UNO Alum - Fall 2007

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

N E B R A S K A

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O M A H A

A L U M N I

A S S O C I A T I O N

www.unoalumni.org

Fall 2007

GET YOUR BULL ON Maverick Homecoming 2007 Saturday, Sept. 29!

Kids 12 & under of alumni attend picnic and game for free! Details Page 2

One Man’s Trash UNO graduate Bart Vargas turns trash to treasure

GET YOUR BULL ON MAVERICK HOMECOMING 2007 SATURDAY, SEPT. 29

Join fellow grads and their families at UNO’s Maverick Homecoming 2007 -Kids 12 & under of alumni attend for free! Here’s the day’s exciting lineup:

11am: Annual Picnic

1pm: Football

Register by Sept. 21

• • • • •

UNO locks horns with MinnesotaMankato at Al F. Caniglia Field.

Watch the Mavs go for their 11th win in the last 12 Homecomings!

Register by Sept. 21 by completing the form below. Football tickets will be distributed at the picnic!

Pre-game picnic at Alumni Center Games & prizes for the kids Mav Brands (tattoos) Pep talk from Coach Pat Behrns Appearance by UNO Mascot Durango • Amazing Arthur’s magic, balloon art and juggling • Performances by UNO Dance Team and UNO cheerleaders • Family Fun!

Pep Bowl Fun Mosey over to the Pep Bowl next to Al Caniglia Stadium for more fun, including: • Mechanical Bull • Free Rally Towels • Random drawings for UNO tickets • Live radio remote.

Kids attend FREE! Cost to attend is $10 for adults, kids 12 & under of alumni free! Price includes food and beverage at the picnic AND ticket to the game!

RETURN FORM BY Sept. 21 by mailing to UNO Alumni Association, 6705 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68182.

Need more info? Call toll-free, UNO-MAV-ALUM or Email sking@mail.unomaha.edu

Sign us up for MAVERICK HOMECOMING 2007!

Name City Reserve me

Phone State adult tickets at $10 each and

Names for Name Tags (please include children’s names and ages)

Tickets to football game will be distributed at picnic.

Zip

Email

For event confirmation

children’s tickets at no cost! I have enclosed $

.

Make checks payable to UNO Alumni Association

Contents Fall 2007

College Pages Education

28-29

Still savoring Tangerines.

Arts & Sciences

30-31

Catching up with Prof. William Utley.

CPACS

32-33

Online MPA program excels, expands.

IS&T

34-37

On the cover:

Gallup internship program bears fruit.

UNO graduate Bart Vargas turns trash into treasures. Page 25.

CCFAM

38-39

MFA writing program.

Photo by Bryce Bridges.

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Editor: Anthony Flott

Features Talk, talent and timing

12

New UNO Athletic Director David Miller has made a career out of fortuitous timing.

Long shot

14

Once a recruiting afterthought, Chris Bober has gone from undersized lineman to NFL veteran.

The Supers

14

16

A look at UNO graduates heading nine Metropolitan Omaha school districts.

Super Computer

20

The Peter Kiewit Institute prepares to boot one of the world’s most powerful computers.

20

Cowboy way

22

UNO Music Instructor Hadley Heavin strums and rides to success on several stages.

Association Departments 22

NU Regent Bob Whitehouse receives Citation; Maverick Homecoming 2007 set for Sept. 29; Young Alumni & Recent Grads announce first event.

Class Notes Moves, promotions, marriages and more. w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

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Alumni Association in Action

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Contributors: Leo Biga, Bryce Bridges, Tim Fitzgerald, Eric Francis, Rich Kaipust, Don Kohler, Joe Mixan, Eric Olson, Fred Schweppe.

Alumni Association Officers: Chairman of the Board, Deborah McLarney; Past Chairman, Michael Kudlacz; 1st Vice Chair, Rod Oberle; 2nd Vice Chair, Mark Grieb; Secretary, Patricia Lamberty; Treasurer, Dan Koraleski; Legal Counsel, Martha Ridgway Zajicek; Special appointments, Angelo Passarelli, Kevin Warneke, John Wilson; President & CEO, Lee Denker.

Alumni Staff: Lee Denker, President & CEO; Roxanne Miller, Executive Secretary; Sue Gerding, Diane Osborne, Kathy Johnson, Records/Alumni Cards; Sheila King, Activities Coordinator; Greg Trimm, Alumni Center Manager; Anthony Flott, Editor; Business Manager, Brian Schram, Loretta Wirth, Receptionist.

The UNO Alum is published quarterly by the UNO Alumni Association, W.H. Thompson Alumni Center, UNO, Omaha, NE 68182-0010, (402) 554-2444, FAX (402) 554-3787 • web address: www.unoalumni.org • Member, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) • Direct all inquiries to Editor, (402) 554-2989. Toll-free, UNO-MAV-ALUM • email: aflott@mail.unomaha.edu • Send all changes of address to attention of Records.

Views expressed through various articles within the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of Nebraska at Omaha or the UNO Alumni Association.

Fall 2007 • 3

Letter from the

Dear Alum:

Chancellor

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s this edition of the UNO Alum goes to press, the long, hot days of summer are winding down and soon the air will be filled with the sounds of a campus coming alive.

The fall semester always is one of my favorite times of year, and after almost a year of transition from vice chancellor for academic and student affairs to interim chancellor and now chancellor, I look forward to Fall 2007 with a sense of anticipation and renewed optimism for our future.

Frequently, I reflect on how much the campus has changed from the fall semester when I entered UNO in the early ‘70s. While many of the landmarks are different and vastly improved, I can’t help but think that our students come here with the same dreams and goals that I did. Like you and me, they know that a college education is the ticket to a better, more fulfilling life, and they look to us to help them achieve their goal of graduation and career.

They come filled with hopes and dreams, expectations and aspirations … just as we did.

And, like us, they’ll balance multiple priorities, make friends for life, pull all-nighters, and, in the end, know that the college experience has changed them forever, leaving a lasting impact on their lives.

This year, we’ll welcome 1,700 new freshmen to our campus community. What do we know about these new students? Ninetyfive percent of them report that UNO is their first- or second-choice institution. About half will live with their parents or other relative while going to school, and more than two-thirds predict it will take them four years to attain their degree. Most of them (87 percent) expect to work, with slightly less than half working more than 20 hours per week.

Seventy-five percent tell us they came to UNO for its academic reputation, while its affordability also was cited as a critical factor in making their decision to attend. They expect to take part in an internship and to engage in community or public service activities.

They want to expand their understanding of diversity, and a majority intends to become involved in campus activities outside the classroom.

As these students begin this new chapter in their lives, UNO is pleased to be their institution of choice. We take seriously our responsibility to do everything we can to ensure their success. And, knowing that they have many options from which to select a college or university, we are enormously proud that our reputation of student focus, academic excellence and metropolitan engagement led them to their decision.

I look forward to meeting these “future alums” during Welcome Week activities, knowing I will see both our collective pasts, and the future, in their eyes.

Until next time,

John Christensen, UNO Chancellor 4 • Fall 2007

UNOALUM

Campus SCENE

Photo by Tim Fit zgerald

Meeting the Mavs UNO Senior Erin Fosnaugh chats with Victoria Shradar, 6, of Omaha during the Meet the Mavs program prior to the start of the 2007 season. The affair included a minicamp for kids at UNO’s new soccer field, located east of the Chili Greens dome. For a preview of UNO’s football, soccer and volleyball teams, see Page 10.

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Fall 2007 • 5

Alumni Association in Action

Longtime educator receives Citation remained active since retiring as Bryan’s principal in he UNO Alumni Association bestowed its Citation 2000, serving stints as an adjunct professor with UNO’s for Alumnus Achievement upon Robert L. College of Education and as an interim principal and conWhitehouse during the university’s summer comsultant with Omaha Public Schools. mencement Aug. 10 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

Whitehouse has been equally active in professional Whitehouse received a master’s degree in secondary organizations and has an extensive record of community school administration from UNO in 1971. He is a service. He has received numerous honors and awards University of Nebraska Board of Regent member and throughout his career, most recently the Bryan High coordinator of the Nebraska Educational Leadership School Coaches Association Award for Excellence and Institute.

Dedication to Student Athletes in 2005. He was named The Citation, inaugurated in 1949, is presented at Outstanding Principal of the Year in Omaha Public each UNO commencement. The association’s highest Schools in 1997. Other honors have come from the honor, it encompasses career achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional associations, and fidelity to UNO. Association President Lee Denker presented the award to Whitehouse, the 144th Citation recipient.

“Regent Whitehouse for 40 years has been a strong and tireless advocate of education, distinguishing himself through each of his professional assignments,” said Denker.

“His service outside the classroom is equally admirable with meaningful contributions to numerous organizations. We are proud to call him an alum.”

Whitehouse, who lives in UNO Chancellor John Christensen, far left, joined Association President & CEO Papillion, Neb., in 2006 was Lee Denker, far right, to present the Citation for Alumnus Achievement to longelected to a six-year term for the time Omaha educator Robert Whitehouse.

District 4 seat on the NU Board of Regents. His professional South Omaha Optimist Club, the National Milken Family career in education began in 1967 as a teacher and Foundation Award, the American G.I. Forum Veterans coach at Omaha Central High School. He later held severFamily Organization and others. al administrative posts at Omaha South High School, Whitehouse is married to Kim Whitehouse, the prinincluding assistant principal from 1973 to 1983. cipal at Beals Elementary School in Omaha. They have Whitehouse later was principal at Bryan Junior High three adult children.

(1983-1987) and Bryan Senior High (1987-2000). He has

Maverick H o me c o m i n g p ic ni c S e p t . 2 9 Kids 12 & under of alumni attend free oin fellow grads and their families at UNO’s Maverick Homecoming 2007 on Saturday, Sept. 29 — kids 12 & under of alumni attend for free!

Here’s the day’s lineup: • 11 a.m.: Annual Picnic at Alumni Center. Features games & prizes for the kids, Mav Brands (tattoos), a pep talk from Coach Pat Behrns and appearances by UNO Mascot Durango, the Amazing Arthur, and UNO’s Dance Team and Cheerleaders.

• 1 p.m.: UNO vs.

Minnesota-Mankato, Al F. Caniglia Field. Watch the Mavs go for their 11th win in the last 12 Homecomings!

• Pep Bowl Fun: mosey over to the Pep Bowl next to the stadium for more fun, including a mechanical bull, free UNO Rally Towels and random drawings for UNO tickets.

Cost to attend is $10 for adults, kids 12 & under of alumni free! Price includes food and beverage at the picnic AND ticket to the game!

Register today by completing the registration form on Page 2 and returning to the UNO Alumni Association by Sept. 21. For more info call toll-free UNO-MAV-ALUM (866628-2586) or e-mail sking@mail.unomaha.edu

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6 • Fall 2007

Association welcomes new business manager rian Schram has been hired as business manager for the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Alumni Association.

Schram is managing all UNO Alumni Association accounts and fiscal affairs. He began his duties with the Association in April.

Schram previously was controller/business manager at InfuScience from 2002 to 2007. Prior to that he was an accountant with Dobson Plaza in Evanston, Ill., from 2000 to 2002.

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A native of Norfolk, Neb., Schram has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wayne State College and a master’s degree in business administration from Bellevue University.

Annual Meeting set for Nov. 13

niversity of Nebraska at Omaha alumni can help select the 2008-2010 members of the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors by voting for candidates at the board’s annual meeting. Alumni are encouraged to attend the public meeting, set for Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Center.

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UNOALUM

Tim Fitzgerald, University Affairs

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News, Information & Activities

UNO grads attending UNO Alumni Day in Kansas City June 16 had the opportunity to meet fellow alum and Kansas City Chief Chris Bober, pictured at left with his wife, Jennifer. UNO Chancellor John Christensen, UNO Alumni Association President & CEO Lee Denker and Activities Director Sheila King helped UNO’s colors fly in Arrowhead as the alumni continguent took a break in the stadium’s bleachers.

Grads gather for UNO Alumni Day in Kansas City

he UNO Alumni Association hosted UNO Alumni Day in Kansas City June 16, welcoming area graduates and their families to an afternoon of fun at Arrowhead Stadium.

Seventy-five people attended UNO Alumni Day, which included a behindthe-scenes tour of Arrowhead Stadium led by UNO alum and Kansas City Chief Chris Bober. A 2006 UNO graduate who played football for the Mavs from 1995-1999, Bober is in his fourth season as an offensive lineman with the Chiefs. A feature story on him runs on Page 14 of this Alum.

Bober was joined by his wife, fellow UNO graduate Jennifer Troshynski.

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The couple, pictured here, met and dated while attending UNO. Also greeting grads at UNO Alumni Day in Kansas City was newly appointed UNO Chancellor John Christensen, who provided an update on happenings at the university. UNO Alumni Association President & CEO Lee Denker also addressed the group.

Other university-related personnel to make the trip included New Athletic Director David Miller, Football Coach Pat Behrns, Wrestling Coach Mike Denney and University of Nebraska Foundation representatives Lori Byrne and Terry Hanna.

Be a Change Maker . . . then be a Winner!

Contribute $50 or more to the 2007 UNO Annual Fund and become eligible for these random prize drawings*.

Grand Prize Drawing $1,000 gift certificate to Borsheims Fine Jewelry & Gifts

2007 UNO Annual Fund |

Be a Change Maker

Contribute at www.unoalumni.org

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7 First Prize Drawings Omaha Steaks Gift Packages, each with an average retail value of $268

*Contribute an unrestricted donation of $50 or more and qualify for each random drawing, conducted in early 2008 after all 2007 contributions are recorded.

Fall 2007 • 7

University News

Gateway digital archive made available online Searchable database of student newspaper extends to 1920s

The Gateway archival project is part of a slate of UNO Centennial happenings, events and celebrations. The UNO Centennial Celebration will mark the university’s 100-year anniversary and will start Oct. 8, 2008. The celebration will recognize the partnership among the city of Omaha, its citizens and UNO early every issue of UNO’s student newspaper the Gateway now is availto build a vibrant and dynamic community. able online. The all-digital offering goes back to issues printed in the The centennial theme will be “UNO: Central To Our City Since 1908.” The 1920s. theme acknowledges the past contribu"It’s an amazing resource and comtions of UNO to the community and pletely searchable," says Les Valentine, sets the stage for great things to university archivist. "People can come. browse through old papers, look for a UNO Chancellor John Christensen specific topic or name, and even says that given the centennial, the search advertisements. Anyone doing project was fortuitously timed. research on UNO or Omaha will find “Philip L. Graham, publisher of this incredibly helpful." the Washington Post, described The Criss Library coordinated the newspapers as the first rough draft of digitization effort and is committed to history. As preparations begin for the digitizing additional and forthcoming celebration of UNO’s 100th anniverissues of the campus newspaper. The sary in 2008, we believe it is fitting to online Gateway can be accessed at the provide digital access to the link listed below the Gateway photo at Gateway,” says Christensen. “With right. this kind of easy access to nearly The online Gateway project was every issue, we strive to inspire stucreated by Olive Software, which has dents, faculty, staff and the community Visit Gateways from your UNO days at worked with a variety of other higher to prepare to celebrate the bright future http://library.unomaha.edu/collections/gateway of UNO and Omaha by studying the education institutions, including Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, great past of this university.”

Oberlin College, Penn State University, Princeton University and the University Current issues of the Gateway also are available online at of Chicago. Digitizing the Gateway took five months and encompasses more www.unogateway.com. than 39,000 pages of text and 14 gigabytes of information.

For more information, call 554-3502.

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Summer commencement adds to alumni body ore than 550 students graduated Friday, Aug. 10, during UNO’s summer commencement ceremony at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

Paul Sather, director of the Service Learning Academy (SLA) and American Humanics Program at UNO, received the Chancellor’s Medal, established to recognize the contribution of faculty and administrative staff who embody the institution’s mission and values. It is bestowed only to those within the university community who have demonstrated unusual excellence.

Sather is dedicated to creating and maintaining partnerships between the university and Omaha communities. He joined the university in 1992 and has served as a faculty member and associate director of the UNO School of Social Work. In July of 2004, he was named interim codirector of the SLA and worked in that capacity until May of 2005, when he became director.

Sally A. Gutschow, a South Sioux City, Neb.,

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Paul Sather, left, received the Chancellor’s Medal, presented by UNO Chancellor John Christensen during summer commencement.

8 • Fall 2007

native, presented the student commencement address. She received a BS in journalism (public relations/advertising) with a minor in marketing.

Gutschow, a full-time public relations employee of Envoy, Inc. since May, plans to continue working in public relations.

Also at commencement, Vard Johnson, a partner at Broom, Johnson, Clarkson and Lanphier since 1982, received an honorary doctor of humane letters. A devoted public servant, he has been a longtime advocate for the underrepresented. Throughout his years of practice, Johnson has worked to improve jail conditions, ensure due process rights for tenants and welfare recipients, and guarantee the right to legal counsel for poverty-stricken individuals in parental rights termination cases.

University of Nebraska Regent Robert Whitehouse, also a UNO graduate, received the Citation for Alumnus Achievement from the UNO Alumni Association (story page 6).

UNOALUM

Photo by Eric Francis

Information & Activities

Tom Bragg leaves his vice chancellor post to focus on UNO’s research facility at the university’s Allwine Prairie Preserve.

Vice Chancellor Bragg steps down NO Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Tom Bragg announced in early August that he will step down from his post, as well as his position as dean of graduate studies. Bragg will return to full-time teaching and research with a special focus on his efforts to establish an Omaha-area environmental teaching and research facility at the university’s Allwine Prairie Preserve.

The change takes effect at the start of the academic year this fall.

“The university greatly appreciates Dr. Bragg’s exceptional contributions to the maintenance and expansion of UNO research efforts — especially the focus on external grants funding as well as administering the Office of Graduate Studies,” said UNO Chancellor John

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UNO fall sports schedules

Christensen.

Bragg has served as associate vice chancellor for research and dean of graduate studies for four years while maintaining his outstanding teaching and research record, said Sheri Rogers, UNO interim senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

Bragg has worked at Allwine Prairie for more than 30 years. The 160-acre prairie is located near 144th and State Streets. Bragg recently secured a $1 million grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to acquire more than 100 additional acres.

UNO will separate Bragg’s two previous roles.

Harmon Maher, a UNO geology professor, will serve as the university’s interim associate vice chancel-

Home games in red type

Foot ball Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 1 Nov. 10

Nebraska-Kearney Northwest Missouri State Western Washington Augustana Minnesota State, Mankato North Dakota Minnesota Duluth St. Cloud State South Dakota Central Washington

Aug. 31 Sept. 5 Sept. 14 Sept. 15 Sept. 19 Sept. 22 Sept. 25 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 16 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Oct. 27 Nov. 2 Nov. 3

Florida Southern Classic, Wayne State (Neb.) Minnesota Duluth * Minnesota State, Mankato * Northwest Missouri State St. Cloud State * Nebraska-Kearney South Dakota * Minnesota Duluth * Augustana * North Dakota * Upper Iowa South Dakota * Augustana * Minnesota State, Mankato * North Dakota * St. Cloud State *

Soccer Kearney, Neb. Caniglia Field Caniglia Field Sioux Falls, S.D. Caniglia Field Grand Forks, N.D. Caniglia Field St. Cloud, Minn.

Caniglia Field Ellensburg, Wash.

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lor for research and creative activity.

A national search will be conducted for the permanent position after a senior vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs is selected.

The administrative responsibilities for the Office of Graduate Studies will be combined with the existing associate vice chancellor for academic affairs position held by Deborah Smith-Howell. Beginning this fall her title also will include dean of graduate studies.

“The pairing of the graduate studies with Dr. Smith-Howell’s current responsibilities in academic affairs is a logical one,” Rogers said. “There are many points of connection and crossover.”

UNO has more than 2,500 graduate students.

Lakeland, Fla. Sapp Fieldhouse Duluth, Minn.

Mankato, Minn.

Maryville, Mo. Sapp Fieldhouse Kearney, Neb. Sapp Fieldhouse Sapp Fieldhouse Sioux Falls, S.D. Sapp Fieldhouse Fayette, Iowa Vermillion, S.D. Sapp Fieldhouse Sapp Fieldhouse Grand Forks, N.D. St. Cloud, Minn.

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Aug. 18 Aug. 24 Aug. 26 Aug. 31 Sept.8 Sept.15 Sept.16 Sept.21 Sept.29 Sept.30 Oct. 5 Oct. 7 Oct. 13 Oct. 14 Oct. 19 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 30 Dec. 2

Rockhurst Cal State-Dominguez Hills UC-San Diego Regis Truman State Minnesota Duluth * Minnesota State, Mankato * North Dakota * St. Cloud State * Minnesota State, Mankato * Metro State South Dakota * Augustana * St. Cloud State * South Dakota * North Dakota * Minnesota Duluth * Augustana * NCAA 1st Round NCAA 2nd Round NCAA 3rd Round NCAA Quarterfinals NCAA Semifinals NCAA Championship

Kansas City, Mo. 4:00 p.m.

Carson, Calif.

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San Diego, Calif.

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Omaha 5:00 p.m.

Kirksville, Mo. 12:00 p.m.

Duluth, Minn.

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Mankato, Minn.

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Omaha 4:00 p.m.

Omaha 1:00 p.m.

Omaha 1:00 p.m.

Omaha 4:00 p.m.

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Sioux Falls, S.D. St. Cloud, Minn.

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Vermillion, S.D. 4:00 p.m.

Grand Forks, N.D. 1:00 p.m.

Omaha 1:00 p.m.

Omaha 4:00 p.m.

TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA Orange Beach, Ala. TBA Orange Beach, Ala. TBA

Fall 2007 • 9

UNO Athletics

North Central Conference to dissolve after coming season

Maverick teams to join MIAA Conference in 2008 niversity presidents have unanimously agreed to accept the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s application to become a member of the MidAmerica Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). UNO will become the 11th member of the NCAA Division II league and will begin competition in August 2008.

UNO’s 15 men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic teams have been in the North Central Conference since 1976. The NCC, which currently has seven schools, will dissolve following the 2007-08 season.

“This is a significant day for our school and our athletic program,” UNO Athletic Director David Miller said. “We’re honored to be a part of the MIAA and look forward to establishing new traditions and rivalries and rekindling old rivalries.”

Wrestling, swimming and golf each will be competing as independents once UNO becomes an MIAA member. There will be no conference championship in those sports. It is possible, however, that golf will become an official MIAA sport by the fall of 2008. Wrestling, swimming and golf teams still will compete in meets and will be eligible for individual and team national championships.

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association was organized in 1912 as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The MIAA has gained the reputation of being one of the top NCAA Division II conferences in the nation. MIAA student-athletes have won 13 national team championships and more than 100 individual national titles.

The MIAA currently conducts conference championships in eight men’s and eight women’s sports. Men’s championships include football, cross coun-

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try, basketball, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, tennis, and golf.

Women’s champions are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball and tennis.

UNO will take the place of Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in the MIAA 2008 football schedule. The MIAA Chief Executive Officer’s Council took action to grant SBU’s request to play an independent schedule in football while continuing to play a conference slate in all other sports. Having UNO take SBU’s place in the schedule allows the MIAA to continue its nine-game slate with two non-conference availabilities.

UNO will have some history to draw from when it joins Pittsburg State, Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Washburn in the MIAA. Those schools and Omaha University/UNO were members of the Central Intercollegiate Conference from 1959-68 and later formed the Plains Division of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1968-72 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 1972-73.

The Mavericks have enjoyed some long-standing rivalries on the field with several of the MIAA schools, particularly Northwest Missouri State in football.

UNO has met the Bearcats in football eight times since 1996, six in the regular season. UNO and Northwest Missouri State are scheduled to play Sept. 8 in Omaha this season.

UNO has won 59 conference championships in 13 different sports while a member of the NCC. The Mavericks have won the women’s all-sports trophy three straight years and four of the past five seasons. Maverick teams have also added national titles in softball, soccer, volleyball and three times in wrestling while a member of the NCC.

M id- Am er ica In ter colleg iate A th letics A ssoci ation mem b ers

Emporia State Emporia, Kansas Nickname: Hornets Year joined MIAA: 1991

Missouri Southern State Joplin, Mo. Nickname: Lions Year joined MIAA: 1989

Northwest Missouri St. Maryville, Mo. Nickname: Bearcats Year joined MIAA: 1912

Southwest Baptist Bolivar,Mo. Nickname: Bearcats Year joined MIAA: 1986

Central Missouri Warrensburg, Mo. Nickname: Mules Year joined MIAA: 1912

Fort Hays State Hays, Kansas Nickname: Tigers Year joined MIAA: 2006

Missouri Western State St. Joseph, Mo. Nickname: Griffons Year joined MIAA: 1989

Pittsburg State Pittsburg Kansas Nickname: Gorillas Year joined MIAA: 1989

Truman State Kirksville, Mo. Nickname: Bulldogs Year joined MIAA: 1912

Washburn Topeka, Kansas Nickname: Ichabods Year joined MIAA: 1989

10 • Fall 2007

UNOALUM

Photos by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

Information & Activities

UNO quarterback Zach Miller in action last fall when he scored a school-record 19 touchdowns.

Senior forward Brandie Beale is the second leading returning scorer for UNO.

Carlie Christensen returns to the Mavs after earning All-American honors in 2006.

Mav squads enter fall seasons with high expectations Football ed by preseason All-Americans Zach Miller and Ben Hochstein, the UNO football team enters 2007 with high expectations and high rankings.

The Mavs are ranked No. 5 by Street & Smith and No. 6 by Lindy’s in NCAA II top 25 polls.

UNO was 8-3 last year and made its second straight playoff appearance and sixth in the past 11 years.

Miller, a junior quarterback from Wahoo, Neb., ran for 1,098 yards and scored a school-record 19 touchdowns last season to earn all-North Central Conference honors. He also was a finalist on the Harlon Hill Regional ballot. Street & Smith’s has tabbed him as quarterback on its AllAmerica preseason team.

Hochstein, a senior left tackle from Hartington, Neb., was on two postseason AllAmerican teams last year and was the North Central Conference’s most valuable offensive lineman. He was named to Street & Smith’s and Lindy’s preseason All-American teams.

UNO also was picked in a preseason media poll to finish second in the NCC. The Mavs finished third in the voting by league coaches.

The Mavericks began fall camp Aug. 6 in preparation for their season-opening game Sept.

1 at Nebraska-Kearney. No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State visits Al Caniglia Field the following week.

Coach Pat Behrns, entering his 14th season, returns 38 letterwinners from last year’s team.

UNO will be shooting for a fourth-straight NCC title under Behrns.

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Soccer he UNO soccer team was picked by league coaches to repeat as NCC champions.

UNO, winner of three-straight NCC titles, garnered six first-place votes with Minnesota State gaining the remaining top vote. UNO also was tabbed as the No. 6 team in the country in the NSCAA/adidas® Division II preseason poll.

The Mavericks return eight starters and 13 letterwinners from last season’s 19-1-2 squad that advanced to the NCAA II quarterfinals for the fifthstraight season.

“This may be the most competitive race in years and an exciting ending to the NCC,” says UNO Coach Don Klosterman, alluding to the final season of the North Central Conference.

Last season UNO won the NCC regular-season championship with an 11-0-1 mark. The Mavs advanced to the NCAA championships and defeated Central Missouri and Washburn (tiebreaker) before falling to Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals. It was the only loss of the season for the Mavericks. UNO won the national championship in 2005.

Leading UNO’s returning players in 2007 is junior Dani McCawley, who last year was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Region team. A midfielder from Ralston, Neb., McCawley also was an allNCC pick after starting all 22 games for UNO. Junior forward Amanda Iwansky from Columbus, Neb., is UNO’s leading returning scorer after registering 10 goals and 11 assists in 20 games last season. She was named to the NSCAA/adidas all-region second team.

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Volleyball NO’s volleyball team was picked to finish second in the 2007 NCC volleyball coaches’ poll released in August.

The Mavericks return five starters and eight letterwinners from last season’s 21-7 squad that finished No. 22 in the nation and advanced to the NCAA II Division II Tournament for a third straight season.

Minnesota Duluth was picked to win a fourth consecutive league title, receiving five first-place votes and two second-place votes for a total of 47 points. Second-place UNO totaled 41 points with one first-place vote. UNO and Augustana tied for second in the NCC last year with 8-4 marks.

Leading the returning players is Carlie Christensen, who last year became the 13th UNO player to be named to the AVCA All-America squad. She was a third-team selection after garnering honorable mention accolades in 2005.

Christensen, a 6-foot junior middle blocker from Omaha, also is a two-time all-North Central Conference and AVCA all-region selection. She led the NCC in 2006 in blocks, ranked second in hitting percentage (.367) and was eighth in kills. She led the Mavs with 361 kills and her season-long .375 hitting percentage was fourth on UNO’s alltime charts.

Coach Rose Shires begins her 18th Maverick season with a career mark of 354-190 with eight NCAA Tournament appearances, three NCC championships and one national title.

UNO opened 2007 hosting the five-team UNO Classic Aug. 24-25 in the Sapp Fieldhouse.

U

Fall 2007 • 11

Right place, Right time

By Eric Olson

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald, University Relations

New AD David Miller has built a career on talent, talk and timing

U

NO athletic director David Miller takes no offense at a comparison to Forrest Gump. In fact, upon giving it a moment’s

thought, he agrees.

Miller is no country bumpkin like the man-child Tom Hanks portrayed. But Miller does take pride in being a country boy from southwest Iowa. He points to his silver Ford F150 pickup in the parking lot to make his point.

Like Gump, Miller has shown an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. Yes, luck has been involved. Not dumb luck, though. The relationships Miller has forged over the years, and fortuitous timing for job openings, have led him from the Midwest to South Korea, Colorado, Ohio, Texas and now Nebraska.

“I’ve been good at taking advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves,” Miller says.

For Miller, UNO is the right place at the right time. He arrives at a key juncture in Maverick Athletics. After 30 years in the North Central Conference, the school will join the MidAmerica Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 2008 (see story page 10). Plans for new athletic facilities south of Center Street are on the drawing board. Overall, UNO athletes have enjoyed high levels of success on the field and in the classroom.

Still, the staff is emerging from the malaise associated with improper spending of athletic department funds by two former top UNO administrators. Miller says he has fences to

mend and trust to rebuild with boosters and the community.

“Do we have a lot going on here? You bet we do,” Miller says. “Let’s put it in perspective and look at college athletics across the board. Everybody’s building facilities, everybody has their budget challenges. Half the guys taking [athletic director] jobs are dealing with baggage from the previous administration.

“What happened in the past happened; we admit to it, we learned from it, we’re moving forward.”

Miller can talk. Oh, how he can talk. If you need 10 minutes with him, plan on being there 30.

If the topic is golf, you might be there all day. A 5-handicapper and Golf Channel junkie, he describes his time on the course as “therapeutic.”

Folks who know Miller say what-you-see-is-what-you-get.

Dana Gibson, former He’s open and honest, not afraid SMU vice president to tell you what he thinks.

“He’s really good at building relationships,” says Dana Gibson, former vice president at Southern Methodist University, where Miller was an associate AD before coming to UNO. “To be a good leader in this business, you have to be able to build and keep relationships. David had a lot of respect because he was so effective at doing those things.”

Chancellor John Christensen says Miller reminds him of Bob Danenhauer, UNO”s gregarious athletic director from 1997 to 2004. “This is a people guy,” Christensen says. “One of Bob’s great attributes was his ability to relate to people. I see the same in David.”

“To be a good leader in this business you have to be able to build and keep relationships. David had a lot of respect because he was so effective at doing those things.”

12 • Fall 2007

UNOALUM

Iowa origins

ing for postseason play ... We’ve done that. I see no reason

why we won’t continue doing that.”

Miller also shares Danenhauer’s Midwest roots, having The third objective is for each student-athlete to develop spent his formative years in Manning, Iowa. His family owned character. “I expect our athletes to develop and grow personala farm implements dealership. He played football, baseball ly, socially and civically. I expect them to be role models, good and golf in high school and was student manager for the boys students, to engage in good sportsmanship. It’s a privilege to basketball team. have the opportunity to play intercollegiate sports. It’s not a It was after high school, Miller says, that the twists and right.” turns of fate began leading him to what has been a fulfilling Hockey coach Mike Kemp says he’s impressed with career in athletics.

Miller’s dedication to the student-athletes.

He enlisted in the Air Force after high school and, much to “They are going to be our alumni one day, and he wants to his delight, was assigned to nearby Offutt Air Force Base, make sure they remember having a quality experience,” Kemp where he worked in missile communications from 1984-88. He says. “That means making sure they have everything they was assigned to Suwon Air Base in South Korea in 1988 and need as far as academic support and athletic support as far as was involved in behind-the-scenes security at the Seoul quality facilities for training and practicing.”

Olympic Games.

From a facilities standpoint, Miller’s wish list includes a Miller got his first exposure to sports administration in new scoreboard and replay board for Seoul, and he decided to pursue that field Caniglia Field as well as some updated during a special duty assignment at the restrooms and concession stands there and Air Force Academy near Colorado in the field house. New baseball, softball Springs. He was hired in the Air Force and soccer fields have been proposed for athletic department in 1989 and was one the area south of Center Street. of three staffers who arranged scheduling for 24 Falcon teams.

Division II just fine “He has learned everything from the As for exploring the move to Division I ground up,” says Mike Lynch, the former in all sports, Miller says the issue is all but Air Force assistant athletic director who dead. UNO’s 15-sport program has a budgsupervised Miller. “There are some people et of about $6.7 million for 2007-08, and who have good vision, and there are some Miller says it would take an additional $4 people who have natural organization million to do the things necessary just to skills. Dave has both. And he has a good Mike Lynch, former become a low-level Division I program. It head for athletics.”

Miller left the Air Force in 1995 with Air Force assistant AD would take $10 million more to be competitive in Division I, he says. the rank of staff sergeant and accepted a It’s much more appealing, Miller says, to job as assistant athletic director at Truman compete at the highest levels in Division II. He points to State University in Missouri. About a year later, he was steered to an assistant athletic director’s job at Ohio University national titles won in softball, women’s soccer, volleyball and wrestling, that baseball went to the Division II College World

by Jim Grobe, a former Air Force football assistant who was Series last spring, and that football is ranked nationally after Ohio’s head coach at the time. Grobe now is head coach at making it to the second round of the NCAA playoffs in 2006.

Wake Forest.

When UNO begins play in the MIAA next year, Miller says, In June 2000 Miller was off to SMU, where he oversaw the a strong conference will be made even stronger. The confergolf and tennis programs as part of his associate AD job. But a ence change, he says, may have saved UNO athletics as we change at the top of SMU’s athletic department last summer know them. “John Christensen did an outstanding job getting left Miller unsure of his future at the Dallas school. Miller says more than a dozen co-workers left during the first few months us into that conference,” Miller says. “He did a heck of a job of navigating the choppy waters and the politics that are prevaof the new regime, and he couldn’t secure a promise of longlent on college campuses to make this happen for UNO.” term job security.

Miller has admired UNO athletics from afar when he was a But good fortune shined on Miller again. UNO’s AD post boy in Manning and as his jobs took him across the country opened in November. By spring, the job was his. and overseas. He especially liked following the football team, It’s meant a coming home for his wife, Darla, an Omaha and he used to sneak into the Field House to watch basketball native. The couple has two daughters: Jenna, 16, and Cara, 13. practices when he was in town visiting in-laws.

To boot, Omaha is just 85 miles from Miller’s native Manning.

He eagerly accepts his charge of leading the Mavericks into UNO Checklist a new era. His background, he says, has led him here.

Life is like a box of chocolates, indeed.

Miller sees three objectives for UNO athletes. The first is to “I pinch myself, being this kid from Manning, Iowa, and graduate. “That’s why they are here,” he says. having done the things I’ve done,” Miller says. “Golly, I’m a The second is for each to achieve athletic success. lucky guy. That’s all there is to it.”

“Competing at or near the top of the conference and compet-

“There are some people who have good vision, and there are some people who have natural organization skills. Dave has both.”

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Fall 2007 • 13

Former Mav Chris Bober goes from long snap prospect to NFL veteran

Long Shot A

S BEST AS ANYBODY CAN REMEMBER IT, the conversation was about long-snapping and some partial scholarship money when Pat Behrns sat across the dining room table from Chris Bober not long after the offensive lineman’s senior season at Omaha South High.

The UNO football team needed somebody to groom as the center on punts, field goals and extra points: Snap the ball back to the kicker or holder on some fourth downs, sit and watch the rest of the time.

Insignificant work, maybe, to the average football fan.

Important, though, to coach-

14 • Fall 2007

ing staffs.

“I think if anything started us on his track, it was that,’’ says Behrns, the Mavericks’ head coach since 1994.

Bober wasn’t much more than 6-foot-2, 230-240 pounds then. His football career to that point had included little in terms of fanfare or achievement. If UNO wasn’t interested, his best other options were Wayne State or some schools below the NCAA Division II level.

If they met for an hour that night, says Chris’ father, Joe, maybe 10 minutes of it was football. Dad, son and coach mostly talked hunting dogs, fishing and hometowns.

by Rich Kaipust Photos courtesy Kansas City Chiefs

“One thing about Pat, he was honest,’’ Joe Bober says.

“He said, ‘We’ll offer your son a partial scholarship and this is all the money we’ve got. I won’t guarantee he’ll play and I won’t guarantee he’ll even make the team.’

“But he told us he would give Chris a fair shot.’’

Let it be assumed, more than a dozen years later, that an NFL future was never discussed.

“To be honest, I wasn’t a

really high-prized recruit,’’ says Chris. “They weren’t offering me much of a scholarship until they saw me long snap, then they kind of reconsidered. I just wasn’t the prototypical guy you wanted to play offensive line in college.

“My thing was always just to try to get into college. If sports was a way, that’s why I did it. The football thing just kind of fell into my lap.’’

It fell hard.

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D i a m on d i n t he r ou gh Bober in 2007 is starting his fourth season with the Kansas City Chiefs and his eighth overall in the National Football League. Now 6-5 and 310 pounds, he’s started 37 NFL games and played in 91. That following a decorated career at UNO that included Bober starting for threeplus seasons and twice earning Division II All-American honors, UNO’s first two-time first-team football AllAmerican since Bill Engelhardt in 1955-56. The Mavs won two NCC titles and made three NCAA II playoff appearances during Bober’s career.

He turned into one of those steals that coaches brag about years later, though Behrns already was reassessing his initial opinion of Bober after watching him go through a redshirt season in 1995 and start playing in 1996. “It didn’t take long,’’ Behrns says. “I will admit I did not see that growth potential in him. Chris likes to embellish the story and say he wasn’t very good and we didn’t like him, but that’s not true at all. But no doubt we got a diamond in the rough.’’

Bober exploded physically as a Maverick offensive tackle. His agility became one of his biggest assets. His versatility has helped keep him in the NFL, where he’s played tackle, guard and center.

He was with the New York Giants, who signed him out of UNO, when they played in Super Bowl XXXV. He also snuck into an ESPN commercial with All-Pro Michael Strahan, whom he considers a good friend, and lent a hand in New York City in the aftermath of 9/11. He started all 16 games for the w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Giants in 2003.

In Kansas City Bober has started at least two games each of the past three seasons and has a five-year contract that runs through 2008. He badly wants a full-time starting job again, but his versatility allows the Chiefs to keep him in reserve substituting for any player at any time on their offensive line.

Bober is the latest in a string of former Mavs to make it to the NFL. Others include MarTay Jenkins, Chris Cooper, Adam Wright and Ryan Krause. This after a drought of UNO pros.

The scouts started passing through more often late in Bober’s UNO career and he never feared he would be overlooked playing at a smaller school.

college sweetheart and is a fellow UNO grad. The two are raising a son (Austin, 5) and daughter (Hanna, 2).

“My hopes and wishes were answered because he became a football player,’’ Joe Bober says. “My prayers were answered because he became a good person.’’

Now 30, Chris Bober is working even harder at that part of it. His Building Blocks Foundation funded a July

him so many places.

“It’s been an enjoyable ride,’’ says his father. “We were fishing this year and he said if he gets traded, if he gets cut, if he gets hurt, it’s OK. Just to see him go out there and do what he’s done has been phenomenal.”

He remains true to his school. Bober was inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame last November. He follows UNO football and talks

True to his school In fact, his odyssey has been a great source of pride.

“It grounded me, maybe,’’ says Bober. “Guys I play with now ... they talk about bowl games and all the big games they played in. But UNO, it was more about football, being out there as teammates, going to school. It wasn’t about being on national TV every week. The experience was more the pure football of it.’’

Bober remains his old self: tooling around in a Chevy truck; keeping a modest house for several years in the UNO area; hunting and fishing with dad offseason; hitting the old South Omaha haunts with friends when he comes back.

One of his proudest moments was returning to graduate from UNO in 2006, becoming the first member of his family to earn a college degree. His wife, the former Jennifer Troshynski, was his

Maki ng way ... Bober leads the charge against the New York Jets.

football clinic and covered substantial donations to a pair of South Omaha youth football organizations. His vision is to run a facility for training, instructing and mentoring young athletes.

“The best thing about what I do is not the popularity or the money I make, it’s that I can make a difference with young people,’’ he says.

A f t e r f o o t b a ll Bober admits that he’s given a lot of recent thought to life after football, which, in a violent game, could come at any time. He even attended an NFL-sponsored seminar at the Harvard Business School last spring to plant some ideas toward his future.

Football already has taken

regularly with Behrns. He’s a member of the Beef Club booster group and was a title sponsor for its last golf tournament. It’s impossible to cut the roots that helped launch something so special — and unexpected.

“I just took everything that was given to me and worked hard for everything I’ve gotten,’’ Bober says. “I’d like to think I did all the right things to be successful.’’

Like learning how to long snap. “That goes all the way back to my freshman year in high school when somebody told me, ‘If you want to go to college, that’s a way to get there,’” Bober says. “I should probably find that person and shake their hand and say thanks.’’

Fall 2007 • 15

The Supers

by Don Kohler

UNO grads head nine of Metro Omaha’s school districts or many of the top teachers and administrators throughout the state, UNO is home. According to statistics from the Nebraska Department of Education, 3,104 teachers and 22 school district superintendents in the state earned their last degree from UNO, facts that provide college officials cause for celebration.

“I think it is working,” says Dr. John Langan, dean of the College of Education, referencing a slogan on his department’s web page: “Preparing People to Make a Difference.”

Langan, who joined UNO’s faculty in 1969 after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the college, continues to marvel at the positive impact the College of Education has made in Omaha and throughout the state.

“I was looking at some statistics recently that around 50 percent of the teachers in the state have earned at least one degree from UNO,” he says. “The influence that this university has had on teachers and teaching instruction is amazing.”

Evidence of that influence can be found within the administrative ranks of school districts in the Omaha metro area, where nine superintendents boast at least one UNO degree. Combined, the nine UNO grad are responsible for nearly 100,000 students, more than 7,738 teachers, 225 schools and $800 million in budgets.

UNO Alum writer Don Kohler posed a series of questions to the nine administrators related to their experiences at UNO and in education.

F

K e n n e th B i r d UNO degree: BA, special education, 1971 S c h o o l Di s t r i c t : Westside Comm.

Schools Schools: 10 elementary, one middle school, one high school Enrollment: 6,063 (K12) Staff: 520 teachers Budget: $55 million (2006-07) What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

When I started at Omaha University, it would be fair to say I was not goal-oriented and my life lacked much direction. I was a full-time welder at Eaton Metal Products at nights, and completion of a degree was not a priority.

With the support and guidance of several caring faculty members, I was able see the value of setting goals and pursuing a career in education. My goal of a degree in education would have met certain failure if not for this support.

16 • Fall 2007

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

I graduated with a degree in special education and began work at Westside Community Schools. Westside gave me the opportunity to work with wonderful mentors and to build a high school program for students of all abilities. This was at a time when young people with significant disabilities were more typically found in workshops and institutions, rather than on high school campuses. The Westside High School staff and administration were amazing in their support of these students and their young teacher.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

Simply put … survival and keeping my job. I wanted to do my very best and I wanted the young students with disabilities I served to have great opportunities.

What are some of your career milestones?

I hope my work at Westside, from teaching in the classroom to serving as superintendent, has contributed to Westside achieving its mission of being an innovative and excellent school district, one that meets the unique needs of all learners. I have been privileged to be involved with many local community organizations, such as Children’s Hospital,

Wellness Council of the Midlands, Conference for Inclusive Communities, Omaha Community Partnership, Omaha Community Playhouse, United Way of the Midlands, and Project Harmony. At the state and national levels I have had the opportunity to lead several organizations, including the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and National Council of Administrators of Special Education.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

The people I work with, students, parents, staff, board and community members, have been great. I love working with these people and they have provided the support and motivation for me to stay in education. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to lead a world-class public education system which has had such a positive impact on thousands of children and youth and the surrounding community.

Ri ck Bl ack UNO degree: MS, Educational Administration, 1978 S c h o o l D i s tr i c t: Papillion-La Vista School District Schools: 12 elementary, two middle schools, three high schools Enrollment: 9,000 (anticipated fall 2007) Staff: 706 teachers (1,320 staff members) Budget: $81 million (2006-07) What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

UNO virtually opened the pathways for what has been the last 29 years of my career.

Beyond the certification acquired as a school administrator, the experience provided me with a number of lifetime friends, contacts and mentors. The experience was most definitely one that gave me the confidence and background to pursue loftier educational and professional goals.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

From the first day as a teacher, I was provided a wonderful mentor in my principal, Harry Fleming. Harry was demanding, student-centered, [and] connected well with the staff, students, and community. He was a role model that took me under his wing and provided me a wealth of opportunities and training to see the big picture.

UNOALUM

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

My overall goals have not changed a great deal over the years. The mission has always been to make a positive difference in the lives of children. Each step taken, from the classroom, to building leadership, to district leadership has been about finding the ways and resources that focus upon allowing all children the chance to grow.

What are some of your career milestones?

Elementary classroom teacher Millard Schools (six years); Central Office Administration, Millard Schools (three years); first principal at Ackerman Elementary in Millard (three years); superintendent of schools for East Butler Public Schools, Brainard, Neb. (three years); elected to Millard Public Schools Hall of Fame; superintendent of schools for Conestoga Public Schools, Murray, Neb. (11 years); Nebraska Superintendent of the Year (1997); assistant superintendent for human resources, Papillion-La Vista Schools (nine years).

What do you enjoy most about your field?

The chance to be around children and all the people working in education who genuinely care about others and the future has been a source of joy. I had an experience not every parent gets to have. When my now grown four children were school age, I was able to be with them all day at school and in the evening at home. It was the chance of a lifetime being able to watch their development. I feel a similar sense of enjoyment being able to participate in and observe the successes of children each day. I get to see the hard work, commitment, and pleasure realized by our teachers, administrators and support staff each day.

M ar th a Br u ck n er UNO degree: BS, secondary education, 1971; MS, education, 1974 S c h o o l D i s tr i c t: Council Bluffs Schools Schools: 14 elementary, two junior high, three high schools; Enrollment: 9,200 (PK-12) Staff: 675 teachers (1,100 total staff) Budget: $104 million What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

I came to UNO generally knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in education. The university and the College of Education helped w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

me determine that the goal was appropriate for me and helped me to meet that goal.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

I student-taught at McMillan Junior High School and Burke High School. As a graduate of an all-girls parochial school only four years earlier, I remember being fairly unnerved as I joined dozens of high school students in the turn lane from Dodge into the Burke High School parking lot on the first day of school. Fortunately, my cooperating teacher helped me to gain more confidence.

When I was given my first position as an English teacher at Ralston High school, I remember being unnerved, yet again, when I was told that I would be teaching a class called “Humor” to sophomores. That was in the era when teachers were often told the title of the class and left to some of their own creativity for planning.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

Many educators enter the field of education with the same goal that I had: to make some difference in the world. At some point in my early career, the slogan of the National Education Association declared, “Teaching is to Touch a Life Forever.” I believed that was possible.

What are some of your career milestones?

I’ve loved every phase of my educational career, as measured by career milestones. I enjoyed being an English and speech teacher in Ralston High School, and also enjoyed serving as an assistant principal and later as principal in the same school. My eight years as an assistant and associate professor at UNO in educational administration gave me a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon, research about and write about the practice I had been involved in — in the middle of my career. My position as associate superintendent in Millard Schools provided me another exceptional chance to practice what I had been preaching for the previous eight years.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

The combined opportunities to teach, administer, reflect, research and write about public education are all important aspects that have helped me become the educator I am today.

The fact that educators are constantly dealing with work to guide our future generations makes the work so challenging, invigorating and important. It’s a great life.

Cha rle s C he v alie r UNO degree: MS, educational admin., 1986 Sc h o o l D is t r ic t : Springfield Schools, South Sarpy School District No. 46 Schools: two elementary, one 7-8 grade center, one high school; Enrollment: 1,077 Staff: 93 teachers Budget: $11 million (2006-07) What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

Through the professors in my administration program at UNO, I realized some leadership skills I could use in teaching, but could also use in educational administrative positions.

To be honest, I wasn’t actually thinking I would be an administrator when I started taking classes at UNO. It was through a contact at UNO that I was called from Crete, Neb., to interview for an assistant principal position.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

My first teaching job was in Humphrey.

Everyone’s first significant experience is a realization that teaching is a demanding career. I was lucky because I was at a place that provided enough positive feedback to offset the tremendous work teaching took.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

Between my sophomore and junior year of college, I was hired as the physical activities director at Easter Seal’s Camp Kiwanis in Milford, Neb., a camp for handicapped students. During that summer, I changed my major from journalism to education because I wanted to make a difference in some student’s life. That has been my only real goal for staying in education.

What are some of your career milestones?

Although I have had my share of jobs, awards and recognitions, I really remember the teachers and students more as milestones. For example, I taught a creative writing class in York, Neb., in the early ‘80s. I received a clipping from a teaching friend about a girl in my class. She had several poems published, and in the newspaper interview said that she was pushed and encouraged by her high school teacher, Mr. Chevalier. What was really great was the fact that the student was in an “at-risk” program when she took my class. For me, that was as big of a milestone as it gets.

Fall 2007 • 17

have always hoped to open the world for them and give them the sense that they can do anything and go anywhere and be anyone.

I see the errors of inexperience, which I attempted to mitigate with enthusiasm and hard work.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

When I entered education 25 years ago, I simply wanted to educate the students in my room. Now I see my role in education to be broader than just the students in a single classroom. I have the responsibility of guiding a community in building an educational system they can support for the youth of the district.

Fath er Ja me s Gi lg

What are some of your career milestones?

My proudest moments in education have been two: One, guiding the establishment of the educational program at Dominican High School, which proved to be effective with high-risk youth and thus led to the construction of Father Flanagan High School, which opened in 1983; and, two, being the founding president of V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School and working with outstanding professionals, parents, and students to create a quality college preparatory school that matches the very best in the city.

UNO degree: MS, urban education, 1983 School District: Omaha Catholic Schools Schools: 60 elementary, 17 secondary schools; Enrollment: 14,934 elementary students, 5,379 secondary students Staff: 1,554 teachers Budget: $102 million.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

The greatest joy of the field of education for me has been being able to observe the intellectual and emotional growth of students on a daily basis and know that I have been part of it all. In my years as an administrator, whenever I felt tired, anxious, or burdened, I would leave the school office and go walk through the building, rubbing elbows with the students and picking up the enthusiasm and excitement and energy.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

As a professional educator, I really enjoy the science of instruction. Changes in instruction are happening every day, as we know more about how the brain works. However, the most enjoyable part of my career is every day I have the opportunity to make a difference in a young person’s or teacher’s or principal’s life. I can make it a positive difference. God has blessed me with many opportunities to do good. I am responsible to follow through using my talents to make a difference. That makes the many tasks required in between worth it.

What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

From my earliest days there were two places that I liked to be the most: one was Church and the other was school. So I found a way to be in both of those places my whole life by becoming a priest-educator. When I began my pursuit of the master’s degree in urban education from UNO, I had been working in education for more than 10 years already.

The program at UNO was very beneficial to me professionally. I was principal of Dominican High School at that time, an alternative school for high-risk poverty youth. So the classes in urban education dealt immediately with the issues that I was facing on a daily basis. I can’t say enough in their praise.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

My first teaching experience of significance happened immediately following my ordination when I began teaching at Cathedral High School in the fall of 1966. I found that I enjoyed teaching more than any other part of my ministry as a priest-educator.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

My goals for teaching have always been to influence the lives of students and provide them with the opportunities to embrace knowledge and values through schooling. I 18 • Fall 2007

Terr y Haack UNO degree: BS, physical education, 1982 S c h o o l D i s t ri c t : Bennington Schools Schools: 1 elementary, 1 junior/senior high school Enrollment: 817 (k-12) Staff: 66 certified staff, 31 classified staff Budget: $6.7 million What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

The staff at UNO provided excellent guidance in helping me obtain a degree in education. I had several good mentors and many excellent professors that provided me a strong background in education.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

My first teaching experience of significance was in a small district in southwest Iowa. I was teaching 7th through 12th grade sciences and coaching three different sports. At the time, I did not stop to think about the rewards of helping adolescents mature to young adults. I was too busy grading papers and planning practices for the next day. As I look back on that first experience in teaching,

What are some of your career milestones?

Served in many capacities in education, including: NSASSP (Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals) state president, 2002-2003; NCSA vice-chair 2003; executive board of directors as NSASSP representative from 2001-2003; ISTE Administrator Advisory Team, 2002 to present; serving on a team of professionals to develop and promote effective technology professional development activities.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

I still enjoy children. The office of the superintendent in Bennington is connected to a K-6 facility. When the weight of administrative tasks becomes burdensome, I simply walk down the hall and stop in a classroom for some healthy discussion about life as a 6year old.

J ohn Ma ck i el UNO degree: BS, elementary education, 1972; MS, secondary education, 1974.

School District: Omaha Public Schools Schools: 63 elementary, 11 middle schools, 7 high schools, 5 other Enrollment: 48,000 (PK-12) Staff: 3,850 teachers; 8,000 total employees Budget: $398 million What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

Educational and professional experiences at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the College of Education reaffirmed the importance of teaching, the excitement of learning and the expectations of the profession. The dedication and commitment of professors and classroom colleagues underscored the significant impact teaching excellence has in the lives of students and the future of society.

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What was your first teaching experience of significance?

The very first opportunity to interact with a student was significant, as well as the multitude of occasions for teaching that followed throughout my career. Each and every time a teacher engages a student, he or she has the potential to make a significant impact.

Whether in the classroom teaching English, in the hallway supervising students, or on lunchroom duty, opportunities abound to provide teachable moments for youngsters.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

One goal as an English teacher was to instill a joy of literature as part of the life repertoire of young people. Through reading and all of the benefits that come from this essential skill, students would achieve an appreciation for life and all it has to offer through a lifelong process of learning. Reading and an appreciation for the written word in all its contexts provide students with the chance to fully experience what the world has to offer, to be informed citizens, and to have success in whatever they choose to do.

What are some of your career milestones?

Milestones in the field of education for me reflect the markers of success witnessed by every teacher and administrator. Each high school graduation, former students who enter the field of education, daily academic achievement of youngsters, and a realization of the impact of teachers on the lives of children and their families are powerful examples of milestones of professional achievement.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

The career field of education represents life in its fullest expression — hopes, dreams, successes, failures, joys, sorrows. No other profession invests as much or makes as much of an impact in the lives of people. There is no better enjoyment than the satisfaction of witnessing students as they grasp and understand a new concept or solution to a problem.

K ev i n R il e y UNO degree: BS, educational admin., 1977; MS, educational admin., 1981 School District: Gretna Schools Schools: two elementary, one junior high, one high school Enrollment: 2,329 (K12) Staff: 173 teachers Budget: $19 million (2006-07) w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

Education is people, communication, connections and expectations. I was around some really good advisors/professors, such as Tom Norwood, Paul Kennedy, Darrell Kellams, and Tom Petrie. Their impact on my career cannot be underestimated nor understated.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

Early in my teaching career I realized that children will rise to our level of expectations as long as they know we are serious and that we care.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

I’ve never been that type of a goal-setter. I believe that you do your best, with what you are given, everyday. The rest takes care of itself.

What are some of your career milestones?

Served in a number of capacities in the field of education, including: North Central Association advisory committee; Sarpy County Alternative School advisory committee; Sarpy County Head Start Board.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

It is most gratifying to watch a child enter kindergarten, progress through our school system and graduate from our high school.

Recently, I have observed that many of our graduates are returning to Gretna to raise their families. Nothing makes me more proud.

St e ve S ha na ha n UNO degree: MS, educational administration, 1979; Ed.D., educational administration, 2006 School District: Blair Schools Schools: two elementary, one junior high, one high school Enrollment: 2,360 Staff: 320 (includes 167 teachers, 12 administration) Budget: $20.5 million

O’Reilly and others helped to shape my philosophy of educational administration during my master’s program. Dr. Laura Schulte was an inspiration and the driving force behind earning my doctor of education degree. All along the way the professors and members of the educational administration department at UNO were supportive, caring and interested in what I did and what my goals were.

What was your first teaching experience of significance?

My first teaching experience was in 8th Grade Core (Language Arts and Social Studies) at Nathan Hale Jr. High. I had returned from the military and took a long-term substitute position for a person on maternity leave. The job was much more than I ever expected.

What were your goals upon entering the field of education?

I am not sure that I had any real goals when I entered teaching. Survival, possibly. I knew I wanted to coach. I knew that someday I wanted to be a school administrator. I really think that I just wanted to be the best teacher I could at the moment.

What are some of your career milestones?

I think there have been several: Being able to team teach with some wonderful educators at Nathan Hale Junior High in the mid ‘70s; taking my first principal’s position at LaurelConcord Jr. Sr. High School in 1979 and working with some very dedicated teachers and school board members; assuming the position of principal (1982), assistant superintendent (1998) and superintendent (2001) of Blair Community Schools; being presented the UNO Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998.

What do you enjoy the most about your field?

I think why most of us got into the field of education and why we have stayed is that we truly have felt that we can and do make a difference in the lives of the young people who we impact each and every day with the decisions we make. I am very proud of the Blair Community Schools and very proud of our staff and the quality of education we afford the students we serve.

What impact did UNO and the College of Education have on your career in education?

I had already begun my teaching career with Omaha Public Schools, when I began my master’s degree program in educational administration. The guidance and support of such wonderful mentors and professors as Paul Kennedy, Darrell Kellams, Robert Fall 2007 • 19

Photos by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

PKI Executive Director Winnie Callahan hopes the Kiewit Institute’s supercomputer will rank among the top 20 in the world for computing power.

PKI computer could be among world’s 20 most powerful

Supercomputer super cool

by John B. Callahan Jr., direct or, Techno log ical I n f r a s t ru ct u re P e t er K i e w i t I n s t i t u t e an d C o m p l e x

W

hen Dick Holland graduated from Omaha University in 1948, it would have been almost unimaginable to foresee that one day his campus would be home to the sum of all of the computing power then known to the world — and magnified many million times over.

To Holland, however, the impossible exists only because someone has not had the vision, made the commitment or taken the risk to be great.

Thanks to a major contribution by Holland and to several generous partnerships, the Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI) is embarking

20 • Fall 2007

on a supercomputing venture that will place it at the pantheon of technology research facilities and rank it among the elite university programs in the nation.

“When you look at opportunity, you have to look at the impact it will have on others,” Holland says. “And I believe that this program does have the ability to change the world.

“Whether it provides support for medical breakthroughs or allows Nebraska kids opportunities that they would never have had otherwise, if this affects even one life positively, the investment will have been well placed.”

The Holland Computing

Center (named in honor of the Holland family’s generosity to the arts, education and youth of Omaha) will host one of the foremost supercomputers on the planet, utilizing cutting-edge Dell Computers and AMD processor technology. All of it will be housed in a new state-ofthe-art data center inside PKI on UNO’s south campus.

The cluster will consist of more than 1,150 nodes, or computers, and more than 2,300 processors, all working in parallel to deliver performance that PKI Executive Director Winnie Callahan hopes will be in the top 20 in the world.

“I love the potential for this project, where it could place us among some of the established names in acade-

mia, but also where it can take us as a university in regard to partnerships with business,” Callahan says.

“People sometimes wonder about the motivation behind

“I believe that this program does have the ability to change the world.”

Dick Holland UNOALUM

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solutions, APC had just been purchased by Schneider Electric from France.

Schneider elected to have the first joint venture of the new conglomerate be between PKI, APC and Merlin Gerin (MG), a producer of uninterruptible power supply devices. By employing the APC product InfraStruXure, which handles all of the cooling, power, rack management and controls needed for the room, and MG for the overall power for the room, PKI was fortunate to have all of the environmental elements to the room fully donated.

The final element fell to the PKI’s namesake, Kiewit Construction, which worked diligently with local vendors Waldinger Corp. and Omaha Electric Services, as well as national retailers Trane, Caterpillar and Siemens, to

have much of the construction either donated or greatly discounted. Omaha steamfitters, Local 464, also donated labor to the center.

“It is hard to imagine all the people who are heroes on this project,” Callahan says.

“So many stepped up to make this possible, that it is easier to speak to the wonderful giving spirit of Omaha than to try and single out individuals who have contributed. I truly believe that Omaha is the only place in the country where this project could have been pulled off in the fashion that it has been.”

With completion scheduled around mid-September, the opening of the center coincides nicely with the 10th anniversary of the conception of PKI by the Omaha business community.

Not surprisingly, it is the

next decade and generation of students that concerns Holland, who for the past several years also has sponsored PKI’s annual Academy of Excellence program targeting top high school sophomore students and their teachers.

As always, his eyes are on the future of this exciting new frontier.

“I have seen what PKI has done over the past 10 years, and it is amazing,” says Holland. “But this is just a precursor to what can be achieved, and I feel that the institute has not even begun to scratch the surface of its potential on a worldwide scale. The technology excites me, but the people at PKI excite me more, because they have that ability I spoke of before, that gift to change the world.”

Photo courtesy Criss Library Archives

going down this path and my answer never changes. Our goal has always been the same: to be the best. To offer the best educational experience for students, to provide the best facilities for research and to find the best means to integrate business into our environment in unique and exciting ways.”

The supercomputer’s concept emerged from a mix of desire and necessity. Because of the extensive works and computing needs of the colleges, PKI had run out of room to expand its computing capabilities and needed a fresh approach to overall growth. Space was at a premium, and to keep pace with the industry’s speed, change was necessary.

Technological planners at the Kiewit Institute therefore set forth on a bold plan, one necessitating the type of philanthropic spirit for which Omaha is known.

The first piece of the puzzle was presented by Dell, which had been working on a new initiative with AMD to launch the company’s first joint product. Part of their strategy was to have a major technology center host a supercomputer with new servers, providing both a benchmark site and a symbolic commencement of the new partnership. After seeing the Kiewit Institute’s facility, concept and business-education model, Dell chose PKI. That, in turn, meant an overhaul of the existing data center’s retrofit then taking place to meet the aforementioned academic and research needs.

Fortunately for PKI, partners like American Power Conversion (APC) lent support. Internationally known for providing electrical power

C o m p u t i n g P o w e r . .. 1 9 6 7 PKI’s Holland Computing Center isn’t the first such machine to make headlines at UNO. The university in 1967 welcomed the NCR (National Cash Register) 315 RMC (Rod Memory Computer), capable of storing 120,000 “digits” with an accompanying printer. In addition to the basic memory banks the NCR had CRAM (Card Random Access Memory) decks that stored up to 8 million digits of information.

Fall 2007 • 21

22 • Fall 2007

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By Leo Biga

Photos by Joe Mixan

The Cowboy Way UNO music instructor Hadley Heavin strums his own beat on horse and on stage

H

adley Heavin’s dual life as a classical/flamenco guitarist and competitive steer roper never fails to surprise. “It’s so odd to people I do these two things,” he says. The UNO music department instructor doesn’t just dally in these pursuits, either. Trained by masters, he performs at a high level in concert halls and horse arenas.

What seems incongruous isn’t. A Vietnam combat vet who has taught part time at UNO since 1982, Heavin plays in Tablao, a Latin-influenced band for which daughter Kaitlin is lead vocalist.

And when not performing at trendy Omaha spots like España, he competes in rodeos and horse shows in places like Burwell, Neb. Each pursuit balances the other, continuing a life of athleticism and artistry.

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Fall 2007 • 23

Ozark origins Heavin was weaned on Ozarks culture, growing up in Baxter Springs, Kansas, near the Oklahoma-Missouri border.

Music, horses and sports were family inheritances.

His father, “an incredible guitarist,” played with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Uncles played, too. Heavin, 58, learned guitar early on. He played trumpet and drums in his father’s bands, performing swing, jazz, blues and country at VFW post and American Legion hall dances. He played rock ‘n’ roll as a teen.

“Making music is what we did,” he says. “I was a little freak because I could play really well.”

Heavin’s grandfather, a horseshoer and blacksmith, exposed him to horses.

From age 12 on, Heavin earned his spurs riding bulls and bareback broncs in rodeos.

Athletics were another family forte.

An uncle played in the minors with Mickey Mantle. His mother was a catcher on the women’s pro circuit immortalized in the movie “A League of Their Own.” Heavin owned state sprint records and did enough as a football halfback for Kansas University to recruit him.

“I loved music … horses … sports,” he says from the 25-acre Valley, Neb., spread he and Kaitlin share. Everything he needs is there. Barns to store hay and board horses. Pens, a round and an arena to work stock and practice roping. His precious Brune and Cordoba guitars always calling.

Ridin’ The call of the rodeo may be even stronger.

“I played every sport in high school but rodeo was my favorite. Once I got into roping and horses, I’ve just never gone back.”

Every time he ropes he risks injuring his hands, but he’s never found anything like the thrill of running down a steer on horseback, swinging his rope overhead, snapping off a throw and hitting the mark with a perfect figure-8 loop.

“The fact is I’ve tried … every sport, just so I wouldn’t take a chance on losing a finger, but nothing works for me,” he says.

“When I’m running full speed on a horse it’s exciting as hell. No matter how long you do it, it’s always a rush.”

He’s learned “the art” of horsemanship and roping from “some of the best” hands around, once qualifying for the world horse show finals in Oklahoma City.

He’s tried giving up roping-riding for music, but, he says, “I always miss the horses, the competition, my cowboy friends. Playing the guitar is a very disciplined, very quiet, very by-yourself, very sedentary thing. I couldn’t just … play guitar all the time. It’s too boring.

“For me, rodeo satisfied something in me that made it possible for me to play guitar.”

24 • Fall 2007

Strummin’ Yet it was the guitar that was his “salvation.”

Heavin served in Vietnam in 1969-70 as a U.S. Army forward observer and artillery fire officer. Wounded in a firefight, he rotated stateside. Back home, he floundered trying to get his head right. “Emotionally, I was a mess from the war,” he says. Then, on a whim, he went to see a classical guitarist perform, and his life changed.

“I was enthralled and it just came over me like that,” he says, snapping his fingers. “Right then and there I knew what I was going to do with my life. The feeling that came over me fulfilled me more than anything else ever had up to that time.”

Why? “A part of it was the war had scarred me and right after that my father passed away … and there was no more music. I needed something. Classical guitar was the thread that gave me something to hang onto just to get through life and the pain I had lived with. The guitar was my salvation.”

He taught himself via recordings and books. When he exhausted those he found an instructor, who did all he could for this prodigy. Heavin then brashly convinced Southwest Missouri State University to start a guitar program for him.

“I had such a passion for it that I was going to find a way … whatever it took.”

Then, a meeting changed his life. Spanish classical guitar legend Segundo Pastor was touring the United States in the late 1970s and saw Heavin play a concert on the Springfield, Mo., campus. Pastor asked to meet Heavin. Thus began a decades-long friendship that saw Heavin study under the maestro in the United States and Spain as his only student, learning from a man whose lineage in the form’s Spanish line went back to its early 20th century origins.

But why should a green American be chosen ahead of more accomplished Spanish boys? He says Pastor told him: “True, the Spanish boys are good guitarists, but you’ll be a great guitarist.”

Heavin arranged for Pastor to perform UNO concerts. They toured together. Their friendship deepened. “He was like a father and a mentor to me. He not only gave me a career, he gave me back myself,” Heavin says.

Pastor’s gone now but Heavin keeps alive the tradition. He says the students who excel under him are the ones who appreciate the gift Pastor gave him and that he passes onto them. One such student is 2002 UNO grad Michael Cioffero, now a teacher at the New York City Guitar School. “To have that direct connection is so important and wonderful,” Cioffero says. “Hadley definitely establishes that.”

“There’s a real lineage that goes to the source of classical guitar in Spain that’s been handed down to me, almost by rote,” Heavin said. “Not even Spaniards have that.”

Flamenco-playing cowboys are pretty rare there, too.

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ONE MAN’S TRASH

By Fred Schweppe Photo by Bryce Bridges

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CALL HIS WORK TRASHY and Bart

Vargas will just smile. The smile of an artist content with his career, proud of his work and excited by his prospects. Like Sesame Street’s beloved Oscar the Grouch, Vargas can peer into a junk pile or dumpster and think, “Ain’t it beautiful.”

Fall 2007 • 25

Then he goes about the work — the painstaking work — of making it so.

and art enthusiasts visited the opening reception. Vargas sold just enough to cover his expenses. More importantly, he gained invaluable experience as Bemis residents are given total creative control over the exhibit space and their showing.

“They pretty much give you a key and a site, and it’s up to you to advertise and market the show,” says Vargas.

O ! w h a t a n a rt i s t

In s p ir a t io n

If you’re a recent UNO student, you may have seen Vargas, who worked as a campus custodian for more than four years and then as a lab tech in the sculpture lab.

If you’ve attended recent Omaha area events, you may have seen Vargas’ work. His thoughtful, brightly painted sixfoot O! is part of Omaha’s current public art project and is the

As soon as Vargas’ tiny hands could hold a crayon, his mother says, he began doodling. Vargas says he was drawn to drawing as far back as he can remember.

Growing up, Vargas and his family dotted the map following his father’s military career. Vargas, the “Air Force brat,” followed his muse, progressing through school taking the typical slate of art classes until he graduated in 1991 from Bellevue West High School.

It wasn’t until 10 years later, after experiencing the ups and downs inherent in 20-somethinghood, that his true artistic expression matured.

In 2001, Vargas entered UNO with a mission. He realized he probably wouldn’t be attending college if it weren’t for his scholarship through UNO’s Goodrich Scholarship Program.

He was determined to make the most of his opportunity.

Determined to find his art, or, perhaps more accurately, to have his art find him.

Comic books. Can collecting. Using tools with his father, a skilled upholstery craftsman. These activities, along with all things art, filled Vargas’ youth.

In the studios of the Weber Fine Arts Building, Bart’s professors inspired him to apply those influences of youth to new disciplines. In particular, painting and sculpting.

Of his teachers, Vargas says, “I feel like all of them really had something to offer. The professor I studied under was David Helm, the chair of the art and art history department and the sculpture professor. He always accepted me and gave me the freedom to have my own voice.

“Russ Nordman (assistant professor, art and art history) made me realize my potential — by pursuing what you want to do and incorporating your life into your work.”

Vargas also points to Dr. Pam Smith and Dr. Michael Carroll, professors with the Goodrich Program who helped him realize his potential academically. When he matriculated with his BFA in studio art in May 2007, Vargas did so with honors and as the Dean’s Scholar for the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media.

Vargas’ work often brings a smile to the face — like this sculpture made from the keys of discarded computer keyboards.

only traveling O! of the 22 created. Vargas’ O! made the scene at the College World Series and was a hit at the Cox Classic golf tournament.

His design honors the art project itself, portraying its energy and the energy of a city emerging as a hot spot for culture and art. On Vargas’ O-shaped canvas he painted 22 vibrant O!s representing each of the project’s sculptures. A tidy mosaic of skin tones and blood red encircles each O!. The skin tones represent the diversity of the project’s artists and the area’s citizens; red is the deeper bond that connects us all.

In 2007 Vargas also staged a local solo exhibit titled “One Man’s Trash.” The exhibit, which featured 85 Vargas works, took place at Bemis Underground, a 3,000-square-foot gallery in the lower level of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in downtown Omaha. More than 400 friends, well-wishers 26 • Fall 2007

Cont em pl at i ons Getting trashed on the weekend had a different meaning for Vargas than for some students. It meant the stimulation, not the destruction, of brain cells. It meant fewer hot dates and more hot tips on where to find discarded mattresses. It meant calculating an equation to allow 1,400 pop bottle caps to precisely cover a basketball.

Turning trash into art gave Vargas a purpose. It gives his audiences something to consider. Sometimes it is just the notion of seeing trash from a different point of view.

“Every piece has a message,” says Vargas. “The imagery UNOALUM

Photos by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

Vargas’ work was showing at UNO even before he graduated — “Bird’s Nest” graced the remodeled Criss Library. Shortly after graduation Vargas staged a solo exhibit titled “One Man’s Trash” at Bemis Underground.

and forms aren’t necessarily the message, but the materials show how beauty can be created from something society doesn’t value any more. Our culture is so technology driven, and we leave behind a lot of obsolete technology. That has consequences.”

Vargas is no environmental fanatic, but he does try to make positive environmental lifestyle choices, and he’s optimistic about the recent swell of environmentalism in the United States. “I’d like to think our country is getting better.”

A s p ir a t io n s In July, Vargas completed a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City. His dream is to make a living as a practicing artist. He realizes, however, that teaching likely is in his future, and that suits him fine. As long as he can “just do art,” Vargas will be content.

Vargas feels indebted to the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media and to the Goodrich Scholarship Program. His plans include “getting my MFA and still working on art while helping other people grow in their art.”

It will be interesting to follow the career of an artist who takes nothing for granted — even that which others discard.

For Vargas, beauty is revealed in what we throw away and what that says about us. Our trash is his glory — refuge in refuse, salvation in salvage. w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Fall 2007 • 27

College of

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

Education

Assistant Athletic Director Tom Frette, third from right, met with five members of the 1955 team. Left to right: Pete Rigatuso, Bob Trumbauer, Dick Cotton, Frette, Dick Tannahill and Emil Radik.

Grads still savor Tangerine win, lives of education ifty-two years have passed since UNO’s football team last went undefeated, capping their perfect campaign with the sweetness of a Tangerine Bowl victory.

It’s a sweetness still savored by those who played in the game, including a handful of College of Education graduates who gathered on campus recently during a sweltering August weekday.

A stroll through the advertising section of the 1955 Tomahawk yearbook hints at just how much time has passed since then. Patrons include Alamito, Hotel Fontenelle, Peony Park and the Eddy Haddad Orchestra.

Names many perhaps have forgotten and which many more never even knew.

But the Tangerine Bowl victory endures — a benchmark of success for UNO teams ever since. Its immediate significance to the university’s athletic tradition was apparent in the Tomahawk, which offered eight pages of photos devoted to OU’s 7-6 win over Eastern Kentucky.

“Every game we played was a team victory,” Line Coach Tom Brock says in the publication.

That unity remains evident whenever Tangerine teammates reassemble. Dick Cotton can still hear team captain Rudy Rotella: “We are family and we are going to kick butt when we kick off Saturday.”

They came to the university without scholarships, but

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with a love of football and the athletic skills to excel.

They give much of the credit for their success to Head Coach Lloyd Cardwell and his assistants.

But their successes extended beyond the field that glorious autumn of 1954 to lifetimes of achievement.

Off the field successes College of Education graduate Bill Engelhardt, the team’s leading rusher and scorer in 1954, parlayed his degree into a successful business career. One of the first athletes to be inducted into UNO’s Athletic Hall of Fame, Engelhardt joined Rotella as a Little All-American that season. Coach Cardwell, a member of the College of Education faculty, joined them on the All-American squad as honorary coach.

Emil Radik, OU’s second leading rusher and scorer, earned his diploma from the College of Education then reported to training camp with the Baltimore Colts after being drafted by that team in the 11th round. He later became an Omaha Police Officer then served four years with the U.S. Air Force, including time with the AllService Football Team. After the Air Force he returned to the Colts then served again with the Omaha Police Department.

Like Engelhardt, Radik entered the business world.

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ished his career as an associate principal. He now works Following his work on the police force he spent 10 years part time at Bluffs Run Casino. in the heating and air conditioning wholesale business.

Tannahill remembers that the bowl game was rather He left to complete his master’s work at UNO, then quick thanks to few penalties and many running plays. began a 28-year career as a teacher and student personHe recalls that only 18 players participated in the nel assistant with Omaha Public Schools. Radik’s name Tangerine Bowl as it was the “order of the day” to play still is appearing on the sports pages, most recently for both defense and offense. winning the Masters Flight of the Omaha World-Herald Younger than the others mentioned in this article, who Publinks Golf Tournament. were seniors in 1954, Bob Rudy Rotella, the team’s most valuable player, also Trumbauer remembers the was an 11th-round draft 1954 campaign as a great choice, by the San Francisco opportunity to play as a freshOU Line Coach Tom Brock man on an undefeated team 49ers. He spent his education quoted in Tomahawk yearbook with a great bunch of guys. career with Bellevue Public Schools, serving as a teacher, He remembers how involved coach and high school athletic director. his parents became attending games, Arnold “Arnie” Smith also taught including the bowl game in Orlando, with the Bellevue Public Schools and and getting to know all of the players. served as a high school athletic direcTrumbauer began teaching math and tor. coaching at Omaha Technical High Pete Rigatuso, OU’s third leading School, where one of his players rusher, was a teacher with Omaha included future Nebraska great Johnny Public Schools then served numerous Rodgers. Trumbauer followed his years years as a student personnel assistant. of teaching in administrative assignHis two sons both were outstanding ments, including stints as a student perwrestlers for UNO. Now retired, he sonnel assistant and as an assistant still works part-time at the downtown principal at Omaha North High School.

YMCA as the men’s physical fitness He also worked in the OPS central director. Ever modest and quick-witted, office developing and delivering trainRigatuso is the self-appointed “presiing programs in effective discipline. dent” of the fitness center, meaning, he The lasting friendship of team memsays, that he washes and dries towels bers and the loyalty to others on the and scrubs the floor. team are indicators of why the 1954 Richard “Dick” Cotton, OU’s consisOU squad succeeded on the gridiron Radik in action during Omaha University’s tent scoring threat as a receiver, was and why so many team members have undefeated 1954 campaign. well known to 30 years of students at been successful leaders in schools. When Omaha Burke High School, where he asked what they remember about the was an assistant principal at the school’s game and the season, they point to the opening and an athletic director for several years. He satisfaction of victory and to the pride in being undefeattaught for five years prior to entering administration. He is ed—a university mark that still stands. proud that he often is referred to as “Barney Cotton’s Most of all, though, the group remembers the togetherfather.” Barney is well known as a former Husker and ness and accountability to others — qualities they have professional football player and as a coach for Nebraska carried with them and that they value today. and Iowa State.

Tangerine Bowl on the Internet Cotton, like many others from the ‘54 squad, keeps Want to watch the Tangerine Bowl? Download a video active on the golf course. He also works part time for a file (no audio) of game footage and of activities leading security company, using skills he honed as an assistant up to the event at this link: principal.

Dick Tannahill began his education career after serving http://137.48.104.14:8080/ramgen/alumni/tangerinebowl1955.rm with the U.S. Army from 1956 through 1958, some of that time spent in Korea. He taught science and was a Happenings schedule successful coach at Columbus. Tannahill later worked for ollege of Education alumni can read more about fellow alumni, faculty and current students in Happenings, a newsletter Bellevue Public Schools before spending 24 years at mailed in November.

Council Bluffs Lewis Central High School, where he fin-

" E v e r y g am e w e pl a y e d w a s a t e a m victor y. ”

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Fall 2007 • 29

College of

Arts & Sciences Former professor, dean Utley recalls a career of involvement

Determining the direction of the whole ocieties aren’t made of sticks

“Sand stones,” said Plato in

“Republic,” “but of men whose individual characters, by turning the scale one way or another, determine the direction of the whole.”

Bill Utley, former professor of political science, is one of the people who determined direction not just for UNO, but also for Omaha.

Though retired from UNO nearly 30 years ago, the 94-year-old Utley still remembers with pride and fondness the many roles he played in shaping the university and its local society.

Governmental guru Utley came to the University of Omaha in 1948 when he was hired as acting chair of the department of history and government. At 35, he was the youngest full professor and department chair at UNO. An Arkansas native, Utley graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and with a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas. He also studied at the University of Chicago. Prior to coming to Omaha University he had served on the faculty of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. He first became directly involved in local government in 1953 when he served as advisor to what he describes as “an ill-conceived movement for city manager government for Omaha.” Three years later, his efforts as coordinator of the Home Rule Charter Commission helped formulate Omaha’s current city charter. In 1965, he was a member of the Charter Review Commission.

Utley also organized the Council of Metropolitan Governments to bring together and open communications among the city, county and surrounding communities. When the 30 • Fall 2007

various governments couldn’t agree on a meeting site, Utley recommended UNO’s campus as neutral ground. “The Council was the forerunner of MAPA (Metropolitan Area Planning Authority)” explains Utley.

He would serve the community in many other ways. Utley’s other civic involvements included:

“Societies aren’t made of sticks and stones, but of men whose individual characters, by turning the scale one way or another, determine the direction of the whole.”.”

P la t o , “R e p ub li c”

• Creation of the Good Government Association, which functioned for several years after adoption of the charter; • Serving as chairman of the Omaha-Douglas County Governmental Efficiency Commission in 1976; and, • Various leadership roles in the Omaha Kiwanis Club, the Omaha Human Relations Board and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

Such work did not go unnoticed.

In a letter to then-Douglas County Commissioner PJ. Morgan about the Governmental Efficiency Commission, Omaha Mayor Ed Zorinsky described Utley as “perhaps the most recognized political scientist in our area.”

Omaha World-Herald columnist Robert McMorris recognized Utley’s contributions, too, interviewing the UNO professor for the paper in 1975.

“This university has always assumed a role of participation in the community,” Utley told McMorris.

“I very much feel the academic world needs to do that. After all, higher education attempts to prepare young people to play an effective role in society. It’s difficult for teachers to inspire students to get involved if we’re unwilling to do it ourselves.”

Utley’s involvement in the community went beyond politics.

He describes as “one of his proudest involvements” his role in the creation of the Nebraska Humanities Council, formed in 1972 to cultivate an understanding of Nebraska history and culture.

Local history buffs also might know Utley as one of the original founders and first president of UNOALUM

1953 Tomahawk yearbook

Landmarks, Inc., formed in 1965 in an unsuccessful attempt to save Omaha’s historic post office from demolition.

Formed prior to the creation of the National Register of Historic Places, it today is the oldest preservation non-profit in Nebraska. It also has enjoyed success in the preservation of other historic sites, including Union Station and Fort Omaha.

Classroom extension From the beginning of his career at UNO, Utley worked at expanding the walls of the classroom, as well as the mission of the university.

He worked consistently to open students’ minds to new ideas and to get them involved in building their world.

Utley succeeded in getting the university to abolish its rule prohibiting political candidates appearing on campus and facilitated a variety of speaking engagements, including visits by Herman Ferguson, a Malcolm X supporter, and a group of students from the USSR. He organized and was the first sponsor of both Student Democrats and Student Republicans.

Utley also was one of the first two professors to offer a credit course via television in 1952.

Omaha University became the first institution in the Midwest and one of the first six in the nation to offer courses by television via “TV Classroom” broadcast on KMTV. It became the longest-running TV series in the country, airing for 33 seasons until its close in 1985.

For 20 years Utley also ran the university’s Institute on World Affairs, a series of annual lectures by U.S. and foreign government personnels and leading media personalities.

“I strengthened the program’s quality and attendance by getting sponsorships from local organizations,” adds Utley.

He also was the founder and director of “Our American Heritage,” a lecture series on diverse subjects in w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Utley taught from the start on Omaha University’s “TV Classroom,” one of the nation’s first credit courses offered via TV.

literature, music, theater and law.

Utley brought to campus top experts such as Melville scholar Howard Vincent while keeping the lectures free to the public.

Transitions Utley’s expansiveness and willingness to get involved with his community eventually led to his appointment in 1963 as dean of what was then the College of Adult Education (today the Division of Continuing Studies). He held the post for 13 years.

One of Utley’s proudest accomplishments as dean was the development of the Bootstrapper program into the nation’s largest. More than 12,000 military personnel had earned degrees from UNO by 1976.

During this period as dean, Utley also served as president of the Association for Continuing Higher Education, an organization representing several hundred colleges and uni-

versities throughout the United States and Canada.

Following his tenure as dean, Utley was appointed as assistant to the provost. He retired from UNO in 1978 and moved to Connecticut with his wife, Bea, where they worked to restore their pre-revolutionary home.

After some years, the couple moved to Harpswell, Maine, and bought a home just down the street from their son, Bill Jr. Utley continues to take care of business in Harpswell. Since his wife passed away about 10 years ago he has taken care of their home and yard himself.

Though he jokes, at the age of 94, that his biggest accomplishment each day is “getting out of bed,” he remains active in his community’s social and cultural life. He also remains keenly interested in life at UNO and in Omaha, where he has invested so much, tipping the scale in a favorable direction for the whole.

Fall 2007 • 31

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

School of Public Administration

One of nation’s first such initiatives

Online MPA program excels, expands

G

Today, Voelpel is completing her requirements for a master’s in public administration (MPA) from UNO — and she’s done it all without abandoning her job or family.

That’s because she has taken advantage of the online degree opportunities available through UNO’s School of Public Administration, part of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS).

It’s been just what Voelpel needed.

“I was extremely pleased to find a NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration)-accredited school offering a distance MPA program without a residency requirement,” she says. “I also liked the fact that the UNO program provided a longer time period to complete my degree, which allowed me to work around my family and job commitments.”

Initially offered in 2000, the online MPA program was one of the first of its kind in the nation. Last year, a concentration in local government management was added.

From this successful start, the School of Public 32 • Fall 2007

Administration (SPA) has branched out to offer online options in other areas, including aviation studies and nonprofit administration through the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree.

These initiatives “enable the school to serve a much wider audience,” says School Director John Bartle, Ph.D. “This allows us to bring some excellent students into the MPA program who would not otherwise come to UNO.” He says classes are taught by full-time faculty, class sizes are kept small and academic support is excellent.

“This combination has resulted in an affordable, premier quality program available to students everywhere. We plan to do the same for the online BGS concentrations.”

Nonprofit organizations are among the fastest growing sectors of the American economy, which has created a critical need for professional administrators. UNO’s redesigned nonprofit administration program was launched online this fall and is one of four undergraduate degree programs in the nation focusing specifically on such management. The aviation has put me in the top concentration will be 2 percent of my offered online beginning next spring. peers.

Christina Davis, distance education manager R o d St r e e t s , in CPACS’ Division of 2007 MPA graduate Continuing Studies, says the online BGS in nonprofit administration prepares grads for careers in a wide variety of highdemand areas such as direct-service organizations, public interest groups, community organizations, professional associations and foundations.

“It’s perfect for working professionals, military, rural residents or stay-athome parents who want a degree to help them thrive Distance Education Manager in today’s competitive work Christina Davis says the BGS program environment,” Davis says. helps students thrive.

“Completing the MPA program

”

UNOALUM

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

wendolyn Voelpel didn’t think she could do it. With two young children and a demanding job as assistant to the city manager in Tacoma, Wash., obtaining a master’s degree seemed more a dream than a realistic goal. “It appeared unattainable,” she says.

“Nighttime and weekend classes or residency requirements would mean missing my daughters’ activities and enduring continuous conflicts with my work schedule.”

That’s what she thought four years ago.

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald/University Relations

Rod Streets of Henderson, Nev., says that after working eight years in the private sector, the MPA he earned in May helped ease his transition to the public sector. He is senior financial analyst in the Office of Budget SPA Program Coordinator Meagan Van Gelder and Strategic Management for the points to MPA attraction beyond Nebraska.

City of Henderson.

“The program quickly increased my understanding of the intricacies of public policy and operations, and the leadership skills required to be successful in government today,” he says. “Completing the MPA program has put me in the top 2 percent of my peers.”

In addition to NASPAA accreditation, U.S. News and World Report has ranked UNO 26th in the nation in the broad category of public affairs, 21st in public budgeting and finance, eighth in information and technology management and 29th in urban management.

Because courses are offered year-round, students can complete the online MPA degree in as little as two years.

Or, they may choose to take just one course at a time to fit with their work schedules. They are required to visit the Omaha campus only once, for a one-day orientation at the beginning of the program.

Marshall Crawford, a management consultant with NeighborWorks America in Atlanta, Ga., says the online

MPA was a challenging program that allowed for significant personal input.

“My experiences played a key role in many discussions,” he says. “I think the program enhanced my ability to speak more clearly about different subject matters in public administration and nonprofit management.”

Streets says he appreciates the network of faculty and peers he now can draw upon.

“The weekly group assignments and other projects helped me develop close working relationships with other students throughout the United States,” he says. “I know I can call any faculty member or former classmate for assistance on a work project and that they’ll be more than willing to help me.”

Meagan Van Gelder, program coordinator at SPA, points to the fact that Voelpel, Streets and Crawford weren’t UNO undergrads — proving interest in the MPA online program goes beyond Nebraska’s borders.

“Gwendolyn Voelpel and Rod Streets found us on the Internet while they were checking out online MPA programs,” she says, “Marshall Crawford was told about our program by a professor at the University of Louisville.”

For Voelpel, the time she has invested in the MPA program already is showing its value.

“I’ve found great respect for the MPA I’m receiving through UNO’s distance program from within the professional association for city managers,” she says. “I recently was a finalist for a deputy city manager position, and my graduate credentials from UNO were viewed very favorably.”

For more information about the SPA and its online degree programs, visit the college’s Web site at www.unomaha.edu/cpacs/degree_programs.php

Certified Public Manager program to provide new opportunities A

John Bartle

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

ne w C er t i f i e d P u b l i c M a n ag e r ( C P M ) p r o g r a m w il l p r o v i d e an opportunity for government a n d n o n p r o fit p r o fe s s io n a ls to i m p r o v e t h e i r m a n a g em e n t sk i l l s a n d s e r v e to “ s tr e n g th e n a n d d e e p e n ” t h e re p u t a t i o n o f U N O a n d i ts S c h o o l o f P u b li c Administration (SPA) as r e s o u r c e s f o r p u b li c m a n a g e m e n t e d u c a ti o n , s a y s J o h n Bart le, SPA director.

Th e C e r t i f i e d P u b l i c M a n a ge r p r o g r a m , w h ic h b e g i n s i n Januar y, incl udes an or ienta tion, 1 4 c o u r s e s a n d a m a jo r p r o j e c t — a l l ta k i n g p l a c e i n a 1 2 - m o n t h

period.

Course work will focus on pr a ct i c a l a s pe c t s o f m a na g em en t such as pr obl em sol vi ng, co m m u n i c a t i o n , l e a de r s h i p a n d m a n ag i n g b u d ge t s , a nd p er s o n ne l .

S o m e c o m p o n e n t s w i ll b e d e l i v er ed on l in e . “ For a governm ent em ployee, like a m unicipal cl erk or a state e m p l o y e e o r a s u p e r v is o r a t a no np r of i t an yw he r e i n N eb r as k a, w e b el i ev e t h e on l i n e c om p o ne n t w ill be ver y a tt ra ct i ve, ” Ba rt l e says. “These are busy peopl e w h o r e c o g n iz e t h e v a lu e o f c o n ti n u in g e d u c a t io n f o c u s e d o n

p r a ct i c a l s ki l l s . ” T h e f ir s t C P M p r o g r a m w a s d e ve l op e d i n 1 97 9 a n d de s i gn a t i o n a s a Ce r t i f i e d Pu b l i c M a n a ge r i s n a t i o n a l l y - r e c o g n i z e d . T h e Na t i o n a l C P M C o n s o r t iu m w e l c o m e d U N O a s an as sociate m em ber earl ier t his y e a r w i t h s o l e a u th o r i t y t o d e l iv e r t h e p r og r am i n N e br a s ka .

P a r t i c i p a n ts c a n b e s p o n s o r e d b y a n a g e n c y o r o r g a n iz a t io n o r t h e y c a n b e s e l f- s p o n s o r e d . C o s t w i ll b e $ 2 ,5 0 0 p l u s b o o k s . F o r m or e i nf o r m a t i on , vi s i t www. unomaha.edu/cpm or call (402) 554-2625.

Fall 2007 • 33

College of

Photo by Adam Streur/Gallup Organization

Information Science and Technology

UNO students later hired by Gallup include, from left: Seth Warrick, Scott Blaine, Mike Brandon, Derek Jensen, Vanessa Wagner. Gallup Chief Information Officer Philip Ruhlman is at far right. The group posed outside Gallup University’s riverfront building.

Students transition to full-time employees

Gallup internship program bearing fruit ne month after the Gallup Organization opened its impressive riverfront university campus in Omaha, Chief Information Officer Philip Ruhlman got a visit from Dr. Gerald Wagner, distinguished research fellow at UNO’s College of Information Science & Technology (IS&T).

“Dr. Wagner walked into my office and said he had ideas that might work for us,” Ruhlman recalls. “He talked about data visualization and digital interfaces. He explained several ideas that he wanted his students to be able to explore in a business atmosphere.”

Wagner asked Ruhlman if he could incorporate the ideas and some IS&T students in an internship program.

“Within a week,” Ruhlman says, “we had 10 students here.”

That was 2003. In the four years since, Gallup has shown its commitment to making internships available to UNO students, employing as many as 20 at a time.

“In technology and in the areas of data visualization

O

34 • Fall 2007

and utilization, you need to continually bring in new ideas,” Ruhlman says. “I want an environment where people say, ‘Have you ever tried this?’ or ‘Have you ever tried doing it this way?’

“That’s what I want the intern program to do. Every six months to a year, we get a constant stream of new ideas.”

There’s more. Gallup has built a high-tech visualization lab at the riverfront campus where UNO interns and Gallup associates team to develop ways to revolutionize the way data is presented.

This fall marks the third year Gallup has hosted Wagner’s Visual Storytelling and Data Visualization seminar series. Data visualization and visual storytelling refer to the presentation through computer software of animated, interactive digital images that enable a decision maker to better analyze and understand complex information.

The series brings to Omaha some of the brightest academic and business minds. The speakers, each an expert UNOALUM

in a variety information technology (IT) subjects, address “I understand the power of moving people through the the two dozen students in Wagner’s data visualization visual medium,” Ruhlman says. “That is where we want class held at Gallup, as well as make presentations that to take Gallup and our clients. are open and free to the public.

“Dr. Wagner and I share the concept of taking very gift“The room for the public seminars holds 120 people,” ed artists, whether their gift is art or music or dance, and Ruhlman says, “and we fill it.” who also have a gift for technology, and bringing the two Vanessa Wagner, a Gallup technical project administra- together in an incredible partnership.” tor (TPA), took the data visualization class from Dr. The UNO interns have represented a wide range of disWagner (no relation) as an undergraduate. She says it pro- ciplines, including fine arts, computer science, MIS, comvided insight into the field and the Gallup organization — munication, geography and mathematics. They are paid and got her hooked on both.

by Gallup.

“The class is a great combination, having the forum to The lab has served as a high-tech workshop for them exchange ideas and use the technology, coupled with the and for Gallup associates. “We have musicians and exposure to Gallup,” she says. “I loved it.” painters, thespians and potters, computer science and Ruhlman is proud of Gallup’s reputation for hiring topMIS people all working together, utilizing their particular quality, innovative people and treating them as more than gifts of expression to put data on the screen for our employees. “It’s a career and it’s a family. It becomes your clients,” Ruhlman says. “We consider them digital artists.” life, yet the company really stresses a balance between Wagner also has become a valuable part of the Gallup work and your private life.”

Organization as a member He says 10 former of the Gallup Senior interns or UNO graduates Scientist program. now are Gallup associates.

The elite group includes Derek Jensen is a former Dr. Daniel Kahneman, intern who works as a their gift is art or music or dance, Princeton University profesGallup programmer. “The sor of psychology and pubpeople here are great, and and who also have a gift for technology lic policy and winner of the their willingness to teach 2002 Nobel Prize in ecous about the business opernomics. ations has been especially Ruhlman says that as with valuable.” the other members of the Scott Blaine agrees. “The Philip Ruhlman Senior Scientist program, company is really a group Chief Information Officer, the Gall up Organization Wagner was selected as an of amazing people, very expert in a specific field of intelligent and very visionary,” says Blaine, a Gallup TPA study. “We consider Dr. Wagner to be a world expert in and former intern who is a senior majoring in managethe field of data visualization. He is leading Gallup into ment information systems (MIS) at UNO. new areas of design and development in data visualizaMike Brandon earned his master’s degree in MIS from tion.”

UNO and now works as a Gallup TPA. He says his backRuhlman was named Gallup’s first CIO in 2000. He ground in database management, as well as several was recruited to Gallup 17 years ago by his wife, Jeannie. courses taught by Dr. Peter Wolcott at the College of A student of theater, Ruhlman professes a love for the fine IS&T, made becoming part of the Gallup staff “an easy arts and a particular fondness for directing. fit.” Each points to Gallup’s cutting edge hardware and “In computer science, in business and in the IT side of software as a draw for innovative young minds. business, every individual is like an actor,” he says. “At Seth Warrick, who obtained his Gallup internship the end of the day, it’s all got to come together in a perthrough his work with Dr. Wagner, says Gallup’s work formance that works.” environment nurtures new ideas. “With the real-world When he came to Gallup, the corporation had a “handand international projects I’ve been involved in and the ful of computers and maybe 10 people.” Today, the equiptechnology Gallup makes available to us, I know I’ve ment is state-of-the-art and there are 175 people devoted learned more working here than if I’d only taken the to IT in 52 offices around the world. classes and not had the additional opportunities and Despite the opportunities the company presents, experiences.”

Ruhlman says Gallup is not an easy place to get hired. “It The idea for Gallup’s visualization lab sprang from a takes talent to work here,” he says, “and because of that, meeting between Wagner and Ruhlman, whose backit attracts talent.” ground includes significant theater work.

Like the caliber of students at the College of IS&T.

“Dr. Wagner and I share the concept of taking very gifted artists, whether and bringing the two together in an incredible partnership.”

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Fall 2007 • 35

College of

Photos by Judy Kelsey

Information Science and Technology

Students and parents watch as two LEGO robots meet in a circle on the PKI atrium floor. Instructor Eberly, in striped shirt at center, rates the outcome.

IS&T workshops hits once more with middle school, high school students

Summer Smiles omputer programming, Web

Cdesign, learning Macromedia

Flash MX and building LEGO robots all translated into fun this summer for the 80 middle school and high school students who took part in the College of Information Science & Technology summer workshops.

Six workshops, an increase from four last summer, drew the maximum number of students for each weeklong session. Held from June 4 through Aug 3, most were filled by the first week of May, says Judy Kelsey, IS&T student recruiter, academic advisor and organizer of the workshops.

36 • Fall 2007

“This was our fifth year and our third year in a row we’ve filled the workshops, now that more parents and students have learned about them,” Kelsey says. “Because of software licensing, many of the sessions have limited seating. Those are the ones that fill fast.”

She says the students, who ranged in age from 11 to 17 and came from a variety of area schools, appreciated the opportunity to work on unusual projects, such as building small robots in the LEGO Mindstorms workshop, and the chance to utilize the classrooms and equipment at the Peter Kiewit Institute.

“The reviews overall were excellent. In particular, the kids really heaped praise on the instructors.”

The instructors and their workshops: LEGO Mindstorms: instructor Bill Eberly, sophomore majoring in computer science (CS), assisted by Marty Ertz, a CS graduate last spring; MAYA 3D Animation: instructor London Yang, fine arts graduate spring 2007, assisted by Ertz; Adobe Photoshop and Flash MX: instructor Rick Knudtson, freshman majoring in CS, assisted by Brian Glenn, a sophomore majoring in CS; Web Development & Design: instructor Jeff Blackmore, a dual CS/math major who graduated in the spring and also serves as a part-time academic advisor, assisted by Brent Horky, a freshman, and Scott Scholar, dual major in CS/math; Blast to the Past in Video Games: instructor Patrick Cavanaugh, a CS UNOALUM

came back with printouts of designs they found online.”

Eberly says some of his students suggested he teach a more-advanced workshop next year. “My main goal was to show the students that computer science isn’t a boring field and that things like programming can be fun,” he says.

“Based on the enthusiasm and responses I got from both the students and their parents, I think I did that.”

More photos and some of the students’ work can be viewed online at www.ist.unomaha.edu/index.php?p= workshops/mainWorkshops

New degree offered in Information Assurance new undergraduate degree in information assurance continues to expand the opportunities available at the College of Information Science & Technology.

Information assurance (IA) is an emerging and rapidly expanding area of study that examines the design, implementation and support of secure information systems. Dean Hesham Ali says offering a bachelor of science in IA will help prepare UNO students for sought-after positions in industry and research as well as provide a solid foundation for graduate programs.

The need for secure information systems has become a paramount concern as the computer-enabled, Internet-connected, digital-based global society of the 21st century emerges, Ali says.

“It’s true that corporations and organizations that do not concern themselves with computer security and information assurance will not be in business for IS&T Dean Hesham Ali. long,” he says. “The resources and faculty we have in place will make this a popular major almost immediately.”

Undergraduate concentrations in IA first were offered at UNO in the fall semester of 2003. Between fall 2003 and fall 2006, 24 students have completed an information assurance concentration in either the undergraduate computer science or the information systems degree program.

Courses that will serve as the foundation for the new degree have seen strong and increasing enrollments in the past few years.

The new degree will benefit from the Nebraska University Consortium on Information Assurance (NUCIA), headquartered at The Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI).

NUCIA (pronounced “new-sha”) teaches and trains IA students and professionals, conducts applied research and forms partnerships with government entities, corporations and organizations to collabo-

A

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Photo by Judy Kelsey

graduate in the spring of 2004 who also serves as a part-time instructor at IS&T. Though he has served as a teaching assistant for the Intro to Programming (CIST 1404) lab since January 2006, it was Eberly’s first time teaching the LEGO workshop.

“The best part for me was seeing these kids so excited to learn,” he says.

“I was really surprised by how enthusiastic they were. Many of them would want to know what we were working on the next day so they could go home and start thinking about their designs. Quite a few even

Instructor Jeff Blackmore supervises students in the Web design workshop.

rate on the theory and practice of information assurance. It is a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency (NSA), and offers National Science Foundation Cybercorp scholarships for UNO students pursuing an information assurance degree or concentration.

NUCIA Director Blaine Burnham is an IS&T senior research fellow with experience in a variety of IA leadership positions at the NSA, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia Laboratory.

“This degree has the potential to offer a truly substantial career path to our bright young students,” Burnham says. “The computer security aspect of the degree will prove especially intriguing to students who desire to tap into their cleverness while working to thwart ambitiously wicked cyber criminals.”

A degree in IA would provide many employment opportunities, ranging from industry and government to academic and research institutes. It also would afford students the opportunity to fulfill

“The resources and faculty will make this a popular major almost immediately.”

D ea n He s h a m A l i , C o l l eg e o f I S & T their general requirements by including several focus areas of study, including a Middle Eastern Focus, an Eastern European Focus, a Post-Soviet Eurasia Focus, a Latin America Focus and a Western Pacific Focus.

“Many of our students working in this area have been sought out to work at area businesses and government agencies while still taking classes,” Ali says. “Having them out in the community has been a win-win situation for our students, our college and the business community.”

Ali says the degree is consistent with the University of Nebraska’s Strategic Framework, the UNO strategic plan and the mission of IS&T and PKI. “This new degree not only gives our students a new and compelling education option, it also will provide much needed experts for our area and regional businesses, agencies and governments,” he says. “It’s a tremendously positive addition to the college and the university.”

Fall 2007 • 37

College of

Communication, Fine Arts and Media

MFA in Writing first in Nebraska wice a year, for 10 days in July

Tand December, the Lied Lodge

and Conference Center in Nebraska City becomes a satellite campus for the University of Nebraska’s MFA in Writing program.

From across the country, students and faculty arrive in Nebraska to engage each other in an intense agenda of daily craft lectures, literary readings, writing workshops and individual conferences to prepare students for a semester of home study in the literary craft of fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction.

“The Lied is an incredible location,” one student wrote of the program, jointly sponsored by UNO and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. “What a place to enjoy this stimulating and valuable experience, both on an academic level and a personal one.”

And the word is spreading.

The “low-residency” graduate program opened its inaugural session in August 2005 with 12 students and 10 visiting/teaching faculty members. By the July 2007 residency the number of teaching faculty had increased to 20 and student enrollment had grown to 50. That included 11 students from the first residency who became the MFA in Writing program’s first graduates, receiving master of fine arts degrees from the University of Nebraska.

Students of a low-residency program in writing typically spend 10 days twice a year in residence at a university, followed by 16 weeks working from home in correspondence with a faculty mentor. Such structure eases the familial and career disruptions for students and allows a university to hire outstanding teach38 • Fall 2007

ing writers on a contract basis.

In Nebraska, students and faculty from more than a dozen states and various institutions gather to exchange information, practical advice and ideas through lectures, workshops, readings and individual

paired with a faculty mentor with whom he works one-on-one for the succeeding academic semester.

Notes Richard Duggin, program director: “It has been our great fortune to have attracted to the program an outstanding cadre of faculty writers and mentors, beginning with the small core of six resident writing faculty from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska at Omaha campuses who first lent their names six years ago in support of that initial proposal for an MFA in Writing program.

“Currently, the program has grown

A hallmark of the University of Nebraska’s MFA in Writing program is one-on-one collaboration with expert faculty who hail from universities across the United States.

conferences.

“This week went beyond all expectations,” a student wrote in review of a recent residency. “Not only in the academic sense, but socially as well.

Faculty interaction was probably the high point.

“Their accessibility and flexibility served to negate any feelings of discomfort or self-consciousness. We were treated as equal participants in the creative process.”

During a residency, each student is

to 20 writer/mentors from various parts of the country, all of whom provide the artistic direction for the program and the substantial investment of their time and energy toward the individual mentoring of students that is a hallmark of a low-residency writing program.”

The student experience includes four rigorous semesters of new writing, revisions, critical essays, a longer critical paper and a capstone creative project that comprises the student’s UNOALUM

thesis. The writer’s achievements are showcased in their final graduating residency by a 45-minute lecture on writing craft or theory and a 20minute public reading from their original writing, presented before the faculty and students of the program.

While the low-residency model for master’s degrees in creative writing is not new (25 programs currently are listed as members of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs), the joint UNO-UNK program is the first MFA in Writing program in the

University of Nebraska system, the first low-residency MFA in the Midwest, and the first low-residency MFA offered by a public university.

In his commencement celebration remarks, Duggin praised the graduates: “I couldn’t be prouder of this group of students who took a chance with us two years ago when we all congregated for the first time here in the heart of the heart of the country, and we looked each other over during that first meal we shared together in the dining room, and we all said

in our hearts, ‘Yes, I was right. This is where I need to be. These are the people I need to be with.’

“Their substantial progress in the program, their accomplishments in their artistic growth, has been nothing short of exceptional. The present awarding of their degrees from the University of Nebraska is just small emblem of the enormity of what they have accomplished over the past two years.”

For more on the program visit www.unomaha.edu/unmfaw

College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media Calendar of Events — September through December 2007 Art & Art Histor y Art shows held in UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Building, Opening receptions begin at 6:30 p.m.

UNO Art Galler y: A u g . 3 1 - O c t. 1 3 Travis Conrad Erion, Giedre Montvila, and Ann Weiner (painting, drawing, sculpture). Opening Reception Aug. 31 Se p t . 6 Art Fair, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Oct. 19-Nov. 17 Regional Ceramics Exhibition featuring Dean Cox, Conifer Smith, Reagan Yoder and more.

Oct. 19-Nov. 3 Day of the Dead Installation; Opening reception Oct. 19 Nov. 9-Nov. 17 BFA Independent Study Showcase Nov. 30-Jan. 18 Bret Reif (non-traditional media); Opening reception Nov. 30

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

O th e r E v e n ts : Sept 20 Friends of Art Movie Night: “Sketches of Frank Gehry”, 7:30 PM, Dundee Theatre, Benefit FOA Scholarships.

Tickets may be purchased in advance at Dundee Theater or by contacting Shari Hofschire, 554-2402 Sept 27 T h e A r t o f C o ll e c t i n g Prints “The World of Prints Through the Eyes of a Collector.” Lecture by art historian /print collector, Dr. Robert Getscher. 7 PM, UNO Art Gallery.

Se pt . 30 Print sale of fine art prints from the 15th to the 20thcenturies. 1-5 PM, UNO Art Gallery.

Co m m u n ica t io n Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.

Election night coverage on The Knowledge Network (TKN). Length of program subject to change.

M u s ic Music performances held in Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall unless otherwise noted. Call 5542335 for Ecoutez! and Resonate tickets.

S e pt . 8 ARTSaha!: Ballet Mécanique Concert, 8 p.m.

S ep t . 11 ARTSaha!: Iron Composer Competition, 12:00 p.m.8:00 pm S ep t . 11 ARTSaha!: Wind Concert, 8:00 pm S ep t . 14 Ecoutez! Series: ARTSaha!

Guest Artists Joe Drew, Rudolf Kamper & John Klinghammer, 7:30 p.m.

S ep t . 26 Resonate Series: Leonard Garrison, flute, 7:30 p.m.

O c t. 2 5 Ecoutez! Series: CANTUS Mens Choir, 7:30 p.m.

O c t. 3 0 Hauntcert Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra & Chamber Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 30 Resonate Series: Christine Beard, flute, 7:30 p.m.

Se pt . 7- 9 Flu Season, presented by FAUST, WFAB 006

De c . 1 6 Messiah Concert Choir Concert, 3:00 & 7:30 p.m.

O c t. 1 1 - 1 3 , 1 7 - 2 0 Art

Ma st er s & Mu s ic Se r i e s A Series Blending Artistic Imagery and Musical Composition. Sunday evenings at 5 p.m. in the UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Building.

Reception with artists follow lecture/performances.

Contact Shari Hofschire, 554-2402, for tickets.

Oct. 28 Masters and Music: PERFECT UNIONS. Liz Vercruysse, Ceramicist, and Dr. Tomm Roland: Percussionist. 5 pm UNO Art Gallery

Th e a t r e Performances begin 7:30 p.m. in UNO Theatre, Weber Fine Arts Building, unless otherwise noted.

Call UNO Theatre Box Office for tickets, 5542335.

Nov. 15-17, 28-30 & D e c. 1 The Madwoman of Chaillot

Writer’s Workshop Readings start at 7:30 p.m. in the UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Building.

M is s o u r i V a l l e y R e a d i n g Se ri es : Se p t . 5 Essayist Eli Hastings O c t. 3 Poet and Translator Joshua Beckman O c t. 1 0 Poet Joanna Klink O c t. 2 4 Novelist Ann Cummins Nov. 7 Poets James Jay and Zachary Schomburg

Fall 2007 • 39

College of

Business Administration

C B A A l um n i Op e n H ou s e R o sk e n s H a l l Saturday, Sept. 8, 4:30-5:45p.m.

• Guided tours of Roskens Hall!

• Food and beverages!

• Free tickets to Mav football!

Y

ou are invited to stop by and see the exciting changes made to Roskens Hall — state-of-the-art business labs, new study areas, the latest information technology, and more! Stick around for a Mav football game — we’ll be handing out free tickets to see UNO take on national power Northwest Missouri State.

We look forward to seeing you! For more information or to RSVP, call (402) 554-2303 or email mlandholt@mail.unomaha.edu

When quality counts ...

MBA students win investment competition

A

team of UNO MBA students took first p l a c e i n t h e g r a d u a t e fi x e d i n c o m e c o m p e t i ti o n a t t h e R e d e f i n i n g I n v e s t m e n t Strategy Education (RISE) symposium host e d b y th e U n iv e r s it y o f D a y t o n . U N O M B A s t u d e n t s e a r n e d f i r s t p l a c e i n th e f i x e d in c o m e p o r t f o l io c a t e g o r y b a s e d o n t h e r is k ad j us t ed r e t ur n o n a $ 1 m i l l i on f i x ed i n co m e p o r tf o l io th e s tu d e n t s m a n a g e d f o r F i r s t N at iona l Bank .

T h e R IS E s y m p o s i u m i s a n i n t e r n a ti o n a l c o n f e r e n c e a n d c o m p e ti ti o n fo r s t u d e n t m an a ge d i nv es t m en t p or t f ol i os . M o r e t ha n 1 , 7 0 0 s t u d e n ts p a r t ic ip a t e d i n t h e 2 0 0 7 i n t e r n a t io n a l s y m p o s i u m , r e p r e s e n t i n g 2 1 8 co l l eg es a n d un i ve r si t i es f r o m a r ou nd t h e gl o b e .

R e p r e s e n t in g U N O a t t h e c o m p e t i ti o n w e r e M B A s tu d e n t s K a t e C la r k , P a tr i c k Wolfe, Michael Asmus and Evan Va s i l i a d e s .

Dr. David Volkman, professor and chair of t he CB A F i n an c e, B an k i ng an d L a w d ep a r t -

40 • Fall 2007

an update from CBA

m e n t , an d S t ev e F r a nt z , c h i e f i nv e s t m e n t o f f i c e r a t F i r s t N a t i on a l B a n k , a d vi se t h e s t u d e n t te a m . F o r th e 2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8 a c a d e m ic yea r, the amount of money managed by our M B A s t u de n t s w i l l i n c r ea s e t o $2 m i l l i o n .

National test results show CBA students know their stuff

U

NO MBA students placed in the top 5 percent nati onally i n Maj or Field Tests administered by the Educational Testing S e r v ic e ( E T S ) . U N O M B A r e s u l t s w e r e i n th e t op 5 pe r ce n t i n a l l f i v e o f t h e s ub j ec t a r e as t e s t e d i n c l u di n g f i n an c e , m a r k e t i n g , m a n ag e m e nt , s t r at e g i c i n t eg r at i o n a n d a c co u nt ing.

U N O - C B A s e n i o r s g r a d u a t in g w i th b a c h e l o r s c i e n c e o f b u s i n e s s a d m i n i s t r a ti o n ( B S B A ) d e g r e e s p l a c e d in th e t o p 1 5 p e r c e n t n at i o n al l y o v er al l . T h e y p l ac e d i n t h e t o p 5 pe r c en t i n f o u r a r e as : ac c ou n t i n g, f i n an c e , m a r ke t i n g a n d i n t e r na t i o n al i s s ue s i n b u si nes s. “ I t i s g r a t if y i n g f o r b o t h f a c u lt y a n d s t u -

d e n t s t o r e c e i v e t h i s v e r i fi c a t i o n o f t h e s tr e n g th o f o u r p r o g r a m ,” s a y s C B A D e a n Louis Pol . “We are v er y proud of our stude n t s a n d o f t h e se r es u l t s. ” T h e r e s u l t s e n a b l e b u s i n e s s p r o g r a m s to ev a l u at e t h e l e v el o f st u d e nt s ’ u nd e r st a n d ing within a field of study, and to assess th e i r s t u d e n ts ’ k n o w l e d g e u s i n g c o m p a r a tive results from numerous other business schools around the countr y.

The performance of UNO-CBA MBA stud e n t s w e r e c o m p a r e d t o r e s u lt s f r o m g r a d u a t e b u s in e s s s tu d e n t s in 1 0 9 in s t it u t i o n s , i n c lu d in g C le m s o n , t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Nebraska-Lincoln and Xavier.

C B A u n d e r g r a d u a te r e s u l t s w e r e c o m p a r e d w i t h r e s u l t s f r o m 5 5 3 c o l le g e s a n d universit ies, i ncluding Georgia St ate, Te xa s A & M , U N L a n d t h e U n it e d S t a t e s A i r F o r c e Academy.

E T S c o n d u c ts a n u m b e r o f m a j o r c o ll e g e ad m i s s i on a n d a s s e s sm e n t e x a m i na t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g G ra d u a t e R e c o r d E x a m i n a t i o n (GRE) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Maj or Field Tests are us e d by c ol l eg e s a n d un i v e r si t i e s a s a n a ti o n a l b e n c h m a r k f o r t h e i r p r o g r a m s , a c c o r d in g to th e E T S .

UNOALUM

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE ON THE WEB: www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_class_notes 1940 Howard Winholtz, BS, lives in Rochester, Minn., and is retired after working for Rochester Methodist Hospital for 28 years, the last seven as CEO. Winholtz, who studied for two years on UNO’s current campus and two years on its previous campus at 24th and Pratt Streets in north Omaha, also has earned two master’s degrees, both from the University of Minnesota.

1952 Karl Elson Dankof, BS, is a retired colonel with the U.S. Air Force and lives in San Antonio.

He writes that, "I was in the original class of 1942 but did not graduate until 1952 when the Air Force, under a program called Operation Bootstrap, authorized a leave of absence of six months for the purpose of obtaining a degree. Charlie Hoff, the UNO business manager in 1952, and

UNO Flashback File

Class Notes FALL 2007

his family provided my wife, Vera, my infant son and myself an apartment in their home for the six months. During my freshman year I lived in an athletic dormitory affectionately called the ‘Mouse Tower.’ I lettered in basketball and football and recall that in 1938 my freshman team beat the varsity in the annual freshman/varsity football game.

Vera and I have two sons: Steven, an attorney, and Mark, a

Lutheran pastor. Vera is an artist, and along with four other artists in San Antonio operates an art shop near the Riverwalk called The Little Studio Gallery in the La Villita District. I retired from the Air Force in 1973 after 32 years, then from Lockheed in 1985 after tours in Iran and Saudi Arabia working with the Imperial Iranian Air Force and the Saudi Air Force.

My travels over 45 years took me to 67 different countries around

UNO mascot a bum steer?

UNO Sept. 30, 1977 Gateway

C

By John Davis ontrary to the rumors floating around Caniglia Stadium, Victor E. Maverick, the UNO Maverick’s mascot, is not being served on the training table. Nor is he the “new secret ingredient” in Ron Pushcar’s “Maverick Burger.”

“I think that he (Victor) has been put out to pasture this year,” said UNO Sports Information Director Tim Schmad.

Victor, the four-and-a-half-year-old Texas longhorn steer, is spending his days on a farm in Arlington, Nebraska, according to Jim Leslie, director of the Alumni Association. The association has been Victor’s sponsor.

“The Association spent about $500 a year for Victor,” said Leslie. “This included feeding him, getting him shots and his keep.”

Victor’s absence this season is due to a number of things, Leslie said.

“Victor is getting old for a steer, and he is becoming quite ornery in his old age,” Leslie said.

Victor has a horn spread of five and a half feet, complicating the problem, Leslie said.

Victor first appeared on the UNO campus in the fall of 1973, replacing the first Maverick mascot, Sudden Sam. Sam, on campus a year, had to be replaced. “Sam was a couple of years old when we got him, and was just too wild to be around people.

Whenever anyone went into his pen he would charge, that’s where the

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Photo: Victor E. Maverick during his introduction in November 1973 by handlers Marvin Feige, Nick Gassman and Bob Ryan.

name came from,” said Leslie.

Sudden Sam was returned to the Fort Niobrara Wildlife refuge and Victor E. was acquired. Until recently, Victor had been cared for by two handlers, but they too have gone on to greener pastures.

“Victor’s handlers graduated last year and the Alumni Association couldn’t fin anyone qualified to replace them, adding another problem,” Leslie said.

Victor may soon become an inhabitant of the Henry Doorly Zoo, Leslie said. The Alumni Association has considered donating Victor and

zoo officials have expressed an interest in the longhorn.

Leslie said he doubted if Victor would be replaced by the Alumni Association, but the Association might consider turning Victor over toe another campus organization if conditions were right.

“They would have to have someone who was familiar with handling animals,” Leslie said. “A mascot like Victor should be seen more, it should be used in parades and things.”

At least we know where Victor went. Now, about the ingredients in Pushcar’s hamburgers.

Fall 2007 • 41

Class Notes

the world. I am now glad to be home." Send Dankof email at v2ked655@webtv.net

1957 John B. Morse, BS, lives in Omaha and in January marks 50 years as a teacher with stops in the classrooms of Omaha Technical and Benson High Schools, UNO and Metro Community College. He has published widely and received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Tech and Benson Halls of Fame and a Peter Kiewit Foundation Teacher Achievement Award.

1964 Don Bowie, BGE, lives in McMinnville, Ore., and currently is a volunteer at that city’s Evergreen Air Museum, home of Howard Hughes Spruce Goose.

Bowie, who went on to earn an MBA from City University Seattle, retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1982 as a Lt. Col. He served for 26 years. He also spent five years in Saudi Arabia with a defense contractor as an advisor to the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Send him email at d3bow@msn.com 1963 Howard Lee Munshaw, BA, moved back to Nebraska (Papillion) after being away for 39 years. “I retired from The Hartford Insurance Group and my wife Mary and I decided to return home. With three children and six grandchildren in different parts of the country, we’ll keep busy. It is nice to be back.” Send him email at hmunshaw@cox.net 1967 Diane Berr y DeNormandie, BS, lives in Stafford, Va., and is human resource manager for a juvenile detention center. She

42 • Fall 2007

also is president of the Fredericksburg Regional Society of Human Resource Managers.

“Raised three children and excited to be a first time Nana,” she writes. Send her email at dbdenormandie@yahoo.com 1969 Robert L. Vandeven, BGS, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. Since retiring in 1990 as a substitute teacher for Colorado Springs public schools, Vandeven has “been traveling and playing golf most of the time since then.” He previously retired from military service, in 1972. “Best wishes to UNO.” Rudy Smith, BS, was one of five former Mavs inducted into the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Aug. 4. Smith is a longtime photographer for the Omaha World-Herald.

1970 Cu rl ee A lex ander, BS, was one of five former Mavs inducted into the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Aug. 4. A 1988 UNO Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Alexander was a four-time AllAmerican wrestler for UNO (1966-69) and won the 115pound national championship in 1969. He earned an MS from UNO in 1976.

1971 Dr. Max Mal ikow, BS, lives in Syracuse, N.Y., and is a psychology professor at Syracuse University. He has authored three books: “Profiles in Character,” “It’s Not Too Late: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life” and the forthcoming “Suicidal Thoughts; Essays on SelfDetermined Death.” All are with Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Publications. He writes: “I have great memories of playing

football for Coach Al Caniglia!”

Send him email at mmalikow@syr.edu Dennis P. Vase y, BGS, lives in Naples, Fla., and is a supervisor for Collier Soil and Water Conservation District. He recently was appointed as a member of the Collier County Floodplain Management Advisory Committee. Send him email at dennisvasey@embarqmail.com 1972 Dick Davis, MS, was one of five former Mavs inducted into the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Aug. 4. Davis, a former Husker football player, earned his degree from UNO in educational administration.

Bob Herold, BGS, lives in Omaha and is head UNO baseball coach.

In June he was named the Omaha World-Herald’s Midlands college coach of the year.

Herold joined the Mavs as head coach in 2000, leading that team to a 25-25-1 record. This year UNO went 37-24 and made it to its first-ever Division II College World Series, where they won one game. UNO is 255-170-2 in eight seasons under Herold. He was named North Central Conference Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005. Herold was a 1971 NAIA All-American while a player at UNO, later playing seven professional seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization, the Mexican Leagues and in Columbia. He also served as an assistant coach at UNO for

Coaches Virgil Yelkin and Bob Gates. He managed eight seasons in the Royals’ farm system and guided Royals affiliates to league championships. In 1999 he was the hitting coach for the Omaha Golden Spikes, the Royals’ Class AAA Pacific Coast League affiliate. Herold and wife, Sondra, have three children: daughters Haley and Kiley and son Riley. Herold becomes the third UNO coach in the last six years to receive the coach of the year honor. Overall, six UNO coaches have won the award since it was instituted in 1952: Mike Denney (wrestling, 2004), Kevin McKenna (basketball, 2002) Rose Shires (volleyball, 1997), Mary Yori (softball, 1994) and Don Benning (wrestling, 1970).

Richard D. Brown, BS, was named the Nebraska American Legion’s State High School Teacher of the Year. Brown, a member of the Millard South faculty since 1973, teaches advanced placement (AP) social studies and speech communication classes.

The nationally-recognized forensics program he directs has been one of the most successful in the state in Legion-sponsored oratorical competition. In addition, Brown has integrated multiple community resources into his social studies classes that include economics students visiting local firms for a business analysis, civics students

Continued Page 44

UNOALUM

FA L L

Alumna’s estate provides surprise bequest of $130,000

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NO graduate Marguerite Keller never contributed to the UNO Annual Fund. She pledged, mind you — $10 in 2001 — but Keller hadn’t been heard from since.

Until, that is, the summer of 2006 when the executor of her estate called to say that Marguerite Keller had left the UNO Alumni Association an estimated six-figure bequeath.

A 1943 Omaha University graduate, Keller died May 16, 2006, in Omaha. When her estate was settled earlier this spring, it left to UNO a bequest of $130,000, believed to be the largest single unrestricted gift in association history.

“It’s a beautiful gift,” says second cousin Joan Holland.

Keller’s gift — and life — are something of a mystery.

She never married and had no children. Holland, who lives in Williamsville, N.Y., met Keller only “a half dozen times” and has limited knowledge of her cousin’s life. Only a few details are available as gleaned from Holland’s recollections, a scattering of Omaha University yearbook entries and information from Omaha Public Schools, for which Keller taught.

Keller was born Nov. 13, 1921, in Cheyenne Wells, Colo.

Sometime during the Depression, Holland says, Keller moved with her mother to live with Holland’s grandmother in Omaha.

“My mother loved it because they became like sisters,” Holland says.

Keller attended Omaha North High School, graduating from there in June 1939. She then attended Omaha University. The 1940 Tomahawk yearbook shows her as a member of the student orchestra. In 1941 she is pictured as a member of Kappa Mu Lamda, an honorary music fraternity.

The 1943 yearbook of her senior year lists Keller as a biology major and member of Kappa Mu Lamda, the Chem-

Lost Alums - 1962

John E. Donohue Janet Larkin Doud James D. Douglas Joe E. Downs Jeanie Dreier Richard L. Duckwall Gail N. Durham Thomas E. Durham Richard L. Dussinger James J. Dworak Ronald P. Eckmann Ernest W. Ellis James M. Ellis Lee N. Elmer Elizabeth Vacek Evanoff Jeanne C. Evans William Farrell Stephen Farrier Frederick M. Fearon Lachlan M. Field Henry Fischer Sidney Fisher Donald E. Fitzharris Charles J. Flynn Lori Larsen Foderberg Robert G. Forrest Fredric G. Frost Daniel S. Fugit James L. Gaither

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Dale E. Garden Eugene E. Gardener Robert L. Geisel Donald Gillespie Derrell N. Gillingham Clinton H. Gillmore David N Gish James R. Glaze Andrew W. Goldman William C. Grammer Charles W Graves Judith Anderson L. Green Joseph K. Griffith Meryl A. Griffiths Donald B. Grimes Richard T. Gruber David Gueldner Janice B. Hall John Deen Hampton George E. Handley Carol Z. Hansen Owen Hansen Ronald M. Hansen Roy S. Hansen Karen Anne Harding Shirley Hasselquist Robert T. Hayden William F. Hayes Walter L. Hays

Willie M. Haywood Brice O. Headley Russell M. Heller Robert S. Hemstad Kenneth Henderson Joseph J. Herman Gordon C. Hermanson James D. Hill Laveda G. Hill Maurine L. Hill Harry W. Hite Thayer J. Hoff Forrest E. Holdcraft Joseph C. Holden Charles W. Holmes Arthur M. Holtorf Claren B. Hooper George J. Hooper John M House John B. Howse Thomas J. Hudson Gerald E. Hughes Harold E. Hutcheson Norman W Hyman Carroll C. Isaacs Georgia Reeves V. Janssen Ronald J. Jarvis Lynn L. Jefferies Melvin C. Jeffords

2 0 0 7

Pre-med club, Independents, student orchestra and Sigma Pi Phi, an honorary education fraternity.

She also made the dean’s honor roll. Her photo arrived to yearbook editors too late for inclusion in the “Seniors” section and so was included on a later page (pictured here).

After graduating Keller began a teaching career that lasted nearly 40 years.

She first taught Keller in 1943 Tomahawk biology, chemistry and Yearbook physics at Nebraska City High School from 1943 to 1945. After that she taught five years at Omaha’s Underwood High School. From 1951 to 1955 she taught at Omaha’s Central High school. During that span she earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

Keller in 1955 moved to Chicago, where for two years she was involved in research at Billings Hospital. From 1957 to 1959 she taught for Chicago Public Schools.

Another move came in 1961 when Keller taught at Mankato State College in Mankato, Minn., followed by more research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. (1961 to 1964).

Keller’s final teaching stint was from 1966 to 1980 at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa.

“She worked her whole life,” Holland says. “I think she was an intellectual person. She certainly wasn’t an emotive person, but that’s just who she was.”

Help us find these “Lost Alums” from the Class of 1962.

Send news of their whereabouts to sgerding@mail.unomaha.edu

K. Martin Johnson Tracy N. Johnson Bruce D. Johnson Kenneth F. Johnson Lee C. Johnson Bernel Jones Elwin M. Jones Roy Jude Walter A. Jupp Carl W. Kappel Paul A. Kauttu Manfred Kelman John J. Kenney Richard A. Kiel Andrew C. Kirkpatrick Uldis Kirsteins Bernard S. Klebeck Ivon F. Klohe John A. Klose George Kramer Eugene Lail Joe B. Lamb Lowell H. Landre Eual J. Landry Carol L. Lanoue Phillip S. Larkin Edward D. Larsen Albert R. Laue John B. Lavene Mary E. Lawman

Joseph J. Lawrence William A. Lawrence Nunzio Lazzaro Lynn L. Lee Norman B. Leeper Grover H. Lewis George L. Liddle Gabrielle Linge Glen W. Linton Gordon J. Lippman Victor H. Lipsey Warren J. Lodge Francis S. Logan Arthur P. Lombardi Salthiel T. Lovelace Richard H. Lowery Paul J. Lucas Robert C. Ludwig William J. Ludwig John B. Lund Darrell Q. Lundgren Wesley J. Lynes Tallulah Lyons Jack Macfarlane Jaime H. Macinnis Bennie Howard Mann James Markiewicz Wallace S. Marsh John A. Martin Joseph W. Martin

Henry A. Marting Philip E. Mason Vernon K. Maxey William A. McCollum Donald O. McCulloch Wayne E. McDade Thomas A. McDermott Alfred J. McDevitt Frank McDowell David P. McDuffie William H. McGee Francis L. McKeever Mary Belle McKnight Ernest S. McNair Gordon E. McQuain Ernest L. Meeker William L. Meis Alfred L. Merrell Alvin C. Metcalfe Henry G. Miller William L. Ming Reid L. Molleston Howard M. Moore Judith Newman Donald C. Mulvanity Raymond Narushko Glenn E. Nations Amadeo Nazario Elvis J. Nelson Fred E. Nelson

Jack P. Nelson Raymond G. Nelson Jess E. Newland Ronald E. Nickerson Thomas H. Norton James W. Norwood John D. Noss Dorothy R. Novotny Charles L. Nowalk James P. Oconnell Richard Oshea Owen L. Owens Randall L. Parker Charles W. Parker Ava L. Peene Mary C. Pester Bruce W. Petersen Peter B. Petersen Charles W. Petterson William B. Phillips Walter R. Pierce Fremont Piercefield Dean S. Pixley Karen E. Plummer Noreen McNees Pool Wayne C. Porter Pat M. Potalivo Dean G. Potter Gerry J. Potter Elisha T. Powell

Fall 2007 • 43

Class Notes

From Page 42

observing public meetings and volunteering for political campaigns, and AP U.S. history students attending UNO’s annual Missouri Valley History Conference. He was the first Nebraska teacher to be named to USA Today’s All-USA Teaching Team and he has won two awards from the Nebraska State Council for social studies. He also is an adjunct faculty member at UNO and Metropolitan Community College. Send him email at rbrown@mpsomaha.org Joe Soboul, BGS, is retired and lives in Browns Mills, N.J. He is a veteran of 54 years of federal service, serving 25 years with the U.S. Air Force (retiring in 1971) and 29 years as a director of youth programs at various Air Force bases, four of those years at Misawa Air Force Base in Japan. He is part of a group searching for others in the Air Force who also served at Misawa, many of whom consider the base to be “their best Air Force assignment.” A Web site has been established at http://usafssmisawa.com. For more information contact Soubol at jishtar@comcast.net.

Information also is available from Helen Johns Henderson of St. Augustine, Fla., at etaya49@hotmail.com or 904-829-9235.

1973 P hi l W ise, BS, was one of five former Mavs inducted into the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Aug. 4. A 1997 UNO Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Wise was UNO’s leading rusher and scorer in 1969 and 1970.

44 • Fall 2007

Future Alums

Logan Ellis Arquitte, son of Tera (Maeder, ‘04) and Steven (‘05) Arquitte of Papillion, Neb. Rachel England Jones, daughter of Dan and Megan (Wright, ‘06) Jones of Shenandoah, Iowa.

Allison Joelle Prunty, daughter of Veleka (Lindner, ‘03) and Ryan (‘05) Prunty of Omaha.

Send us a picture of your Future Alum via mail or email and and we’ll post it on our website.

Isaac Joseph Vondra, son of Paul and Shannon (Van Emmerik, ‘03) Vondra of Bennington, Neb. James Douglas Lightfoot, son of Cori (Schiemann, ‘02) and Aaron (‘02) Lightfoot of Papillion, Neb.

Sons & Daughters of UNO Alumni

Kerigan Rose Schreck, daughter of Ryan and Michele (Muhlbauer, ‘01) Schreck of Carroll, Iowa, and granddaughter of Richard Muhlbauer (‘74) of Carroll, Iowa.

John Patrick Mosier, son of Lance and Angela (O’Connor, ‘99) Mosier of Omaha.

Keegan Dwayne Randall, son of Jason and Kaylene (Kucera, ‘99) Randall of Kearney, Neb.

Adelle Leighanne Fry, daughter of Greg Fry and Metta Volker-Fry (‘06) of Omaha.

Submit a Future Alum on the Web: www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum

Provide a birth announcement (within 1 year of birth) and we’ll send a T-shirt and certificate, plus publish the good news. Do so online at www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum. Mail announcements to: Future Alums, UNO Alumni Association, 60th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182. FAX info to: (402) 554-3787.

Include address, baby’s name, date of birth, parents’ or grandparents’ names and graduation year(s).

1974 Larr y King, BS was elected to the Board of Directors of the Omaha World-Herald Company. He is executive editor of the Omaha WorldHerald.

King started his WorldHerald career as a reporter in 1975. He progressed through successive news management responsibilities, including assistant metro editor, metro/regional editor and assistant managing editor. He has been executive editor since 1998. A Fonda, Iowa, native, King currently serves as chairman and president of Media of Nebraska, a consortium of all Nebraska news organizations that deals with reporter access, open courts and records and other First Amendment issues.

1976 Patrick A. Turner, MBA, lives in Roanoke, Texas, and is serving his second tour in Iraq as a logistics operations officer. His first tour, in 2005, was in the International Zone on General Casey’s staff. During all of 2007 he will oversee various logistics in Baghdad. He just returned to Baghdad after visiting Afghanistan for 35 days. Send Turner email at LTCTurner@yahoo.com 1977 Ken Anderson, BGS, is an art professor at Peru State College.

His windmill sculpture was selected for “Winds of Life: Windmills Across Nebraska,” a statewide arts and tourism project launched by the Center for Rural Affairs (see www.windsoflife.com).

Anderson, who also has a BFA from UNO (1980), joined Peru State in 1984.

1978 Timothy Cavanaugh, BS, lives in Omaha and notes that he “retired from the Omaha Police Department as a captain in February 2006 after 25-plus years. I am currently the chief deputy Douglas County treasurer and I am the chairman of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Utilities District (since 1999).” Cavanaugh also has an MS in criminal justice/public administration (1988). Send him email at stlcavanaugh@hotmail.com 1981 Frank J. Conigl io, MA, lives in Dubois, Wyo. “I was installed as pastor of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church on June 24, 2007,” he writes. “I am serving the congregation on a part-time basis.

Dubois is on the way to Yellowstone and Grand Teton and is a beautiful community. Stop in and see us if you are ever in the neighborhood.”

UNOALUM

FA L L 1982 Jeff Payne, BSBA, lives in Broken Arrow, Okla., after relocating with ConocoPhillips from Seattle. He “will be working in the Bartlesville corporate headquarters as real estate supervisor. My wife, Debbie, and three children (Erick, 12; Austin, 10; and princess Karlee, 3) are looking forward to their next adventure!” Send him email at jeff.payne@conocophillips.com 1984 A l i c e E l a i n e P r i c e Ma r k u so n , MS, lives in Iowa City, Iowa, and sends writes: “Since 1999 I have served as an educational consultant, professor and director of communications with Presbyterian education institutions in Pakistan. I was awarded an MA from the Dubuque Theological Seminary in 2003. In November I will be in Pasrur, Pakistan, to participate in the dedication of a $330,000 dormitory built by the First Presbyterian Church/Iowa City.”

Email Markuson at emarkuson@gmail.com

Class Notes

1985 B a r b a r a E . J o h n s o n ( S e ll m a n ) Gomez, BGS, lives in Zebulon, N.C., and for more than 12 years has served the state of North Carolina (DHHS/Office of Economic Opportunity) as a program consultant, providing training and technical assistance to Community Action Agencies throughout the state. The position involves the implementation and coordination of a comprehensive training and staff development program for more than 300 case managers and supervisory staff of the nonprofit CAAs who assist low-income individuals and families to move from poverty to self sufficiency.

Gomez also earned a master’s degree from UNO in agency counseling in 1992.

Te ri W i l l i a m s, BS, was one of two Westside Community Schools teachers/UNO graduates to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award as presented by the Phillip and Terri Schrager Foundation. Williams is a teacher at Hillside Elementary School and has worked for Westside

Community Schools for 21 years.

She also has a master’s degree from UNO, earned in 1990).

Williams received $10,000 with the award.

James A. Guretzky, MBA, lives in Omaha. In January he retired as president of SAC Federal Credit Union, a position he held for more than 22 years. He previously served as the senior vice president of finance for the credit union for more than three years.

He is spending his winters in West Palm Beach, Fla., and his summers in Omaha. Send him email at jpguretzky@prodigy.net 1986 Timothy Michael Hanson, BS, lives in Kimball, Neb., and has been appointed sheriff of Kimball County. He assumed office June 29 and has more than three years remaining on his term. “I

2 0 0 7

will run for reelection in 2010,” he writes. “I left the Papillion Police Department after 10 years and having obtained the rank of sergeant. I am also retiring from the United States Marine Corps Reserve on Oct. 1 with the rank of major.” Send Hanson email at PaladinSam26@yahoo.com Gina Samlan d, BSBA,, was named managing director of the Omaha office of Wells Fargo Insurance Services.

1987 Rita Yasson, MA, was one of two Westside Community Schools teachers/UNO graduates to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award as presented by the Phillip and Terri Schrager Foundation. Yasson is a special education teacher at Westside High School. She has worked for Westside Community Schools for 27 years. She received $10,000 with the award.

1992 Marilyn Rotert Koch, MSW, lives in Hayden, Idaho, and is an independent Reliv distributor. She

Submit your class note over the web at www.unoalumni.org

What have you been doing since graduating from UNO? Your fellow alumni would like to know! Give us an update by filling out the form below. We’ll publish the news in a future issue of the UNO Alum and on our website. Send the news to Class Notes Editor, UNO Alum, 67th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182-0010, or Fax to (402) 554-3787.

Name__________________________________________

Employer ___________________________________

Class Year_______Degree________

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Address________________________________________

Career/Personal News__________________________

City ___________________________ State, Zip______________________

Is this a new

q Yes q No address?

Phone_____________________________ E-mail_________________________________________ May we post your email address in the next Alum?

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May we include your name in our website’s email directory (email addresses not shown)?

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_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Fall 2007 • 45

Class Notes writes that she is “66 years old, retired from social work. Started home-based business in Reliv 10 years ago. Their specialty is soybased nutrition products in addition to a safe, effective, Slimplicity Weight Loss Program.

I use my social work skills to help people lose weight, forever, and build retirement income.”

Send her email at mgreliv@roadrunner.com Hadi H. Ta j va r, BS, lives in Charlotte, N.C. 1996 Stacy Daniell e Stephens, MFA, lives in Omaha and is an “unpublished fiction writer.” She notes that she has “written a 60,000-

word World War II novel. People who have read it tell me it’s really good. Anyone who is in a position to consider it for publication and would like to should contact me. Other than that, I am alive and well. What more could I want?” Send her email at msstacy13@yahoo.com

2001 Jonathan Segura, BS, was featured in Omaha’s The Reader publication for having sold his first novel to Simon & Schuster.

Noted The Reader: “Scheduled for publication next summer, the book is described as a noir thriller set in Omaha. A deputy reviews editor at Publishers Weekly, Segura began the book

In Memoriam 1922 Claude L. Johnson 1930 Leah Daubenheyer Moorehead 1935 Robert S. Brown 1940 Judson L. Hansen 1941 Arline Gilcrist Davids 1942 Thomas P. Blinn Clifford C. Covington 1945 Betty Steed Helgesen 1947 Wayne R. Hansen Robert W. Rispler 1948 Sebastian A. Spagnuolo 1949 David R. Flebbe 1950 Dorothy M. Albretsen Swensen 1951 Regina A. Harvey Gilg Lawrence A. Haman 1952 Wallace D. Wright 1953 Willie C. Magness 1954 Ruth Tucker Baker Ralph D. Carey Robert W. Chizum Donald W. Cline Richard W. Schuett 1956 Frances J. Allen Herring 1957 Russell B. Busse Jack W. Peterson James C. Thompson Ronald L. Jenkins 46 • Fall 2007

1958 James C. Costello 1959 Patrick Bowman Neal A. Humiston Ralph P. Leinhaas 1960 Alan C. Brewster Rodney E. Thralls Max D. Polson 1962 James R. Carey Jane E. Gates Beran Harold M. Maness Frank D. Oblinge Jr. George H. Tissaw Leo C. Torgerson Eugene F. Kelly 1963 Robert W. Casey, Sr. Charley C. Johnson Floren B. Nelson Edward E. Phillips Charles E. Wilson Joseph A. Zanghi 1964 Susan M. Bohannon William E. Elliott Lovic V. Maddox Jr. Stanley M. Mamlock Phyllis G. Kennedy Miller Robert L. Engleson Harry M. Nash Roger Whiting John G. Karin III

while pursuing his MFA at Columbia University.” Segura contributes to the PW blog "Notes from the Bookroom." His works can be found by searching under his name.

2002 Lindsay Bousman, MA, lives in Edmonds, Wash., and recently became a research manager with the Partner Insights team at Starbucks in the Support Center in Seattle. She previously was a researcher at Microsoft in the People Research Group. She also is on track to receive her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology in December 2007 from the joint UNO/UNL program. Send her email at lbousman@hotmail.com 1965 Donald C. Arthur Marvin J. Bolling Robert J. Chevalier Jack B. Churchill John T. Clark Jr. Laurence J. Rooney George H. Wilson Larry Hill James R. Arthur 1966 Christian J. Luecke Leonard G. Shepard 1967 Leonard H. Burroughs Richard M. Longsdorf Boyd L. Jividen 1968 Irene M. Arthur Philip A. Goduto Lewis H. Huggins Francis Joseph Sudbeck 1969 Thomas w. Engelke Raymond R. Yocom 1970 Samuel E. Holmes Betty L. Higgins O’Herlihy Roger D. Thompson Terry F. Christy 1971 John T. Clark Felipe B. Ortiz Jeannette E. Smith 1972 Frederick H. Carwile Albert “George” Gay Jack L. Kinn Robert D. Markel Gerald K. Willfong

2003 Eric Hammer, BS, is an assistant director of Olympic Sports Performance at the University of Louisville and works with the its baseball, track and field, women’s rowing and men’s golf teams. He accompanied the UL baseball team to Omaha in June as the Cardinals competed in the College World Series. Louisville went 1-2 in the CWS. Hammer played baseball for UNO and later became a strength and conditioning coach for the Mavs.

1972 Robert E. Wolff 1973 Charles H. “Skip” Hoppe Blair M. Thompson II Jerry R. Wagnon 1974 James D. Black Sally A. Gombieski Franek John W. Stephenson Ronald S. Gochenour 1975 John L. Smith Russell E. Mayhall 1976 James A. Rumgay 1979 James M. Byars Gary W. Smith 1981 Timothy J. Ecabert 1982 Mark R. McCarville Janice K. Titrud Shadbolt 1984 Hal E. Strottman Patrick M. Kucera 1987 Charles H. Odegaard Izen I. Stevenson Ratzlaff 1988 Kathleen “Kathy” Dietz Albertson Terry J. Dierks 1989 Gary D. Harsch Jr. 1990 Vernon A. Peterson 1993 Anne M. Abariotes 1994 Patsy A. Holleson Wademan 1998 Nancy M. Whitman Bossemeyer 2002 Isao Okina

UNOALUM

UNO Century Club he UNO Century Club was inaugurated in 1973 with 44 charter members contributing to the UNO Annual Fund. Today, the Century Club features thousands of members each year.

Membership consists of individuals who support their alma mater with gifts of $100 or more. Gifts support various alumni association programs and services that make for a stronger, more vibrant university. With their UNRESTRICTED gift, Century Club donors receive one of five personalized mementos (pictured at right), special recognition in an annual report and invitations to select events throughout the year.

T

Thanks to these upgraded Century Club donors!

Welcome to these first-time Century Club donors!

(June 1 to July 31)

(June 1 to July 31)

To Gold ($1,000 or more) Burton & Marjorie Petersen

Bronze ($100 or more) Marcia K. Anderson Richard A. Barry Mary F. (Mitzi) Bollinger Charlotte J. Bonner Lt. Col. J.W. Bramblett Kenneth Brown Brig. Gen. Stanford E. Brown USAF (Ret) Paul E. Buckalew Jackson A. Byars Rosemary Chamberlain Richard H. Christie Kirk A. & Tammy M. Coleman James E. Connelly Dr. Hugh P. Cowdin Michael A. Cutchall

To Gold ($500 or more) Patricia S. Eldridge To Silver ($250 or more) Steven L. Andraschko James M. Gould Joseph E. Howland Sharon K. Morgan Col. (Ret) Otto P. Scharth Macaela & Roy Smith Robert Synowicki

Gene Dahlgren Patricia L. Davis Paul Davis Carol Dillon Robert F. Dixon Charles S. Dresher Hector E. Dueno Gary L. & Barbara L. Durbin Karen K. Eckmann Stephen M. Farrell William L. Findley Charles C. Gibson William S. Glickfield Patricia L. Grimaila Jack E. Hallstrom Ronald H. Hancock Russell F. Heins Anne Herman Carolyn M. Hess Col. (Ret) James G. Hill Capt. (Ret.) George W. Horace

2007 UNO Annual Fund Donation Form

I will 1Give- YES! to the UNO

2- Tax-deductible gift information (select one)

q

Check enclosed for $

$50 or more

q

PLEDGE: Bill me for $

$100 or more

q I authorize the UNO Alumni Association to collect

Annual Fund!

q Change Maker q Bronze Century q Silver Century

q Golden Century $500 or more

Michael G. & Judy D. Pelowski Elishia M. Petersen Deborah R.G. Rasby Sarah Robison Deborah J. Schark Dennis A. Schmidt Robert D. Scott R. Jeffrey Simpson Jenny Snell Joseph T. Soboul Kathleen D. Sramek Douglas J. Stock John C. Svagera Richard V. Treakle Amy Lynn Van Horne Ervin Leo Walls Robert M. Wrobel

The UNO Annual Fund: Serving UNO since 1953

3 - Complete Name and Address Name__________________________________________________________________ As you wish it to appear in the Annual Report

in

. month

my gift of $

q

$250 or more

. Payable to UNO Annual Fund.

Robert L. Howell Donald E. Jacobson Richard Jahnke Geralyn K. Jaksich Stephanie A. Jenkins Noreen L. Johnson Richard W. Johnson Russel D. Johnson Christopher J. Kankousky Leon Kresl Amy E. & John M. Lacroix G. Curtis Lansbery Suzanne M. Larkins Bobby R. Lee Roger L. Lewis Jerry L. & Barbara Magner Johnnie B. McCaa Lynn McCormack David T. McKernan Henry J. McNichols John H. McQuiddy Mara L. Orsi Marilyn K. Oxton

Visa

through my:

q

MasterCard

q

City/State/Zip____________________________________________________________

Discover Expiration Date:____/_____ Phone__________________________________________________________________

Card No.:

q Diamond Century

Address________________________________________________________________

-

-

-

E-mail:

$1,000 or more

q Platinum Century $2,500 or more

q Other

$___________

_______________________________________________________________________ Signature

Thank you for being a Change Maker and supporting UNO! Remember, yo ur gift is t ax-ded uctible.

w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

May we post your name in our website’s email directory (email addresses not shown)?

q Yes q No

Fall 2007 • 47

The Thompson Center at UNO

10% room rental discount for UNO Alumni Card holders!

An elegant, versatile event facility, ideally located and open to the public

— Newly remodeled and expanded!

— Rooms for large & small events — Private and shaded park-like grounds — Professional staff on-site — Free parking Catering by Brandeis with full and varied menu and event-planning assistance

• • • •

Weddings & Receptions Beautiful Outdoor Weddings Breakfasts & Brunches Luncheons & Dinners

Ask about Friday night discounts!

Book your next event online —

University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association 6705 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68182-0010

• • • •

Meetings & Seminars Banquets & Conferences State-of-the-art A/V Free high-speed Wi-Fi

67th & Dodge

554-3368

www.thethompsoncenter.org

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #301 OMAHA, NE