Professional Notes

Dr. Nick Nissley, Organization Learning and Development Department, recently gave a presentation, "Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Approach to Change," to the Minneapolis Public Schools' Leadership Academy. Nissley also gave a presentation, "Appreciative Storytelling: Discovering Your Organization's Strengths," to a group of Hennepin County employees.

Dr. Karen Rogers, School of Education, is the author of a new book, Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child. The book was recently published by Great Potential Press Inc. A comprehensive guide to educational planning for gifted students, the book also analyzes more than 100 years of research about gifted education. Rogers explains how to understand a child's strengths, interests and learning styles; how to write a comprehensive educational plan; how to work with schools effectively; and how to find resources.

Dr. Fred Zimmerman, Graduate Programs in Engineering and Technology Management, recently was quoted in the Star Tribune, appeared on KSTP-TV and spoke on Minnesota Public Radio about the status of the Twin Cities Ford plant in the face of Ford cutbacks. "The St. Paul Ford plant, which was built to assemble Model T's in 1925, is a pretty good plant but not as modern as competing plants now being constructed," Zimmerman said. "it desperately needs integrated metal stamping to reduce the vast shipment of bulky parts now needed to support the plant. Minnesota is paying insufficient attention to the status of its industrial economy, which is a mistake, given the impact of such a plant on community prosperty. The Twin Cities plant survived this round of cutbacks because Ford's Edison, N.J., was worse, but we should recognize the fact that the plant needs modernization." Zimmerman added, "for what we are paying Randy Moss, we could get four to five top-quality, large-scale transfer presses and that would be a better deal."