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A University of Colorado at Boulder journalism professor has been elected to a top position in AfricaÂ’s largest communication education organization. Polly McLean, associate professor of journalism and mass communication, was elected to the executive committee of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE). She is the first non-African born member of the ACCEÂ’s highest governing body.

EDITORS: Reporters are invited to attend the Virtual Chautauqua press conference at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5, at the Colorado Council on the Arts. Project organizers and funding agency reps will be available. The Virtual Chautauqua web site will be accessible Friday at www.artscomm.org/virtualchautauqua .

The Success in Engineering through Excellence and Diversity program, formerly known as the Minority Engineering Program or MEP, has received national recognition in a new book written by William Bowen and Derek Bok, former presidents of Princeton and Harvard universities, respectively.

Claudia Mills, a CU-Boulder philosophy professor and author of several childrenÂ’s books, will be the first featured speaker in a lecture series at the CU Cortez Center beginning Friday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. MillsÂ’ talk,"Using Philosophy To Learn Along With Your Children," kicks off the CU-Boulder Lecture Series in Cortez. Professor Mills' books include "Dinah Forever," "Losers, Inc.," "Gus and Grandpa," and "One Small Lost Sheep."

The University of Colorado at Boulder Friends of the Libraries will host a performance by Boulder area singer Juli Steinhauer at CU-Boulder on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The event is free and open to the public and will be held at the Music Theatre in the Imig Music Building from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wayne Scott, professor emeritus of the College of Music, and Dean Ross, bass player, will accompany Steinhauer in performing a program of popular music. A tour of the Music Library and a discussion and display of the Music Library's popular music collection will follow the performance.

The CU College of Architecture and Planning has been ranked for the second consecutive year among the top programs in the country by the Gourman Report, a nationally recognized guide to institutions of higher learning. The numerical ratings contained in the latest annual edition of the Gourman Report placed CUÂ’s undergraduate planning program in ninth place, scoring 4.66 on a five-point scale. The program held the same ranking last year.

The departments of Telecommunication Services and Information Technology Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder have been merged into a single organization effective Jan. 15 in response to the growing demand for information services. "Data, voice and video are coming together in the modern world of information technology," said Bobby Schnabel, associate vice chancellor for academic and campus technology.

The Career Services and Disability Services offices at the University of Colorado at Boulder will co-sponsor a career program for students with disabilities designed to prepare them for employment. The program is free of charge and begins in February. The program consists of a series of four workshops that allow students to develop skills for the workplace, gain exposure to employers, obtain valuable work experience and explore career options.

A mock urban-rural divorce trial that will explore the complex relationship between urban and rural interests will be conducted at the new Montrose County Court House beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19. The fun and engaging Urban-Rural Divorce in the American West program, which is free and open to the public, will be presented by the Center of the American West from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is another in the ongoing CU in Residence program.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Resource Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder will present a discussion called "Trying Not to be Gay: Reconciling Faith and Sexuality" on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Memorial Center, room 235. The featured speaker is Brent Coleman, a locally noted professional counselor and former fundamentalist Christian who speaks both personally and professionally about his experiences with religion and sexual orientation.