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SPH Alumni News is a quarterly newsletter for alumni and friends of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Warm Spring greetings SPH alumni,
The 2006-2007 academic year has come to an end and the School has much to celebrate: It was another record-breaking year for both student enrollment and faculty research funding, the School is on track to receive accreditation for another seven years, and we now have an alumni board—yes, the SPH Alumni Society of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) has a newly appointed board.
Some of the highlights included in this issue of SPH Alumni News will be:
>A note from SPH Dean, John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
>An introduction to SPH’s alumni board
>A note from board president, Judy Beniak, MPH
>“Meet the Board” (this newsletter features an interview with Judy Beniak)
>A call for mentors
>Other alumni updates
>Calendar of events
>2006-2007 SPH Points of Pride
A note from SPH Dean, John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
I would like to thank all SPH alumni who participated in the year-long accreditation process, which culminated recently with a site visit by a team from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Accreditation is critical to the status of our school and we couldn’t receive this important designation without you. I am delighted to report that the initial review from the site visit team was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing what many of us know: that this is a school on the move, offering innovative educational programs, with a global outlook, and a research program second to none. You can be proud of your alma mater!
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An introduction to SPH’s alumni board
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| The SPH Alumni Board at its first meeting in April. |
After a five-year hiatus, the School of Public Health can proudly boast that its alumni society has a governing board. This group of 15 individuals, whose graduation years span a 35-year timeframe and cross numerous majors, will be the conduit that connects alumni with students, staff and faculty, the University of Minnesota community, and the School’s community partners.
The group has its sights set on some lofty goals. One that stands out as particularly representative of the enthusiasm and momentum is this:
- Energize the Alumni and students with a sense of loyalty and engagement that is infectious and sustaining.
What does that statement mean to each of SPH’s 7,000+ alumni? How shall the School and its alumni partner to sustain alumni engagement for the benefit of both? These are the kinds of questions the board will be asking in the coming months and years. Input from all alumni will be sought to enlighten these questions with tangible answers.
The 2007-2008 SPH Alumni Board members are:
James G. Anderson
Judy Beniak, president
Amos Deinard
Mary Hunt
Cynthia Kenyon
Cecilia Kramer
An Liu
Linda Olson Keller
Richard Person
Brigid Riley, president-elect
Mary Sheehan
Michael Trujillo
Gizaw Tsehai
Gita Uppal
Brenna Vuong, secretary
SPH Student Senate Representative: Stephanie Ball
Thank you to everyone who applied for the board. Support for this endeavor is strong.
Another special thank you goes to the over 20 alumni volunteers who offered their creative ideas, crafted the vision and goals of the board, and/or selected the board members. A tremendous amount of thoughtful work was devoted to the entire process. http://www.sph.umn.edu/advances/fall2006/thanks.html
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A note from board president, Judy Beniak, MPH
 Greetings Fellow Alums!
I am very pleased to announce that the School of Public Health Alumni Society at the University of Minnesota is back with participation of a stellar group of alums ready to contribute to the rebirth of our board. We are hoping that you will contact one of us to engage with our school in serving our students and alums on behalf of the School of Public Health (SPH).
We have had our first board meeting and it was very exciting to hear an update on the progress of the School from Dean John Finnegan. We have close to 1,200 students currently enrolled in the school in all majors. The School is engaged in a wide variety of global partnerships and is having great success recruiting students from diverse backgrounds to a wide variety of areas of study in public health.
For continued success, the SPH needs to engage its alumni in a very meaningful way. I am excited to be the first President of the Board with the new society. We extend a warm invitation to all alumni from the SPH to reconnect with our school. Please contact me at benia001@umn.edu or Michelle Lian Anderson, our alumni relations director, at 612-626-5536 or liana001@umn.edu. Michelle and I value your perspective and would be very interested in engaging you in this new alumni effort.
The new alumni board promises to develop a vibrant community of SPH alumni and I look forward to future support of this effort.
Best regards,
Judy Beniak, MPH
President
SPH Alumni Board
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“Meet the board”
Each e-newsletter will feature an interview with a member of the SPH Alumni Board. This issue features Judy Beniak, MPH, president of the board.
Back when the School of Public Health offered a public health nursing program, Judy Beniak, class of 1981, was one of its many proud graduates.
Today, Beniak, director of the Health Careers Center in the Academic Health Center, is getting another opportunity to show her school pride as the president of the newly-formed SPH Alumni Society Board.
“I’ve always felt very positively about my experience at the School of Public Health,” she says. “A good cohort of nurses graduated from the SPH nursing program and we have felt a strong connection to the school.”
That’s why when the call came to serve on the board, Beniak stepped up.
“I was motivated to apply my past board experiences to help create an effective portal for dialogue with alumni,” she says. “To reawaken and reconnect to the school is really important.”
So far, the 15-member board, which includes alumni from throughout the country, has met once. Beniak says that her goal as president is to listen to the voices of the board members and other alumni before creating the strategic directions with the overall board.
“I think it’s important to make sure that alumni voices are heard,” says Beniak, who will serve as the board president for two years. “We need to have a strong partnership with the alumni, the Dean, faculty and students to advance the mission of the School of Public Health.”
Some of her top goals include engaging graduates in the mentor program to make it even stronger, getting more financial support for student scholarships, creating an effective communications plan with alumni and working closely with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association to develop a dynamic society.
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A call for mentors:
The 2007-2008 academic year will mark the 15th anniversary of the SPH Mentor Program. The program has grown more than 800% since its inception, and now matches an average of 175 students each year with mentors. To meet the growing demand of students who are eager to connect their classroom experience with the realities of working in the field of public health, alumni—particularly, but not exclusively Twin Cities alumni—are needed to fill the role of a mentor.
The commitment is one to two hours per month from October to April. Each mentor and student pair sets goals according to their individual needs. Both students and mentors tell stories of how rewarding their relationships can be.
To volunteer, apply online
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Other alumni updates
All SPH alumni should consider joining the University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA). When you select to be affiliated with the SPH Alumni Society, a portion of your UMAA membership dollars goes directly to the School for alumni programming. How is the money used? One example comes from our stellar mentor program: Each year we mail “Welcome packets” to program participants with how-to-get-started relationship tips and information on one’s student or mentor. Your support goes a long way; thank you! www.alumni.umn.edu/membership
Would you like to receive “SPH Research News”, an electronic publication featuring cutting-edge research from SPH faculty? If so, send an e-mail request to stouffer@umn.edu
Have you moved recently? If so, please keep the School apprised so that we can continue to send you Advances magazine, event announcements and other important SPH updates. Click here to update your home and/or business addresses: www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/address/
Don’t be afraid to boast a little. Tell us about your new job, promotion, award or recognition. We’ll make sure to pass the word along in an upcoming issue of Advances.
www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/tellus/
FREE resource: Join the SPH online Alumni Networking Directory! The Directory is a bridge between the school’s graduates and current students, and is a valuable resource for exploring career possibilities and enhancing professional development.
www.sph.umn.edu/alumni/network/
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Calendar of events:
June 8, 2007
Genes and the Environment: The Emerging Role of Genomics in Public Health
In celebration of Rachel Carson's 100th Birthday Anniversary, the School of Public Health Roundtable Series presents keynote speaker Muin Khoury, MD, PhD, director, National Office of Public Health Genomics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Learn more online
June 15, 2007
CIDRAP Business Source invites you to attend our next pandemic preparedness webinar:
Beyond Checklists: Developing and Implementing Business Plans for Pandemic Influenza
Presented by:
- Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Director of CIDRAP and Editor-in-Chief of the CIDRAP Business Source
- Karen Dye, MBA, CBCP, Global Crisis Planning Manager, Sun Microsystems
- Barry Cardoza, CBCP, VP/Manager of Business Continuity, Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery, Union Bank of California, N.A.
• Learn more online
June 19-22, 2007
Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research Meeting
Boston, Massachusetts
The annual Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) meeting includes the John C. Cassel Memorial Lecture and contributed papers, symposia, and posters on a wide range of epidemiologic issues.
• Learn more online
*** June 21st, 2007 - SPH Reunion in Boston ***
In conjunction with the Annual Society for Epidemiologic Research Meeting, the School of Public Health is hosting a SPH Reunion in the Stuart Room at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Please join us for an opportunity to greet old friends and meet current SPH faculty and students. Bernard Harlow, Ph.D., professor and division head of Epidemiology and Community Health, looks forward to welcoming you at the reunion.
August 26, 2007
It may only be the start of summer, but it’s never too soon to start thinking about the next Great Minnesota Get Together. Come to the State Fair and visit the School of Public Health booth on Tuesday, August 28, in the University of Minnesota building. We hope to see you there!
November 3, 2007
Homecoming. Save the date and plan to come back to campus for Homecoming. This year the festivities center around the Gophers vs. Illinois football game, kicking off at 7 p.m. in the Metrodome, but there's plenty more to do and see. A traditional parade will be held during the day, and a few steps away are the Scholars Walk and Wall of Discovery, both dedicated in 2006. And of course, there will be progress to see on TCF Bank Stadium.
November 5, 2007
Save the Date! Join us in our nation’s capitol for this year’s Alumni and Friends Reception during the American Public Health Association (APHA) conference on Monday, November 5, 2007 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.
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2006-2007 SPH Points of Pride:
Congratulations to the 187 students who have recently joined the ranks of our esteemed alumni!
• View the list (PDF)
For the second consecutive year, the SPH ranks number one per capita (meaning grant monies awarded per faculty member), making the school the most fiscally productive unit on campus—and the most productive per capita school of any school of public health in the country.
The 2006-2007 academic year marks the fourth consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment for the SPH, with 1,177 students enrolled in all.
The SPH faculty body is the largest in the school's history. In the past fiscal year, faculty ranks grew by 30 percent, with 21 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members joining the school for a total of 92.
The SPH's Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program rises to #2 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings of similar programs.
Alumni and friends of the school have established three new endowed scholarships and support existing scholarships with gifts totaling $1.1 million. The impact of all new endowed scholarships is doubled by University scholarship matching programs.
The Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy (CIDRAP) hosts a second national summit to prepare businesses for a flu pandemic. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivers the keynote address.
The SPH continues to broaden its global reach, this time with colleagues at the University of Iceland, with whom the University has enjoyed a 25-year formal relationship.
The annual three-week Public Health Institute offers a record 46 courses to more than 250 students from 22 U.S. states.
Pre-eminent epidemiologist Mervyn Susser delivers the 2007 Gaylord Anderson Lecture.
The University becomes one of six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. SPH professor Marguerite Pappaioanou directs the center, which will receive $22.5 million over the next seven years.
DISASTER: A Public Health Simulation is created. This simulation focuses on the application of public health response and recovery principles related to: Incident Command System, Risk Communication, Food Safety, Disaster Mental Health, and Disaster Preparedness. View the Module Online at: http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/umncphp/franklincounty.html
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Alumni News is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. www.sph.umn.edu. |
Last modified on Thursday Jun 07, 2007