Welcome to the School of Education's newsletter, Sigma which you can access online at http://www.soe.umich.edu/sigma/index.html. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to . Deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday. The next Sigma will be Friday, February 14, 2003.

Sigma Vol. XXXII, No. 05, February 7, 2003

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CALENDAR

** CPEP COLLOQUIUM

"The SAT: What's right and what's wrong with it"

by William "Nick" Collins, Director, Comprehensive Studies Program

Date: Wednesday, February 12

Time: 12:10-1:00 p.m.

Location: Room 2346 SEB

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Index

1. MIREL APOINTED TO OAH DISTINGUISHED LECTURESHIP SERIES

2. GSCO NOMINATED FOR AWARD

3. II DISSERTATION AWARD

4. CPTM/DEPT. OF MATHEMATICS PANEL DISCUSSION

5. SOE GUEST LECTURER

6. DOCTORAL CANDIDACY DEADLINE

7. HRAA NEWS

8. NEED IT ASSISTANCE?

9. ROWAN ICOS SEMINAR SPEAKER

10. JOB AVAILABILITY INFORMATION

11. CAMPUS EVENTS OF INTEREST

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1. MIREL APOINTED TO OAH DISTINGUISHED LECTURESHIP SERIES

Associate Dean Jeff Mirel was recently appointed to the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lectureship Series. For the past 20 years OAH presidents have each appointed a handful of their most illustrious and dynamic colleagues to this program, making it one of the longest running and most successful efforts of its kind among scholarly associations. Currently there are approximately 150 OAH lecturers.

2. GSCO NOMINATED FOR AWARD

The SOE Graduate Student Community Organization (GSCO) has been nominated for a Michigan Leadership Award in the Outstanding Student Organization category. The final selections will be made in February.

3. II DISSERTATION AWARD

The International Institute's Václav Havel Dissertation Award is a 12-month fellowship for students who have been advanced to candidacy by the Rackham Academic Records and Dissertation Office to conduct research anywhere in the world or to complete a dissertation. The focus must be on topics that reflect the life, work, intellectual contributions, or spirit of Václav Havel. The application deadline is Thursday, February 13 and additional information is available online at http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/iisite/funding/havel_fellows.html.

4. CPTM/DEPT. OF MATHEMATICS PANEL DISCUSSION

The Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics and the Department of Mathematics present:

"Mathematicians and the Mathematical Education of Teachers"

The panelists, all research mathematicians, include:

Dick Askey (University of Wisconsin)

Roger Howe (Yale University)

Jim Lewis (University of Nebraska)

Bill McCallum (University of Arizona)

Dick Stanley (University of California, Berkeley)

H. H. Wu (University of California, Berkeley)

Date: Thursday, February 13

Time: 4:10 - 5:30 p.m.

Location: Room 1360, East Hall

Reception following in the Mathematics Atrium of East Hall

5. SOE GUEST LECTURER

"Second Thoughts: One Historian's Encounter with the Culture Wars"

by Jonathan Zimmerman, New York University

Date: Wednesday, March 19

Time: 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Location: Whitney Auditorium

Refreshments will be served after the presentation

6. DOCTORAL CANDIDACY DEADLINE

If you are planning to become a candidate for Spring Term 2003 or Spring-Summer Term 2003, please submit a request to the Office of Student Services no later than: Friday, March 28 for Spring or Spring-Summer advancement. Additional information is available online at http://www.soe.umich.edu/deadlines/index.html. The information describes the process to achieve candidacy as well as the candidacy deadline dates.

7. HRAA NEWS

==Employee Identification Number Optional on Rx ID Cards

Faculty, staff and retirees concerned about the use of their Social Security number on prescription drug identification cards have access to protections offered by U-M for the AdvancePCS prescription drug program.

==TIAA-CREF Consulting Sessions Available

TIAA-CREF has added more individual retirement counseling dates this year on the Ann Arbor campus with many immediate openings still available. To schedule an appointment, go to http://www.tiaa-cref.org/moc. If you have any questions or need assistance, contact Linda Baker at 800-842-2044.

==Career Workshops Offered for Staff

The Office of Career Services has scheduled a number of workshops to help staff develop in their present positions and offer assistance as they move to new jobs throughout the University. Topics to be covered include job enrichment, resumes/cover letters, networking, interviewing, evaluating career options, and navigating the employment/job search process. All sessions will be held in Suite 18, Ground Level, Wolverine Tower.

Overview Workshops

Date: Friday, March 21 and Friday, March 28

Time: 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

This is a two-part workshop

or

Date: Friday, May 2

Time: Noon - 4:00 - p.m.

Brown Bag Sessions (all Noon - 1:00 p.m.)

Effective Resumes

Date: Thursday, April 3

Networking

Date: Tuesday, April 15

Interviewing Tips

Date: Tuesday, April 25

Navigating the Employment/Job Search Process

Date: Friday May 23

To Register: Contact Ricah Marquez at rmarquez at umich.edu. (Limited to 15 participants per session.)

8. NEED IT ASSISTANCE?

To get assistance in the SOE:

1) Come to the IRIS Resource Center, 2007 SEB, or call 764-5427.

As the front door to Technology Services, the Resource Center always has someone at the desk to answer questions or forward your request to someone who can.

2) Send email:

For assistance with U-M Resources:

1) Call 764-HELP or send email to online.consulting@umich.edu, for assistance with accessing the U-M network

2) Visit the web --

9. ROWAN ICOS SEMINAR SPEAKER

"Notes on the U.S. School Improvement Industry"

by Brian Rowan, SOE professor

Date: Friday, February 14

Time: 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Location: Room 4212 SEB

Background Reading: "The Ecology of School Improvement: Notes on the School Improvement Industry in the United States"

The Interdisciplinary Committee On Organizational Studies seminar series provides a forum for the discussion of research and theory about organizations and organizational processes. In keeping with its interdisciplinary character, the seminar will consider both macro and micro processes and their intersection.

10. JOB AVAILABILITY INFORMATION

Stop by the SOE Office of Student Services, room 1033, if you will be graduating soon or are just looking for work while in school. OSS maintains a book of job postings for various positions from tutoring for current students to teaching and administrative positions for teacher certification graduates. The majority of the positions are for elementary and secondary teachers.

11. CAMPUS EVENTS OF INTEREST

The following events will be taking place around campus. You may get more information on each event via the listed web site, email or telephone (when available).

** SEVIS Information Forums

==For Administrators and Faculty

Date: Tuesday, February 11

Time: 10:00 a.m. - Noon

==For International Students and Scholars

Date: Wednesday, February 12

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Location for both Forums: Rackham Auditorium

Administrators and faculty who work with international students/visitors and international students/visitors are invited to an information forum on the new Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and other recent changes to immigration and visa regulations and procedures. Representatives from the International Center, MAIS, the General Counsel's office, and admitting offices will give an overview of federal law and regulations, outline changes in University processes to comply with these new reporting requirements, and discuss the impact for students and visitors. The forum will include a question and answer session.

** Women Of Color Task Force 21st Annual Career Conference

"One University, One Community, One Destiny: Staff and the University's Mission"

Keynote Speaker: Sue Guevara, Michigan Women's Basketball Head Coach

Date: Friday, February 29

Registration: 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.

Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location: Modern Languages Building

Cost: $45/$65 conference only (UM/non-UM)

$65/$85 conference w/lunch (UM/non-UM)

** Faculty Exploratory Workshops

Complete descriptions of the workshops offered at the Faculty Exploratory can be found at http://www.lib.umich.edu/exploratory. To register, please email libworkshops@umich.edu. These workshops are free of charge, and for faculty only, with the exception of EndNote and ProCite workshops, which are open to all.

Mon., Feb. 10, 3:00 - 5:00pm Managing Your Citations with EndNote 6

Tue., Feb. 11, 1:00 - 3:00pm Crash Course in PowerPoint

Thu., Feb. 13, 1:00 - 3:00pm Introduction to ArcView

Thu., Feb. 13, 3:00 - 4:30pm Managing Your Site and Publishing Your Pages with Dreamweaver MX

Fri., Feb. 14, 10:00 - 12:00pm PowerPoint Intermediate: Charts and Graphics

** HRD Workshops

==Prepare, Practice and Present (1.5 day course)

Date: Wednesday, March 5

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

And

Date: Monday, March 10

Time: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

==Assertiveness Skills II

Date: Friday, March 7

Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Unless otherwise noted, the location for HRD courses is 2030 Administrative Services, 1009 Greene Street. Further information about professional and organizational development opportunities may be found at http://www.umich.edu/~hraa/hrd.

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Sigma is a weekly publication of the University of Michigan School of Education (bi-weekly during the summer). To subscribe to Sigma, please send an email to . SUBSCRIBE should be the subject.