Community Planning professors Sharon and John Gaber have offices next to each other in Architecture Hall.

Pair Edits Planning Journal

Remembering the Human Factor in Community Planning

By David Ochsner, Public Relations

There was a time when planners in rural Nebraska were about as exotic as zebras. Towns quickly sprang up along railroad tracks, and some settlements looked like they had just dropped out of the sky.

It is an image that persists to this day for residents and non-residents alike. John and Sharon Gaber would like to change that image, not only for the students who attend their classes at UNL, but also for readers of the prestigious Journal of Planning Education and Research, which recently named the Gabers as joint book review editors following a highly competitive selection process.

A quarterly publication of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, the Journal has an international readership that includes scholars as well as planning professionals.

The previous review editor was from Harvard, so the change in editorship will mark a shift in perspective from the East to the Midwest. "Our editorship will bring a new commitment to book reviews for the journal. This will be a great opportunity to get the word out about Nebraska, to give a Midwestern perspective to the planning discussion," said Sharon, an associate professor of community and regional planning who works next door to husband John in Architecture Hall. "We will ask faculty in our department as well as faculty at other Midwestern universities to help write the reviews."

Although the geographic disposition of the reviews may change, the Gabers' professional perspectives are much broader-both are natives of Los Angeles and former residents of New York City. According to the Gabers, provincial views have always been a part of the history of planning in the United States. Major urban areas in the United States have dominated much of the thinking in the planning profession during the past century; these "schools" of thought usually coincided with the economic ascent of a particular city-the New York School, the Chicago School, and lately the Los Angeles School all have played dominant roles in shaping policy in the planning profession.

Even though each of these schools represent different planning trends, all share an urban perspective. "What Sharon and I hope to do is broaden the field and include rural and small town planning as well," said John, an assistant professor in planning who originally came to the College of Architecture six years ago to serve as the first director of the Nebraska Lied Main Street Program. That program helps rural communities revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas.

The Gabers also will lend their expertise in public policy and social reform to the planning debate. John said social reformers have traditional links to the planning profession, but in the past these reforms often occurred in spite of the work of planners.

"Social reformers were early planners-they were concerned with health, immigration and sanitary reform, they were the ones who mapped out cases of typhoid and traced its cause to contaminated water," said John. One early reformer, the photographer Jacob Riis, started a movement in the New York tenements that eventually became a planning initiative. "He went from looking directly at the people to the spaces they inhabitedhe stimulated community plans and even housing designs."

For much of the last century planners were often more concerned with the needs of commercial interests or followed grand utopian schemes that viewed human inhabitants, especially those of lesser means, as abstractions to be filed away in neatly arranged building blocks or avoided altogether by the construction of elevated roadways.

"Planners didn't have people on their maps," said Sharon, who holds one of the A. Leicester Hyde Professorships in Planning. "What they called urban renewal was actually urban removal."

What the Gabers represent today is a profession that has become more inclusive, where the decisions of planners can include any number of variables including public policy, environmental concerns, transportation needs, economic development as well as the physical plan itself. "Contemporary planners go well beyond the land use and urban design perspective," said John. "They directly address human needs."

Currently, the Gabers employ seven research assistants between the two of them, working on funded projects ranging from housing to truck parking. In their time at UNL they have generated almost $900,000 in grant money.

One shouldn't confuse planners with social workers, however. "A social worker has a one on one relationship with people-they are counselors, they are micro-social workers," said Sharon. "A planner on the other hand gathers a variety of information (including data from social workers) and puts together a plan to help a general population. When they work with the public, the Gabers act as experts in facilitating a broader role for citizens in the planning process.

Sharon developed her "macro" view of the city as a child growing up in Los Angeles. She witnessed the destruction of African American neighborhoods that always seemed to lie in the path of freeway development. John, on the other hand, became more interested in the details, experiencing L.A. by observing individuals-undocumented workers who sold oranges or washed windows along the freeway. "I became more practice-oriented, and John became the theorist," said Sharon.

So how does this apply to teaching planning at Nebraska? "The urban areas are still dealing with these social issues," said Sharon, who is also the graduate committee chair of Community and Regional Planning. "But the Great Plains are catching up. You see the plight of the immigrants working for the meatpackers (and) the problems associated with growth and urban sprawl."

"The face of Nebraska is changing," said John, who just received the article of the year award from the Western Planners Association for his article on refugees who live in the states comprising the Western Planners Association. "It is slowly becoming more international. Along with the changes come the problems associated with poverty, housing shortages, access to services, and competing cultures."

When the Gabers first came to Nebraska they showed their students slides of a large building in New York that was encircled by homeless people living in small boxes. "The students just gasped," said Sharon. "Nebraska will experience the influx of immigrants just like everyone else in the country. How we respond to that challenge will be one of the most important issues facing this state for many years to come."

NU law professor Anna Shavers (seventh from right) poses with her class in Uganda this summer. Shavers traveled abroad this summer as part of an International Law Institute program.

Law Prof Gets Royal Treatment Abroad

By Amy Cyphers, Alumni Association

Law professor Anna Shavers had a summer vacation that many of her colleagues would envy. She traveled to Africa and Italy as part of two separate international law programs.

In May, Shavers was one of 15 American participants to attend an international conference of the Association of American Law Schools in Florence, Italy. The U.S. contingent joined 35 other legal teachers from around the world to present information on issues in international law education. Shavers' presentation focused on the use of technology in legal education.

In August, Shavers taught a one-week course on administrative law in Kampala, Uganda. The class was sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based International Law Institute, which has a branch in Uganda. The class, composed of 19 legal professionals from six African countries, came from diverse backgrounds. Some were high-ranking government officials; others were legal heads in local, tribal districts.

Unlike some students in her classes at UNL, Shavers' Ugandan students had a keen interest in the subject matter.

"All of their questions dealt with real-life experiences for them, what they deal with every day on the job," she says. "So the material, to them, was not boring at all." Administrative law and democracy are new concepts in African countries, she adds, so students there tend to presume less than Americans, who have a 200-year history on which to draw.

Shavers admired her students' enthusiasm for the subject - and their regard for university teachers.

"One of the biggest differences there is the respect that professors have," she says. "Professors are treated almost like royalty. I liked that a lot."

She may have gotten red-carpet treatment in the classroom, but Uganda's status as a Third World country was cause for some concern.

"A lot of people walk around with rifles - all the soldiers and police," she says. "But I got used to it. I was more worried about catching malaria."

Those worries aside, Shavers enjoyed the experience and would consider doing it again next summer.

Owens Named Head of IANR

By Tom Simons, Public Relations

John C. Owens, executive vice president and chief academic officer at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, has been named vice chancellor and vice president for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL and the NU system. Pending approval by the NU board of regents, Owens is scheduled to begin his new duties Jan. 1, 2001.

Owens, who has been at New Mexico State since 1977, has been the school's executive vice president and chief academic officer for three years, the first two in an interim appointment. Prior to 1997, he served 12 years as dean and chief administrative officer for the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, the New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service and the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station.

"I am very pleased," said L. Dennis Smith, NU president. "I am confident he will make significant contributions to this university and to Nebraska agriculture."

Harvey Perlman, interim chancellor at UNL, also welcomed Owens to Nebraska.

"We are fortunate to have convinced John Owens to accept this position," Perlman said. "He brings both an experience in agriculture and in university administration. He understands the central role that the institute plays in serving the needs of the state of Nebraska."

Owens said three main things drew him from Las Cruces to Nebraska and IANR - the quality of the faculty and students, the support the university and the institute enjoy in the state of Nebraska, and the opportunity to again become directly involved in agriculture.

"I'm very excited about getting back into agriculture. I've been in academic administration for 16 years and I found that my years in the agricultural area were the most rewarding in my career. I'm at a point where I'm able to pursue an opportunity like Nebraska offers."

Owens said the chance to play a leadership role in agriculture and higher education in Nebraska made NU's offer very attractive, but he said two experiences during the interview process probably clinched the deal for him.

"I had sessions with leaders of the agricultural industry in the state - farmers, co-ops, members of the legislature - and their commitment to the university and the institute was so obvious," he said.

"And the last night I was in Lincoln, I had dinner with six or seven undergraduates and it was an absolutely wonderful evening. We had a great time and I came away thinking what a wonderful student body Nebraska has."

Owens began his career as an assistant professor of entomology at Iowa State from 1971 to 1975, then served one year as an associate professor of entomology at Texas Tech and one year as an entomologist for Pioneer Hi-Bred International before going to New Mexico State. At NMSU, he rose to the rank of professor and served one year as head of the department of entomology and plant pathology before becoming dean. He is immediate past president of the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Owens earned his bachelor's degree in biology at West Texas State University (now Texas A&M University at Canyon, 1966), his master's in entomology at Texas Tech University (1969) and his doctorate in entomology at Iowa State (1971).

He will replace Irv Omtvedt, who retired last year after 11 years in the post. Edna McBreen, associate vice chancellor for IANR, is the institute's interim vice chancellor and vice president.

Nebraska White Wheat Potential Great for Export

By Cheryl Alberts, IANR news writer

Following an educational thrust by a hard white winter wheat committee beginning about 18 months ago, wheat industry leaders say progress is being made, but there's still a ways to go.

But by fall 2002, they hope Nuplains, a newly developed Nebraska hard white winter wheat, will be familiar enough for producers to plant. If that happens, elevators will have a sufficient supply of Nuplains to sell, and premiums eventually may be possible. Wheat leaders say that first, producers and elevator managers must be convinced that handling the new class will pay off.

Drew Lyon, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources dryland crops specialist based at NU's Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, chairs the white wheat educational committee. He outlines the Catch 22 of the new crop: Elevators will deal with it only if there is sufficient quantity, but there won't be a sufficient quantity unless producers find it worth their while to shift from their traditional crops.

"It's a very difficult thing to get over the hurdle," Lyon said. "Everybody's looking around for where the money is."

A key issue in handling white wheat is keeping it separate from red wheats and other grains. Wheat is reduced a full grade for every 1 percent contamination with a contrasting class of grain.

Ron Maas, executive director of the Nebraska Wheat Board, agrees time is needed for Nebraska producers to accept the new class of wheat. This fall will be the first for them to plant Nuplains, developed by NU and U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research scientists.

Successful implementation of a white wheat program could help crack this Australian-dominated market. White wheats are used for foods, such as tortillas, pita breads and Asian noodles, as well as American-style breads and cereals. Each product requires a different variety of white wheat for best results.

Nebraska's variety is fairly versatile: It "bakes a respectable loaf of bread and makes a good noodle," Maas said.

White wheat lacks the bitter flavor that comes from the tannins that give red wheat its color. Therefore, products from white wheat taste sweeter and yield more flour, because the grain can be milled closer to the hull.

General Mills and ConAgra already contract with some Nebraska producers to raise specific amounts of white wheat to meet their known demand, Lyon said. Other Nebraska producers, however, want a guaranteed premium before planting.

Maas considers white wheat an alternative crop that could spread producer marketing risks, but not replace red wheat. He encourages producers and grain elevator managers to get together to discuss white wheat's potential, but notes producers should have a buyer committed before planting. The committee has hosted several meetings to inform producers and elevator managers about managing white wheat. Some elevators already are committed to white wheat and are expected to contract with individual producers, Maas said, while others say they need an estimated 100,000 bushels to make it worth their while.

The potential for a white wheat market is sizeable: Asia alone imports 400 million bushels of white wheat. Last year Nebraska produced 66.5 million bushel of wheat on 1.75 million acres, Maas said. About half of that is exported.

Last year 269 acres of Foundation - certified hard white wheat seed were planted in Nebraska. This resulted in about 6,000 bushels potentially available for certified wheat seed this fall, said Steve Knox, field services supervisor for Nebraska Crop Improvement Association. Knox said yields were less than anticipated due to hail and drought. A bushel of wheat plants a little more than an acre, with yields ranging from 30-60 bushels per acre.

NU experts say red and white wheats have many similarities, such as seeding dates and rates, fertilization, harvest, yields and test weights. A drier climate helps prevent seed head sprouting in white wheat. To ensure minimum volunteer red wheat, it should be grown only on dryland ground that hasn't been planted to hard red winter wheat for at least three years, or irrigated ground not planted to hard red wheat for at least two years.

The Nebraska Wheat Board helps fund NU's wheat breeding program, conducted in cooperation with IANR's Agricultural Research Division. NU is also working on developing other white wheats.

The Hard White Wheat 2000 Committee, headed by Lyon, includes representatives from NU Cooperative Extension, Nebraska Wheat Board, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska Grain and Feed Association, Nebraska Crop Improvement Association and Nebraska Wheat Growers Association.

Maas said that the last time Nebraska saw a new class of wheat was around the beginning of the 20th century. NU Experiment Station trials in the 1890s showed superior yields of Turkey hard red winter wheat over spring wheat, and producers overwhelmingly adopted the newcomer. Spring wheat was much more susceptible to July and August heat; fall-planted winter wheat is harvested by mid-July, typically before summer heat is most intense.