A LETTER TO FACULTY AND STAFF

from Chancellor James Moeser

I want to take this opportunity to communicate with the faculty and staff before many of you will begin to leave the campus as the semester draws to a close. I shall be fully engaged as your chancellor until mid-July, but this may be my last opportunity to address the full complement of faculty and staff before summer schedules begin.

I have heard many of you express fear about the future for this campus, not only because I am leaving, but because of the several key vacancies that exist in other senior positions. What will happen to the recommendations of several key task forces that have just completed their work? What about, for example, the Future Nebraska Task Force, the Life Sciences Task Force, the Integrated Marketing Task Force, the Diversity Task Force, or the First-Year Experience Task Force? What about the various faculty research initiatives led by Vice Chancellor Torr?

These expressions of concern focus primarily on the period after the interim chancellorship of Harvey Perlman, in whom I believe everyone has a high level of confidence to maintain the momentum and direction of the campus. I am confident that under his leadership, the process of discussion, synthesis, and ultimate focusing of various stated goals and priorities will continue.

What about the next chancellor? What if he or she has a wholly different set of priorities for this campus? Will all our work be lost? Those are the questions I am hearing.

It pleases me that so many people on this campus care about those issues. It pleases me even more that there is much corporate ownership in the goals and ambitions for the campus, and therein is the answer to the question. I believe it is incumbent upon the academic community to express through the search process that these are the goals and aspirations of the Lincoln campus, the representative will of the collective academic community.

Prospective chancellors should be asked, in effect, if they wish to lead a parade that has already formed and is under way. This is the spirit in which I came to UNL in 1996 - continuing a process of reform and renewal that was begun by my predecessor Graham Spanier. It is the same spirit that I take to Chapel Hill, where I shall be continuing initiatives of the late Michael Hooker.

The future of this campus lies in the hands of its dedicated faculty and staff. I am confident that the future for UNL is bright - that it can indeed move into the top ranks of American land-grant research universities - so long as that faculty and staff remain committed to that vision. The next chancellor will be fortunate to lead such a dedicated and talented group of people.

I shall watch the continued growth of this great University with pride and appreciation.

- James Moeser, Chancellor

Human Rights, Human Activism

Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, center, is congratulated by Chancellor James Moeser (right) and Regent Nancy O'Brien, left, during his appearance at the E.N. Thompson Forum April 27 in the Lied Center. Tutu received an aerial image of his native South Africa and an honorary degree during his visit in Lincoln and also was awarded a Cather Medal for service to humanity.

Future Nebraska Task Force Issues Final Report

A faculty committee has released a report outlining recommendations for the future of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's research and graduate programs.

"A 2020 Vision: The Future of Research and Graduate Education at UNL," was released by the the Future Nebraska Task Force, which was charged by the Office of the Chancellor with the task of providing a "Sesquicentennial Vision" of what the nature, scope and quality of UNL's research and graduate programs should be at the university's 150th anniversary, in the year 2019.

The report states that "it is our vision that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln should become one of the premier public research universities in the United States. Research and scholarship are central to all of the missions of a university, and must be emphasized by those that aspire to the highest levels."

In an assessment of the university's present status, the Task Force concluded that "it is time for UNL to recover its original mission and re-examine its multiple missions as a land-grant institution." The report also states that "confusion exists about institutional priorities."

The report includes recommendations, guidelines and benchmarks developed by the Task Force to be used as a basis for campus-wide discussion, to inform campus decisions and to assist UNL in monitoring its progress.

Among the stated goals of the report are:

o Improving the national reputation of the university in the areas of research and graduate education as a means to attract and retain high quality graduate students and faculty and to increase collaborative ventures with other research institutions and private organizations;

o to develop the human and financial resources necessary to become a nationally recognized research university;

o to reaffirm UNL as the state's premier research university, maintaining its historical affiliation with the American Association of Universities, its Carnegie Research I designation and land-grant status;

o that a high quality undergraduate teaching mission will remain a vital part of UNL's comprehensive future vision;

o a recognition that strong research and graduate studies programs complement undergraduate education, that resource commitments are needed to accomplish excellence on both fronts, and that the university culture must find ways to recognize different paths to faculty excellence;

o that the resources of UNL are placed in trust with the faculty and administration, with the obligation to create future value for Nebraska citizens. Improving the level of scholarly productivity at UNL is critical to yielding long-term and enduring benefits by increasing the value of degrees conferred over the next 20 years.

"The faculty have challenged us to have high aspirations," said Richard Edwards, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. "I agree with their sentiments and we must work diligently to achieve the goals they have set out for the campus. The Othmer endowment is just one opportunity to help us meet these challenges."

The 32-member task force was composed of faculty, administrators and community leaders. Members of its planning group included Linda Ruchala, associate professor of accountancy and director of the task force, Linda Pratt, interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences; Ross Thompson, professor of psychology; Gail Latta, professor of libraries and then-president of Academic Senate; and Lynn White, professor of sociology.

The report is on the Web at http://www.unl.edu/svcaa/ priorities.html, and printed copies are available at the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Funded by Income from Pepsi Endowment

103 Faculty Gain Research Assistants

One hundred and three UNL faculty will be employing undergraduate research assistants during the next year, paid for by a new program.

This support is the result of the Undergraduates in Creative Activities and Research Experience program from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Funded by income from the Pepsi Endowment, and offered for the first time, the response to the inaugural UCARE program has been "tremendous," said Vicki Fisher, program coordinator.

Working with the guidance and approval of their faculty sponsors, undergraduates applied to UCARE for funds to permit them to be hired as faculty research assistants. The students in the program can be paid as much as $2,000 in the first year, and $2,400 in the second and final year. The program is targeted at employing sophomores as first-year research assistants, with the possibility of extending the relationship through the junior year.

Groundwater study, robotics, teaching statistics, early childhood evaluation and Shakespeare are just a few of the research projects that students will work on.

"We believe that this program, because it integrates undergraduates into research, both strengthens our campus research effort and enriches the undergraduate experience," said Richard Edwards, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Fisher agreed that the program benefits the entire university.

"These projects are a pathway for these undergraduates to concentrate in depth in their fields," Fisher said. "The longterm vision of the program is for more students to become involved in these type of projects and become mentors for other students. Faculty also receive the benefit of having talented undergraduates assist them with projects that might otherwise not be possible."

Some research will begin already this summer, carrying through the 2000-2001 academic year, while the majority begin this fall.

Fisher outlined some of the projects proposed and awarded:

• Research to develop an antiviral agent against hepatitis C
• Exploration of groundwater systems, contamination and possible consequences
• Evaluation of Nebraska's prospects for trade with China
• Repair and design of a mobile robot platform for use in highway maintenance
• Observing an elementary teacher's treatment of statistics and reasoning integration into a classroom
• Research assistance for a Shakespearean production
• Observation of young children with physical impairments and risk of communication impairment.

Individual students proposed the projects and applied for the funding. In all, 152 applications were received, and 103 students were funded. All UNL colleges were represented, including 46 majors. In all, more than $200,000 will be awarded through the Pepsi-sponsored fund. Students may carry on their project into a second year after reapplying.

NSF Grant Extends Wonderwise Project

Museum, 4-H Collaborate on Science Program

By Kelly Bartling, Public Relations

The University of Nebraska State Museum and 4-H have teamed up and been awarded a highly competitive $830,325 grant through the Informal Science Education Program of the National Science Foundation.

The program will expand the museum's Wonderwise project to enhance informal, engaging science learning among more than 284,000 Great Plains youths in 4-H camps, clubs and special programs.

The State Museum began the Wonderwise project in 1992, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Its school-based curricula focuses on women scientists and science topics, featuring videos, activities, biographies, supplies and CD-Roms, all developed in partnership with Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. Just last year, more than 3 million school children in 47 U.S. states have experienced its programs.

Now, the new partnership of the museum, NET and 4-H, the largest youth program in the nation, will result in a new series of Wonderwise kits developed for out-of-school audiences.

"This is a very exciting opportunity to collaborate with both NET and 4-H," said Wonderwise founder Judy Diamond, the museum's assistant director for public programs. "I think that there is a natural partnership among our three institutions that will result in some fantastic educational materials."

The new Wonderwise 4-H Project will build on the existing Wonderwise format, and reach out to a wider, out-of-school audience, Diamond said. The project topics, geared to children ages 8-12, will supplement 4-H activities and add content for extended investigations suited for club and camp situations instead of classrooms. The projects promote inquiry, diversity, data collection, collaboration, and modeling behavior of the work of real scientists.

The three-year NSF grant begins June 1 and includes the piloting of the program in 4-H clubs, camps and special interest programs in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

"This collaboration will provide role models for girls and fun science for everyone in an informal setting," said Stephen Lenzen, associate director of NET's GPn unit. "The wide range of resources provided - CD-Rom, video, supplies - serve various learning styles and make it easy for everyone to use."

The project responds to a growing plague of "scientific illiteracy," said Edna McBreen, associate vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

"The program not only helps young people understand that science is the domain of both genders, but also hits at the growing problem of scientific illiteracy," she said.

In addition to the original Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, Wonderwise has received awards from the National Education Association, International Cindy Competition, and American Association of Museums.

Several University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other Nebraska scientists are serving on a 17-member Wonderwise-4-H Advisory Board, including Mary Beck, animal sciences; Elizabeth Birnstihl, associate dean of Cooperative Extension; Mindy Brashears, extension food safety specialist; Laura Hungerford, Great Plains Veterinary Extension Division; Marcella Raffaelli, pychology and ethnic studies; and Anne Vidaver, plant pathology, former director Center for Biotechnology, all at UNL.

For more information on Wonderwise, see its Web site at http://wonderwise.unl.edu.