County commissioners and the county signs.

Late last week, the first five of 87 markers honoring each Minnesota county were unveiled in a ceremony at TCF Bank Stadium.

At the same time, athletic director Joel Maturi announced the kickoff of an 87-county statewide grassroots fundraising tour Tuesday, June 4 at a Dairy Queen in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Dairy Queen is a major donor to TCF Bank Stadium.

New images have been added to the TCF Bank Stadium time-lapse construction video as well.

Budget agreement: The agreement to balance the state's $936 million budget deficit includes reductions totaling $12.3 million to the University's state appropriation for the 2008-09 biennium--$6.15 million for the current fiscal year and another $6.15 for fiscal year 2009. In addition, the U faces a base reduction of $8.7 million beginning in fiscal year 2010. An agreement was also reached to fund the Central Corridor light-rail line in a supplemental bonding bill. The Board of Regents will vote on a final 2008-09 operating budget for the U at its June 5-6 meeting.

In the summer, U visitors can run with the bulls (or the wolves), gaze upon an iron giant and pass next to The Crucible. They’re all part of the Public Art on Campus program, which includes more than 30 pieces, many of them outdoors.  The link above includes a printable map to help plan your visit. The article found here discusses some of the history of public art on campus.

The beloved Bulls of the St. Paul campus are part of the Public Art on Campus program.

The College of Continuing Education stays busy as ever during the summer with two popular programs:
Split Rock Arts Program gets underway on June 15 with a collection of Split Rock Shorts, three-day workshops on the Twin Cities campus. Week-long workshops begin the following week on campus and at the Cloquet Forestry Center. Split Rock also offers Split Rock Soirees, Tuesday evening programs with that week’s artists. The events feature readings and talks on creativity and a reception to meet the artists.

CCE also runs Curiosity Camps, billed as one-day “summer camps for adults.” With topics ranging from great books to honeybees, the camps start June 11.

Along literary lines, Wilson

The future of UMore Park will be discussed later this month.

Library holds its annual Used Book Sale June 2-3. Thousands of used books are for sale from steamy sonnet collections to pioneering economics texts.

A different angle on the outdoors comes from the south suburbs: UMore Park, a 5,000-acre open space near Rosemount. The University is developing master plans for the land and wants public input. Forums are planned for June 16 and 17 on the Twin Cities campus. Visit the UMore Park Web site for details.

A more stimulating event comes your way at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, a Minneapolis hipster haven on the edge of the Uptown neighborhood. U grad student Andrew Cassey delivers a monthly economics lecture there ... an economic lecture that started as an entry in the popular Fringe Festival. See what all the supply and demand is about June 24 or July 22. More info is here.

Numerous U of M tracksters took away Big Ten titles in mid-May, including taking three of the five distance events

Heather Dorniden (228) leaves her competition in the dust.

over mighty Wisconsin. Freshman Hassan Mead followed up his 5,000-meter title by earning berth in the NCAA Championships June 11-14 n Des Moines.

But the three stars of Minnesota track are women: school record holders Alicia Rue (pole vault), Heather Dorniden (800 meters) and Liz Roehrig (heptathlon). Rue and Dorniden won regional titles to reach the NCAA meet while Roehrig earned her spot at he national meet by not only winning the Big Ten title by a record score, but notching an automatic qualifier for the Olympic Track trials to be held later this month in Eugene, Oregon.

In all six Gopher women earned automatic berths in the NCAA meet, with two more at-large bids possible. The runner to watch when the meet : Just a junior, Dorniden has never finished worse than third in her specialty at the NCAA indoor or outdoor meet, collecting five all-America citations and one national title.

Celebrate 50 Years of Showboat Productions
Join fellow Alumni Association members

Earl bakken and Doris Taylor highlighted the 2008 Annual Celebration.

for a special evening aboard the Minnesota Centennial Showboat on Wednesday, June 18, or Tuesday, July 8, at 8 p.m. For just $30, your Showboat experience will include a stage performance of The Count of Monte Cristo and a member-exclusive, post-show dessert reception with actors of the Showboat Company. 2008 marks the 50th year of the U of M Showboat Players’ summertime productions. For event details, visit www.alumni.umn.edu/University_Theatre 

Tickets are available now by calling Padelford Riverboats, the exclusive ticketing agent for the Showboat, at 651-227-1100 or toll free at 1-800-543-3908. Please identify yourself immediately as a member of the Alumni Association and have your alumni member number available.

And in case you were wondering what that big tent was on Northrop Mall last week, here are photo highlights of the 2008 Annual Celebration. And, here is the Year in Review Video shown at the event.