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If it’s the first day of Spring Break, everyone is wearing green and a snowstorm is raging, it must be St. Patrick’s Day in Minnesota.

State of the U
One of the highlights of the pre-break period was the State of the University speech by President Bob Bruininks: “The Challenge of Change.” In it, Bruininks said that all great universities share five common attributes: commitment to excellence, a drive to discover, a focus on results, economic vitality and accountability to stakeholders. Minnesota quest to become a top public research school is often misunderstood as a pursuit of rankings, he added. Rather, it is about national and international stature, and does not place research ahead of the U’s education and outreach missions.  A video and a PDF of the presentation highlights are here.)

Shortly after the State of the U speech came a report from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education that shows Minnesota public college students pay nearly twice as much in in-state tuition than the average in-state student in the U.S. Undergraduate tuition has more than doubled, from under $5,000 in 1995 to more than $10,000 in 2008-09. The report also found low college graduation rates, especially for students of color. Read the full report here.

Separately, Bruininks advocated increasing financial aid for the children of middle-class families in this StarTribune article.

Legislative Requests and Advocacy
The U's state capital bonding request continues to move through the legislature. For updates, click here. A separate request for a Biomedical Research Facilities Authority got an initial hearing and lots of support.

Another major issue, the Central Corridor light rail line, continues to move along. The Metropolitan Council voted to route the line along Washington Avenue through campus, while limiting vehicle traffic. An article on possible traffic "fixes" appeared in the StarTribune yesterday.

Great Teachers Recognized
Nothing makes for a great educational experience like outstanding teaching professors. The Distinguished Teaching Awards, partly funded by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, honor those great teachers. The 2007-08 recipients were named last week. Click here to see the list—with links to their faculty Web pages—and to learn details about the April 28 award ceremony and reception, which is open to U alumni and friends.

Research
Skipping breakfast might seem like an easy way to lose some quick weight, but U researcher Mark Periera has found it has exactly the opposite effect in teens.

2007 Distinguished Teaching Award honorees

Otherwise, the news out ofthe U was all about alternative energy:

• A major breakthrough brings U researchers closer to being able to create biofuel out of waste products.
• A study found that doubling the amount of ethanol in gasoline blends from 10 to 20 percent had no effect on the maintenance of drivability of late-model cars.
• Three ongoing biofuels projects got new grant support.
• And the Morris campus is moving toward energy self-sufficiency.  

Upcoming Events

The Compleat Scholar program is holding a spring sampler session March 18 to give potential students a chance to look over their offerings. Alumni Association members receive a 10% discount on all Compleat Scholar courses.

Sports
The women’s track and field team followed the women’s swimming team and won a Big Ten title. The difference is the track season is just getting started. With their indoor track title, the Gopher women have now won four Big Ten titles in two years – the 2006 outdoor track title, the 2007 cross country and the 2007 and 2008 indoor titles. The

Heather Dorniden

individual highlight of the women’s season was the performance of junior Heather Dorniden. She was knocked down in the Big Ten 600 meter race, but got up to win her heat. At the NCAA indoor meet, she finished second in the 800, her fifth consecutive time finishing in the top three in the event at the NCAA indoor or outdoor championships, including one national title.

The wrestling team was second at the Big Ten meet, and takes nine wrestler in the 10 weight classes to the NCAA tourney on March 20-22 in St. Louis.

Other major winter teams are also still playing:

• The men’s basketball squad hosts Maryland tomorrow night in the NIT. Minnesota won a pair of games in the Big Ten’s tournament last week to notch a 20-win season. Tickets are available here.
• The men’s hockey squad qualified for the WCHA Final Five in a thrilling three-game series against Minnesota State - Mankato, with each game decided in overtime. Minnesota will now take on St. Cloud State Thursday evening at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (An elbowing incident, however, left senior Tom Pohl in the hospital after the game.)
• The women's basketball team was to learn Monday night if they would be playing in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT. Check Gophersports.com for updates.

UMAA News
The new issue of Minnesota magazine was mailed today. In it, members can read about a Sudanese refugee who is now recipient of the "world's richest" scholarship; read "Kalispell," the winner of our annual fiction contest; read about a pioneering anthropologists who's ideas look primitive in retrospect; and read about sports, news, arts, and more. To become a member and receive Minnesota six times a year, click here.

The McNamara Alumni Center, home to the UMAA and which the association helped build, was recently named best non-hotel meeting facility in the Twin Cities. And Alumni Association life members can experience the stunning architecture and top customer service at a discount. Award

The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences' Classes Without Quizzes is coming April 5. The popular annual morning of lectures has a keynote on alternative energy, plus breakout sessions with experts from across the college.