UNL Graduate Council Election

Ellen T. Paparozzi, a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horiculture, and Ross A. Thompson, a professor in the Department of Psychology, were recently elected to the UNL Graduate Council to serve four-year terms through August 2004. Paparozzi will represent the area of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, and Thompson will represent the area of Social Sciences.

Yankech Named Interim UHC Director

Jim Yankech has been appointed interim director of the University Health Center. The appointment was announced by James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs.

Yankech has been UHC's associate director for business operations since April 1999. Previously, he worked in UNL Office of Human Resources as a counselor in the Employee Assistance Program (1990-94) and as an employee relations specialist (1994-99). His interim appointment began Sept. 12.

Griesen also said UHC physician Dr. Joe Hermsen will be the center's interim associate director/medical director. Hermsen joined the Health Center in 1995 after 13 years in private practice in Beatrice.

"Jim Yankech and Joe Hermsen are both well-versed in the operations of the University Health Center and have proven leadership abilities," Griesen said. "They will give us an outstanding leadership team during this interim period."

Griesen said a national search will be conducted to find a replacement for Dr. Linda Herrmann, who resigned to take a position at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He said the search could take from five to nine months.

Senior Honored for NU on Wheels Efforts

Molly Schmitz, a senior education major from Omaha, received the national Public Affairs and Consumer Education "Gold Communicator Award" by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Aug. 30.

This award recognizes an individual or organization whose primary function is not directly associated with motor vehicle, law enforcement, or traffic safety administration that has positively impacted traffic safety.

Schmitz is the student coordinator for the NU on Wheels safe ride home program. NU on Wheels was launched Oct. 14, 1999, and provided 1,706 rides for 3,785 UNL students during the 1999-2000 academic year. NU on Wheels was conceived by UNL students following the death of UNL student Laura Cockson at the hands of a drunk driver in March 1998. Free cab rides home for UNL students who would otherwise drive after drinking, who would otherwise ride in a car with a drunk driver, or students in other unsafe situations is the purpose of NU on Wheels.

"Molly is one in a million," said Bob Schroeder, alcohol and drug program coordinator at the University Health Center. "She practically willed the program into existence. The NU on Wheels program now has widespread support, including financial, from the student body. It's an amazing story."

Second UNL Cadet Receives Air Force ROTC Honor

Katherine Rush, an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet from Kendrick, Idaho, received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement during an AFROTC Leadership Lab Sept. 7.

The Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement is the second-highest AFROTC award a cadet can receive. It is awarded to individuals who show superior leadership and academic achievement through the Reserve Officers Training Corps and is given annually to only four Air Force cadets nationwide.

Last year, Richard Waters, an electrical engineering major from Omaha, also received the award. It is unusual for two cadets from the same unit to win the award back-to-back.

Rush is a four-year AFROTC scholarship winner and a senior math major at UNL. She holds the No. 1 leadership position in the cadet corps - cadet wing commander - was president of her sorority; and recently returned from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida where she was selected to train other cadets during a five-week summer field training program.

"She has excelled in everything she has done - academically, athletically, militarily, and in numerous extracurricular activities," said Col. "Mace" MacElhaney, professor of aerospace studies at UNL. "She sets the standards for others to emulate and has demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills during all facets of her training. She is a top-notch cadet and is well deserving of this very prestigious award."

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Museum Association Tables Sheldon Reaccreditation

The American Association of Museums has tabled the reaccreditation of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden.

The AAM, the national membership organization overseeing museum accreditation in the United States, cited four areas of concern following its review of materials submitted by the Sheldon and a site visit last spring. These areas are: the need to clarify the role and relationship of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and the Nebraska Art Association; the care and management of the museum's collections; the submission of a detailed operating budget; and evidence of the university's ongoing support of the museum.

To retain its accreditation, initially conferred in 1972 and renewed in 1988, the museum is required to submit an interim report detailing progress in these areas in January, with a final document to follow in late summer 2001.

Janice Driesbach, who became director of the Sheldon on Sept. 1, expressed her appreciation for the diligence demonstrated by the accreditation committee and noted her awareness of the concerns raised.

"Retaining the museum's accreditation is my high, and most immediate, priority as incoming director of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden," Driesbach said. "I have been impressed by the enthusiastic commitment and ambitious history of both the Nebraska Art Association and the university leadership in developing the Sheldon as a remarkable resource for the community and region. As the report notes, staff members are a highly valued asset, and I look forward to engaging all of the museum's constituencies in cooperative efforts to address the concerns noted in this report promptly and resourcefully."

Driesbach said one of her initial requests as Sheldon director was to embark on a strategic planning process. She said strategic planning ranks high on her agenda as one of several avenues to pursue to assure the museum meets, or has a schedule in place to comply with, museum professional practices. She said it also promises to further efforts to rehabilitate and expand the Sheldon's facilities.

"I see this as an exciting opportunity to establish partnerships and allow the Sheldon to effectively contribute to the priorities of the university and the community," Driesbach said.

"I'm delighted to have someone of Janice Driesbach's caliber leading our efforts in responding to the AAM's concerns," said Harvey Perlman, UNL interim chancellor. "The Sheldon is an unparalleled resource for the university, the community and the state, and I'm fully confident that under Janice's leadership it will grow into an even stronger institution than it has been in the past."

The Sheldon houses an outstanding collection of American art dating from the late 18th century to the present in a landmark building designed by Philip Johnson.

Nebraska Broadcasters Honor NPRN's War Letters

War Letters, a Nebraska Public Radio Network program honoring veterans, earned an Award of Excellence for Service to Community at the Nebraska Broadcasters Association annual meeting awards banquet in August.

The program featured letters written home by U.S. veterans who saw duty during conflicts beginning with the Civil War and concluding with the Gulf War.

Students from Doane College read letters submitted by NPRN listeners and taken from The Legacy Project, a national archive of veterans' letters based in Washington, D.C.

The program aired on Memorial Day, but listeners can still hear it by logging onto the Internet and pointing their Web browsers at <http://net.unl.edu>, the NET Online home page. War Letters was produced by former NPRN Manager Steve Robinson. NPRN engineer James Duchesneau edited the program.

Dickey Named Fellow by Ag Engineering Society

Elbert Dickey, interim dean and director of University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, has been named a fellow by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Dickey was honored for his dedication and pioneering efforts in advancing the implementation of conservation tillage, innovative programming in Cooperative Extension and service to the society. About 2 percent of society members are elected as fellows.

Dickey has been providing program leadership for NU Cooperative Extension for about nine years. The former assistant dean of extension was promoted to associate dean in 1998 and named interim dean and director in 1999.

In addition to his extension duties, Dickey is a professor of biological systems engineering in IANR. Dickey joined the IANR faculty in 1978 with extension and research appointments in the soil and water conservation area. Previously, he was at the University of Illinois, where he earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in agricultural engineering.

Norton Heading National Journalism Ed Group

Will Norton Jr., dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, will become president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication on Oct 1.

The association is composed of faculty in journalism and mass communication programs throughout the world. In addition 35 professional and industry organizations are members of AEJMC's Council of Affiliates, which represents more than 140,000 journalism and mass communication professionals.

Norton is the second UNL journalism dean to head the 3,200-member association with headquarters in Columbia, S.C. Neale Copple was president of the association during the 1973-74 academic year.

"Being elected president of AEJMC is a statement about the stature of this college," Norton said. "Today I'm regularly asked to evaluate programs at other universities and colleges because the leaders of those schools know that the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at Nebraska is a great program," Norton said.

"In fact, a major foundation executive often refers to Nebraska's College of Journalism and Mass Communication as the 'best bargain in American education.' He is referring to the great quality of the program and the low tuition costs."

Norton was president of Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications from 1989 to 1990. He is a member of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. He has made more than 40 campus visits as a consultant, a member or chair of site teams of ACEJMC and a state board program evaluator.

IANR Grad Students Earn Widaman, Shear-Miles Honors

Fifteen University of Nebraska graduate students are receiving 2000-2001 Widaman Trust Distinguished Graduate Assistant Awards and two others are Shear-Miles Agricultural Scholarship and Fellowship recipients.

The Widaman Trust awards are a bequest from the Blanche Widaman estate for fundamental research in agriculture and medicine. The award provides $2,000 to each student.

The late Dorothy Miles established the Shear-Miles Agricultural Scholarship and Fellowship to honor her father, Cornelius Lott Shear, and father-in-law, George Miles, both graduates of NU's then-College of Agriculture. The endowed fund benefits the Agricultural Research Division and College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Nelson said, and provides $2,000 to each recipient.

Widaman recipients are, by department:

Agricultural Economics: Alejandro Onofri is pursing a doctorate in agricultural economics. He is from Argentina.

Agronomy/Horticulture: Brigid Amos of Montvale, N.J., is working toward a doctorate in agricultural meteorology.

B. Todd Campbell of Raleigh, N.C., is pursuing a doctorate in plant breeding and genetics.

Nedim Mutlu is seeking a doctorate in plant breeding and molecular genetics. Mutlu is from Turkey.

Yi Zhang is pursuing a doctorate in agronomy/horticulture and water science. Zhang is from China.

Animal Science: Kelly Creighton of Clayton, N.M., is pursuing a doctorate in ruminant nutrition.

Biometry: Sheng Feng is seeking a master's degree in biometry. He is from China.

Biochemistry: Sebastian Oltean is working toward a doctorate in biochemistry. Oltean is from Romania.

Entomology: Leela Alamalakala is seeking a doctorate in insect molecular genetics. Alamalakala is from India.

Jenny Stebbing of Lincoln is pursuing a doctorate in entomology.

Andrew Smith, from Canada, is working toward a doctorate in entomology.

School of Natural Resource Sciences: Alex Moreno-Sotomayor of Chile is pursuing a doctorate in agronomy.

Nutritional Sciences: Ji-Young Lee, from South Korea, is seeking a doctorate in nutrition.

Veterinary Science and Biomedicine: Marilyn Buhman of Pipestone, Minn., is pursuing a doctorate in feedlot epidemiology through the NU Medical Center.

Sahar H. El-Etr is working toward a doctorate in medical sciences. El-Etr is from Egypt.

Shear-Miles recipients, by department, are:

Agronomy/Horticulture: Neil Heckman of Wisner is pursuing a doctorate in turfgrass physiology and management.

Entomology: Kevin Delaney of Longmeadow, Mass., is seeking a doctorate in animal behavior and plant physiological ecology.

Pagel to Leave Haydon Gallery Post

The Nebraska Art Association announced that Anne Pagel left the directorship of the Haydon Gallery at the end of August to become Arts and Entertainment writer for <NE.StatePaper.com>. Pagel had been director of the Haydon, a fundraising project of the Nebraska Art Association, for 12 1/2 years.

Teliza Rodriguez, who has served as Pagel's assistant for the last year, will become the gallery manager, and assume many of Pagel's responsibilities. Alyssa DeFrain, administrative assistant, will become office manager.