Ali Moeller will be honored in November for innovative teaching.

Teaching Excellence Brings ACT Award

Moeller to Spend Year as ACE Fellow in New Hampshire

By Scott Franzen, Public Relations Intern

Aleidine "Ali" Moeller, Edith S. Green professor of education in the Center for Curriculum and Instruction, will spend the upcoming academic year as an American Council of Education fellow and administrative aide to University of New Hampshire President Joan Leitzel.

Leitzel is a former senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNL.

In addition to winning the ACE Fellowship, Moeller also will be recognized for her teaching prowess. On Nov. 17, Moeller will receive the 2000 Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher education for her outstanding work in preparing German language teachers for the profession.

Presented by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the Papalia award was established in 1987 to recognize a foreign language educator who has demonstrated excellence in the preparation and continuing education of teachers for the profession. The award is named for a teacher and author who significantly influenced the lives of countless practicing teachers during his tenure at the State University of New York at Buffalo. It is supported by the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers.

Moeller, who has been a member of the Nebraska faculty since 1991, was cited for her publications, presentations, activities in professional organizations and the level of support from her colleagues and students. She was cited in particular for the GOLDEN Project (German On-line Distance Education Network), which she directs and partially authors, for its cutting-edge technology and its impact on the field of German language instruction.

Moeller is one of five women at Research I institutions to be awarded the ACE Fellowship and travel grant of 30 ACE fellows nationwide.

Her duties and responsibilities at UNH will to be actively involved in all aspects of administration and gain first-hand experience of what university leadership entails.

She will shadow Leitzel as observer and/or participant. And she will also work on a couple of projects with higher level officials at the university.

"I'm particularly interested in student learning outcome and classroom assessment," Moeller said. "I plan to also look at the role of teaching and learning at universities in general and freshman retention in general studies programs."

Moeller will attend three in-depth seminars at the beginning, middle, and end of her fellowship that will focus more in-depth on certain issues in university administration.

The entire academic year is designed to help her enhance the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed for further leadership positions at a university.

State Museum in Partnership with South African Museum

The University of Nebraska State Museum has been selected by the American Association of Museums to receive an International Partnership Among Museums award for an exchange with the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Marijke Cosser, the Albany Museum's education and exhibits department supervisor, has been at the University of Nebraska State Museum since July 31 on a six-week exchange project. Debra Meier, NU State Museums public programs coordinator, will spend six weeks at the Albany Museum during September and October to complete the exchange.

Interactive exhibit development on the topic "What is human?" is the focus of the joint project. James Estes, NU State Museum director, said the importance of the exchange for the museum is the "access to the South African anthropological finds that are key to the theories of human evolution. The exchange program also enhances opportunities for future collaboration and interaction between the University of Nebraska State Museum and the Albany Museum."

"For the past 20 years the partnership has provided U.S. museums with a unique opportunity to establish lasting inter-institutional ties with partner institutions outside this country by developing and conducting joint or complementary projects," said Ed Able, president and CEO of the American Association of Museum's Washington headquarters. The goal of the program is to establish mutually beneficial and sustainable links between U.S. and non-U.S. museums with similar missions. The program is intended to promote institutional development while enhancing the participating museums' ability to enrich their own communities.

Funding for this exchange is provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and by the Lampadia Foundation. Additional support comes from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

State of University Address Is Aug. 18

Harvey Perlman, interim chancellor, will deliver the annual State of the University Address at 11 a.m. Aug. 18 in the Lied Center for Performing Arts. All faculty, staff and students are encouraged and invited to attend. A free, all-university picnic lunch will be served in the Lied Plaza following the conclusion of the speech. In addition to the annual address, Perlman will stand for questions after the speech.

Mary Anne Holmes discusses a fossil at Morrill Hall during the Girl Scout Wider Opportunities Program.

Girl Scouts Discover Geology 'Rocks,' Science is Fun

By Michelle Oliver, Public Relations Intern

Girls from around the United States learned mammoth amounts with the help of the Girl Scouts, university scientists and graduate students on a 15-day tour of some of Nebraska's most important geologic sites.

"Nebraska Rocks!" was a Girl Scout Wider Opportunities program sponsored by Homestead Girl Scout Council, the Association for Women Geoscientists and the Math and Science Initiative at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The group convened July 11-25.

The group of 35 girls ages 14 to 18 visited Ashfall Fossil Beds, Hudson-Mengh Bison Kill Site, the Sandhills National Park and Agate Fossil Beds. They also canoed on the Missouri River.

Four women graduate students traveled with the scouts and their scout leaders to mentor and provide more one on-one guidance on the trip, said Jessica Keyser, a 15-year-old from Maine.

"They also brought the information to a level we could understand," Keyser said.

Planning for the trip started two years ago by Mary Anne Holmes, an assistant research professor of geosciences, and Jane Voorhies, a Girl Scout volunteer and volunteer curator at the University of Nebraska State Museum. The trip was designed to teach scouts about the state's unique geological history and give older Girl Scouts a chance to develop volunteer and leadership skills.

The excursion also left many on the trip planning for the future.

"At least a dozen (girls) were keenly interested that the geosciences department offered scholarships and 20-25 girls said they wanted to pursue a college major in geology," said Holmes.

Tawnya Blades, a 24-year-old graduate student who accompanied the Girl Scouts used this trip to cement her decision to become a teacher.

"Research doesn't really trigger much for me and this trip really showed me that enrolling in the Teachers College is a good decision," she said.

The trip was a great learning experience for everyone who went, said Diane Ross a volunteer Girl Scout Leader. But what really made the trip successful wasn't what everyone learned, but the interest the scientists and graduate students took in the girls and their desire to spread their love for science.

"The scientists really wanted to be with the girls. They wanted to spark their interests - and they did," said Ross.

Robert Hensarling, new director of Landscape Services, says one of his favorite campus sites is Maxwell Arboretum.

New Landscape Services Director Enjoys Challenge of Plants vs. Construction

By Scott Franzen, Public Relations Intern

Robert Hensarling has always enjoyed a good challenge. But the ones he's facing as UNL's new director of Landscape Services are less harrowing than a former pastime: water skiing the rivers of East Texas while dodging alligators and water moccasins.

Keeping up with the abundant construction projects and how they affect the campus environment are his current challenges. He's confident that his passion for working with people and the environment have prepared him to be a good steward of the university's physical environment.

Hensarling came to Nebraska two years ago when his wife, Shelly McKee, became an assistant professor of food science. He has an extensive background of parks administration, business management and petroleum work with experience managing the Woodlands subdivision of Houston, Texas, and for the grounds division at Texas A&M in College Station.. Most recently, Hensarling worked in right of way planning for Lancaster County.

He took on his present position May 1. Hensarling is mindful of previous leadership in the department, and hopes to continue making progress in creating a healthy and productive environment for the university and its visitors.

"My job is to make sure we are continually making progress, when I came on board the people here were maintaining projects in the right direction. My plan is just keeping everyone moving forward."

Landscape Services has a full-time staff of 47 that swells to 80 to 100 during the summer.

Hensarling makes regular walks around the two campuses, offering encouragement and motivation to his staff to counter the stress that comes with new projects, which can generate a lot of debris, adding to the staff's workload. He works to reinforce each person's talents on his staff and integrate all new construction with the past campus planning. With sometimes unreliable finish dates of projects, planting schedules have to be kept flexible to go along with the seasonal differences and requirements of plants.

One of Hensarling's goals is to increase the visibility that the university's landscaped environment has with the campus community as well as Lincoln and beyond.

"It has been shown that the surrounding environment has a major impact for the attraction of new students, faculty, and staff and also in retention for those here," he said. A nice environment is critical to maintaining a healthy frame of mind, he said. Working toward creation and maintenance of that environment is the most satisfying part of his job, he said.

Hensarling said he believes that everyone must responsible in their own way for the environment in which we live, not only for ourselves but those that follow. He's not interested in leaving his specific mark but would rather be known for how he's brought the exposure of the university to the attention of others.

"What we have on our campuses are plantings that are landscape friendly, provide cover for animals, and include a great deal of diverse plantings that don't exist anywhere else in Nebraska. Our plantings usually have labels so people can take ideas and integrate them into their own environment."

Hensarling and McKee are the parents of toddler sons Kyle and Craig. Right now, they dominate the couple's life, but Hensarling also enjoys golfing, biking, computers and traveling, which has a dual purpose.

When he travels, he finds himself not only critiquing parks and community landscapes,but generating new ideas to help make the UNL campus a healthy and productive environment.

New Student Big Red Welcome Activities Expanded

By Tom Workman, NU Directions

"Big Red Welcome," a tradition on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus that involves a giant street fair, convocation in the Lied Center, and live entertainment into the night on the Sunday before classes start, has been expanded to include activities for the entire weekend of Aug. 18-20.

Created by a task force of more than 30 staff, students, and faculty, Big Red Welcome will help incoming students "experience the NU culture with high expectations both academically and socially," said Pat McBride, director of New Student Enrollment. Linda Major, project director of NU Directions, headed the committee's expansion effort. NU Directions is the University of Nebraska's campus-community coalition working to reduce high-risk student drinking.

"It was a natural fit for NU Directions to be involved," said Major. "We had already begun the tradition of late-night events for students in our 'Back to School Bash' and knew there was an interest on the part of students to find fun things to do the first weekend back."

The weekend's activities include a pep rally at the Coliseum beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 and featuring appearances by Husker football players Matt Davison and Keyuo Craver, along with other star Husker athletes. John Cook, the new head coach of the volleyball team, and Barry Collier, new men's basketball head coach, will be on hand, along with the NU Pep Band, Spirit Squad, and others. A class picture in the Coliseum follows the pep rally. Afterward, free food, laser tag and other activities will be offered from 10 p.m. to midnight at the Campus Recreation Center. In addition, 1,000 free movie seats will be available for a special midnight showing of four films at Star Ship 9 Theater, 1311 Q St.

Aug. 19, the action moves to the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. A party beginning at 10 p.m. will feature - simultaneously - an improvisational comedy group, a NU version of the "Family Feud" game show, a step-dance demonstration, and the rock groups Casting Pearls and Remedy in concert. The event continues at midnight with a free pancake breakfast on Memorial Plaza north of the Union. Throughout the festivities, Hamada Entertainment will offer a multi-media dance on the plaza.

Aug. 20 continues the traditional New Student Convocation at 5 p.m. in the Lied Center, and then the Big Red Street Fair beginning at 6 p.m. on R Street between 12th and 14th streets. The street fair has attracted as many as 8,000 people and offers free information and giveaways from local vendors, campus organizations and the media. The University Program Council will feature a concert by Rubberneck in the Union plaza beginning at 8 p.m.

"Big Red Welcome has a successful 14-year history of greeting new students," McBride said. "The program has evolved from Freshmen Friday in 1986 to a weekend filled with activities which promote a sense of belonging to the University of Nebraska. This expansion has been accomplished with faculty, staff and current students working together to develop attractive events which promote students entering college to experience the NU culture with high expectations both academically and socially."