UNO Alum - Spring 2005

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

N E B R A S K A

A T

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

Spring 2005

Join the 2nd Annual UNO Alumni Night at the Theater!

Details next page

In Care Of

Association to issue care packages to UNO-affiliated soldiers at war. Page 38

ALUMNI

NIGHT

AT

THE

PRESENTS

THEATER

Much Ado About Nothing

Contents

Spring 2005

College Pages CBA

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2005

6:15 - 7:15 p.m.

Curtain call, Much Ado About Nothing

CPACS IS&T International Studies

Address

Email

City Reserve me Charge my:

State tickets at $15 each. I have enclosed $

q Visa q MasterCard q Discover

Card No.

Fine Arts

20-22

Madagascar TV documentary

Cover Story

Education

23

Metal-Corbin dances to award

38

On the cover: In Care Of

24

Alumni Association seeks to send care packages to UNO-affiliated soldiers currently at war.

24

Mav in Charge Dave Herbster assumes UNO Athletic Directorship.

27

Return Form by April 14, 2005—Tickets must be paid for by cash or check at time of registration. Theater tickets will be distributed at the reception. Registrations can be submitted by completing the form below and submitting with payment (check or credit card) to: UNO Alumni Association, 60th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182.

For more information, call Sheila King at (402) 554-4802 or toll-free at 866-628-2586. She can be reached via e-mail at sking@mail.unomaha.edu.

Phone

18-19

Record international enrollment

Features

******

Name

14-17

Incredible growth at PKI

Join us before the performance for a wine and cheese tasting reception at the Alumni Center.

Director D. Scott Glasser will be on hand to provide backstage insights. After that we’ll head to the nearby Del and Lou Ann Weber Fine Arts Building for the performance. Cost for the evening, including reception, is $15 per person.

To attend, complete the registration form below.

Sign us up for UNO Alumni Night at the Theater April 20!

12-13

BGS breaks the mold

of their lines. They are balanced by the brooding malice of Don John and his plot to wreck the happiness of the young lovers, Claudio and Hero, and the comic ineptitude of Dogberry and his companions.

One of Shakespeare’s best-known romantic comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing” is fastpaced and full of wit, word-play, intrigue and envy. The play incudes Beatrice and Benedick, characters who delight with the thrust and parry

8-11

Poet laureate packs the house

Cover design by Eric Stoakes

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oin fellow grads at the second annual Alumni Night at the Theater for Much Ado About Nothing, staged by the UNO Theater Department and directed by D. Scott Glasser, who is updating the play by setting it in a 1946 family-run South Omaha Italian restaurant.

Arts & Sciences

7:30 p.m.

Wine and Cheese Reception at Alumni Center

7

Help for summer high schoolers

27

Real-World Rookie Professor Robert Woody graduates from police academy training—at age 68.

28

Remote Bounds Ken Flint is living in the past.

28

30

30

In the House Scott Sechser helps the White House run smoothly.

32

Reeducating the Masses Zip

Sherry Brownrigg sounds off on Catholic radio.

Association Departments

for the tickets (Make checks payable to UNO Alumni Association).

Signature: Exp. Date ___/___

Association in Action

36

Future Alums Grads-to-be.

40

Notes 32 Class Who’s up to what?

Names for Name Tags w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

41

Editor: Anthony Flott Contributors: Michael Beard, John Martin Fey, Tim Fitzgerald, Stan Howe and Associates, Tim Kaldahl, Don Kohler, Joe Mixan, Nick Schinker, Shelly Steig, Eric Stoakes, White House Room 1.

Alumni Association Officers: Chairman of the Board, Adrian Minks; Past Chairman, Stephen Bodner; Chairman-elect Mike Kudlacz; Vice Chairmen, Cookie Katskee, Rod Oberle, Kevin Warneke, John Wilson; Secretary, Angelo Passerelli; Treasurer, Dan Koraleski; Legal Counsel, Deb McLarney; President & CEO, Jim Leslie.

Alumni Staff: Jim Leslie, President and CEO; Roxanne Miller, Executive Secretary; Sue Gerding, Diane Osborne, Kathy Johnson, Records/Alumni Cards; Sheila King, Activities Coordinator; Greg Trimm, Alumni Center Manager; Joan Miller, Accountant; Anthony Flott, Editor; 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, W.H. Thompson Alumni Center, (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.

Spring 2005 • 3

Letter from the

D

Chancellor

On Impact

uring the January NU Board of Regents site visit to campus, I shared information on UNO’s economic impact in the metropolitan community. The facts and figures presented demonstrate how seamlessly UNO is woven into the fabric of Omaha and the surrounding region, impacting not only the area’s economy, but its quality of life as well.

Using a modest multiplier of two, UNO salaries, benefits and operating expenses have an economic impact of about $264 million.

By adding student salaries, student loan dollars, research grants and the impact of UNO’s 1,000 international students, the impact grows to $513 million. And, if we calculate the value of unpaid service learning projects and internships, UNO’s total economic impact is about $532 million every year.

Then there’s the impact of UNO’s 32,000 alumni living and working in the metro area, and the thousands more working throughout the state. Less tangible, but still important, are the 2,600 UNO graduates who entered the workforce last year, with 80 percent still working in the metroplex.

Research indicates that ever more graduates will be needed to satisfy demands in Douglas, Sarpy, Pottawattamie and Washington counties in specific fields. For example, during the next decade computer and mathematical occupations will increase 21 percent throughout the region. Of course, there is no better place to prepare students with these skills than at the Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI).

Employment in business and financial operations will increase 17 percent over the next five years; in 10 years, that number rises to 32 percent. Education will need 18 percent more professionals; in a decade, that jumps to 34 percent. And the demand for individuals with social service training will increase 19 percent during the next five years; in 10 years, the four-county area will see an increase of 35 percent.

Consider, too, the more than 300 outreach activities undertaken last year. PKI faculty, for example, are providing consulting support to STRATCOM, helping to develop more adaptive and responsive planning capabilities. The team currently is focused on decision support and data management as part of the first phase of the Strategic War Planning System Modernization project.

UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service conducts a number of community-directed outreach programs that improve lives and impact public policy, directing more than $1 million toward programs in our community. Plus, the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) packaged more than $54 million in small business loans and helped businesses get $46 million in government contracts last year.

For the past 96 years, UNO has had both the responsibility and the privilege to help our community realize its potential. It has been said that, “great cities of the future will be those where great universities reside.” So, Omaha and its university must continue to grow and work together to achieve their desired destinies.

As our community celebrates its 150th anniversary, it’s easy to believe that exciting, prosperous times are ahead. For UNO’s part, we pledge to “be here” fulfilling our mission as Omaha’s metropolitan university for the next 150 years—and beyond!

Until next time,

4 • Spring 2005

Campus SCENE

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald

Champs Again:

The UNO wrestling team claimed its second -straight national championship—and fourth in school history—winning the NCAA Division II title as host of the tournament March 12-12 at the Lee and Helene Sapp Fieldhouse. For more, see story Page 36.

UNOALUM

Letter from the

Editor

Picture (not) perfect

I

t’s not easy admitting a mistake, especially after a year has passed since said mistake was made known.

But it’s time for your Alum editor to ‘fes up.

In the March 2004 Alum our Class Notes section featured a “Flashback File” article documenting Indira Gandhi’s visit to Omaha University April 13, 1962. The article was accompanied by the photo shown here, both coming from a “This Week in Campus History” feature compiled by University Library Archives. A caption identified the persons as Indira and her son, Rajiv, taking in a view of the OU campus.

That prompted an email sent in April 2004 by sharp-eyed alumna Carolyn Weber, who pointed out that the woman pictured in the sari is not Indira Gandhi, but then-OU student Sue Krenzer. Krenzer, Weber wrote, traveled to India on the Experiment in International Living in 1964 or 1965 and later married Nand Hingorani. Krenzer later remarried, Weber adds, and taught French at a Lincoln school. She died in the early 1990s of breast cancer.

Weber most likely is right, but the Alum definitely was wrong. “The photographic negative was mislabeled when it arrived in Archives and I did not question it as I should have,”

College of

Business Administration a red-faced UNO Archivist Les Valentine says.

Valentine adds that Archives also has another photo labeled “Sue Krenzer, Ambassador to India. 1965.” The women in both pictures, he says, look alike.

“If the email from Carolyn Weber is correct, and Sue Krenzer is the woman in the Alum photo,” Valentine says, “the young man in the photo could be her first husband.”

Apologies to our readers.

That said, Indira Gandhi and her son were at OU on April 13, 1962, speaking on “Security through Peace” at the University Nights Series.

Until next issue, Anthony Flott, Editor

The UNO Century Club

Century Club membership today 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.

Welcome to the Club!

Thanks to these upgraded Century Club donors!* To Diamond Cherianne Jacquart Dan Koraleski

To Gold Don & Eileen Darling Maxine S. Haun To Silver Brian & Carla Asmus Mary E. Benecke Col. John M. Chessnoe Thomas A. Colchin Dennis A. Cunningham Jim Czyz

6 • Spring 2005

John H. & Mary M. Dickerson Warren & Carol Francke James P. Gregory Christine M. Jeffrey Christopher J. McVeigh Gloria A. Wallen-Mendez

Welcome and thanks to these first-time Century Club donors!* Diamond Laurie B. Wells

Gold Thomas J. McCormick Pamela Y. Sydnor Victoria A. Wiles

Silver Jean C. Bartman Laurie S. Fulton David A. Lorimor Daniel D. Swanson Bronze Joel & Karen Alexander Bonnie Bailey Vicki L. Beyer Natalie A. Bolin Ltc. (Ret) Lucy C. Bond Roy R. Cunningham Roger W. Dilley Phyllis F. Easton Walter J. Engle Don G. Fite

*From donor rolls Nov. 1 thru Dec. 31, 2004.

Donna R. Forsberg Barbara J. Goodrich Larry & Judy Jacobsen Richard A. Jandrain III Col. (Ret) Douglas A. Jewett John & Betty Kampschnieder Maj. (Ret) Mensvil N. Larson Jacqueline M. Larson James D. Lowry Lubbo Luken Timothy J. Nealon Mary S. Riley Scott C. Schneider Kathleen P. Serghini-Shoultz Alfred R. Smorto Ronald & Brenda Thom Dennis Wychulis

UNOALUM

High school academies to make for busy CBA summer

on’t expect many days off for the College of Business

DAdministration this summer.

Beginning in June CBA and partners in the Omaha community will offer two programs—Latina Summer Academy and the Maverick Summer Entrepreneurship Institute—that offer high school students the opportunity to learn about, and try their hand at, business.

Latina Summer Academy The fourth annual Latina Summer Academy offers entering Latina high school sophomores an opportunity to participate in a residential college experience while showing them that college and professional careers are obtainable and achievable. Students and their chaperons will stay on campus in University Village.

The six-day Academy encourages Latinas to participate in business, science and math classes, and to complete high school and continue to college. The focus of the Academy is on applications of math, science and technology to practical business problems. Research shows that many girls in their early teens tend to lose interest in science and math. CBA faculty and administrators encourage young Latinas to realize the value of these knowledge areas.

CBA will collaborate with the AIM Institute and Omaha’s Chicano Awareness Center. The AIM Institute will sponsor a technology project whereby participants will plan, film, edit, produce and premier a digital video of their experience.

The Chicano Awareness Center will guide experiences outside the classroom to help Latinas recognize their own success potential. Activities will introduce teamwork skills, personal development and career information/planning. Ongoing interaction with peers, adult role models and guest speakers are designed to enhance participants’ self-awareness, self-esteem and self-confidence.

The Latina Summer Academy kicks off and concludes with evening receptions for parents, students and teachers. Local foundations and businesses help sponsor the Academy and defray its costs.

For more information contact Chicano Awareness Center Executive Director Rebecca Valdez at (402) 7332720 or rvaldez@cacinc.org.

Maverick Summer Entrepreneurship Institute CBA in June also debuts its Maverick Summer Entrepreneurship Institute, an innovative program for entrepreneurial-minded minority students entering their senior years within Omaha Public Schools. Funded by corporate partners with leadership from First National w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Bank of Omaha, the seven-week Institute begins June 13 under the direction of CBA management Professor Anne York.

“We hope to attract enterprising, creative students who may not fit into more traditional programs,” says York, who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship.

“Many of these students come from families who own small businesses. Or, the students themselves sold roses for the prom or had lemonade stands when they were younger. They already know they are interested in business.”

Students will be introduced to concepts and skills need-

Participants in the 2004 Latina Summer Academy.

ed to run a business during the program’s first week. They then will apply their skills as paid interns ($8/hr.), working full time for six weeks on projects at local small businesses or not-for-profit organizations. Students will form teams to learn firsthand the value of working together toward a business goal and will keep journals detailing their internship experiences and any questions that arise.

UNO faculty will supervise the projects and meet with teams twice each week to monitor progress, facilitate discussion and assist as needed. Also meeting with students will be guest speakers from an array of Omaha-area businesses, along with supervisors and owners of organizations where students are working on projects.

Teams will conclude the program by presenting recommendations to their client organizations via written and oral presentations. Insights and lessons learned from their experiences will be included in the project reports.

Students receive three “Introduction to Business” credit hours at UNO upon successful completion of the program.

For more information, or to offer an internship project for a student team, contact York by phone (554-3986) or email (anneyork@mail.unomaha.edu), or visit http://cba.unomaha.edu/mei Spring 2005 • 7

College of

Arts & Sciences

U.S. Poet Laureate Kooser plays to packed house

t’s not every day that Eppley Auditorium is filled beyond capacity. But it’s not every day, either, that the U.S. poet laureate shows up on campus.

Nebraskan Ted Kooser, named U.S. poet laureate last August by the Library of Congress, visited UNO in October, the English department co-sponsoring the visit with the Writer’s Workshop and University Library. The Omaha World-Herald estimated an attendance of 375 people in the 275-seat Eppley Auditorium.

“Such an overflow crowd testifies to both the hunger for and the appreciation of poetry here in the Heartland,” said Michael Skau, chair of the English department.

“Kooser’s image-wealthy poems on common subjects offer vibrant proof that art depends not on location, but on imagination: like an alchemist, the poet tries to transmute the lead of everyday life into the gold of sheer wonder.”

Kooser, 65, is a retired insurance executive and University of Nebraska-Lincoln English professor who has written 10 books of poetry.

His latest book, “Delights & Shadows” was published this year. His 2000 collection, “Winter Morning Walks: One Hundred Postcards to Jim Harrison,” won the 2001 Nebraska Book Award for Poetry. A book of his essays published in 2002, “Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps” won the Nebraska Book Award for Nonfiction in 2003. Friends of American Writers also named “Local Wonders” Best Book Written by a

I

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Photography (c) 2004

Ted Kooser: “His verse reaches beyond his native region to touch on universal themes in accessible ways,” says Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

Midwestern Writer for 2002, and it won the Gold Award for Autobiography in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards.

“Ted Kooser is a major poetic voice for rural and small town America and the first poet laureate chosen from the Great Plains,” Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in a press release about Kooser’s poet laureate appointment. “His verse reaches beyond his native region to touch on universal themes in accessible ways.”

Lecture series, scholarship established in honor of mother, student Pearl Blizek NO Professor Bill Blizek has inaugurated the Pearl Blizek/Women’s Studies Lecture in his mother’s honor.

Pearl Blizek was a strong woman— independent, courageous and kindhearted.

At 17, she realized a new stepfather meant that her home no longer was safe for her and her younger sister, Ruby. So she packed up their clothes, caught the train in Fremont, Neb., and moved to Chicago, where they moved in with their older brother, Sam, until they could strike out on

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8 • Spring 2005

their own.

In her early 20s, Pearl asked her boyfriend, Edwin, to marry her. Though Pearl had a job, Ed was not able to find work because of the Depression. So she supported the family until Ed could find work.

For most of her life, Pearl Blizek was what we would call a stay-at-home mom. But she also worked as a deacon in her church and regularly made contributions to the lives of her friends and fellow congregates. During this period she also cared for her sister, Ruby, until her death of cancer. Even in her 80s, Pearl reached out to others, teaching English to recent immigrants through a program supported by her church.

Pearl died of cancer in December 2001 at the age of 90.

Dr. Frances Fox Piven will

present the inaugural lecture Friday, April 1, at noon in the W.H. Thompson Alumni Center.

She is a distinguished professor of political science and sociology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.

Fred Ludwig oreign Languages recently established the Fred Ludwig German Memorial Scholarship.

According to Professor Tony Jung, “Fred Ludwig was a nontraditional student who not only brought his enthusiasm for learning

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into the classroom, but also enriched the lives of students and faculty with his thoughtful questions, valuable insights, experience as a musician and great sense of humor.

“After completing a career, he pursued a baccalaureate degree in German. I shall always remember our many conversations after class. Whenever I saw him coming for a visit, I knew that we would have a mutually stimulating conversation about an aspect of literature or culture that had caught his fancy. Now we could explore it together!”

The Fred Ludwig scholarship will offer support to students who want to study abroad in Germany or Austria. Fred was the husband of Anne Ludwig, assistant director of UNO’s International Programs. He died in December 2000.

UNOALUM

M at h de par tm ent p ack ing p un ch w ith P O W he UNO mathematics department’s Problem of the

TWeek (POW) contests continue to expand while chal-

April during Math Awareness Month at UNO. Students who have participated in the online contest are invited to compete for individual and team prizes. The online contest has had more than 130 students from area high schools submit at least one correct solution so far in 2004-2005.

A recent high school POW problem: In a 10-mile race First beats Second by 2 miles and First beats Third by 4 miles. If the runners maintain constant speeds throughout the race, by how many miles does Second beat Third?

POW problems and solutions, including solutions to those given above, can be viewed at the math department website, www.unomaha.edu/wwwmath.

lenging more and more area high school and UNO students.

Each week the department offers problem-solving contests on its website, www.unomaha.edu/wwwmath.

The college POW is designed for UNO students and has two divisions—Rockies and Himalayas—with varying degrees of difficulty. Problems also are posted weekly on the mathematics bulletin board in Durham Science Center. Prizes are awarded at the end of each semester to students submitting the most correct solutions.

The Rockies problems are designed for any UNO mathematics student. The Himalayas generally are more difficult problems designed for upperclassmen and graduate students. In each case, problems “Time is short, and we do not have much typically are not ones that students time and it is time we stop mincing words. . would see in regular mathematics . . No oppressed people ever gained their liberation until they were ready to fight.” courses.

James Forman Recent examples of POW problems include: choes of the civil rights movement of the Rockies: Show that x(x+1)(x+2)(x+3) 1960s rang from the lectern at the fourth + 1 is a perfect square. annual Malcolm X Festival hosted by UNO’s black studies department in February.

Himalayas: A dart, thrown at ranVeteran activists and scholars gathered dom, hits a square target. Assuming on the UNO campus to explore the impact of that any two parts of the target of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating equal area are equally likely to be hit, Committee (SNCC) upon civil rights and find the probability that the point hit is America. On Jan. 11, nationally known SNCC leader James Forman, who inspired nearer to the center than to any edge. thousands of young people in the 1960s, Express your answer in the form died of colon cancer at the age of 76. where a, b, c and d are “Having an opportunity to hear about the integers. civil rights movement and SNCC directly Several instructors in the mathematfrom people who participated is vitally important,” said Robert Chrisman, chair of ics department share the responsibility UNO’s black studies department. “The death of submitting and grading the probof Jim Forman underscores why we need to lems. In a recent week, more than 40 take the time to listen and learn.” students submitted correct solutions to Clayborne Carson, curator of the Martin the UNO POW Rockies Division prob- Luther King Papers, professor of history at Stanford, and the author of “In Struggle: lem.

SNCC and the Black Awakening of the The high school POW is adminis1960s,” gave the keynote lecture. Carson tered by a group of three undergradualso authored “Malcolm X: The FBI File” ate mathematics students with the and served as senior advisor for “Eyes on assistance of a mathematics faculty the Prize,” the award-wining PBS series on the civil rights movement. advisor. The three students select, post Other presenters: and grade 10 problems each semester • Cleveland Sellers, SNCC organizer, surin an online contest, which is accessivivor of the Orangeburg Massacre of 1968, ble to all area high school students. and now a professor at the University of Prizes are awarded at the end of the South Carolina; • Joseph White, an expert on issues of school year to students submitting the black masculinity; most correct solutions.

• Arthur Himmelman, a community develThe online contest culminates in an opment specialist and former activist for on-site problem-solving contest in

Malcolm X Festival explores impact of SNCC

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

Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Keynote lecturer Clayborne Carson.

Students for a Democratic Society; • American Muslim scholar Umar Faruq Abd-Allah; • Michael Thelwell, a former field secretary for SNCC, distinguished novelist and professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

A product of the 1960s, nationally and internationally known poet Jayne Cortez read from her works. Cortez is known for powerful surrealist expressions that reflect the idioms of jazz, blues and internationally black music of the Diaspora. Cortez’s awards include the Langston Hughes Award for excellence in the arts and letters, the American Book Award and the International African Festival Award. She is president and co-founder of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa.

Also performing at the festival was Awele Makeba. She performed “Rage Is Not A 1Day Thing, The Untaught History of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Makeba, a nationally acclaimed performer, uses drama, oral history and music to explore the contributions of three individuals who worked to end legal segregation.

Spring 2005 • 9

College of

Arts & Sciences

Launching adventure (and romance) on the Third Rock s a child, did you stare into the exotic faces on the covers of National Geographic? Were you excitedly transported to cultures and scenery beyond imagin-

A

motivated students. The focus is on excellent course material and student interactions backed up by knowledgeable and helpful professors who sincerely want to see their students succeed.”

Bob recalls the value of courses he took with Dr. Karen Falconer Al-Hindi—history and philosophy of geography—writing that, “Students who have a good grasp on human-geographic interface obviously will have a more holistic view when given the opportunity to solve a geospatial problem, whether the issue is dealing with a purely physical, analytical solution or one relating to a social-economic dilemma.”

ing?

Perhaps, when we are young, there is a little geographer in us all. For those who grow up and retain their fascination for the study of people, places and environments, the adventure becomes real.

“Human geographers,” notes the American Association of Geographers (www.aag.com), “work in the fields of urban and regional planning, transportation, marketing, real estate, tourism and international business. Physical geographers study patterns of climates, landforms, vegetation, soils and water. They forecast the weather, manage land and water resources, and analyze and plan for forests, rangelands and wetlands. They are active in the study of global warming, desertification, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, groundwater pollution and flooding.

Sounds a bit like a list of graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences geography program. Encompassing five areas of study, the program boasts numerous successful graduates involved in a variety of adventures.

The list includes Bob and Miriam Ubbelohde, who added romance to their adventure while meeting as UNO students in a Computer Mapping and Data Analysis class. Bob took Photo courtesy Bob and Miriam Ubbelohde. graduate courses at UNO from The Ubbelohdes and daughters Jessica (left, age 3) and Emily (6).

1996 to 1999. Miriam was on Professors and courses impacting lives campus much of the same time, graduating with honors Course subjects in geography run the full range from and a BS in geography in 2001. They were married in the very human to the highly technical. Bob describes May 1998.

Environmental Remote Sensing with Dr. Michael Bishop Today, both work for the National Geospatialas “a challenging and comprehensive class focusing on Intelligence Agency (NGA) in St. Louis. Bob describes the exciting world of the electromagnetic spectrum outthe NGA as a national intelligence and combat support side our visible range.” agency whose mission is to provide timely, relevant and Other professors and courses the Ubbelohdes say accurate geospatial intelligence in the support of national made an impact on their lives and careers: security.

• Dr. Charles Gildersleeve who teaches, among other But the Ubbelohdes credit UNO’s geography program courses, Cultural Geography and Human Geography. for opening their minds to the world, as well as for openWell known for his lively sense of humor and passion for ing a door to exciting careers. Miriam writes that the prohis field and his students, Gildersleeve recently was hongram “consists of a family of brilliant professors and 10 • Spring 2005

UNOALUM

ored with the 2004 Del and Lou Ann Weber award of excellence, marking his 40 years of service to the university and the community.

• Dr. Jeffrey Peake: Introduction to Earth and Environmental Science and Advanced Climatology. Bob describes the latter as “a technical course, providing the student an indepth look and an opportunity to better understand the interplay between the earth and her atmosphere, necessary information for anyone interested in better understanding issues ranging from biomass to evapotranspiration.”

• Dr. Michael Peterson: Introduction to Cartography. “Dr. Peterson provided an environment to explore and discuss the direction in which Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping software and principals were taking us,” Bob says. “At the time I was Photo courtesy Michael Schonlau taking Dr. Peterson’s course (1997) Michael Schonlau amid the Rocky Mountains. He is GIS Director for Pottawattamie County, Iowa.

GIS software was just beginning to a foundation for further study. Such is the case with stubreak into the mainstream market.” dent Mark Finn, who is scheduled to graduate this May with a BS in geography and a certificate in Geographic Marriage of geography, technology Information Processing. He hopes to continue his studies It is the relatively young marriage of geography and at Pennsylvania State. “They have one of the best GIS technology that is found attractive by many other stuprograms in the country and are currently doing research dents, including Teresa Silence, vice president of Applied in Geocollaborative Crisis Management, which is the Data Consultants, Inc. (ADC). There she oversees operadevelopment of GIS systems to be used by groups of tions for the Omaha office of ADC, “a firm that provides people to coordinate and plan in crisis situations,” he a full range of services in the area of GIS.” says.

“Often times students will have that one class that Finn plans to earn a doctorate in geography and evenchanges their entire perspective. For me that was tually work in the field of risk management. “The major Introduction to GIS taught by Dr. Peterson,” Silence combines my love of computers, exploring the world and writes. “Because of it, I did my master’s in geography and solving problems,” he says. “The professors in the geognow do GIS for a living.” raphy department at UNO have had a great impact on It’s a similar tale for Michael Schonlau, who graduated my life. Not only have they helped me learn about geogwith honors in 1999 with a BS in geography. “The UNO raphy and the world, they have fueled my desire to learn geography program provided me with a unique opportumore.” nity to convert a lifelong passion of mine, maps, into an Dr. Rex Cammack’s desire to learn more carried him exciting and rewarding career,” he says. from undergraduate student in the geography program at Schonlau today is GIS Director for Pottawattamie UNO to his post as associate professor of geography at County, Iowa. “My work includes integrating spatial data Southwest Missouri State University, where he specializes (maps) and applications within the county’s existing in Geospatial Sciences. Cammack mentions, in particuoperations to improve productivity and efficiency; prolar, his appreciation of Peterson, Gildersleeve and Peake viding the public with better access to information in for encouraging and preparing him to attend “one of the person and over the web via digital mapping; and assistbest geography graduate programs in the country,” the ing other county departments in problem solving through University of South Carolina. the use of GIS technologies.”

It’s an adventure, though, that began at UNO. For some geography students, UNO’s program provides w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Spring 2005 • 11

Division of

Continuing Studies

BGS degree makes a difference in lives heir circumstances vary as widely as their ages and personal interests. Some have a few credit hours to go; others, a few years. Some left college because they chose to relocate. Some have careers in the military, and the choice to move was made for them. Some went to work; others are still looking to begin their careers.

No matter what carried these students off the path toward their college degrees, the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree program at UNO is leading them back.

“We offer the opportunity for a second chance with the BGS degree, which is not available at any other campus in the University of Nebraska system,” says Kathy Menke, assistant dean in UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS).

One of the nation’s oldest baccalaureate degree programs designed specifically for adults, the BGS degree is held by more than 22,000 UNO graduates.

The program draws more than 1,000 students each semester to UNO’s main campus and to more than 50 weekend and evening classes at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. UNO in partnership with the U.S. Air Force has offered classes at the base since 1950.

Participants and administrators say the program affords students unique flexibility, accepting transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions. It also provides for credit by examination and college-equivalent credit for various professional training programs approved by the American Council of Education (ACE). Students may complete a BGS area of concentration in 42 fields of study.

Equally important, it is a quality program, Menke says.

“Our students take the same classes as those enrolled in other colleges and programs,” she says. “This is no shortened, watered-down version of a bachelor’s degree.

It is a quality degree, and our students work very hard to obtain it.”

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Continuing Studies staff includes (seated, from left), Karen Garver, Kathy Menke, Melba Acheson. Standing, Cheryl Conn, Melanie Freed, April Paschall, David Cassiday, Heather Prokopf, Vivian Onken-Polson.

12 • Spring 2005

Following in good footsteps randon Holloron didn’t realize whose footsteps he was

The former College of Continuing Studies merged with CPACS in 2003, becoming a division. “Because service to the community is the link, the merger made a lot of sense,” she says. “We meet a serious need in the community.” Census data, Menke says, indicate that more than 100,000 people in eastern Nebraska have some college credits but not enough for graduation. “The BGS degree is the perfect answer for them.”

Enrollment in the BGS program is open to students 21 or older. It takes commitment and dedication for older students to make time in their often-busy work and personal schedules to attend classes and to study.

“These are people who define the term ‘non-traditional student’,” Menke says. “They bring with them life experiences that serve to enrich not only their studies, but also those of the students around them. They’ve been in the real world. They’ve worked hard at their jobs or to build careers. They just don’t have the college degree to show for it.”

Nearly all students in the BGS program bring some transfer credits with them. Some attended UNO in the past; others a variety of colleges and universities around the nation and the world.

The BGS program gives them a home, one where the door is open to leave and return at any time without changing their degree requirements.

“It doesn’t require a continuous commitment,” Menke says. “Many people, because of their lives or the requirements of their jobs or military service, can’t make a commitment if they know they could be forced to leave prior to completion.

“The BGS program works well for them because they can stop anytime and later return, and the requirements won’t change. If they are in the military and have to transfer out of the area, we can help them complete their degree elsewhere. They can even take their college courses elsewhere to fulfill our requirements and still obtain their degree from UNO.” Graduates who participated in a survey say the BGS degree helped them when they sought new jobs and promotions. Forty-one percent say they applied to graduate school—and 94 percent were accepted. In the last decade, nearly 200 BGS degree holders have earned master’s degrees at UNO. Designated one of UNO’s top priority academic programs, the BGS degree provides value to students, graduates and the community, Menke says.

“The BGS program is an important facet of the university’s commitment to responding to the growing needs of the community, and its effort to expand educational opportunities,” she says. “It has and will continue to make a difference in people’s lives.”

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Bfollowing in when he enrolled in the Bachelor of

General Studies degree program at UNO. Among the prominent UNO alumni to have earned a BGS degree are U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel, Lt. Gen. Russell Davis, former chief of the National Guard Bureau, Leonard DeBarros, senior vice president of Motorola Corp., and Michael McLarney, president and CEO of United Way of the Midlands.

But for Holloron, one name was a real surprise: retired Army Maj. James E. Miller III—his grandfather.

“It’s really a coincidence,” says Holloron, who also is in the Army and who will graduate in May. “He always told me how important it was to get a college degree, but I had no idea until after I enrolled here that it was the same school where he got his degree.”

Miller earned his BGS degree in December 1971. He attended UNO for two years as part of the Bootstrap program for military. Now a resident of Huson, Mont., Miller says the degree made a positive difference in his life and his military career.

“I believe young people should be educated,” Miller

BGS helps student break with tradition heryl McKim talks about gene sequencing and plant parasites and evolutionary lineage in a language so fluently scientific that a listener has to take notes to keep up. But when McKim talks about her commitment to education, she really speaks volumes.

“It’s huge,” she says. “I actually had a job where I was making far more money than I will as a P.A. (physician’s assistant), but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.

“To do what I want requires hard work and a bachelor’s degree.”

McKim already has shown her commitment to education, attending Metropolitan Community College for six years and obtaining associate’s degrees in arts and science while earning a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average.

That she is no stranger to hard work—or breaking with tra-

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dition—is evident in her job history. She started as a clerk at Kwik Shop in the mid-1980s, working the graveyard shift. At age 18 she became the youngest store manager the company ever had promoted.

“I remember they had to put me in charge of a store that didn’t sell liquor, because of my age,” she says.

As a single mother, she cared for a daughter who suffered from a chronic illness. But she continued to persevere, making her own opportunities when necessary.

She went on to work as a buyer for a grocery chain, for a food producer and at a marketing firm, where she rose to become head of the company’s Nebraska division.

She also has shown a commitment to the community, volunteering in the emergency room at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and teaching

says. “It’s a requirement for life.”

Holloron says his grandfather played a significant role when he was young, serving as a primary caregiver for the first half of his life. “He always said that there was a whole ‘nother world out there for those who earned a college degree,” Holloron says. “Even when I was young, with him it was never a question of whether or not I would go to college.

The question was where.”

Even that has proved a difficult question to answer for Holloron, whose own military career has taken him to five other universities on his way to UNO. “I’ve been here for a year and a half,” he says. “That’s the longest I’ve lived any one place since I was 17.”

His principle field of study is sociology, with minors in psychology and military science. Holloron, to be commissioned a second lieutenant the week of his graduation, is looking forward to duty as a medical service officer, eventually, he hopes, in Europe.

He has taken classes on campus and at Offutt Air Force Base, which has partnered with UNO to offer educational opportunities since 1950.

When he accepts his degree at the graduation ceremony, Holloron won’t be celebrating alone—his grandfather plans to be in the audience, cheering him on. basic and refresher computer skills in the Psychiatric Day Hospital Program at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center.

When she graduates with her BGS degree in December, she plans to return to school to become a physician’s assistant.

“I want to specialize in epidemiology,” she says, referring to the branch of medicine that investigates epidemics and disease. “I’m also very interested in transplant surgery.”

In nominating her for the 2005 Vice Chancellor’s Award, CPACS Dean B.J. Reed wrote of McKim’s “amazing achievement.”

“Sheryl is conscientious and organized about her program,” Reed says. “She is eager to

learn, eager to move to the next level, eager to challenge herself.”

McKim is grateful for the BGS program at UNO. “It’s a very strong degree, yet it offers a lot of flexibility for older students,” she says. “It has taken a lot of work, but I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t know it was right for me.”

And for more than 22,000 other alumni who obtained their BGS degrees at UNO. Spring 2005 • 13

College of

Information Science and Technology

IS&T: Great ideas, great students, great college

Software Design, Development Focus of One Innovation Place

reat ideas and great students need the proper environ-

Gment in order to take root and grow. Since 1996, the

College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) has proved a fertile ground for both.

With a goal that no student will go unassisted or unchallenged, enrollment in the college has grown from 124 students to more than 1,200.

Situated within the impressive facility that houses the Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI) of Information Science, Technology and Engineering, the college has an awardwinning faculty and administrative staff, as well as lab and classroom space rivaling that of any university campus, including Stanford and MIT. “We have a nationally-recognized faculty to deliver a curriculum that ranks with the best IT schools,” says David W. Hinton, dean of the college. “We constantly review and update our courses in our effort to meet—and stay ahead of—today’s rapid changes in technology.”

Local and national businesses and organizations, often referred by UNO alumni, link with IS&T students for coursework and product development. The end result has led in many cases to offers of employment upon graduation.

Additionally, dramatic advances have been made in external funding through grants and contracts. Faculty members are providing technical assistance through the recently-established PKI Technology Development Corp.

Across the campus and throughout the community, IS&T students continue to impress: • Of the 86 undergraduate degree recipients in May 2004, more than 39 percent graduated with honors; • Trevor Clark, a Management Information Systems major, earned the 2004 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership; • Five students—Courtney Burger, James Smith, Jijesh Vayelil, Cuong Nguyen and Megan Sigmon—were awarded a bronze President’s Volunteer Service Award for their work with the Omaha Coalition for the Homeless, writing training documentation for the OASIS system and conducting administrative training sessions;

• Andrew Gacek, computer science major, received the 2004 Vice Chancellor’s Award as the Outstanding Student at UNO; • Piyush Shah, information systems major, and faculty member Donna Duffner were recognized by Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey for Shah’s work designing an Internet feature for the Mayor’s telephone Hotline; • For the recent fall term, 202 students made the dean’s honor list, including 48 with perfect 4.00 grades. In addition, 22 freshmen were honored at the UNO Honors Program First Year Member reception.

“The work ethic, determination and enthusiasm of our students challenge us to do better,” Hinton says. “Each semester, the number of our graduates continues to grow, as do their accomplishments.”

Challenging courses. Dynamic faculty. A valuable resource for business and the community. UNO’s College of Information Science and Technology is a leader when others struggle to keep pace.

College of IS&T Timeline 1996—College of Information Science and Technology established, combining three existing units: Computer Science, Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis, and the Center for Management of Information Technology. Michael Mulder named founding dean.

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered in computer science and management information systems.

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1997—“Virtual” groundbreaking held for Peter Kiewit Institute, the 192,000-square-foot facility to house the college. Ceremony linked by satellite to Scottsbluff, Neb., to emphasize the institute’s statewide mission.

1999—PKI facility opens on UNO’s South Campus at site of former Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack.

2000—Scott Hall opens with

tudents eager to design and develop remarkable software hav ea home at the College of IS&T, and their address is One Innovation Place.

Founded two years ago, One Innovation Place (One IP) recruits and employs the talents of the best and brightest students and puts them to work as consultants for some of the area’s largest and most prestigious companies, including Gallup.

Once on board, students at One IP are tasked with researching, designing and prototyping new software products in a variety of challenging fields—from robotics and medicine to Internet search engines and food service. One project, for instance, led to a software program that allows persons who hope to become candidates for a liver transplant to rate themselves according to various decision criteria, thus allowing them to identify areas they need to concentrate on to better their opportunities.

Dr. Gerald R. Wagner (pictured below), a distinguished research fellow within the Peter Kiewit Institute, guides the program. One IP, explains Wagner, is the evolution of two earlier programs that had related goals.

“The concept for One IP began with the VIA Design Group, a student multimedia and design center that emphasized Macromedia Flash MX, a development platform for animations and the ability electronically to put user interaction into motion,” Wagner says.

The second program was New Generation Consulting, a student-run information technology consulting firm that recruited great students with great ideas to solve problems and consult in IT aspects ranging from networks to security.

“We determined we did not want to be in generic IT consulting. Also, we did not want to be pigeonholed in either Flash MX or multimedia,” Wagner says. “We wanted to take the themes we had been successful with and expand them. One Innovation Place is the result, a place for innovation in new software product research, design and development.”

One IP is a people-oriented program that requires a particular skill set, Wagner says.

Students are recruited from a variety of study areas, including information systems, computer science, studio arts, geography and graphic design. They must be smart, driven,

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housing for 160 scholarship students.

2002—First Scott Technology Transfer and Incubator Center opens.

2003—Scott Village opens with housing for 480 chiefly technology and engineering majors; Ph.D. in information technology added; student-run One Innovation Place begins; Start of International Academy for Advanced Decision

Support, a research center to create tools and technologies for new generation of decision support systems; National Security Agency recognition as Center of Academic Excellence in Internet Technologies.

2004—IS&T develops undergrad degree in bioinformatics, the use of computers and information science to study genetic information and biological structures and functions.

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team players with positive attitudes and pride in their work.

“If people are not overachievers, they don’t last around here,” Wagner says. “We are looking for students who are somewhat rare, as evidenced by the fact we have wonderful projects waiting for the right students to work on them.”

It is not an internship program, Wagner emphasizes. “We are a resource for companies in need of new software products and for students who are destined to become entrepreneurs.”

Once a project is selected, students often are paired into two teams. Each team meets with the client then competes independently to produce the best software product. Teams present their product and the client decides which is the best solution, or if a combination of the two is best. Depending on the client, students receive a stipend similar to what an intern would earn.

“It’s a wonderful model for students,” Wagner says. Although some software becomes intellectual property that could be sold, Wagner adds, “This program is designed not as a moneymaker but as a learning experience for students.”

An effort is underway to recruit incoming freshman so as to keep them involved in One IP for as long as possible. “It’s fun, intellectual, challenging and original,” Wagner says.

“What bright student wouldn’t want to take advantage of such an opportunity?”

Eric Goeken “Phenomenal” is how Eric Goeken describes the opportunities available at One IP. “Not only is One IP a cutting-edge idea,” Goeken says, “that’s also a great way to describe the projects we’re working on.”

The third-year computer science major from Omaha has been at One IP for a year. His initial project called for the creation of a video business plan player for use in presentations.

“It had the ability to jump to key parts of the demonstration. It was a network application, which allowed several people to watch it and communicate simultaneously, and they could log their comments for anyone who watched the video later.”

Goeken says One IP provides something

traditional instruction can lack.

“I think it really completes the education process. You can learn methods, formulas and practices in a classroom, but this goes the next step and applies it to real life. We’re breaking new ground every day.”

Anna Klotz Anna Klotz’s first project at One IP called for the replacement of an existing Microsoft PowerPoint slide show to fit the needs of a unique client—UNO Maverick Head Volleyball Coach Rose Shires.

“She wanted to use it as a sales tool to recruit players, but needed several features to be added to allow for an interactive experience for the athletes,” says Klotz, a senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

But One IP is about more than software development. “This experience has given me a foot in the door with so many prospective employers,” says Klotz, who will graduate in August. “It’s given me a greater eye toward the real world, a deeper knowledge that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

It’s a place for students and faculty to generate and exchange ideas as peers and as friends, she says. “It’s a family-type environment full of innovative thinkers. It’s not only an awesome work experience, but it gives you a place to be on campus that really feels like a home.”

Volkhard Korth Volkhard Korth, an MBA student from Braunschweig, Germany, served as the first student director of One IP. “What I like the most about One IP is the entrepreneurial aspect. It’s something you can’t find anywhere else.”

Prior to coming to UNO, Korth launched his own student consulting company at a university in Germany.

“As a student, they may see what we are doing and just want to give it a try. But once they are involved, the entrepreneurial spirit takes over. It becomes a driving force that leads to a great feeling of accomplishment.”

Though he’d had experience with his own company, what he found at IS&T was impressive. “I’m amazed by the facility here, the faculty and what these students can do. I’ve learned a lot from working with them, and I’ve had fun along the way.”

Spring 2005 • 15

College of

Information Science and Technology

Student teams bring real solutions to real-world problems

FOUR REAL COMPANIES, FOUR DIFFERENT PROBLEMS: • An auto service station records transactions with an outdated, manual paper-based system and seeks to convert to an electronic database.

• Business swells for a lawn service, and so do the company’s bookkeeping problems—lost billing records, sketchy clientele information and redundant data. A database infrastructure is needed for customer information, billing and daily itineraries.

• An emergency medical aircraft operation looks to merge its paper and electronic data sources into a single electronic retrieval system that is fast and accurate.

• A popular restaurant bottlenecks during peak hours and considers hiring more employees, which would cut profits. It seeks a webbased solution to streamline workflow and minimize operational costs.

One source for each solution—student teams in the College of Information Science and Technology. Specifically, those students in the Information Systems Analysis and Systems Design & Implementation capstone courses taught by Professors Leah Pietron and Paul van Vliet.

Each semester, two dozen businesses, educational institutions and volunteer agencies tap the resources of the award-winning instructors and their eager student teams in a classic winwin. Clients solve their problems in a rapid and reliable manner; students earn valuable experience, six credit hours and a good measure of self-confidence.

“It is an extraordinary opportunity for the students,” van Vliet says. “They create a real-world working information system for a real client.

They experience the entire system’s development life cycle, from idea to fully developed and documented working information system.”

The nine-month course requires the completion of nine milestones. It is an intensive, hands-on course that promises hard work but also proves to be a fun experience for both 16 • Spring 2005

teachers and students, Pietron says. “We truly believe for our students to do real-world applications, they have to work with real-world clients,” she says.

In doing so, students get to learn from world-class professors.

Pietron, a native North Dakotan, has been teaching since 1979, at UNO since 1985. She was a faculty member in the Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis (ISQA) department of the College of Business Administration for 11 years before moving to the College of IS&T. Van Vliet came a bit farther to get to UNO–from Lisse in the Netherlands. He first experienced the United States in 1980 as an exchange student in high school. Later, he obtained his doctorate at Oklahoma State University. While there he was recruited to join the faculty at UNO—and was interviewed by Pietron.

Both say they enjoy the opportunity to teach in the modern, expansive Peter Kiewit Institute facility south of UNO’s main campus.

They also enjoy the challenges presented by the topnotch students who enroll in their capstone courses.

“I have a reputation of being very tough, but being fair in project work and examinations,” Pietron says. “I believe in pushing my students to illustrate that they are very capable of achieving the standards that I have established for them.”

Van Vliet recalls that when he started at UNO 11 years ago, “My job was very typical in a standard college of business.” No longer.

“Now we have this fantastic facility to work in. We have our own college. We have our own major. There is always something exciting going on here.”

The two do their best to channel that excitement into the energy that fuels learning. “I enjoy seeing the ‘lights come on’ when students are able to apply theory to practice,” Pietron says. “It is exciting to see them grow and start to understand.”

Although they’ve had opportunities to teach elsewhere, both are committed to UNO and IS&T. “I’m not sure I’d really want to be anywhere else,” van Vliet says. “I have one of the best jobs in the world here. I have the opportunity to travel. I have great facilities, great colleagues and a great department. There’s not really a reason for me to leave.”

Adds Pietron: “The most important thing that keeps me

here is the ISQA faculty,” she says. “Our department is very innovative and concerned about undergraduate and graduate education. The second reason is that I am only eight hours away from my home in North Dakota. My father died in 1993 but my mother is still very robust and active. Family is very important to me, and being able to drive home in a day makes living in Nebraska very ideal.”

The commute home takes longer for van Vliet, but he still tries to make it there each summer. “Other than being apart from my family, it’s not really that different for me being in Omaha,” he says. “I grew up in suburbia.

Although the politics are very different—and more people speak Dutch in the Netherlands than in Omaha—my life in my homeland was not really that different from the American experience.”

Both professors are single.

Van Vliet resides with two schnauzers and a cockapoo.

Away from UNO, he participates in fund-raising efforts for the Nebraska Humane Society and loves to read “big, fat novels. Mysteries.

Science fiction. History. No romance, westerns or horror, but the rest is fair game.”

Pietron is a passionate Cubs fan who loves the College World Series and all Maverick sports. She bicycles, golfs, travels and enjoys camping in the mountains. And she is caretaker of an orange and black tabby cat. “Dartania was my sister’s cat until she moved to California. She has taken over my house and now rules it.”

Pietron and van Vliet share pride in UNO and IS&T. They believe in what the college has accomplished and are eager to be a part of its future.

“The college has worked hard to create partnerships, with benefactors, with a wide variety of businesses and with the extended Omaha community,” van Vliet says.

“The projects our students take on have added an additional facet to our work. We are really moving forward together. By combining skills, we are producing something that is good for them and good for us.”

Pietron says it all comes down to the students.

“Our graduates are the product of our department, our college and our university. The quality of their education and their impression is invaluable. My greatest accomplishment is to provide students with a knowledge base from my classes that allows them to succeed and make an impact on their organizations. My greatest reward is when former students return and tell me that I made an impact on their lives.”

“We truly believe for our students to do real-world applications, they have to work with real-world clients.”

Dr. Leah R. Pietron

Phtoo by Tim Fitzgerald

Paul van Vliet

Leah R. Pietron

Associate Professor, Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis Ph.D. in Management Information Systems, Oklahoma State University, 1994.

Recipient of UNO Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award (AOTA), UNO Excellence in Teaching Award.

Academic interests include information systems architecture, computer-supported collaborative work, multimedia based instruction, systems analysis and design, decision support.

“Now we have this fantastic facility to work in. We have our own college. We have our own major. There is always something exciting going on here.”

Associate Professor, Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis Ph.D. in Business Education/Information Systems, University of North Dakota, 1979.

Recipient of Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Business Administration; AOTA, UNO Excellence in Teaching Award.

Academic interests include CASE research, end-user computing, strategic planning, systems analysis and design, personal computer applications, management information systems.

“Our department is very innovative and concerned about undergraduate and graduate education.”

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Spring 2005 • 17

International Studies and Programs

Training the next generation of Afghanistan’s teachers ver the last three decades, UNO’s Center for Afghanistan Studies has designed and managed many academic, cultural and educational programs in and for Afghanistan. Now, as a nascent democracy begins to take hold in that country, the Center continues to invest itself in developing Afghanistan’s human resources.

The Afghanistan Teacher Education Project (ATEP), funded by a U.S. Department of State grant, instructs small cohorts of female teachers in the art of American pedagogy, 21st century classroom technology and English.

Since 2002, UNO has brought 49 teachers to the United States for training. The Afghan teachers have been either primary school or English language teachers. The latest group, comprised of educational administrators,

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arrived at UNO in mid-March this year.

ATEP participants are put through an intensive six- to eight-week training process, but classroom instruction isn’t their only education.

Afghan teachers also experience American culture by living with host families and through an opportunity to travel to Nebraska’s Scottsbluff and Gering, both of which are sister cities to Bamiyan, Afghanistan. While there they interact with elementary teachers and students in the classroom.

The teachers also travel to the Black Hills and visit Mt. Rushmore. Each group has visited the White House—one of them meeting President Bush and three meeting First Lady Laura Bush.

Participants return to Afghanistan and train fellow teachers. Through this and other education training programs for Afghans, UNO has trained more than 5,000 teachers, 75 percent of whom are women.

UNO’s Center for Afghanistan Studies received another grant from the U.S. Department of State in 2003 to assist in the reintroduction of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Afghanistan, where it had been defunct for 25 years. Members of the Center flew to Kabul and conducted the selection process for the program. Of the 143 applicants, 20 were selected and 16 made it to the United States. Of these, four spent time studying English at UNO, two of whom remain to complete the Fulbright program’s academic component.

First Lady Laura Bush has met with three groups of UNOtrained teachers from Afghanistan.

Scholarship program a real PLUS for University U NO is one of 12 universities participating in the first-ever U.S. government scholarship program for undergraduate students from the Middle East and North Africa.

The Partnership Learning for Undergraduate Study (PLUS) is a U.S. Department of State-sponsored program for academically talented students who have

18 • Spring 2005

demonstrated leadership abilities and are committed to returning to their country to make a difference.

In its inaugural year the PLUS program has provided 71 students from 12 countries with scholarships to study at universities across the nation. UNO has seven of these students, hailing from Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and

Tunisia. PLUS students at UNO have adjusted to a life and culture vastly different from their own while diligently pursuing degrees in their field of professional study. The first group of students is scheduled to graduate in 2006. UNO also is designated as the host institution for a midprogram workshop for all 71 students this August. Students will

stay on campus for a week building leadership and conflict management skills.

In 2005, the PLUS program will expand to include students from countries in South Asia, like Afghanistan and Nepal. UNO has been selected to host students for the 2005 cycle and will welcome new PLUS students this August.

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Having a ‘major’ impact

IOmaha. How times have changed.

he International Studies major (INST) provides a foundation for international professional careers and graduate school.

The major continues to be popular, boasting a current enrollment of 179 students.

All students who major in international studies choose at least one of the following specializations: International Management and Business, International Non-profit Management, Global Strategic Studies, or Area Studies.

Since 1976 the major has produced nearly 500 graduates.

Alumni are in a variety of career fields, including working for the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, the World Bank, international businesses, non-profit organizations and various educational and governmental agencies. Alumni include: Lori Arias, assistant director, UNO International Student Services.

Joseph J. Chapuran, international development director, State of Nebraska Ann Gentle, premium operations manager, Automotive Team, Union Pacific Railroad Jody Manning, chief-of-staff, Holocaust-related Issues, U.S. Department of State Sara Pir tl e, coordinator of International Studies and Programs, University of Nebraska Medical Center Ed Quinn, international logistics/sales administration manager, Transgenomic Incorporated Gerr y Reimer, financial controller, Omnium Worldwide Paul Stultz, district counsel, U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Elizabeth Ti eh en, press assistant to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel.

Nene Field program marks 40th Ambassador

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International enrollment reaches record numbers n 1968, just 30 international students were enrolled at the University of Nebraska of

During the 2003-04 academic year, 1,216 students from 101 countries studied at UNO, more than at any time in the university’s UNO International Participants by Country 97-year history. That’s due largely to enrollment 2003-04 Academic Year increases during the past 10 years, when the INDIA OTHER 15% number of international students at UNO has 33% JAPAN 14% increased more than 80 percent.

COLOMBIA The enrollment puts UNO 23rd nationally 2% among similar institutions for number of international students.

SOUTH CANADA Such ranking, though, isn’t a mere number; it KOREA 2% 12% has tangible results for Omaha and the state.

TAJIKISTAN NEPAL UNO’s international students brought more 2% 5% than $20 million to the Omaha economy last year CHINA THAILAND GERMANY 10% alone, doing so through tuition, fees, living and 3% 2% personal expenses.

Statewide, according to a 2004 report from the Institute of International Education, international students contributed nearly $75 million to the Nebraska economy.

More than being an economic factor for Omaha and the state, international students provide American students the opportunity to meet the world while still at home.

While walking to class, eating lunch or working with others, students might hear any of the nearly 200 languages that UNO’s international students speak. These students provide invaluable diversity and bring an effective pluralism to both the campus and Omaha community.

ince 1963, the Nene Field Ambassador

Sscholarship program has sent UNO students abroad to more than 30 countries, from Egypt and Chile to Germany and Kenya.

The scholarship funds a student’s program at one of UNO’s 26 sibling institutions worldwide. Originally named “UNO Outbound Ambassador Program,” the scholarship was renamed in 1994 to reflect the generous support of Nene Field, whose interest, time and financial gifts have made the program possible.

This past summer, Quinèe Butler represented UNO as the 40th ambassador for the program. A junior majoring in international studies, Butler studied at Université Laval in Quebec.

The experience, she says, has permanently changed her perspective of her opportunities in the world. “I never realized how easy it is to travel internationally,” Butler says, “or how much a person

could get from experiencing different cultures.”

The Nene Field scholarship is unique in that the recipient’s responsibilities do not end with the completion of foreign study.

Returning students have an obligation to promote and advertise the program at UNO and to help prepare the next student for his or her trip abroad. This added responsibility engenders a special opportunity for each recipient to contribute to the UNO community and to future internationalization efforts.

“Nene’s gift and ongoing commitment to one-on-one exchange allow UNO to cultivate relations with our international partners and with the communities in which the universities and colleges exist,” says Tom Gouttierre, dean of International Studies and Programs. “Many people around the world know of UNO and Omaha because of the Nene Field Ambassador Program.”

Spring 2005 • 19

College of

Fine Arts

UNO TV pairs with zoo on Madagascar documentary

By Lisa Nielsen UNO Television camera crew recently spent three weeks in Madagascar shooting footage for a new one-hour documentary on the Madagascar Biodiversity Project at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Led by Henry Doorly’s Dr. Ed Louis, the project is expected to receive international attention.

Currently in production, the program will highlight the project’s complex conservation efforts to save rainforest-indigenous plants and wildlife. Using high-definition video and stereo sound, Executive Producer Gary Repair and Production Coordinators Mark Dail and Steve O’Gorman bring to life Madagascar’s breathtaking beauTop, UNO TV Production Coordinator Mark Dail captures ty, as well as its deforestation. footage of a chameleon (Photo A variety of people connected

by Gary Repair). Below, the to the project will share their unusual Aye Aye ("Eye Eye") lemur that feeds on worms and insights on the ecological probinsect larvae found under the lems Madagascar faces and what outer layer of tree bark (Photo

by Edward Louis, DVM, Ph.D., its future may hold. Omaha zoo Geneticist with Omaha’s Henry personnel will be seen working Doorly Zoo). directly with Malagasy conservationalists and students on activities such as propagating and transplanting orchids, collecting, examining and releasing various lemur species, and helping administer breeding programs for the rare, highly endangered plowshare tortoise and Re Re turtle.

Unmatched biodiversity combined with extreme habitat destruction makes Madagascar the world’s most endangered ecosystem. Eighty percent of its plant life and all of its primates are endemic, occurring naturally nowhere else in the world.

Because most of Madagascar’s rainforests already have been lost, several plant varieties and extraordinary animal species have become extinct. The extensive fieldwork and

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TV S t u di o Of f e r s R e a l - Wo r l d E x p e r i e n c e NO Television has been producing and broadcasting educational and public television programs for more than 30 years. KYNE-TV and UNO Television provide public television programs exploring community and civic issues.

For the School of Communication’s broadcast journalism students, UNO Television serves as both a classroom and a teaching laboratory for television and radio production classes. Some have worked on

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20 • Spring 2005

New college proposal to go before NU Regents pproval has been

Arequested of the

University of Nebraska Board of Regents for the restructuring and renaming of the UNO College of Fine Arts by moving the School of Communication and KVNO/UNO Television into the College of Fine Arts and renaming it the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media. If approved, the new college could be operable by July 1, 2005.

Watch this space for further updates.

Theatre production nets awards at St. Louis festival he UNO Department of Theatre’s production of “Playboy of The Western World” was selected to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region V festival. Thirtyseven students and seven faculty members traveled to St. Louis in January to attend workshops and productions and compete in the festival competitions. The following faculty and students received recognition for their achievements: Meritorious Achievement – “The Playboy of the Western World;” Costume Design, Charleen Willoughby; Direction, D. Scott Glasser; Original Musical Score, Paul Boesing; 1st Place regional Costume Design Competition, Travis J. Halsey. Irene Ryan Acting Competition—SemiFinalist, Kevin Bensley with scene partner Jen Photo by Paul E. Pape Agnew, Finalist, Adam Scarpello with scene partner Maria Vacha; The aims of KCACTF, a national theater education program, are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production.

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2005 Fine Arts Student Awards O u ts ta n d i n g G r a d u a t e H o n o r e e s Sonia Keffer, Omaha, Theatre. Future plans: Stay involved in the Omaha theatre community, continue her work with the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, teach and encourage others in the pursuit of their dreams.

Jonathan Pinkerton, Harrisburg, PA, Music Future plans: Enter a doctoral program in saxophone performance

sophisticated laboratory analysis the Biodiversity Project provides will help Malagasy government officials and conservationists address these concerns.

The documentary is tentatively scheduled to debut sometime in Spring 2006.

“Omaha Since WWII”—an opportunity unique to UNO students—assisting with interview shoots, videography, and research for the project.

Two other UNO TV programs have aired nationally on the History Channel. They include “Westward the Empire: Omaha’s World Fair of 1898,” which showcases the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898, and “The Lost City of Bethsaida,” which offers a glimpse of the first-century city being excavated in Israel.

UNO Television also provides technical solutions and support for distance education classes campus-wide.

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O u ts ta n d i n g U n d e r g r a d u a te H o n o r e e s Hannah Marchio, Council Bluffs, IA, Studio Art. Future plans: Attend graduate school to earn a master of fine arts degree.

Curtis Marolf, Durant, IA, Art Education.

Future plans: Apply for admission to the UNO CADRE program, earn a master’s in secondary education and pursue a career as a high school art teacher and wrestling coach.

Stephanie Thompson, Bailey, Colo., Art History. Future Plans: Attend graduate school with an emphasis in museum studies.

Gordon Roberts, Sidney, IA, Music Education. Future Plans: Teach in southwest Iowa as a band director of grades 5-12, and continue to lead the Sidney Senior High Youth

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

Group.

Timothy Hil lyer, Omaha, Music Performance. Future plans: Work as a substitute for the Omaha Symphony, attend the Cleveland Institute of Music as a graduate student.

Quinn Corbin, Omaha, Theatre. Future plans: Apply for an internship in stage management in New York City then pursue MFA in theatre.

Christina Harding, Omaha, Writer’s Workshop. Future plans: Earn an MFA in fiction and pursue a Ph.D. with creative dissertation.

2005 College of Fine Arts Dean’s Award Christina Harding, Writer’s Workshop UNO Art Student Exhibition Awardees Studio Art majors are encouraged to submit work to be considered for exhibit. This event offers students the opportunity to become exposed to professional practice in visual art, and to be considered for scholarship awards selected by the exhibition juror including awards supported through the Bertha Mengedoht-Hatz Fund. This semester’s juror is Steve Elliot, an assistant professor of art and design at Wayne State College, where he teaches sculpture,

design, drawing, metalsmithing and electronic media.

Spring 2005 awardees are: Joseph Buda, Jessica Levy, Dan Lowe, Curtis Marolf, Timothy Mayer, Matt Orand, Chulwoo Park, Mike Pleiss, Jon Sours, Megan Thomas, Linda Value (honorable mention), Bart Vargus and Nathan Wetjen.

Juror Bethany Springer chose the following students to receive scholarship awards for the Fall 2004: David Beckman, A.J. Bredensteiner, Adam Ciochetto, Phillip Faulkner, Brandon Liebig, Dan Lowe, Diane Nelson, Susan Pedersen, Mike Pleiss, Gregory Rishoi, Matt Rooney, Laurence Taylor, Matt Walke.

St u d e n t A rt E x h i b i t Ma r c h 6 - A p r i l 1 he UNO Art gallery is located on the first floor of the Weber Fine Arts Building.

Gallery hours are, Closed Monday; Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m., Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 554-2796.

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Spring 2005 • 21

College of

College of

Fine Arts

Education

Oscar winner Payne receives honorary UNO degree t was a good week to be Alexander Payne. On a midGlobes for best comedy and for best screenplay. One IDecember Monday the rising star writer/director saw his week later it received Academy Award nominations for film “Sideways” receive a leading seven Golden Globe

best picture, achievement in directing, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay. Payne received an Oscar for one of those five nominations, winning for best adapted screenplay.

In addition to conferring Payne with an honorary degree, UNO also held a film festival and symposium in his honor.

Prior to commencement, UNO showed all three of Payne’s previous Nebraskabased films—“About Schmidt,” “Election” and “Citizen Ruth”—as well as “Sideways” in the Milo Bail Student Center. The day after commencement, more than 300 people came to a morning symposium featuring Payne that was held in the UNO Eppley Administration Building auditorium. The crowd went beyond standing room only.

“The only other person to attract this kind of crowd was Ted Kooser, the U.S. poet laureate,” says Tim Kaldahl, assistant director for media relations in UNO University Affairs. “His presentation was funny, informative, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.”

An Omaha Creighton Prep graduate, Payne said that during high school he spent many evenings in the Eppley Auditorium when UNO ran an art house film series, and that it still looks the same.

Payne’s degree at UNO Phtoo by Tim Fitzgerald commencement drew attenUNO Chancellor Nancy Belck, left, and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs John tion near and far.

Several Christensen, right, present Alexander Payne with colors noting his honorary doctor of human letters. local television stations UNO’s College of Fine Arts. “Alexander Payne’s celebraattended the ceremony, as did photographers from the tion of the flawed yet remarkable human spirit, along Omaha World-Herald and Associated Press. with his love of his hometown, are due such recognition.”

Payne said that he has no desire to act and that he Payne’s work is hardly flawed itself, as indicated by wants to stay in the director’s chair. ensuing honors the 44-year-old received following UNO’s “I’m behind the camera for a reason. I pity famous commencement. On Jan. 17, “Sideways” won Golden actors,” he said in a World-Herald article. nominations.

On Friday of the same week UNO also recognized the Omaha native, presenting him with an honorary doctor of human letters during the university’s winter commencement ceremony at the Civic Auditorium.

“It’s often been said that a prophet is never honored in his own country,” says Robert Welk, interim dean of

22 • Spring 2005

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Dance goes on for Josie Metal-Corbin he signs her emails “On with the dance,” but recently

Sit’s been “On with the awards” for Josie Metal-Corbin.

Choreographer, performer and teacher of dance for nearly 40 years, Metal-Corbin was named College/ University Dance Educator of the Year by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. There the National Dance Association lauded Metal-Corbin for her “work with all age groups [that] demonstrates the mission of both NDA and AAHPERD to promote physical activity for creative, healthy lifestyles.”

It’s only the most recent honor for Metal-Corbin, a professor in UNO’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Earlier in 2004 she received AAHPERD’s 2004 Central District Dance Educator of the Year Award.

That was preceded by a 2002 Fellow in the Center for Great Plains Studies, the 2001 YWCA Woman of Vision Award in Arts and Humanities, and the 2000 Excellence in Arts Education Award from the Governor’s Arts Awards.

Don’t expect her to slow down anytime soon, either.

“I feel fortunate every day that my work is also my passion,” says Metal-Corbin, who estimates she has taught around 5,000 students while at UNO. “I do not take the opportunities that I have at UNO for granted. I am invigorated and challenged by what each day brings.”

Metal-Corbin came to UNO in 1980 after earning a master’s degree in physical education with a choreographic thesis from the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught 13 years. She also has a bachelor’s in physical education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and a graduate certificate in gerontology from UNO. Today she leads pedagogy classes in dance, physical education, human relations and stress management.

Her career extends beyond the classroom, though. On campus, for instance, she is director of UNO’s The Moving Company, an intergenerational performing group that won an international award in Cesena, Italy, in 2001.

She also is co-author of “Reach for It: A Handbook of Health, Exercise and Dance Activities for Older Adults,” and has penned numerous chapters in books and monographs and articles on intergenerational and interdisciplinary dance. She’s also produced six videotapes on dance.

Off campus, Metal-Corbin has conducted residencies for the Omaha Public Schools, the Valley School District, the Young Dancers in Repertory Center for Dance Studies in New York, the Mid-Missouri Dance Theater, the Museum of Nebraska Art and the Iowa State University Dance Department. And she has established various “lab schools” throughout Omaha for the UNO dance pedagogy classes, providing students an opportunity to work w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

with diverse populations, including children with hearing impairments, ESL students and special education students.

Even farther from campus, Metal-Corbin in 2001 was selected by the Nebraska Arts Council’s Nebraska/Jamaica Exchange Program to conduct a week-long residency in Kingston, Jamaica. There she taught middle school and fourth-/fifth-grade students to integrate dance into science, math, language arts and social studies at Mona Preparatory School. She also taught and choreographed short dance studies for college students at the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology.

Metal-Corbin also has choreographed and performed for university and collegiate modern dance companies,

Phtoo by Tim Fitzgerald

Metal-Corbin and students (from left) Brian Masek, Ryan Petersen, Nate McCabe, Scott Becker and Shaun Tevis rehearse for “New Spin on the Old Masters,” performed at the Joslyn Art Museum in February.

dramatic arts and music department productions and recitals, fine arts festivals, community theaters, public schools, television, and national and international professional conventions.

“At the core of my teaching and my creative process is a compelling desire to make connections,” she says.

“With other art forms; with social issues; with nondancers; with emerging artists; with multiple perspectives; with American Sign Language, language arts, social studies, math and science; with technology; and with the community.”

Happenings newsletter to mail in June ollege of Education alumni can read more about fellow alumni, faculty and current students in the upcoming Spring 2005 issue of Happenings. Watch for your copy in the mail in June.

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Spring 2005 • 23

On the Job

By John Fey

D

avid Herbster was on the job as UNO’s new athletic director for just two weeks when Martin Luther King Jr. Day arrived Jan. 17. A day off for UNO’s campus, but Herbster punched in nevertheless. Same thing two Mondays later when a snowstorm dumped more than a foot of the white stuff on campus. While others stayed snuggled in bed, Herbster braved the streets, even touring the city for a spell while waiting for plows to clear the parking lot in front of the fieldhouse.

Days off to spend with wife, Kelly, and their three young daughters are a luxury Herbster can’t afford at the moment.

“The big thing for me right now is to understand all the relationships and all the history that go between certain programs and alumni and boosters and coaches,” Herbster says.

“The reach that the athletic program has and how far that extends into the community, that’s what will take me the longest. Getting in and having the opportunity to meet everybody.”

That was almost second nature for Herbster’s predecessor, Bob Danenhauer, who last fall ended a seven-year run as UNO’s A.D. to become coordinator of athletics and supervisor of physical education for Omaha Public Schools. Danenhauer was a ball boy when his father, Bill Danenhauer, was head football coach in the 1970s. He later played for and was a cocaptain of the Maverick gridders in the 1980s.

Herbster is a one-time athletic standout himself, a former 6foot-9 center at Virginia Tech who co-captained the 1991 Hokies squad as a senior.

He begins as a rookie at UNO, however; thus the days on when everybody else takes a day off.

“The importance that this program has, not only to the university but to the community, it’s vital that we don’t miss a beat,” says Herbster, who turned 36 on March 15.

Colleagues past and present say Herbster is up to the task.

The list includes Bob Holst, president of Concordia University

in St. Paul, Minn., where Herbster most recently was athletic director.

“David Herbster did an outstanding job as our A.D.,” Holst says. “He brought continued vision and structure to the position. As a relatively new school in NCAA Division II—he came our third year—he recognized our strengths and our challenges and addressed both positively and fairly.”

Don Leahy, a former UNO athletic director who still serves as an assistant A.D., says Herbster was a great choice.

“Actually, I was in his corner all the way through the interview process once I met him,” says Leahy, who served on the search committee. “I think we’ve got an exceptionally strong man.” That’s echoed by Deb Denbeck, who became UNO’s associate athletic director in 2003. Denbeck grew acquainted with Herbster as chairwoman of the regional volleyball committee when Concordia was host.

“I just really like his mannerisms, how he handles a lot of situations,” Denbeck says. “He’s got a ton of energy, he’s very thoughtful, very genuine. I think he’s going to be a great guy to take our program forward.”

Deciding the program’s direction forward, though, will be one of Herbster’s pressing concerns, especially as it relates to conference affiliation. Once 10 teams strong, UNO’s North Central Conference today is down to seven schools.

Morningside left in 2001 when it moved from NCAA Division II to NAIA. Northern Colorado left two years later so its football team could play in NCAA Division I-AA, North Dakota State and South Dakota State following suit in 2004. And though the conference picked up a member in MinnesotaDuluth, there has been talk of North Dakota defecting, leading some to wonder if the NCC would disband or if UNO would join another conference, perhaps at the I-AA level.

“You have to be prepared for what might lie ahead,” Herbster says. “I do believe that, first and foremost, we have to do everything possible to establish and affirm our position in the NCC and in Division II. We need to give the NCC an opportunity to reestablish itself from a number of standpoints.

With the quality of institutions that we still have in the conference, I still stack us up with anybody.

“I think the university and all the other institutions and presidents are committed to the NCC and finding ways to make it work.”

Continued Page 26

UNO athletic directors since resumption of athletics program following World War II. Note: Sports Information Director Gary Anderson has served as interim athletic director three times: Sept. 1988 to June 89; June-August 1994 and June-July 1995.

24 • Spring 2005

Photo by Tim Fitzgerald

Dave Herbster: “The importance that this program has, not only to the university but to the community, it’s vital that we don’t miss a beat.”

1972-74 Clyde Biggers

1947-72 Virgil Yelkin

1985-88 Bobby Thompson

1974-85 Don Leahy

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1988-1989 Gary Anderson

1989-94 Bob Gibson

1995-97 Don Leahy

1994-95 Dave Cox

2004 Bill Wakefield (interim)

1997-2004 Bob Danenhauer

Spring 2005 • 25

On the Job From Page 24

And yet . . .

“In some fashion or another,” Herbster says, “I think something will happen in the next three years. I think something down the line is going to happen with the Northern Sun schools, the North Central schools and the MIAA.” Herbster hopes schools someday will have the option of picking and choosing which sports could move from Division II to I-AA or even I-A. “I would hope they would take a look at that,” he says, “and offer at least the opportunity for those schools that can do it.”

Herbster also faces fiscal concerns, particularly improving the revenue stream produced by UNO’s Division I hockey program. “Like it would be in any business,” Herbster says, “there are always going to be departments within your corporation or your business that are your cash cows that help fund the other departments that have smaller margins. That’s no different here. We know hockey needs to do well.”

That very well may mean increased marketing efforts from Herbster, who began his career as promotions coordinator at Virginia Tech (1992-94) before becoming assistant director of marketing and promotions at North Dakota State (1994-95) and assistant athletic director for marketing and development at Pittsburg State in Kansas (1995-98). He also spent three years with Special Olympics of Minnesota, first as sports program manager and later as director of special events and promotions.

Yes, Herbster admits, winning helps fill seats at Qwest Center Omaha, UNO’s home for hockey since 2004. But a solid marketing strategy, he believes, is important in good times and bad.

“Winning amplifies the marketing that you do,” Herbster says. “When things go bad—which with the ebb and flow of everything inevitably now and again will—you need to bring people to the games and make it an event in and outside the game itself.”

UNO’s hockey coach, Mike Kemp, is happy to hear Herbster has an enthusiastic vision for Maverick hockey, specifically, and the program in general.

“In the meetings I’ve had with him,” Kemp says, “I’m extremely encouraged by his ideas about what he wants to do with the hockey program. I like his sense and ability to identify the needs of the program and his willingness to go to bat to ensure the hockey program has the resources to be successful.

It’s going to be a long-term process, but his enthusiasm will help bring it to fruition.”

Herbster says the Qwest is the right home for UNO hockey, although he’s aware many preferred the Civic Auditorium.

“I know, obviously, there are people who feel more strongly about the issue than others,” he says. “While I understand that, I also look at the fact I have 7,000 more seats to sell.”

While hockey is on Herbster’s front burner, he isn’t about to ignore the coaches of the school’s 13 other sports.

“It’s not like he’s going to sacrifice us for (hockey),” Mav 26 • Spring 2005

Wrestling Coach Mike Denney says. “He’s got a real good Division II background. He knows the territory. He has a presence to him. Of course, Bob was charismatic. We’ll miss Bob. Dave will be a good manager with a little different style.”

“It’ll take me a little bit of time,” Herbster says, “but I’m a quick learner.”

And maybe he’ll get a day off soon.

Mavs pin 2nd consecutive national championship

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NO crowned three individual national champions and claimed its second-consecutive team title at the 2005 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships held on the UNO campus before 3,500 fans at the Lee and Helene Sapp Fieldhouse.

UNO earned the team title with 109.5 points, followed by Augustana with 101 points. The Mavericks, who trailed Augustana by four points entering the morning’s third session, won 10 of 12 matches on the final day to propel them to victory.

UNO Coach Mike Denney also led the Mavs to titles Tim Fitzgerald last year and UNO Coach Mike Denney gives a lift to 157in 1991. Don pound national champion Patrick Allibone.

Benning coached UNO to the NAIA national championship in 1970.

Minnesota State, Mankato finished third Saturday with 77.5 points, giving the North Central Conference the top three positions in the team standings.

Pittsburgh-Johnstown was fourth, followed by Findlay.

UNO’s Patrick Allibone (157 pounds, sophomore), J.D. Naig (165 pounds, sophomore) and Les Sigman (285 pounds, junior) all won national championships.

Sigman won his third-straight national championship, joining Roy Washington (1968-70) as the only three-time national champions in UNO history.

Sigman has not allowed an offensive point to be scored against him in his three national championship tournaments.

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Real-World Rookie

By Tim Kaldahl

R

eal crime in the real world calls for real experiences to find meaningful solutions. UNO psychology Professor Robert Woody embraced that idea and tackled—sometimes literally—a new challenge last spring.

He enrolled in basic police academy training.

“I had never been infatuated with law enforcement per se, but the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and my increasing concern about how crime and terrorism are plaguing the lives of so many Americans led me to conclude that I wanted to learn more about law enforcement and I thought that I owed something to society,” Woody says.

Last May while on academic leave, Woody became the oldest graduate ever at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee, Fla. His story attracted national media attention.

After doing research in early 2003, setting fitness goals for himself and talking with various academies, Woody was accepted into the Florida program. His education was an intense 20-week course that has included law enforcement basics like constitutional law, criminal justice, interviewing, and a variety of investigation techniques. There also were major emphases on how to be a first responder, high-speed driving and pursuit, firearms practice, and defensive hand-tohand tactics.

The average age of the 46 other recruits in his class stood around 23 years old. “From Day 1, every recruit treated me like an accepted peer,” he says. “There was no joking about my age. Everyone seemed respectful and mindful that I was coping with an age factor and supported me in every activity.

“I was pleased that the instructors required me to meet the same standards that each of the other recruits had to meet.

The other recruits appreciated that, too.” So much so that they elected Woody president of his recruit class. “The training in defensive tactics certainly tested my physical limits,” says Woody, who keeps dumbbells in his university office. “Most of the time, I had a 313-pound, 22-year-old fellow as my partner, and we threw each other around with gusto.”

The most surprising part of training, he says, was the realization that the amount of crime and its level of violence remain at “epidemic levels” in society. It’s a message he has brought back to UNO. “As a psychologist, I was taught to believe in the goodness of mankind, and did not fully realize all that people, evil people, are capable of,” he says. “I now have less faith in the ability of therapists to change criminal conduct. Empirical support from therapy and rehabilitation has yet to be gained from research, especially for the most serious offenses.”

Woody never intended to start a new career as a police officer. Instead, he has used his experience to develop a new class at UNO—”Forensic Psychology”—and he links the “ivory

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tower” of higher education with gritty criminal justice for his students whenever possible.

“The police academy is extremely reality-oriented,” he says. “I’ve got a much better picture of police attitudes and motivations and how law enforcement deals with issues of violence.”

In psychology, criminal psychology is an up-and-coming career and research field. Woody adds that family, childhood and school-based violence became huge national concerns after school shootings in places like Littleton, Colo. Police deal with those issues daily.

“For my research, I’m especially concerned about bullying and violence in the schools and crime at colleges and universities,” he says. “Often, what’s in the textbooks doesn’t match up with the experience police know from being in the commu-

Photo provided by Robert Woody

Woody puts a hold on fellow rookie Derrick Gentilcore.

nity.”

His real-world experiences have translated into popularity among students. His Forensic Psychology section filled up fast. The course touches on everything from stalking and hate crimes to criminal profiling and “psychological autopsies.”

“Anything with ‘forensic’ in the title is going to be popular thanks to television shows,” he says. In addition to offering the Forensic Psychology course again in the spring, he also will teach Family Analysis and Interventions, a class that includes more information on domestic violence and child abuse. This summer he will return to Florida to give a seminar on the topic of violence in the schools for law enforcement officers, under the auspices of the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

“It’s been a great experience and one I’d do again,” he says.

Woody received his doctorate at Michigan State University.

While at UNO and while teaching in the psychology department, he also attended the Creighton University School of Law and received a law degree in 1981. Woody’s wife, Jane DiVita Woody, is a UNO professor of Social Work. Both joined the UNO faculty in 1975.

Spring 2005 • 27

Remote Bounds

By Don Kohler

Map, National Archives

Fort Atkinson or Council Bluffs:

“This spot, notwithstanding its remoteness, is daily growing on the public

attention, and claiming a more general

share of national interest. Cut off, as it

is, by a wide tract of uninhabited coun-

try, from the extreme bounds of western population, or placed, to use the felicitous language of Watts, “on earth’s

remotest bounds,” yet is growing into a place of great and deserved notoriety, not only as an important point in the great system of military defenses,

planned by our present intelligent and

national-eyed secretary of war, but as a place that is now, or soon will be, the

source of the emanation of science, and the seat of genius of literature.”

Missouri Intelligencer, December 10, 1822

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to the fort, so that we may bring more attention to this wonderful historical treasure and further enhance the programs at Fort Atkinson.”

How Flint turned his attention from writing fantasy novels to researching American history is a story in itself. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English and humanities from UNO in 1970, completing his master’s degree program in English literature two years later. “My humanities studies at UNO gave me the background and continuity I needed to become a writer,” he says.

He taught English and humanities at UNO until 1979, when he left to become head of the English department for Plattsmouth Community Schools. That also was the year Flint completed his first book, “A Storm Upon Ulster,” published by Bantam Books in 1981. Like many of his books to follow,

n expedition two centuries ago that led Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to an unsettled bluff at the basin of the Missouri River has been well documented by historians and authors alike as an important milestone in the development of the western frontier. Today, a new series of books by former UNO graduate and instructor Kenneth Flint chronicles the tumultuous period following the Lewis and Clark journey and the War of 1812, when a second expedition made its way to the “Council Bluff” to establish what would become Fort Atkinson.

Thousands of visitors converged on Fort Atkinson State Park in Fort Calhoun, Neb., last fall to join the bicentennial celebration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, enjoying reenactments and learning more about the landmark and the people that settled there, including Col. Henry Atkinson, who led the second expedition and built the fort that bears his name.

“That is wonderful for the fort,” Flint says. “This is truly a unique experience. Having an historical perspective dating back 200 years is amazing, and through the research and writings we are going to be able to emphasize to people that this really was the first established community in the state of Nebraska. This fort had its own newspaper, factories, farms, school and church. It was a unique settlement and part of Nebraska history.”

Flint is utilizing journals, records and letters collected from the first major expedition to follow Lewis and Clark as the framework for his series of books. The first installment, “On Earth’s Remotest Bounds, Year One: Blood and Water,” Photo by Joe Mixan was released in time for the Living History Days at Fort Atkinson often feature the Flint Family in period dress. Ken bicentennial celebration. The Flint (center) is flanked by sons Devin (left) and Gavin. book’s title was taken from a December 1822 article in the Missouri Intelligencer, one of Flint’s first piece was based on Celtic mythology and famous hundreds of documents Flint examined for his series. He is Irish figures. “I remember that UNO professor Dr. Richard donating proceeds from the books to the Fort Atkinson Foundation, which plans to expand the living history program Lane had taught a course in Celtic and Germanic literature that intrigued me,” Flint says. “Celtic mythology was an area and fort reconstruction. Living History Days are held the first that had never been touched by modern literature, and I disweekend of each month from May through October and feacovered that Irish mythology was very sophisticated stuff. My tures volunteer reenactors who depict the lives of those that goal was to try and make these tales more accessible to the settled at the fort. modern era.”

“The original concept of this book project was not to write Continued on next page for the money,” Flint says. “This is intended to be a donation w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Spring 2005 • 29

Remote Bounds From previous page

Thus far Flint has authored 14 published novels based on the history and folklore of England, Ireland and America. With his current book project, Flint hopes to chronicle the amazing heroism and determination of the men who followed the Lewis and Clark Expedition to establish Fort Atkinson. Flint credits his youngest son Gavin, a current UNO student, with peaking his interest in the writings of early westward expansion. Flint’s oldest son, Devin, is a UNO graduate and a frequent participant in Living History Days at Fort Atkinson.

“Gavin was a Napoleonic nut when he was a young boy,” Flint recalls. “When he was 14 we went to Living History Day at the fort. It is as close to the Napoleonic era as you can get in Nebraska, and he was fascinated with it. He wanted to be involved with the event, so he began to play the part of a 6th Infantry soldier. He was too young to go alone, so my wife, Judy, became involved in the reenactments. My older son followed, and it wasn’t too long before I became involved.”

While his family played the more traditional characters of the era during Living History Days, Flint found himself wandering about the camp as a visiting journalist, a role that helped him gain a better insight for his research and writings.

Much of the research for “Blood and Water” was amassed from the journals of John Gayle, a surgeon who provided gruesome details of the second expedition, a grueling, 600mile journey that started in St. Louis July 4, 1819.

“Picture 1,300 people in a couple of dozen keel boats, dragging themselves through the muddy waters up river,” Flint says. “It was the first time that a steamboat had been on the Missouri past St. Louis, but those boats failed. There were people dying and drowning every day, and when they finally get to the council bluff, winter comes. They are already starving and exhausted, yet they begin to build this big fort from the huge cottonwood trees in the area. Then a scurvy epidemic hits and kills some 200 men, and in the spring a massive flood wipes out the first fort. On July 4, 1820, they started all over again, building a second fort on top of the bluff, where it is today.”

The are many more tales to tell from this important time period, Flint says, and he hopes to preserve those stories by helping to re-create the first library in Nebraska at Fort Atkinson. He says profits from the book also would enable the Fort Atkinson Foundation to purchase and re-bind books from the era. “We will include it as part of our living history days, with a fort librarian to act as interpreter. Being able to show visitors books from the period really puts the fort in context.”

Flint has begun work on the second book in the series, which examines life at the permanent fort and a daring expedition to Fort Snelling, Minn., by Stephen Kearney. “I am juggling research for the second book with another book I am writing about the Civil War and a rebel plot to end the war,” he says. “I’m also moving along with the Celtic stuff.

“I was told once that if you are a writer, you can write about anything. You could say one of my goals in life is to prove that’s true.”

30 • Spring 2005

In the House

By Anthony Flott, Editor

campaign, a Congressional researcher for the National Republican Congressional Committee, and a legislative assistant for the U.S. Air Force Association. From 1988 to 1989 he worked for Creative Media (productions assistant) and for Aspect Media (office manager/assistant producer), companies assisting political campaigns.

Then, at the request of a friend, Sechser in 1999 joined the Bush presidential election campaign team as a field manager.

He worked the last two months in Iowa, spending most of his time managing efforts in Des Moines’ Dallas County. That led to a job with the U.S. Defense Department as a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Air Force, a Pentagon post that included time under U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

ing,” recalls Sechser, who had moved from the Pentagon just two months prior.

“We were quite busy after September 11. President Bush formed the Office of Homeland Security, we had to get the office up and running, more staff was added and our office facilitated their needs. My first experience with President Bush was the first Monday after September 11th. I was honored to have met him then, and thankful that he was our President at this crucial moment and is our President today. He was very welcoming, very reassuring.”

He has high praise as well for the rest of the staff. In April 2002, Sechser’s father, Sam Sechser, was killed in an automobile accident when another motorist ran a red light. His moth-

In July 2001, another friend called Sechser, asking him to join the White House staff. During his stint in the White House Sechser has directed an overhaul of cellular and wireless communications and spearheaded revitalization of offices in the West Wing, East Wing and Executive Office Building.

His role means acquiring whatever staff needs—computers, furniture, phones. “You name it,” he says. “A number of questions come into my office. There are many unique situations that arise. You have to be able to adapt these situations and overcome any challenge.”

Including the horror of Sept. 11.

Sechser was in the White House during the terrorist attacks. “I remember it being such a beautiful, peaceful morn-

er, Karen Talley, died in the same fashion when Sechser was 12. “When my father passed everyone in the White House supported me as if they were family; I’ll never forget that. I’ve never worked with a better group of people than those whom I’ve worked with at the White House. I am honored and privileged to have worked with such a great group.”

With the November election behind them and another four years in front, Sechser says he plans on staying in Washington working for President Bush. Married with a 3-month-old son, he says that afterward he may move to the private sector, perhaps in a return to South Dakota.

Whatever he does, it won’t be left to 125 million people to decide.

I

magine the fate of your job in the hands of nearly 125 million voters. George W. Bush and John F. Kerry can, of course.

But so, too, can Scott D. Sechser.

The 1995 UNO graduate has served as operations manager for the White House since two months prior to Sept. 11, a political appointment he would have lost had Kerry become POTUS. Bush’s win, though, kept Sechser in the White House, where he’s responsible for making sure “every office . . . has what it needs to perform its duties the best way possible for the president,” the 34-year-old says.

Not too shabby for a one-time college hockey player who graduated with a degree in art history hoping to work for a museum or gallery.

OK, so there’s some connecting of the dots that’s needed.

We’ll start at the beginning in Sioux Falls, S.D., where Sechser was born and raised. The youngest of four children, he attended O’Gorman Catholic High School and starred for the Sioux Falls Sun, a city-wide team that claimed the state hockey championship in 1989 with Sechser posting the lowest goalsagainst average in the state.

He attended classes at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn., then at Duluth’s College of St. Scholastica, where he played a season of hockey. His college playing days and time in Minnesota, though, ended in part for a reason that sounds somewhat strange for a hockey player.

“I found it was really cold,” recalls Sechser, who still plays hockey regularly as a goalie in a Thursday night men’s league.

“I didn’t like it.” He returned home, regrouped and found UNO, where he studied two-and-a-half years, earning a bachelor’s degree. Graduation, though, posed a problem. Namely, what next?

“As I looked into my options it seemed more schooling—a master’s degree—was what was required,” Sechser says. “At that time I was not ready for more schooling so I turned to what interested me most outside of school, politics.”

He hunkered down in the UNO library for information and phone numbers then made calls to South Dakota senators and congressmen until finally becoming a legislative correspondent/paid intern for then-South Dakota U.S. Senator Larry Pressler (Rep.). Shortly after graduation, Sechser moved to Washington, D.C. The next two years brought an assortment of jobs for Sechser. He was a field director for the Bob Dole presidential UNOALUM

Photo courtesy White House Room 1

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Spring 2005 • 31

Reeducating the Masses

By Shelly Steig

L

ast Thanksgiving, Sherry Kennedy Brownrigg watched in the sound booth as three on-air personalities taste-tested a new soda during the radio program “Morning Air.” Listeners may not have been able to see the hosts’ faces, but from the ensuing silence the audience couldn’t help but conclude that the drink was less than appetizing.

They were right—it was a turkeyand gravy-flavored cola.

Not exactly an exploit one might expect from a Catholic radio station.

When you think Catholic radio, continuous Masses and rosaries might leap to mind. That’s where Brownrigg, a 1992 UNO alumna, comes in. As chief programming officer for the relatively new Relevant Radio—a network of 14 member and 12 affiliate stations that reach more than 26 million Catholics in the United States—she is determined to reeducate the masses. “This kind of radio has never been done before,” Brownrigg explains. “We don’t just talk about heavy theology. It’s dynamic, upbeat fun. Our whole purpose is to bridge the gap between faith and everyday life.”

To bridge this gap, the 42-year-old keeps a hectic schedule. She jets from Omaha to meet with senior management in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday mornings, catches another flight to Green Bay, Wis., that evening so she can convene with her talent pool for the next two days, then heads back to Omaha on Friday. In between she recruits new on-air personalities and spreads the word about Relevant Radio, a non-profit entity approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It’s a good thing Brownrigg loves to fly as much as she loves to talk. Her gift for gab may have been an early indicator that she was destined for radio. In grade school her teachers often complained she chatted too much. In sec-

32 • Spring 2005

Photo by Joe Mixan

Brownrigg took time on one of her weekend forays from Minneapolis to Omaha to pose at Omaha’s St. Cecilia Cathedral. ondary school Brownrigg would tape broadcasts from across the country and listen to them at night on an old tape recorder. Even though she’d make a tent from her covers to help absorb the sound, the noise still would disturb her sister, who was trying to sleep—in the same bed.

That era was Brandy Summer’s WOW 590 AM heyday, and Brownrigg reasoned that if Summer could do it, so could she. She immersed herself in her first broadcast job at local station KTCH while attending Wayne State College.

Brownrigg was the first woman ever hired, and her duties included airing UNOALUM

songs, taking out the trash and announcing hog futures. “I was terrible at farm reports,” she says, “I had no idea what I was saying.”

She left college for a gig as an on-air personality at KGLI in Sioux City, Iowa, for two years, then returned to Omaha for a 14-year stint at FM Lite 96, where she hosted midday, afternoon and evening shows. She also served as assistant director of program, audience development and music.

Although Billboard Magazine named her Music Director of the Year in 1988, she still cringes when she is reminded of the old ‘80s drive-time style. “I recently unearthed a tape of myself and I thought ‘Oh! I was awful!’ We call it ‘puking’ now,” she says, laughing.

Brownrigg later decided to finish her degree and enrolled at UNO, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor of general studies degree in public relations, political science and broadcasting.

One month later she married Steve Brownrigg and completed the Catholic Church’s Rite of Christian Initiation. For five months, the ex-Methodist was content with attending Mass occasionally.

Then one night she had what she describes as a “Saint Paul conversion.”

Brownrigg says, “I realized I just couldn’t live the same life anymore. I had no morals, no purpose, no values. God had made me for something better.”

Since then Brownrigg has been sharing her message that being a faith-filled person is nothing to fear. She helped found Omaha’s only Catholic radio station, KVSS (88.9 FM), then when the opportunity presented itself to be on the ground floor of a nationwide network, she jumped at the chance. For Brownrigg, this wasn’t a huge leap of faith. She found that while she continually bumped her head on the glass ceiling at commercial stations, there are no limits for her talents in the Catholic radio realm.

Relevant Radio is the culmination of her life experiences and her radio experience.

“If I had to sum up the way that I look at my life,” she says, “I’d say I have been able to really, really perfect my craft, and at the same time I get to practice my faith. The blessing of doing that is profound.” w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

A Place to Cry

V

By Anthony Flott, Editor

irginia French Inclan is no stranger to death, destruction and devastation. Since 2002 the 68-year-old retiree and UNO graduate has volunteered with the Omaha Rapid Response Team, a coalition of Omaha churches founded in 2000 by Ray Mayhew to help people in the world after disasters.

Inclan has helped in the recovery of Plymouth, N.C., after Hurricane Isabel struck there in September 2003. She helped clean after the destruction wrought by a tornado in Hallam, Neb., in May 2004. And when Hurricane Charley struck Port Charlotte, Fla., in August 2004, Inclan was there, too, riding out Hurricane Frances at the same time.

None of it, though, prepared her for what she saw in Sri Lanka earlier this year following that country’s pounding by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

“I have seen many areas of devastation, but this time all that rubble represented the loss of so many lives—70,000 Sri Lankans alone,” she says.

“This realization made it overwhelmingly sad.

“It was so much worse than depicted on TV. There were miles and miles of rubble contrasting strikingly with the stately palm trees. Hundreds of boats were washed up on shore, some past the roadways in crumpled masses. Fishing nets and debris still hung on some of the palm branches, an indicator of how high the waves had been.”

Inclan arrived in Sri Lanka Jan. 28 with seven other ORRT volunteers, all of whom paid their own expenses. Donations came from churches, businesses and Omahans and existing connections in the country helped the team “hit the road running,” Inclan says. “Not a day was wasted before we started working.”

The team arrived in the village of Galle, enduring 95-degree days of heavy humidity At work making a wooden bed for a shelter in to build rows of 28 individual family shelters with total housing for 280 people. Each Galle, Sri Lanka. family unit also was stocked with basic necessities, and a septic tank was dug into the hard red soil. The team also reestablished a cobbler, a tailor and a seamstress with the materials and equipment needed to start their businesses anew. The same for a carpenter who had lost all his tools and was considering suicide until ORRT funds put him back in business.

The team had more to overcome than just the tsunami’s devastation, though. Galle is an area controlled by Buddhist monks, and Inclan reported in a letter to prayer partners that, “They were very suspicious of what we were doing as they knew we were Christians. They tried to spread rumors that we would only allow families to move into a unit after they signed up to be Christians.” The rumor was put to rest. “From then on, however, we were unable to speak the name of God or Jesus. Our deeds and actions had to be our Christian witness.”

ORRT also funded three similar shelters in other areas of Sri Lanka and helped reestablish three orphanages. The latter were in an area whose relief was overlooked by the government, says Inclan, because it was populated with a majority of Christians.

ORRT members left Sri Lanka Feb. 8, arriving back in Omaha two days later. “The rebuilding of Sri Lanka will take years,” Inclan says. “Teams like ours will need to carry on—governments can spend millions of dollars, but the one-on-one helping the Sri Lankan people means more than anyone can imagine.

“The people are so touched and appreciative. One man said after getting the keys to his new family unit, ‘Until now I had no place to cry. Now I have my own place to cry.’”

For information regarding Omaha’s Rapid Response Team contact Ken Smith at 402-572-8215.” Send Inclan emails at greatgrannyjock@aol.com Spring 2005 • 33

Popular rental facility to be enhanced through renovation, addition, refurbishment

Courtesy Stan Howe and Associates

Alumni Center Makeover

H

aving played a role in the lifechanging events of its guests for more than a decade now, the W.H. Thompson Alumni Center is getting a new look and some muchdeserved time off.

Beginning Aug. 1 the Alumni Center will close for five months of refurbishments, renovations and additions, enhancing the country club-like atmosphere of what has become one of Omaha’s most popular rental facilities.

“After 11 years, the association’s board of directors determined that it was time for a change in décor,” says Greg Trimm, director of alumni facilities since 1994.

“At the same time an addition to the building was conceived that would allow us to provide additional meeting and banquet space to keep up with the demand of our customers.”

And what a demand that is.

Since opening in September 1994 the Alumni Center has hosted more than 10,000 functions and 350,000-plus guests.

Events have included thousands of university and alumni functions and hundreds of wedding receptions. Proms, holiday parties, business meetings, bar mitzvahs, baby showers, seminars, workshops, conferences, dances and

34 • Spring 2005

even church services also have graced the building.

All of which has generated nearly $1.8 million in gross revenue from 1994 through 2004.

Stan Howe and Associates, the same architectural firm that led the 1994 Alumni Center renovation/addition, was contracted for the upcoming enhancements. Hawkins Construction will serve as general contractor.

The update will cost $1.8 million, funded through past Alumni Center revenues and a capital fund-raising campaign. “The changes are expected to generate greater revenues through increased bookings, enabling us to provide more support to the university through increased facilities and increased revenues,” Trimm notes.

Part of the appeal to future clients will be the ample space available. The Alumni Center will increase from 6,868 to 9,854 square feet of event space, accommodating functions of up to 450 people.

“The new addition will allow us to provide more space to all of our customers and will make the facility more functional,” Trimm says. “Traffic flow will improve, the Severa Parlor will be more accessible, safety will be improved and the grounds will be beautified.”

The most significant of the changes occur in the concourse and Wardle Club Room.

The concourse and its 13-foot high vaulted ceiling will be extended nearly 50 feet, running through the existing Club Room and through second-floor office space. A new Club Room capable of seating up to 144 guests and of being partitioned will be added to the south of the new concourse. It will open onto a covered patio with new outdoor furniture and will be surrounded by a wall incorporating donor bricks installed during the 1994 Center addition.

Additional space adjacent to the concourse will house a hospitality/serving area, built-in registration area, foodservice storage and pre-function space, and an office for the director of facilities.

What is left of the existing Club Room will be divided into a new coatroom and storage space for audio/visual equipment, tables and chairs.

Bootstrapper Hall, meanwhile, will be updated with carpet and wall coverings that fit into a new color scheme implemented through the facility. The hall, which seats up to 200 guests at a sit-down function, also will have its chairs reupholstered, its mirrors removed and new light fixtures installed.

UNOALUM

Other significant changes in the Alumni Center will include: • AV enhancements, including mounted LCD projectors in Bootstrapper Hall and the Club Room, closed circuit video and a new sound system; • Expanded restroom facilities; • Additional fire sprinklers throughout the facility; • Enhancements to the lobby, including an electronic marquee and new ceramic tile at the entrance; • New carpeting, wall coverings and office furniture for Alumni Association staff; • Landscaping improvements, including new greenery and lighting, plus a new walkway to link Parking Lot H south of the Alumni Center to the existing sidewalk.

Plans for the renovations and additions were begun in 2003 by the Alumni Center Review Committee chaired by Al Thomsen (‘57) a past chairman of the Alumni Association. Other committee members include: Larry Morgan (replacing Steve Conley Jan. 1, 2005), Gary Domet, Cookie Katskee, Jim Leslie, Deb McLarney, Adrian Minks, Patricia Taylor, Joe Thallas and Greg Trimm Work on the Alumni Center is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005.

Bookings for the latter half of 2005 are not being accepted, though that could change depending on construction schedule. No parking stalls will be lost to accommodate the new facilities.

Parking will be affected, however, during the months of construction. w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Alumni Center Renovation/Addition Floor Plan

Terrace

Club Room Concourse Hospitality Room

Registration Area, Food Service Storage and Facilities Office Bootstrapper Hall Sun Bay

Note: Severa Parlor not shown.

Spring 2005 • 35

Association in Action

News & Information

Fire Chief Dahlquist receives Citation for Achievement T

he University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumnus Achievement upon Robert Dahlquist during the University’s winter commencement ceremony Dec. 17, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Dahlquist is chief of the Omaha Fire Department.

The Citation, instituted in 1949, is presented at each UNO commencement. The Association’s highest honor, it encompasses professional or career achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional associations, and fidelity to UNO. Stephen G. Bodner, 2004 chairman of the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors, presented the award to Dahlquist, the 136th Citation recipient. Dahlquist earned an associate’s degree in fire protection technology from UNO in 1988 and a BGS in health education in 2002.

In April 2003, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey appointed Dahlquist fire chief, replacing Joe Napravnik. He also succeeds his father and fellow UNO alum, Horton Dahlquist, who held the post in the early 1980s. Horton Dahlquist graduated from then-Omaha University with a BGS in 1966.

Robert Dahlquist joined the Omaha Fire Department in July 1981, less than half a year before his father became chief. He slowly and steadily climbed the chain of command while serving in various capacities, including as an emergency medical technician and arson investigator and with hazardous materi-

Welcome Aboard

N

ew members and a new executive committee were among the changes made to the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors during the organization’s annual meeting December 21.

The board of directors sets policy and oversees the management of the UNO Alumni Association.

Adrian Minks (pictured), a 1978 UNO graduate (MBA), was named the association’s Chairman of the Board for 2005.

She is a vice president for Omaha Public Power District.

2005 UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors Executive Committee: Chairman of the Board, Adrian Minks (OPPD); Past Chairman, Stephen Bodner (U.S. Bank); Chairman-elect, Mike Kudlacz (Transportation Security Admin.); Vice Chairmen, Cookie Katskee (Friedel Jewish Academy),

36 • Spring 2005

Longtime donor wins 2004 Annual Fund Caribbean cruise

als response.

In 1993 Dahlquist was certified as a law enforcement officer through the Omaha Police Department. He was promoted to fire captain in 1990 and to battalion fire chief in 1998. In the latter post Dahlquist headed the department’s training bureau and was responsible for recruitment and training of Omaha’s firefighters.

Dahlquist is the 28th chief of the Omaha Fire Omaha Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist Department. The department became the 136th recipient of the Citation for Alumnus Achievement. today has 23 fire stations throughout the city and a complement of nearly 650 firefighters, fire apparatus engineers, captains, battalion chiefs and assistant chiefs.

An Omaha Creighton Prep graduate, Dahlquist is a board member of the American Red Cross (Heartland Chapter) and of the National Safety Council (Omaha Chapter), and belongs to several associations of fire chiefs. His wife, Pamela, also is a UNO graduate (BA, 1990). The couple has three children.

Rodney Oberle (UNO), John Wilson (Durham Resources), Kevin Warneke (Ronald McDonald House Charities Inc. of Omaha); Secretary, Angelo Passarelli (Millard Public Schools); Treasurer, Dan Koraleski (KPMG Peat Marwick); Legal Counsel, Deb McLarney (First National Bank); President & CEO, Jim Leslie (UNO Alumni Association).

Directors Term Expires 2005: Jacquie Estee (Westside Community Schools), Mark Grieb (AAA Nebraska), Mark Healy (Vente, Inc.), Maggie Lehning (Business System Architects), Rodrigo Lopez (AmeriSphere Multifamily Finance, L.L.C), Shirley Spieker (First Data Resources).

Term Expires 2006: Gary Domet (Omaha World-Herald), Jim Garbina (Harry Koch Co.), Patricia Lamberty (Nebraska District Court Judge), Luanne Nelson (Omaha Public Schools), Kelli Sears (Union Pacific Railroad).

Term Expires 2007: Ray Barr (Apartment Management Consultants. Co.), Bob Danenhauer (Omaha Public Schools), Kevin Munro (U.S. Bank), EvaJon Sperling (U.S. Post Office), Patricia Taylor (Qwest Corp.), Thomas Warren (Omaha Police Dept.), Martha Ridgway Zajicek (Mutual of Omaha Ins. Co.) Ex-Officio Directors: Chancellor Nancy Belck; Faculty Senate Rep. Ann Fruhling; Student Regent Elizabeth Kraemer.

UNOALUM

M

essage No. 1 that the UNO Alumni Association left on Bruce Clure’s answering machine asked him to call back on a matter related to the UNO Annual Fund.

Bruce Clure neglected to return the call.

Message No. 2 referred once more to the Annual Fund, again asking for a return call and promising the 1980 UNO graduate he’d be happy if he did.

Still no call.

Message No. 3 was a bit more direct: “It’s about our Caribbean Cruise drawing,” Clure was told.

Finally, a call. Don’t think, though, that Clure has poor phone etiquette or that he was avoiding what he thought was a phone-a-thon request for more money.

Turns out Clure and his wife, Janet, were in Hawaii.

Some people, it seems, have all the luck. Clure was randomly selected by the UNO Alumni Association to receive a Caribbean Cruise for two through a promotion for the 2004 UNO Annual Fund. His name was selected in midJanuary after the UNO Alumni Association had recorded all 2004 donations of $50 or more.

The trip, arranged by AAA Travel Agency, Inc., was planned for the Grandeur of the Seas, departing from New Orleans and with ports of call in Cozumel, Mexico, George Town, Grand Cayman, and Costa Maya, Mexico.

Round-trip airfare from Omaha to New Orleans also was to be provided.

The trip goes to a longtime donor with longtime ties to UNO. Clure’s father, H. Lou Clure, graduated from Omaha University in 1949. Bruce followed in his footsteps, but only after a detour. After graduating from Omaha Northwest High School he enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado.

“I enjoyed it out there,” Clure says.

“Probably enjoyed it too much.” After

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

two years he transferred to UNO. He graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in management. His stepdaughters, Stacy and Shonda Molacek, also are UNO grads (with honors) as are his aunt, Jean Clure Bedell, and two nieces, Suzanne and Stephanie Sobota.

Clure made his first gift to the UNO Annual Fund two years after graduating.

In 1985 he joined the Century Club, comPhoto by Tim Fitzgerald posed of donors of Past Chairman of the Board Stephen Bodner, left, and Caribbean $100 or more and has Cruise winner Bruce Clure. done the same every year since 1988. The “I believe in what UNO is doing for generosity is a family affair, too; his the city and for education,” says Clure, father is a member of the Chancellor’s general manager of Midland Computer Club Society, donors whose cumulative Inc. “I think it’s been fantastic how lifetime gifts total from $10,000 to $24,999 (may also reflect gifts given both much it’s grown and expanded, in stature and facilities, in the last 20 to 25 to the NU Foundation and to the UNO years.”

Alumni Association).

2004 Annual Fund Annual Report T

he 2004 UNO Annual Fund Annual Report will be available for online download by April 15.

The publication can be accessed as a PDF document on the Alumni Association’s website at: www.unoalumni.org/give_to_uno/annual_reports The 2004 Annual Report features the names of the thousands of contributors to the UNO Century Club and UNO Annual Fund.

Also included are the names of donors to the Legacy Societies, which recognize lifetime giving, and reports on the various Alumni Association activities throughout 2004.

To order a free printed copy of the report call the Association’s Records Department at 402-554-2446, or toll-free at UNO-MAVALUM (866-628-2586).

Spring 2005 • 37

Association in Action Association’s Miller nets UNO staff award

M

uch of the work Roxanne Miller does for the UNO Alumni Association goes unseen, unnoticed and unappreciated.

Not in 2005, though.

The Association’s executive administrative assistant, Miller in January was named the university’s Employee of the Month, the second Association staffer to earn the honor in the past two years.

Miller began working at the Association in 1983 and is its second-longest tenured employee. Her duties include coordinating commuRoxanne Miller nications with the 29-member board of directors and among Association staff, coordinating Annual Fund mailings, notarizing various certificates and documents for employees across the University, assisting at Association activities, etc.

The University touted Miller’s fostering of a family atmosphere when publicizing her award.

“If an association staff member has a serious illness, or if there is a death in the family, Roxanne coordinates flowers and cards from the staff to that person,” a co-worker said. “Actions such as that foster a sense of family on our staff.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons we have such low turnover on our staff. We have an average turnover of around 10 years.”

Miller’s husband, Dave, is an administrative technician for UNO’s Accounting Services Department. As Employee of the Month, Miller received a plaque, portrait and gift certificate. She also becomes eligible to receive the UNO Employee of the Year award issued later in 2005.

Alumni Association Records Director Sue Gerding received the Employee of the Month award in 2003.

38 • Spring 2005

News & Information

2005 Annual Fund: Make a World of Difference

2004 Century Club Survey

T

T

he UNO Alumni Association is asking its graduates to “Make a World of Difference” through a contribution to the 2005 UNO Annual Fund. The 2005 campaign focuses on ways donors can make a difference not only on campus, but also in the world.

Making a World of Difference Annual Fund dollars will be used to support endeavors in four areas: Campus: The Association continues its longtime efforts supporting campus, including professorships, teaching awards, departmental assistance, communications, library aid, etc.

Scholarships: Contributions allow the Association to devote proceeds from its Chancellor’s Scholarship Swing to provide 40 UNO Alumni Legacy Scholarships.

Aid to Afghanistan: Through coordination with UNO’s Center for Afghanistan Studies the Association is providing supplies for students and teachers in Afghanistan schools.

In Care Of: In gratitude for the sacrifices being made by U.S. soldiers the Association has established “In Care Of” — military care packages sent to UNO alumni, students or children of UNO alumni/students/faculty/staff who currently are at war. For details, see www.unoalumni.org/incareof Donor Benefits All donors receive a UNO Alumni Card and listing in the 2005 UNO Annual Fund Annual Report. Donors of $25 or more also receive a 2006 UNO Campus Calendar and are entered in monthly random prize drawings.

Weekend Getaway Drawings Donors of $50 or more get all that and are entered in three random drawings for “Weekend Getaways” for two that emphasize UNO’s presence in the world.

The drawings, which conclude with a Grand-Prize Drawing after all 2005 donors are entered, include trips to the following destinations: Kansas City: Mavs for All Seasons—See former Mav All-American Chris Bober and his Kansas City Chiefs take on former Mav great Ryan Krause and his San Diego Chargers.

Seattle: All That Jazz with Karrin Allyson—See Grammy-nominated UNO alumna Karrin Allyson perform at Seattle’s Jazz Alley, touted as the West Coast’s premiere jazz club.

Grand Getaway, Los Angeles: In Jeopardy!—VIP tickets to a taping of “Jeopardy!” where UNO grad Gary Johnson is producer-head writer.

Season Hockey Ticket Drawing Annual Fund donors of $50 or more will be entered in a random drawing for a pair of UNO season hockey tickets. Drawing conducted in July after all donors through June 30 are recorded.

Contributions to the Make a World of Difference campaign can be made online at www.unoalumni/org/give_to_uno.

* Weekend Getaways include travel, lodging and performance tickets.

UNOALUM

he UNO Alumni Association conducted its second annual online survey of Century Club members, polling them on attitudes related to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Among the highlights are 91 percent of respondents responding either “excellent” or “good” when asked about UNO’s effectiveness in preparing them for a career.

The UNO Century Club is composed of donors of $100 or more. All Century Club members received letters asking them to log onto an Association website containing the survey questions. Results are below.

When was the last time you visited the UNO campus?

• Within the last 6 months 44% • Within the last year 7% • Within the past 5 years 25% • Within the past 10 years 6% • Ten or more years 18% How would you rate the effectiveness of UNO in preparing you for your career today?

• Excellent 50% • Good 41% • Adequate 8% • Poor 1%

UNO is a stronger academic institution today than when I attended.

• Strongly agree 53% • Agree 14% • Disagree 1% • Strongly disagree 0% • No opinion/don’t know 32%

Would you encourage a child of yours or some other young person to attend UNO? • Yes 93% • No 0% 7% • Not sure What is the most important purpose of a college education?

• Individual, personal development 30% • Preparation for an occupation/career 55% 0% • To make a better citizen • To develop problem-solving 8% capabilities • Exposure to a variety of 4% ideas and opinions 3% • Other

What is your primary source of information about UNO? 69% • UNO Alum magazine • UNO or Alumni Association website 3% • Other Alumni Association mailings 2% 2% • Alumni Association-sponsored activities 14% • Media -- Newspaper, television radio, Internet • Student contacts 3% 5% • Administration or faculty contacts • Fellow alumni 0% 2% • Other

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

How much of the UNO Alum magazine do you read?

• More than 75 percent 36% • More than 50 percent 29% • 25 to 50 percent 21% • Less than 25 percent 12% • None 2%

Please rate the following areas in regard to how important you think each is to UNO today.

Conducting scientific research • 1 - Very important 13% •2 18% •3 23% •4 6% •5 20% •6 6% •7 9% •8 3% •9 1% • 10 - Not at all important 1% Performing arts (theater, dance, concerts, programs for the public) • 1 - Very important 10% •2 10% 23% •3 •4 16% •5 16% 12% •6 •7 5% 4% •8 0% •9 • 10 - Not at all important 4% Academic excellence • 1 - Very important •2 •3 •4 •5 •6 •7 •8 •9 • 10 - Not at all important

59% 21% 9% 3% 4% 1% 2% 0% 0% 1%

Conferences or seminars on national issues • 1 - Very important 9% •2 8% •3 23% •4 18% •5 23% •6 7% •7 9% •8 0% •9 1% • 10 - Not at all important 2% Athletics • 1 - Very important •2 •3 •4 •5 •6 •7 •8 •9 • 10 - Not at all important

International studies program • 1 - Very important •2 •3 •4 •5 •6 •7 •8 •9 • 10 - Not at all important

7% 11% 19% 21% 22% 2% 7% 3% 2% 6% 11% 15% 24% 19% 16% 6% 5% 2% 1% 1%

Adult or continuing education • 1 - Very important •2 •3 •4 •5 •6 •7 •8 •9 • 10 - Not at all important

33% 26% 18% 9% 2% 5% 5% 2% 0% 0%

Community Service • 1 Very important •2 •3 •4 •5 •6 •7 •8 •9 • 10 - Not at all important

13% 25% 28% 15% 14% 0% 3% 2% 0% 0%

Providing career counseling and development assistance • 1 - Very important 28% •2 24% •3 21% •4 10% •5 11% •6 2% •7 1% •8 3% •9 0% • 10 - Not at all important 0%

Spring 2005 • 39

G

ot a picture of your little tyke?

Send it our way as a print or in electronic format and we’ll post it on our website!

Bailey Bodner, daughter of Chad and Kelly (Quigley, 02) Bodner of Omaha and granddaughter of Jean and Stephen (‘75) Bodner of Omaha.

Sons & Daughters of UNO Alumni Kendall Kreifels, son of Tobi (Richardson, ‘93, ‘96) and Kelly (‘92) Kreifels of St. Louis Park, Minn., and grandson of Cheryl (Bird, ‘66, ‘95) and Dave Richardson (‘66, ‘74) of Omaha.

Andrew Edward Fink, son of Mary (Schaffart, ‘98;’01) and Edward Fink III (‘98) and grandson of Edward Fink Jr. (‘74) of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Rachel Michelle Wahlgren, daughter of Patty and Jeff (‘00) Wahlgren of Omaha.

Damian Christopher Frausto, son of Crystal and Ricky (‘03) Frausto of Omaha.

Brendan Kenneth Quivers, son of Craig and Kelly (‘03) Quivers of Omaha.

Anika Rebecca Futo, daughter of Tom and Leisa (Herman, ‘95) Futo of Louisville, Neb.

Brady Dean Coffman, son of Judd and Pamela (Howard, ‘92) Coffman of Omaha.

Christopher Daniel Warren, son of Shane and Kathleen (Annin, ‘95) Warren of Omaha.

Nicholas Zander Linares, son of Ismael and Athena (‘02, ‘04) Ramos of Bellevue, Neb.

Ethan Thomas and Emily Carol Elmer, twin grandson and granddaughter of Roger Elmer (‘69) of Great Falls, Mont.

Daniel Patrick Wuester, son of Bert and Barbara (Gann, ‘94) Wuester of Las Vegas.

Madeline Grace Lewis, daughter of Sheila (Koehler, ‘92) and Thomas (‘91) Lewis of Treynor, Iowa, and granddaughter of Kenneth Koehler (‘72) of Treynor, Iowa.

Paige Hope Holland, daughter of Beth (Wernsman, ‘94) and Matt (‘94) Holland of Omaha.

Jacob Barrett and Quinn Hayden Jenkins, twin son and daughter of Deanna (Olsson, ’96) and Jason (’94) Jenkins of Broken Arrow, Okla.

Submit a Future Alum on the Web —

Audrey Marie Cherek, daughter of Jeff and Robin (Hutfles ‘96; ‘03) Cherek of Omaha

Class Notes

Future Alums

Van F. Smeall, son of Amy (Plambeck, ‘98) and Aaron (‘98’00) Smeall of Bellevue, Neb.

Korey Pittman, grandson of Edna Brooks Pittman (‘86, ‘89) of Toppenish, Wash.

Chloe Ann Barber, daughter of Justin and Sheila (Overlin, ‘97) Barber of White Bear Lake, Minn.

www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum/

Send us news of your baby—we’ll send a T-shirt and certificate and publish the good news. Include address, baby’s name, date of birth, parents’ names and graduation year(s). Please send the announcement within one year of the birth at www.unoalumni.org/magazine/submit_future_alum. Or, mail to: Future Alums, UNO Alumni Association, 60th & Dodge, Omaha, NE 68182. FAX birth announcements to: (402) 554-3787.

A lu m ni N igh t at th e T he ate r set fo r A pr il 20

J

oin fellow grads at the second annual Alumni Night at the Theater for “Much Ado About Nothing,” staged by the UNO Theater Department and directed by D. Scott Glasser.

Join us before the performance for a wine and cheese tasting reception at the Alumni Center. Director D. Scott Glasser will be on hand to provide backstage insights.

Glasser is updating the play by setting it in a 1946 family-run South Omaha Italian restaurant.

After Glasser’s insights we’ll head to the nearby Del and Lou Ann Weber Fine Arts Building for the performance.

40 • Spring 2005

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE ON THE WEB www.unoalumni.org/communications/submitcn.asp

One of Shakespeare’s best-known romantic comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing” is fast-paced and full of wit, word-play, intrigue and envy. The play incudes Beatrice and Benedick, characters who delight with the thrust and parry of their lines. They are balanced by the brooding malice of Don John and his plot to wreck the happiness of the young lovers, Claudio and Hero, and the comic ineptitude of Dogberry and his companions.

Cost for the evening, including reception, is $15 per person. To attend, complete and submit the registration form on Page 2. Theater tickets will be distributed at the reception.

For more information, call Sheila King at (402) 554-4802 or toll-free at 866-628-2586. She can be reached via e-mail at sking@mail.unomaha.edu.

UNOALUM

1952 Lou Andersen, BS, in January retired as the Omaha City Council’s chief of staff after 26 years in that capacity.

Lee Marx Paasch, BA, recently was featured in an Alumni Association “Thank You” card sent to donors. It features a picture from the UNO Historical Photo Collection showing 1954 Ma-ie Day princess candidates Marx Paasch, Millicent Wheeler, Syntha Judd, Ann Pane and Marilyn Rogers. Marx Paasch wrote in reply: “My sister took us on a tour of UNO a couple of years ago, but the aerial shot in the calendar is really an eye-

F

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

Flashback File

ormer students of Bert Kurth are encouraged to send notes in recognition of his 90 birthday this past February. “He would love to hear from his students,” writes his daughter, Jean Kurth Davis. Kurth came to Omaha University in 1959 to build an intramural program and stayed until retiring in 1980. He led six students (Don Moberg, Bill Olson, Steve Sheppard, Dave Richardson, Charles Will and Bob Bigley) to the 1965 NAIA Bowling Championship, OU’s first national title in any sport.

OU repeated the feat in 1966. That team is pictured here in the 1967 Tomahawk yearbook: front row, from left, Dave Richardson, Steve Sheppard, Bill Poff; second row, left, Kurth,Bill Olson, Tom Kahley. Send tidings to Kurth’s daughter Jean Davis at jkdavis3@cox.net

opener. The campus seems even larger than we thought, especially when compared to the 1949-53 facility! The picture with the icicles is wonderful, too! My husband and I met at OU. Since he was a business major and I majored in speech and English, we’d probably not have met because we’d never have been in the same building!”

1960 Florence “Peg” Tuomisto, BS, is a volunteer coordinator in the Leon

Lost Alums -- 1955

Minnie Ackerman Susan J. Bivin Aller Idah C. Anderson Elizabeth M. Anderson Clayton K. Bowe William P. Bowman William G. Boyer Elzie C. Brown Charles R. Bruno Nancy Arthur Burdick Dorothy Burg Burg Odean B. Chastian Virginia Griffith Cox Eugene J. Crahen Mary Cornwall Edmiston Joann Doyle Ellis Jacqueline Morgan Ericson Marion D. Evenson John W. Foster

2 0 0 5

Requesting Birthday Bests for Bert

1953 Margery (Jones) Wolverton, BA, writes from her home in Tucson, Ariz., that, “My cousin, Wally Wright, wrote he noticed my name was in the missing column for 1953 graduates. I’ve lived in the same place for the last 20 years, but the post office has changed the address at least three times. It is now the actual location.”

Wentworth Clarke, BS, writes that, “A friend called and noted that I am on your ‘Lost Alums’ list for 1953. I finished my master’s degree in that year and am no longer ‘lost.’ I completed my doctorate from UNL in 1964 and was a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Central Florida in Orlando until 1989, when I retired. I have lived in the mountains of Georgia ever since. Good to make contact!”

S P R I N G

Arthur Froog Irvin R. Gaff Edward J. Gallup Mary Lou Hopper Gallup Roy W. Gibbs Edgar A. Guess Mary L. Hale Jeanne T. Harrison Martha J. Heiser Kenneth E. Holmes Hamilton S. Howard Ivan C. Inman Eugene Jacobs Ira J. Judy Arnold G. Kaiman Thelma G. Keenan Joy Miller Keerans Charles F. Kern Wilson A. Kluckman

County Sheriff’s Office in Tallahassee, Fla. She writes via email that: “I am now 83 years old, still working, and still learning, loving and laughing. I am happy to report that I have four children’s books on the Internet now. They are books about DeeDee, The Greyhound.” For more, see www.booksbypeg.com. Tuomisto also has written “How Did We Get Here From There?” which tells about how life was in the early ‘20s on a farm in Nebraska before elec-

Help us find these “Lost Alums” from the Class of 1955. Send news of their whereabouts to sgerding@mail.unomaha.edu John Liebentritt Cora D. Locklear James R. Lohr Stanton W. Madison Eva Mallo William E. Mason William L. McMahon Arthur P. Meincke Edgar F. Menzies Irma A. Miller Robert Miller Charles B. Murnan Henry C. Ninas Patricia A Norman King Patrick W. Oconnor William R. Odell Dale J. Perkins Frank M. Poole Robert J. Powers

James S. Purdum Robert J. Randle Herbert J. Rapley Nadine Roesky Rives Betty J. Scott Joseph S. Shearron Clara J. Siemsen Ruby Gilbreath Simmons Gordon J. Smith Joseph M. Smith L. Clifford Soubier Virginia Stolinski Peggy Maurine Cooke Sutton Kenneth L. Temple Melvyn E Thomas Lewis W. Thomson Charlotte Forsen Turner Keo A. Vallier John A. Vana

Ronald J. Vanecek Stuart P. Vincent Helen D. Vogt Ralph M. Wanderer Franklin G. West Gerald L Wetzel Robert G. Whalen Forrest W. Wicht Leonard Wilcox Patricia Ann Patrick Wills Ruth Cody Wing Lucille C. Wingerd Greta Jane Morton Wood Darrel M. Woods Barbara Moses Worley Lawrence L. Zuppan

Spring 2005 • 41

Class Notes tricity and other conveniences, continuing to the author’s time in Tallahassee. She’s also written “Recliner Logic,” a lighthearted look at “those reclining years.” Send Tuomisto email at tuomistop@mail.co.leon.fl.us

1966 Ward Schumaker, BFA, has joined the Storyopolis Art Gallery Artists’ Studio (www.storyopolis.com), the exhibit featuring Schumaker’s culinary works. Schumaker is both an author and awardwinning illustrator whose whimsical and strong images can be found illustrating the pages of “Baking with Julia,” by Julia Child, “Let’s Do It,” by Cole Porter and “Paris France,” the memoirs of Gertrude Stein (that effort earning a silver medal award from the Society of Illustrators). He’s also illustrated numerous print publications. He illustrated the cover of the Fall 2004 UNO Alum (pictured above)

1968 Jim Vlcek, BS, lives in Omaha and is self-employed as president of Vell Advertising and Marketing and Vell Photography. He also is editor of a national magazine, Concrete News. He writes, “Still writing daily and shooting photos. Built home in the mountains in Breckenridge, Colo., and travel there often.”

Send him emails at jvlcek@juno.com Robert P.J. Lindseth, BGS, lives in Lorton, Va., and recently retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel. He has joined the Joint Military Intelligence College at the 42 • Spring 2005

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) as a professor of information operations in the Intelligence Studies Department. Lindseth instructs graduate work in classified studies for midcareer officers from the uniformed services and federal agencies of the USG. He writes that he credits “the superb education he received at UNO as setting a solid foundation for his Air Force career and follow-on pursuits in academe.” Send him email at Robert.Lindseth@dia.mil

1969 Judi Goldberg Biniamow, BA, lives in Omaha and writes, “Worked as a human resource specialist to get master’s degree in counseling. I have worked as addiction counselor since graduation. Currently employed by Douglas County Drug Court as treatment coordinator.” Send her emails at judibomaha@msn.com

S P R I N G Ben Callis, BGS, formerly of Paducah, Ken., now lives in Woodland, Calif. In 1978 he retired as a Lt. Col. after more than 30 years with the U.S. Army. He then went to work in the aerospace industry as a personnel manager until retiring once more in 1992. Callis then began his hobby of genealogy, tracing his family back to the early 1600s from England. He has built a database of approximately 20,000 relations. He now assists families throughout the United States finding their family ancestry and has written a book, “Biblical Genealogy, Abraham to Jesus Christ,” which is to be published by AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Ind. To order, see www.authorhouse.com. Send Callis email at bcallis946@aol.com Bob Vandeven, BGS, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and writes, “I was an elementary school teacher for a number of

years, but haven’t performed in this capacity for about nine to 10 years! Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year.”

1970 Bruce Watson, BS, lives in Concord, Calif., and is CEO of California Banksite Corporation. He writes: “I am the drummer of The Coachmen. We played many UNO functions 65-68 and played 900 shows throughout the Midwest in my UNO years. We reunited in 1997 for Nebraska Music Hall of Fame and a 2000 CD. I would not be remembered on campus but I’m sure the alumni of that time would remember the band.” If you remember, send Watson email at CoachmenNE@aol.com Leonard T. Steiner, BGS, lives in Dothan, Ala., and is retired from the U.S. Air Force. He has traveled around the world three times, was employed 14

Flashback File

OU beats Creighton, snaps 15-game jinx

F

From the 1955 Tomahawk Yearbook

ebruary 24, 1955, marks the date of what may be looked on as the greatest night in Omaha University basketball history.

For this was the night that Omaha, for the first time, defeated arch-rival Creighton University, 95-86, in one of the most thrilling games ever played in the OU Fieldhouse. More than 4,000 fans watched as the Indians overcame a 41-47 deficit with a tremendous second half rally to snap a 15-game jinx that began way back in 1946.

The game was tied at 80-all with five minutes to go, but Bob Mackie’s long shot, Don Hansen’s break-away layup, and Fred Shinrock’s ten straight free throws carried the Indians to victory. The win was the highlight of a successful season.

It will long be remembered at Omaha U. that the 1954-55 team was the first to beat Creighton.

years in Saudi Arabia, and is familiar with French and Arabic languages. He spends his time these days writing and volunteering. Steiner has written for various publications, including Northwest Florida Daily News and The Dothan Eagle. He was originator and editor of a senior citizen’s newsletter, The Senior Informer. His fictional short story, “The Manuscript of Adrian Hobart,” was broadcast and dramatized over British Broadcasting World Service’s Radio Short Story Programme. His article, “Enhancing Documentation With Video,” was published in the February 2004 issue of Intercom, The Magazine of the Society for Technical Communication. He also has completed a 250-page booklet on countries surrounding Afghanistan and Iraq and has written lyrics for two musical comedies presented on company stages in Saudi Arabia.

He also has received numerous medals and awards, including the Rotary Club Senior Volunteer of the Year Award for 1999 1971 Max Malikow, BS, is a professor of education at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. and has published his second book, “Before Going Out To Teach: A Primer for First Year Teachers.” The book is published by iUniverse Press.

Malikow also is in his 20th year as a practicing psychotherapist and is on the faculties of Syracuse University and Crouse Hospital. Send him email at malikowm@lemoyne.edu

Photo: Fred Shinrock tosses up a shot.

UNOALUM

Lloyd E. Roitstein, BS, lives in Omaha and is president of the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, recognized as a “Quality Council” by the BSA, the 10th year it has gained such designation since 1992. The council serves nearly 34,000 youth w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

Ed T. Schaefer Sr. lives

1974

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Class Note Correction

Ed T. Schafer Sr., BS, was incorrectly listed as deceased in the “In Memoriam” section of the Winter 2004 Alum, prompting a call from him to tell us it was his uncle, Edwin Schafer, who had died. The Alum apologizes for the error.

Schaefer followed his call by emailing this Class Note: “After graduating from UNO in 1974, I taught five years at Boys Town’s Wagner Middle School. In 1979 I started 25 years of teaching for Ralston Public Schools. This past May I retired and in July started a part-time job with the Omaha Police Department as a records clerk. I keep busy bowling in four leagues a week and an occasional tournament. My wife, Mary Ann (a 1985 UNO master’s graduate), teaches history at Boys Town High School.”

and 10,000 leaders in Iowa and Nebraska.

1972 Craig B. Forney, BS, writes from home in Cedar Park, Texas, that “I really enjoyed the picture and story, ‘NCAA Game of Week, 1952’ and Lloyd Cardwell. He was my ‘perfect’ track coach, 1970-72.

My senior year we won the indoor NAIA mile relay and two mile relay, and I believe we had nine All-Americans on the team. How a coach can be a nice guy, great athlete and individually relate to his team was refreshing after transferring from a less-thanideal school. He gave me a chance when I came down and asked for some help, and I was proud to pay him back with several wins. I’m not sure I ever would have graduated if he hadn’t given me a chance. And I brought my older brother along and he graduated, too. UNO was the answer to prayer and a great place to get a quality education.”

1973 Arnold Martin Jr., BGS, lives in Cheltenham, Md. He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel at the Pentagon. He taught junior ROTC for three years, then was a general contractor for single-family homes for eight years. He’s now fully retired.

“Traveled world from 1994 until 2002. Live with my daughter since 2002.”

George B. Tselentis, BS, is involved with compliancesecurity management of corporate and information technology assets. His military experience includes the protection of the president of the United States of America, cabinet members, and other civilian leadership via his last duty at Offutt Air Force Base.

There he was a member of the Security Police Squadron assigned to the SAC Elite Guard. He’s now involved in the information technology profession, bringing extensive experience in security systems analysis, disaster recovery and business continuance.

His professional experience includes vulnerability assessment of nuclear weapons systems, IT Operations, audits and resolving “attack signature identification” of intrusions. He has worked with local, state and federal authorities in dealing with intrusions and “attack scenarios.” Companies he has worked for include WorldCom, MFS Network Technologies, Mutual Protective Insurance Company, First Data Resources, Pinkertons Inc., the State of Iowa and City of Omaha, Microsoft Corporation, AFLAC, Evergreen Bank Seattle Washington, Cutter & Buck, Northrop Grumman, American Republic Insurance Company and Tele2 of Luxembourg.

William F. Steinkamp, BGS, lives in Saunderstown, R.I., and sends this email: “Currently work for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation as the senior vice president with concurrent duties as the director of the State Aeronautics Department. I oversee all operations and maintenance functions at the six stateowned airports within Rhode Island, including the Providence Airport, better known as T.F. Green. The aeronautics department has the primary responsibility to investigate all aircraft incidents or accidents within the state. We also provide transportation for state officials utilizing our Bell 407 Helicopter. My wife, Rosemary, and I have a son and granddaughter. We are proudly awaiting our second grandchild in May.” Send Steinkamp email at dpslnaa@aol.com 1976 Terry Stickels, BA, was featured in the July 2004 issue of the Mensa Bulletin noting that he “has dedicated his life to the pursuit of improving one’s mental flexibility and creative problem-solving skills . . . and making it fun.”

The publication is the national magazine for members of American Mensa. Mensa is “an international society composed solely of members who score in the top 2 percent of the population on a standardSpring 2005 • 43

Class Notes

S P R I N G

ASH was roar against ‘Wildcat Modernism’

Flashback File

T

From the May 9, 1960 Gateway

he quiet dignity imparted by the American Georgian architecture of the Administration Building bespeaks little of the unrest which preceded its construction.

Pressure for a new classroom building began to mount as the revamped mansion at 24th and Pratt, then serving as a school, began to prove inadequate.

The mansion was sold to the University for $30,000 by O.C. Redick and was opened for classes on Sept. 14, 1908.

To carry the overflow of students, a threestory building known as Joslyn Hall was completed in 1917 and 1927, Saratoga Grade School was used as a science hall. The building was located at 24th and Ames.

While it was generally agreed that a new university building was needed, selection of the site wasn’t quite that simple.

The American Georgian design was selected over the more modern or Gothic style, due largely to public sentiment at the time against “wildcat modernism.”

Constructed in the shape of an “H” to permit the building to be seen from all directions, the middle of the structure was made one story higher than the rest in accordance with the rules of good Georgian architecture. John Latenser and Sons designed the building. Cost of the 270x200 foot brick structure came to $980,000, with the government matching 45 cents to each of OU’s 55 cents.

The Administration Building was constructed on the “thermos bottle” principle. This means that there is a two-inch thick space between brick wall and the plaster. This helps to keep the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Four inches of insulation on the roof and ceilings and two thicknesses of glass in the building’s 460 windows add to this effect.

One of the most ingenious aspects of the structure is its heating and cooling system. Two low-pressure coal-fired boilers provide the heat. They use an average of 350 tons of bituminous coal a year.

For air conditioning, cool water is pumped from three wells to a 100,000 gallon storage reservoir. From there it is taken to mechanical refrigerators, then to cooling coils, to condensers and finally back to another reservoir for lawn sprinkling.

This gigantic system uses about 135,000 gallons of water on an average summer day. An ample water supply is provided by the three artesian wells. The air intake is located in the cupola. Science laboratories and kitchens have separate exhaust systems.

Despite all this elaborate equipment, costs are comparatively low—about $6 an hour for heating and $10 an hour for cooling. This does not include labor.

The Applied Arts and Student Center Buildings have taken some of the burden off the Administration Building. But with an everincreasing enrollment, the first structure built on the present campus will be in use for many years.

ized intelligence test.” Stickels, Mensa notes, has two nationally syndicated columns, USA Weekend’s “Frame Games” and King Features’ syndicated “Stickelers.” The Mensa Bulletin issue was forwarded to the Association by graduate John Vogt Massengarb, (‘61).

1977 Deb Whitehill Bloom, BS, lives in Omaha and is work44 • Spring 2005

ing for her husband, Larry’s, company, MVPSelect, doing erecruiting for physicians and insurance management throughout the country. They have four kids and two grandchildren. Bloom has served on the boards of Alpha Xi Delta, New Neighbors League, Wheeler Elementary PTA and Phoenix Futbol Club. Send her email at dlwbloom@cox.net

1979 Merry J. King Witzki, BS, lives in Gering, Neb. After 23 years in the Papillion-La Vista School District she became the K-12 gifted coordinator for Scottsbluff Public Schools in Scottsbluff, Neb. She welcomes email at merrywitzki@charter.net Steven F. Barrett, BS, lives in Laramie, Wyo., and is an

assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him 2004 Wyoming Professor of the Year. Barrett also co-authored a second textbook, “Embedded Systems Design and Applications with the 68HC12 and HCS12,” which was published by Prentice-Hall, 2005. Send him email at steveb@uwyo.edu UNOALUM

Larry D. Arnold, BM, lives in Aberdeen, N.C., and is an associate professor of music and co-founder of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Digital Academy, a member of the New Media Consortium, a collaboration between the technology industry and colleges and universities to spark teaching, learning and creativity. He takes email at larnold@uncp.edu 1980 Tim Mathern, MSW, was elected to the appropriations committee of the North Dakota Senate for the legislative session beginning in January 2005. He lives in Fargo, N.D. Vicki L. Beyer, BA, was elected to the board of governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. She lives in Tokyo.

1984 Richard J. Evans III, BSBA, lives in Lincoln, Neb., and is a colonel in the Nebraska Air National Guard. He recently was named commander of the 170th Operations Support Squadron at Offutt AFB in Nebraska. The 170th OSS is a Nebraska Air National Guard unit supporting the active duty 55th Wing at Offutt AFB. 1986 Linda K. Stevens Rhodes, BGS, lives in Estes Park, Colo.

Send her emails at linda@columbinetravel.com Edna Brooks Pittman, BS, writes that: “I have accepted a job with the State of Washington, Department of Social and Health Services as their Working Connections Child Care Program Improvement Project manager.

Over the next three months I will be traveling across the State of Washington gathering input from the parents, providers and stakeholders who use and have an interest in this state-sponsored child w w w. u n o a l u m n i . o r g

care subsidy program.” Send her email at ebpittman@aol.com 1988 Kelly A. Baker-Miller, BS, lives in Franklin, Wis., and in August 2004 earned a master’s degree in instructional technology from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wis. She also earned Initial Library Media Specialist and Advanced Library Media Specialist licenses. “I am currently teaching library/media at Hartland South Elementary, a K-5 school in Hartland, Wisc.”

Send her email at kjmiller@execpc.com 1991 Toni M. Johnson-Woods, MA, lives in Brisbane, Australia, and writes that, “Since leaving Nebraska, I have completed a Ph.D. at the University of Queensland, Australia. I was hired by the university to set up a new degree program (contemporary studies) and am currently in charge of the media and communications strand of that degree. I have written three books: one on 19th century popular fiction; one on reality TV, ‘Big Bother’; and one on pulp fiction. I’m currently working on my fourth, ‘South Park and Popular Culture.’ I have a weekly radio spot on the ABC in Australia and write on contemporary culture for The Australian (national newspaper) and The Courier Mail (Queensland newspaper).

Recently, I have been awarded various fellowships for my contribution to cultural studies and will be spending 2005 in the United States researching and writing my South Park book. I divide my time between the United States (where I still own a house) and Australia. I am the judge of several Australian literary awards and work with various publishing companies on a freelance basis. Because I love travel and write a travel

column, I try and spend each Christmas in some exotic place with my husband— South Africa, Morocco, Mexico, Iceland.” Send Johnson-Woods email at t.johnsonwoods@uq.edu.au Jon Sutherland, BGS, emailed the following: “Graduated from UNO in 1991 and commissioned an officer in the U.S. Air Force the same day.

Serving as a communications officer. I’ve been stationed in Colorado Springs, O’Fallon, Ill., Tacoma, Wash., Newport News, Va., Montgomery, Ala., and now at RAF Lakenheath, England. I’m married to the former Debra Schleisman of Millard and have three daughters (Erin, 11; Katie, 8; Lauren, 4.”

1992 Sheila J. Koehler Lewis, BGS, lives in Treynor, Iowa, recently had a child and writes that she has, “made the choice to stay home and raise our daughter, Madeline. Prior to that, I was a technology product consultant for Securities America, Inc., an independent broker/dealer located in Omaha.” Send her email at lovethehuskers@yahoo.com 1993 W. Gordon Finley, BA, writes, “Living in Free Union (near Charlottesville), Va., with wife, Tatyana, and daughter, Katerina, 8. With PRA International, a global clinical research organization, as manager of cost accounting group; employees in United States, Canada and UK. PRA became a public company in November 2004. Would love to hear from fellow UNO grads.” Send him email at finleywalter@praintl.com 1995 Estelle (Lynch) Nigro, BS, owns Paramount Parking, Inc., with her husband, Scott Nigro. See more in the final Class Note on Page 46.

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1996 Keith A. Anstine, BGS, lives in Bellevue, Neb., and retired from the U.S. Air Force Oct. 1.

“I’m now working back on base in the same building as a civilian. My wife, Sharon, and I have had two boys since I graduated: Joel (6) and Philip (2).” Send Anstine email at anstinekeith@hotmail.com Jon Brooks, BS, and Bridget Weide Brooks, BS, were married in October. The couple owns Image Building Communications and run a website for UNO hockey fans, www.mavpuck.com Richard T. Reck, BGS, lives in Bellevue, Neb., and writes, “I am currently working as a software test engineer with Raytheon Company. I am the lead tester on a portion of the National Polar-orbitor Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).

This program combines the military and civilian weather satellite (polar-orbitors) into one program. It also introduces new technology into the sensors that will fly on the platforms by 2012.” Send him email at rick_reck@yahoo.com 1997 Suzan L. Valenzuela Huntington, BA, lives in McMinnville, Ore., and takes emails at shuntin@linfield.edu 1998 Tamara Asche Kusleika, BSED, lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. Send her emails at tamikasche@yahoo.com Elizabeth Williams, BS, is a personal trainer, fitness coach and now author. She writes that, “The combination of my education and experiences in Nebraska led to my career in personal training and group exercise and to my writing ‘The First Steps to Fitness— How to Stop Thinking About it and Start Doing It’ (www.firststepstofitness.com).

Published by Sourcebooks, Spring 2005 • 45

Class Notes

Flashback File

Christmas Comfort For Your Soldier Boy’ From the Dec. 1, 1917, University of Omaha Gateway monthly newspaper

T

he biggest thing you can do for your Father, Brother, or Sweetheart Soldier Boy at the Training Camp, this Christmas, will be something that will add to his Comfort and Health.

The Velvetina Comfort Combination for Soldiers is just the thing to make him comfortable and keep him well—to prevent the skin chapping after shaving; the Velvetina Complexion Soap to keep the complexion clear and clean; the Velvetina Tooth Paste to keep the teeth cleaned and the gums healthy; the Goodrich Corn and Bunion Remover to soothe those tired feet and remove corns after a long hike; the Catarrh, Cold and Croup Balm to prevent bad colds and check pneumonia.

This combination complete, sent in a neat package direct to the Training Campus, for $1.60.

Simply enclose money with address slip, at top, and we will mail at once. Receipt will be sent from camp to you.

Goodrich Drug Company, 1308-10 Harney St., Omaha, Neb.

Inc., it is not your typical fitness book. With a hands-on, user-friendly workbook format, ‘The First Steps’ focuses on psychological and mental aspects of weight loss and fitness and helps readers move beyond obstacles that have hindered their progress in the past.” Send email to Williams at Elizabeth@ firststepstofitness.com Brian Wetjen, BA, says he “Just wanted to drop a note.

As an alum who took his sweet time with actually graduating, my education at UNO has helped a lot. I was almost at a computer science minor when I switched gears completely to fine art and graduated with a degree in printmak46 • Spring 2005

ing. I’m now co-owner of Orajen Group, Inc., and we do top-notch web design and development here in Omaha.

The background in computers and art are perfect for this industry, and I know the influence is what makes us stand out in the crowd.” Wetjen also is the current “Insight” on Communication Arts magazine’s “Design Interact” website. In October, one of the sites Orajen produced was named its “Site of the Week.”

“So for all those students unsure of their major, they need to just follow their heart and go after what they want to do the most. Someone good will come of it.”

2001 Angela N. Batchelder, BS, lives in Greenwood Village, Colo., and writes that she is, ”Currently working for Integrity First Management and NFL Alumni.” The former is headed by CEO Anthony Munoz, Cincinnati Bengal Hall of Famer. “At IFM my responsibilities include Denver operations, marketing, client concierge services and recruitment.” She previously worked with the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club as a sales representative in the ticket department and with the Memphis RiverKings. She also served an internship with Adidas America and spent a summer working at Adidas headquarters in Portland, Ore.

Among the players the firm represents are former Mavs Chris Bober and Chris Cooper.

Send Batchelder email at angiebatch@yahoo.com Korrine M. Boltin Schuster, BSBA, is the coordinator of volunteers at Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha. She is one year from receiving her MBA in healthcare administration. She was married in September 2004.

Tom Lee, MPA, lives in Aberdeen, S.D., and is vice president of administrative services at Avera St. Luke’s.

He recently became board-certified in healthcare management by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Send Lee email at tom.lee@averastlukes.org 2002 Jonathan M. Shradar, BS, lives in Washington, D.C., and writes via email that, “After pursuing my graduate degree in political science at the University of Toledo, I joined President Bush’s campaign in Ohio, where I was responsible for an 18-county region. Since the election I . . . have joined the Department of Energy as special assistant for communications in the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.”

Scott Nigro, BSBA, is owner of Paramount Parking, Inc. (www.omahaparking.com), along with his wife, Estelle (Lynch, ‘95). Formerly known as River City Valet, the company has expanded its valet business into various Omaha areas and into other services, including property management, maintenance and security surveillance of parking garages, lots and other facilities. Nigro began valet parking in 1986 as a way to pay his way through UNO. The company now has more than 30 employees.

UNOALUM

In Memoriam 1933 1934 1935 1939 1941 1944 1946 1947 1949

1950

1951

1952

Lillian Hill Roll Dixie Karnes Burdic Lawrence L. Anderson Lillian Suchy James D. Smith Leroy L. Canfield Thelma F. Fleming Florence M. A. Mansur Margaret M. Kellogg Vivian S. Smith Meyer Clarice M. Echandi Robert L. Anderson Jack Hobbs Frank Rathbun Gerald B. Campbell Emma Lou Henningson William F. Higley Robert W. Hyde Lynnwood Parker Elizabeth M. Ward Robert C. White Gerald L. Leffler Robert W. Steiger Howard M. Byram Audrey Greenberg Cohen

Matsolonia A. Pullens Myers

Patricia J. Palmquist Poe 1953 Howard Y. Bryan Roberta M. Ayars Nassar John A. Redler 1954 Mona G. Phelps Arthur B. Hilmo 1955 Joan E. Olsen French Godfrey J. "Duke" Horacek

Class Notes

S P R I N G 1955 Gerald L. Schleich 1956 G. Edwin Baker Raymond L. Burnight Arthur J. Menzies, Jr. 1957 Marilyn A. Stolley Storms Bert Sweigart James D. Bolton Lewis P. Morgan 1958 Dariel L. Burchfield William D. Haffey Arnold B. Steffen Campbell Pierce 1959 Patrick D. Cody David E. Goecker Barbara J. Lazerson Lucille Swanson Sydow 1960 Emerson T. Biere Charles B. Reynolds Robert F. Simpson Charles W. "Bill" Smith, Jr. June Baird Smith Charles M. McKeag Richard D. Hegarty 1961 Michael L. Cochran Raymond D. Deuschle Walter J. Furler, Jr. Warren D. Hodges Ronald L. Larsen 1962 Mitchell Dozet Donald F. Killin James E. Williams Francis J. Coleman 1963 Nicholas J. Bruno Wendell E. Meissner Stanley L. Rabe

1964 Geraldine J. Redman Jerry C. Richardson William A. Schunk Philip J. Mannino Frank L. Jensen Jr. 1965 Robert R. Casaburi Ben C. Clay William W. Jackson V. H. Jordan Harry F. Strohecker Harry G. Dober 1966 James E. Dowling Nathaniel Hadley John A. Smith, Jr. 1967 James M. Baskin 1968 Frank J. Kelly 1969 Leslie R. Ash Steven L. Driml John B. Gregory, Sr. Donald L. Johnson Betty Lou Gale Pieper Arthur M. Rea Robb F. Klug Glenn Douglas Perkins 1970 Patrick W. Carroll John F. Dolan Aletha J. Rose Gray Margaret Long Harm Lloyd F. Meyer James E. Stephens Philip M. Suess Jr. Jon B. Floth Joseph M. Koscielniak Albert C. Miller, Jr. Robert C. "Rob" Reeser

2 0 0 5

1970 Robert H. Reynolds James R. Roane Donna J. Combs Simpson William Ziesemer 1972 Charles I. Bryant John M. Razel Harold J. Rausch Albert W. VanHoutte 1973 Anthony J. Bliazis, Jr. Harold R. Freeman Wilson M. Hill Clarence T. Tooles Bonitaw N. Tucker 1975 Mark L. Kiriazes Zane H. Thompson 1976 E. Phyllis Hofmann Greene 1978 James E. Amundsen, Jr. 1979 Leota M. "Lee" Ferguson Annette C. Johnson 1980 John M. Hannon Gretchen L. Stevens 1981 Jerralee A. North 1983 Rosemary Kather Washburn 1984 Rita H. Peters 1985 Teri S. Hogg Rennecker Joel Waldo 1986 Roger B. Light 1990 Kirstin M. Erickson Gerrard Douglas P. Hinton Ann L. Root Tuthill 1991 Henry Joseph Biays 1993 Jay C. Bruce John A. Seifert

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Make a World of Difference 2005 Annual Fund

Make a World of Difference through a contribution to the 2005 UNO Annual Fund. In addition to traditional support of campus, donations support the following endeavors: Aid to Afghanistan: Through coordination with UNO’s Center for Afghanistan Studies the Association is providing supplies for students and teachers in Afghanistan schools.

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