Homeless

Math Conference

ACT Grant

Grad Student Scholarship

CRISPs

Reminders

CLAS in the Spotlight

Events

ARCHIVES:

Past issues since Jan 21, 2007.

USEFUL LINKS:

CLAS Event Calendar

CLAS News

Faculty Resources

Staff Resources

Campus News

The CLAS Deans' Notes is a weekly newsletter
for college faculty and staff.

EDITOR:

Katy Brown
303.556.6663
Katy.Brown @cudenver.edu