Bringing the past up to date: Ken Price, Hillegass Professor of American Literature, has been compiling an online Walt Whitman archive since 1995.

Leaves of Grass Cut and Uncut

Whitman Archive Showcases Web for Humanities Studies

By Kelly Bartling, Public Relations

Readers of Walt Whitman are finding that the electronic age offers new access and insights into the 19th century American poet's writings.

Ken Price, Hillegass Professor of American Literature at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has harnessed the power of humanities computing to advance the study of Walt Whitman.

The Walt Whitman Hypertext Archive <http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/whitman/> is a virtual outlet of Whitman works, history, biography, photographs and reviews - making available his multiple editions to a broad audience. The archive lets readers consider Whitman's writings and some of its contexts at one site and to trace his many revisions.

"Whitman was an incessant reviser of his work," Price said, "...which defies the constraints of a book. His writing was always in flux. Fixed forms of print do not adequately capture his revisions."

The Web project began in 1995 when Price and colleagues, including co-editor Ed Folsom of the University of Iowa, began delving into the developments in digital archiving and hypertext, which opens numerous windows and paths with a click on a Web page. Then at the College of William and Mary, and already a well-known Whitman and Dickinson scholar, Price realized how well suited Whitman's works are for the Web. Still, he and Folsom knew it would be a huge undertaking to gather, digitize, encode and write commentary on the huge amount of material left by Whitman.

"While Whitman scholarship is thriving, it has been difficult to study the evolving nature of his work. Several important editions have been inaccessible unless you teach at a research library with a strong rare book room," Price said. "In addition, the poetry manuscripts have never been edited and are scattered at over 26 different libraries. Part of what this archive does is open worldwide access to locked-up bookrooms."

Access to Whitman's editing and rewriting is eye-opening, Price said. Tracing his processes of composition through manuscript origins and through changes in multiple versions gives clues to the nature of his creativity and showed how his career evolved. Available on-line are facsimile and e-text versions of all the six editions of Leaves of Grass, Whitman's life work and masterpiece. Seeing how Whitman changed each poem enables readers to greater understanding and appreciation for Whitman's artistry.

"Live Oak, with Moss, a sequence of homoerotic love poems, constitutes one of the most compelling, moving, and mysterious love stories in American literature," Price said. "We know little about the biographical circumstances behind these documents, and in fact there has long been debate over how these documents have been previously edited. We have opted to give Web readers both transcripts of manuscripts and digital images of them so that they can judge Whitman's meaning with a minimum editorial interference."

Response to the Web archive has been positive, with users spanning from serious scholars to school children and casual readers from across the globe. Activity reports for the Whitman archive indicate an average of 3,000 hits per day, occasionally as many as 6,000. Jerome McGann, a leader in electronic editorial projects, has described the Whitman archive as "one of the most significant editorial ventures in American studies ever undertaken."

The work on Whitman's poetry manuscripts continues as the site expands. With a three-year $175,000 Collaborative Research grant from the National Endowment for Humanities, Price and Folsom's teams continue to gather, digitize, and make available on the archive all of Whitman's manuscripts. Price works closely with two NU graduate students, Brett Barney and Jennifer Borgerding, in a lab near Price's office at Andrews Hall. Price joined the NU College of Arts and Sciences faculty in fall 2000 as the Hillegass chair.

The Walt Whitman Archive was "born digital," Price said, and it will probably never have a print spinoff.

"Our goal has never been to produce a print edition but to explore electronically what couldn't even be attempted in print," Price said. The Collected Writings of Walt Whitman published by New York University Press in 22 volumes from 1961-1984 is thought of as the indispensable Whitman text, but Price and Folsom's project has begun to supercede it. Price has already edited or authored three Whitman books and three on other topics. He has also produced a CD-ROM on Whitman with Primary Source Media.

In addition to being a one-stop resource for researchers, the archive also features a tutorial or interactive teaching segment that can be used in various classrooms to supplement literature curricula.

Bridging the African Diaspora Symposium Feb. 23­24

Scholars from across the United States and from Africa will gather at UNL Feb. 23 and 24 for an interdisciplinary symposium titled "Bridging the African Diaspora in the new Millennium."

Through a series of panel discussions, keynote addresses and other events, the symposium will examine the international dimension of the African presence in world history, the dispersion of Africans throughout history, the emergence of a cultural identity based on origin and social condition and the physical or psychological return to the African homeland.

"Our last two symposiums concentrated on Blacks in the Great Plains," said Venetria Patton, director of UNL's African American and African Studies Program, which presents the symposium. "This year, we wanted a broader perspective."

All sessions will be at the Nebraska Union except a reception and lecture on the Cargo Quilt Collection at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 23.

The symposium opens with a lecture, "Vodou, an African Haitian Religion, and Politics in Haiti," by Guerin C. Montilus, professor of anthropology at Wayne (Mich.) State University, at 8:15 a.m. Feb. 23. The keynote addresses, all in conjunction with meals, are:

Feb. 23 - "Women, Creativity and Power in the African Diaspora," by Carole Boyce Davies, 11:45 a.m.; and "From Civil Rights to Human Rights: The Evolving Thought of Martin and Malcolm," by Ron Daniels, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City, 5:45 p.m..

Feb. 24 - "Women of the African World: Facing the Challenge of Globalization," by Filomena Chioma Steady, professor of Africana studies at Wellesley College, 9 a.m.; "The Social Construction of the African Diaspora: Why the Black Atlantic is a False Idea," by Molefi Kete Asante, professor of African American studies at Temple University and founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies, 12:15 p.m.

The schedule of panel discussions is:

Feb. 23 - "Language, World View and the African Diaspora" and "Representations of Blackness, Permanence and Change in the African Continuum," 10-11:30 a.m.; and "Religion in the Diaspora" and "Institutions and Processes: A Diaspora Example," 1:30-3 p.m.

Feb. 24 - "The Critique of Africana Literature" and "Environment and the Diaspora," 10:45 a.m.-noon; "Gender Issues in the African Diaspora" and "Popular Culture," 2-3:30 p.m.; and "Whiteness: The Flipside of the Diaspora" and "Performance and the Diaspora," 3:45-5:15 p.m.

For registration and other information about the symposium, telephone the African American and African Studies Program at (402) 472-2099 or visit the symposium Web site http://www.unl.e du/unlies/symposium/schedule.html.

Curriculum and Instruction professors Margaret Macintyre Latta and David M. Callejo-Pérez combined their experiences and strategies to develop the Urban Education Masters Program that focuses on addressing diversity in schooling.

UNL Grad Students Focus on Urban Ed

By Mary Jane Bruce, Public Relations

A master's of education degree focusing on urban education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Teachers College is the work of two professors who are new to campus, each bringing a distinctive view of diversity in education.

Curriculum and instruction professors David M. Callejo-Perez and Margaret Macintyre Latta combined their experiences and strategies to address diversity in schooling.

Callejo-Perez came to UNL last fall from Florida International University in Miami where he conducted historical research on race and schools. Before coming to UNL, Latta spent two years at the Creative Arts Center in Calgary, Alberta, a public school where individual experience and the creative process rule the curriculum.

Callejo-Perez has an urban, inner-city view of diversity, while Latta addresses diversity from an aesthetic perspective. Both professors are passionate about difference.

"We had different experiences to draw from but we share a common interest in dealing with diversity," Latta said. "Often in classrooms it's easier to aim for sameness. Instead, we want each child to bring their unique characteristics to the classroom and allow them to flourish, to see difference as a strength."

Schools in Nebraska have to learn new ways of adapting to more diverse classrooms because racial and ethnic demographics are changing rapidly, said Callejo-Perez. Issues that were thought of as big-city challenges are now common in Nebraska's smaller communities.

But the definition of diversity goes beyond the traditional areas of race and ethnicity, to include issues such as learning styles, experiences a child brings from home and individual identity.

"We see public schools as a place where identity can be developed and fostered," said Callejo-Perez.

Participants will be working toward a master's of education in curriculum and instruction with a focus on urban education and diversity. The two-year series of classes covers both a general overview of curriculum and diversity issues and the opportunity to explore specialized areas in a variety of subjects, as wide-ranging as architecture, counseling or physical education and health. A combination of Saturday seminars, distance education and summer courses provides easy access and flexibility. Students will also conduct research, carrying out field projects that could be done in their own schools. Stipends of $1,000 will be paid toward tuition in the first year of the program.

Another advantage is the opportunity to build relationships with other students, Latta said. The classes will bring together students from many situations who can build community and become resources for each other. Although Latta said program doesn't offer all the answers, it provides a forum for discussion and a springboard for change.

"We're helping individuals who see the need for this kind of change come together and figure out how to do it," said Callejo-Perez. "They can become curriculum experts in their schools and leaders in their communities."

The program is enrolling students now for the 2001 fall semester. For more information, contact the Graduate Services Center at the Teachers College Center for Curriculum and Instruction, (402) 472-5333 or email tcgrad2@unl.edu.

Two Finalists for UNL Chancellorship Announced

A search committee named by University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith has selected two finalists for the position of chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They are William Hogan and Harvey Perlman.

William Hogan, Ph.D., (shown at right), is chairman and CEO of The Hogan Co. , an investment firm he founded in 1973, and a management group, Hogan, Bergerson, founded in 1998. Hogan has served as a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents since 1993 and was the board chair from 1997 to 1999. He was a faculty member at the University of Kansas from 1973 to 1982. He served as assistant dean of the KU School of Electrical Engineering (1973-74), and subsequently associate dean from 1974 to 1976. He was an American Council on Education Fellow during the 1976-77 academic year. He was associate executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas from 1978 to 1984. He held several senior positions with Honeywell, Inc. from 1984 to 1991, including vice president for corporate total quality systems and vice president for inertial instruments operations, and was vice president of corporate operations and quality for Medtronic, Inc. from 1991 to 1993. He earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1973, his master's degree from Southern Methodist University in 1969, and his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State in 1965.

Harvey Perlman, J.D., (shown at left) is interim chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A professor of law, he was dean of the NU College of Law from 1983 to 1998. He served as acting senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNL (1995-96). His legal specialties include torts, intellectual property, unfair competition, patents, construction law, and cyberlaw. He was a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School during the 1966-67 academic year, and joined the NU faculty in 1967. He was visiting professor (1974-75) and professor of law (1975-83) at the University of Virginia Law School, and was the Ida Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law (1981-82). He is the author of The Tasks of Penology: A symposium on Prisons and Correctional Law, published by the University of Nebraska Press in 1969, and Legal Issues in Addict Diversion: A Technical Analysis, published by Lexington Press in 1976. He was co-reporter of the American Law Institute's Restatement of the Law of Unfair Competition in 1995, and the Report of the American Bar Association Commission to Improve the Liability Insurance System in 1989. He received the Nebraska Bar Association's George H. Turner Award for Public Service in 1988. He earned his juris doctor degree 1966 and his bachelor's degree in 1963, both from the University of Nebraska.

In announcing the finalists, Smith said, "I'm pleased that the search committee has identified two outstanding candidates, both of whom are highly qualified. I look forward to conducting interviews with them in the near future."

Three for Three: Air Force Cadet Katherine Rush has received three national­level awards as a member of the Air Force ROTC at UNL.

UNL Air Force Cadet Snares 3rd National Award

Air Force ROTC Cadet Katherine Rush received another national-level recognition for her superior accomplishments at UNL.

She is one of four cadets nationwide to receive the Air Force Association's W. Randolph Lovelace Memorial Award.

Col. Mace MacElhaney, professor of Aerospace Studies at UNL, notified Rush of her selection for the during an AFROTC leadership lab on Feb. 1.

The award recognizes outstanding senior cadets and is based on academics, athletics, and leadership. Other recipients of the award are from Cornell University, Virginia Military Institute, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Rush, a four-year AFROTC scholarship winner from Kendrick, Idaho, is highly involved on campus and in the Lincoln community. A math major in the University Honors Program, she currently holds a 3.6 grade point average. She has been an active participant in the university intramural program, playing football, soccer, and volleyball. She also received the Athletic Award during Air Force ROTC summer Field Training and scored 464 out of 500 points on the AFROTC Physical Fitness Test. She served as the Cadet Wing Commander of the 100+ member cadet wing and is past president of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She has also been very active in community service projects such as the NU on Wheels Coin Drive, the Community Blood Bank Drive, and the People's City Mission Soup Kitchen.

This is the third national-level award Rush has earned. Last fall, she received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement, the second highest award an AFROTC cadet can receive. She was one of four in the nation to receive this award. She is also a past recipient of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Award, an extremely competitive award given to only 10 cadets nationwide.

MacElhaney said he is extremely proud of Rush's accomplishments.

"She has excelled in everything she has done-academically, athletically, militarily, and in numerous extracurricular activities.," he said. "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."

Brig. Gen. Mark Musick, president of the Lincoln chapter of the Air Force Association also praised Rush.

"I couldn't be prouder of Cadet Rush," Musick said. "Her receiving this prestigious award from the Air Force Association recognizes the incredible capability that she possesses. She has demonstrated excellence in all she has done as a University of Nebraska Air Force ROTC Cadet, and this excellence will continue with her career in the Air Force. Katherine is a wonderful example of all the cadets I have come to know at UNL. The future of the Air Force is in good hands because of the leaders that the ROTC program is developing."

The Air Force Association will present the award to Rush at a banquet during the annual Arnold Air Society National Conclave in New Orleans this April.