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Editors: A list of students available for comment is included. For the second year in a row, CU-Boulder is lending computers to incoming students who donÂ’t own their own equipment. Computers will be loaned at no cost to 104 students this year, bringing the total number of students in the computer lending program to almost 300.

"Words to Stir the Soul: Readings from the American West," will be hosted by the CU-Boulder Center of the American West at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, in the Old Main Chapel on the Boulder campus. The popular program celebrates the rich literary heritage of the American West as more than a dozen CU-Boulder professors, students and community members read segments from their favorite western-inspired literature for up to five minutes.

Editors: A photograph of Whirry is available by calling (303) 492-4007. The 2000 National Teacher of the Year, Marilyn Whirry, will speak on "Exceptional Teaching in an Era of Standards" at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Thursday, Sept. 7. Whirry's appearance is sponsored by the CU-Boulder School of Education along with the Boulder Valley School District and the CU chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Her address will begin at 4 p.m. in room 252 of the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building.

A forum to be held Aug. 29 in Wray will focus on the business and economic outlook for Colorado and Yuma County. The featured speaker will be Richard Wobbekind, associate dean of external relations for the CU-Boulder College of Business and director of the college's Business Research Division. The presentation will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wray Community Center, 245 W. 4th St. Tickets for the program are $8 and seating is limited.

The Study Abroad Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder has awarded $156,250 in scholarships and 42 exchange positions to students enrolled in study abroad programs in 2000-2001. The aid comes from the program's auxiliary accounts, alumni donations, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education Diversity Fund and foundation donations. Exchange positions are not monetary awards but a reduction in study abroad program fees worth several thousands of dollars thanks to agreements with foreign universities.

The University of Colorado at Boulder Study Abroad Program receives six scholarships every semester from the Semester at Sea Program. The $7,000 scholarships are awarded to students going on the voyage and are based on financial need, academic standing, and the student's ability to write and to be a good ambassador for the university and the United States. The Semester at Sea Program also offers a $2,000 scholarship for a CU-Boulder engineering student. There were no applicants for this scholarship for fall 2000.

Nine students from the University of Colorado at Boulder have received scholarships to study in other countries in 2000-2001. Two diversity scholarships, one awarded by CU-Boulder and the other by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, help cover expenses in the Study Abroad program for Colorado residents who are underrepresented on the Boulder campus because they are ethnic minorities or from the state's rural areas.

The Council of Ministers of Galicia, Spain, has awarded CU-Boulder Professor Luis González-del-Valle the Silver Medal of Galicia. González-del-Valle was recognized for his efforts in the field of Hispanic Studies in the United States and for his extensive research on the Galician writer Ramón del-Valle-Inclán. The prime minister of Galicia presented González-del-Valle with the Silver Medal on July 26 during the festival of St. James, the patron saint of Spain.

Nationally syndicated columnist Barbara Feldman has awarded five stars this week to "The Glacier Story," a Web site created by the communications group at the University of Colorado at BoulderÂ’s National Snow and Ice Data Center. FeldmanÂ’s weekly column, "Surfing the Net with Kids," is distributed internationally by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and devoted to "WhatÂ’s wonderful on the Net" for family entertainment and education. It can be accessed at: www.surfnetkids.com/ .

Dan Raybon, director of the Cultural Unity Center, will retire Aug. 31 after 26 years of service at the University of Colorado at Boulder, according to Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs. Raybon and his spouse, Professor Patricia Raybon of CU-BoulderÂ’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will be working on their consulting venture, Christian Diversity Concepts, Inc., specializing in diversity education and training. Professor Raybon is taking a one-year leave of absence from the university.