Tidball Award Recipients Named

Elizabeth Franklin, Robert Hitchcock and Hans Patuwo were honored as recipients of the 2001 Sue Tidball Award for Creative Humanity April 1.

Franklin has made an enduring mark on the Center for Curriculum and Instruction by her active concern for providing full opportunities for women, for people of color at UNL, and for Native Americans of the Omaha Nation at Macy, Neb. She has strengthened the university's efforts to train practicing teachers to build their skills in English as a Second Language. She is notable in her work as departmental chair for the openness and caring with which she deals with administrators, faculty, staff and students. By building bridges and effective relationships among all with whom she works, she creates a more humane and caring work environment for the university community.

Hitchcock was characterized by his nominators as a "true hero in the defense of hungry people and of the rights of indigenous people in Africa and the United States." He has worked on behalf of populations at risk at UNL, as well as at state, national and international levels, and transmits his concerns to individuals, groups and governmental agencies. His commitment to the betterment of life for African peoples takes him to Africa regularly, and enables him to bring a level of knowledge about their problems and issues to UNL students.

Patuwo is a graduate student who is also employed full-time, but devotes substantial effort to helping international students integrate into UNL and into community life in Lincoln. As leader of the Trans-Pacific leadership Program (T-PAC), he draws students from different countries together for informal sharing of concerns, for mutual support and for celebration of each others' achievements. With sensitivity and persistence, he helps them deal with difficulties caused by language barriers, culture shock and misunderstandings between individuals of different nations. He provides special assistance by using his experience in the workplace to help students interact effectively with American employers and their expectations.

This is the 20th anniversary of the award named in honor of Sue Tidball, a campus religious worker who died in 1976. The award is sponsored by United Ministries in Higher Education and conducted by an independent committee of campus students, faculty and staff, and representatives from the Lincoln community.

Finnell Announces Fall Departure from UNL

Admissions Director Susanna Finnell announced plans to leave UNL this fall for family reasons.

Finnell will move to Texas with her husband Richard Finnell, director of the Center for Human Molecular Genetics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. RichardFinnell has been named director of the Institute of Biosciences and Technology at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center in Houston.

"It is hard to think about leaving now, because in many ways our team in Admissions is just hitting its stride," Susanna Finnell said. "When I arrived there were multiple challenges. It has been gratifying to see so much enthusiastic support from my team, the administration, the faculty, and ultimately, the Board of Regents.

"I am committed to seeing us through our internal/external review processes to make sure that our staff has the most honest assessment of our potential and to ensure that the next person finds a good road map to continue on the improvements implemented so far," Finnell said.

James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, expressed regret that Finnell is leaving, but says he is grateful she has committed to stay in her position for another six months.

"Since becoming Director of Admissions in January of 2000, Dr. Finnell has completed all of the major goals we had for the Office of Admissions," Griesen said. "She has recruited a full staff of extremely competent admission professionals, she and her colleagues have developed an aggressive plan for extending and enhancing the university's recruitment efforts, and she has greatly strengthened the collaboration between our academic units and the Office of Admissions."

Finnell came to UNL Jan. 1, 2000 after 10 years at Texas A&M University where she was executive director of the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships since 1996.

Griesen said a national search for Finnell's replacement will begin soon.

Fine & Performing Arts Honors Alumni

The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts honored students, faculty, alumni and supporters April 4 at its annual Honors Day celebration.

State Sen. David Landis of Lincoln and retired faculty member Dennis Schneider received Awards of Merit from the college's alumni board of directors. The award honors those who have made contributions to the college but who are not necessarily alumni.

Landis understands the importance of the arts to the university and to the community-at-large. For more than 25 years, Lincoln audiences have watched the performances of the versatile actor and state senator. He has volunteered numerous hours of rehearsal and performances to the Hixson-Lied College by appearing in more than 25 major and featured roles in Nebraska Repertory Theatre and University Theatre plays, and in Nebraska Directors Theatre/Theatrix.

Schneider, a former member of the brass faculty who retired in the spring of 1997, supported the arts in many ways throughout his career. He was president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Musicians and was a winner of the Mayor's Arts Award.

The alumni board of directors presented Outstanding Alumni Achievement Awards to Margaret Furlong of Salem, Ore., in art, Richard Svoboda of Melrose, Mass., in music, and Daniel Stratman of Lincoln in theatre arts.

During the time Furlong (MFA '76) was enrolled at NU, her work in ceramics and watercolor was accepted in numerous local and regional exhibitions and in the permanent collection of Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. Best known for her procelain angels, she now has a factory in Salem that employs about 50 people.

Svoboda ('78) is principal bassoonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and teaches at Tanglewood during the summer. He was formerly principal bassoon with the Jacksonville (Fla.) Symphony.

Stratman (BFA '73, MFA '77) is technical director for the UNL Lied Center for Performing Arts. His experience includes production management and technical direction for more than 80 productions in community, university and professional theaters, and more than 800 events and productions at the Lied Center.

Graduate Awards Conferred by Alumni, Grad Studies

By Amy Cyphers, Alumni Association

The Nebraska Alumni Association and the UNL Graduate College join forces April 24 to honor students and faculty at the Graduate College Awards Banquet.

The alumni association will present graduate research, teaching and excellence awards to four doctoral students and a graduate college faculty member. The Graduate College will honor the two graduates whose master's thesis and doctoral dissertation were determined to be the most outstanding, as well as an outstanding graduate assistant mentor. All winners receive a $500 honorarium with their awards.

The alumni association's Excellence in Graduate Education Award goes to Roger Wiegand, a professor of mathematics and statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences. In his 29 years at the university, Wiegand has earned an international reputation as a scholar, particularly in the field of commutative algebra. He has written more than 60 papers and been published in the top mathematics journals, and won 18 grants from the National Science Foundation.

The Alumni Association's 2001 Graduate Research Assistant Awards will be presented to Camelia Borca, a doctoral candidate and research assistant in physics; and Melissa Inman, a doctoral candidate and research assistant in veterinary and biomedical sciences.

Borca, a native of Romania, is at the forefront of half-metals research. She has undertaken the first detailed studies to characterize the composition of complex and important magnetic materials. She has published 26 articles and presented at 13 conferences while a graduate student at Nebraska. Borca earned a bachelor's degree in physics in 1994 and a master's in semiconductor physics in 1995 from the University of Bucharest. She earned a master's in physics from UNL in 1999 and is expected to complete her Ph.D. in May.

Inman's research is in molecular virology, particularly in herpes viruses in cattle. Her development of a mutant bovine herpes virus is considered one of the most significant achievements of NU doctoral students in the last decade. She earned a bachelor's in 1990 and a master's in 1995 from the University of Connecticut. Her research has been published in several journals and helped UNL land a $10.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Liz Ahl and Federico Ocampo will receive this year's Graduate Teaching Awards.

Ahl is a doctoral candidate and graduate teaching assistant in the English department. In addition to teaching writing and literature courses, she has been a coordinator of the Writing Center. Students have continually given her excellent reviews for her teaching strategies and guidance. Her dissertation, a book of poems titled When We Smoked, is nearly complete. Her poetry has been nominated for a national Pushcart Prize. She earned a bachelor's degree in creative writing from Emerson College in 1992 and a master's from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995.

Ocampo, a native of Argentina, is a doctoral candidate and graduate teaching assistant in entomology. His research focuses on a group of Central American scarab beetles about which little is known. He has served as a researcher, collections assistant and teacher at UNL. He is well known for his enthusiasm and preparation in the classroom, where he has instructed undergraduates in the science and art of identifying insects. Ocampo earned his bachelor's degree in 1999 from the National University of La Plata in Argentina. He will finish his Ph.D. in 2003.