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Editors: Rehearsals are closed to the public but media visits and photo opportunities may be scheduled by contacting Diana Wilson, bands coordinator, at (303) 492-6584 or wilsond@colorado.edu . Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Colgrass will work with middle and high school students and lead a free public concert with the University of Colorado at Boulder Wind Symphony on April 13.

Twelve University of Colorado at Boulder faculty and staff members received 2004 Marinus G. Smith Recognition Awards from the CU Parents Association. The award recognizes CU-Boulder faculty, instructors and staff who have made a significant impact on the lives of one or more CU-Boulder undergraduates. Students were asked to nominate candidates who were deserving of this recognition.

A memorial service for Mary Fran Myers, co-director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will be held Tuesday, April 6, at 1 p.m. at the Crist Mortuary, 3395 Penrose Place in Boulder. Myers died on April 1 after a long battle with cancer. She was 52.

The nation's top 34 college billiards players will meet at the University of Colorado at Boulder April 16-17 to participate in the Association of College Unions International Pocket Billiard Championships. The games are being hosted by the University Memorial Center and located in the Connection at the UMC, room 105. The competition begins Friday, April 16, at 9 a.m. and runs to 7 p.m. with finals on Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The games are free and open to the public. A private awards banquet will complete the program.

Carol Lynch, vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder, today announced her resignation after 12 years in administration at CU-Boulder. Effective Aug. 1, Lynch plans to return to the faculty on a part-time basis and serve as a faculty associate in Academic Affairs. She also will consult with national groups on issues of graduate education and research policy.

Note to Editors: Contents embargoed until 10:01 p.m. MST on April 1. Seven University of Colorado at Boulder graduate school specialty programs were ranked in the top 20 in the nation in the annual U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings released today. The magazine's 2005 edition of Best Graduate Schools ranked engineering, law, business, education, medicine, public affairs and selected health fields for more than 1,000 programs this year. No new rankings were conducted in the sciences, social sciences, humanities or arts for the 2005 evaluation.

The CU-Boulder Alumni Association will honor 12 outstanding members of the CU community during the 74th Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 5. The award recipients will be recognized for their distinguished careers and exceptional contributions to CU and society at 7 p.m. in Old Main Chapel on the Boulder campus. The public is welcome to attend this free event. Three CU faculty and staff members will receive the Robert Stearns Award in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the university.

Firing an employee, telling a teacher that a classmate is cheating or arguing with a spouse about where to go on vacation are examples of uncomfortable conversations that will be discussed April 14 by a University of Colorado at Boulder law professor and expert in alternative dispute resolution.

CU-Boulder students have selected three faculty members to receive 2004 Teaching Recognition Awards for their excellent classroom skills. The recipients are Joseph Berta, instructor of psychology; Cathy Comstock, senior instructor and faculty director of the Farrand Residential Academic Program; and Kenneth Gall, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. Comstock also received the award in 1990. The three will be honored during the 74th Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony in Old Main Chapel at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5.

Stereotypes, law and literature will be explored at the University of Colorado at Boulder during a free public symposium April 16-18 focusing on The Denver Center Theatre Company production of "The Merchant of Venice," one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays.