DATE:  January 14, 2002

MEMO TO:     Montana Board of Regents

FROM: Stephen T. Hulbert,  Chancellor

SUBJECT:        Campus Report for January 2002 Board of Regents' Meeting

         Rural Education Technology Center The University of Montana - Western took substantial completion of the new technology building on December 7, 2001. While the contractor continues to have punch list items to complete, the building will be available for class and conference use for the Spring Semester 2002. Westerns Agriculture Conference and Expo was the kick-off event for this new state-funded facility. The installation of $800,000 of federally funded technology and furnishings is ongoing.

         Agriculture Conference and Expo From January 7-9th Western conducted its first Agriculture Conference and Expo which attracted 150 participants including 30 vendors. The Conference featured seminars and workshops on varied topics suggested by the agricultural community including recent tax law, niche marketing, futures and options, rural energy, technology and change, geo-spatial technologies and the rural landscape, grain industry and transportation issues and undaunted stewardship among others. Speakers included Chuck Swysgood, David Gibson, Rick Haines, Marc Mattix and Sharron Quisenberry. Baxter Black, the cowboy humorist and poet, entertained conference participants and joined in featured workshops. Discussion is continuing regarding other agricultural related conference and non-credit related programming. The 2003 Conference and Expo has been scheduled for January 6-8, 2003.

         Land Acquisition - On January 4th, 2002, The University of Montana - Western Foundation took possession of the Crosswinds Restaurant and apartments. This property is in the University's acquisition zone and is located adjacent to the campus entrance on East Poindexter Street. For the foreseeable future the property will continue to be operated in its current capacity.

         Faculty Activities -

A book by Professor Alan Weltzien of the English Department has been published by the University of Utah Press. The Literary Art and Activism of Rick Bass , is the first attempt to address the works of this Montana author. Weltzien edited the contributions of fifteen scholars in reviewing the essay collections, non-fiction, short story and novella collections and one novel by Bass.

Dr. Jim Sethi, Professor of Business, presented a keynote paper on Strategic, Ethical, and Ergonomic Issues in Information Technology and E-Commerce Systems at the International Business Economy Conference 2002 in San Francisco, January 3-5, 2002. The conference was an international gathering of experts in international management, drawn from more than thirty universities in the United States and other countries in addition to several sponsoring organizations.