March 28, 2002

IANR faculty, assistants receive Holling awards

By Sandi Alswager, IANR News and Publishing

Six University of Nebraska faculty members and two teaching assistants received the fifth annual Holling Family Awards for Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Outstanding faculty within NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis who demonstrate innovation, impact and program quality for students receive the awards. Peers and/or administrators nominated instructors in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, NU Cooperative Extension or NCTA.

The awards are made possible by a $3 million gift from the Holling family to the NU Foundation in 1990 to honor their pioneer parents. The awards were presented March 13. The 2002 awards and recipients are:

• Senior Faculty Excellence Awards ($5,000 stipend): James A. Gosey, Lowell E. Moser, James E. Partridge and John H. Rupnow.
• Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards ($3,000 stipend): John E. Barbuto and James P. Stack.
• Teaching Assistant Awards: Cristina Furdui and Horatiu Olteanu.

Gosey, a professor of animal science at UNL and extension beef specialist, teaches the Beef Cow-Calf Management class, in which students gain experience in cow herd management by working with the animals and using data collected on the herd's performance and costs of production. In Beef Cattle Merchandising class, developed by Gosey, students are involved in all aspects of a bull sale held in the spring. Gosey is known for challenging students to excel in their extra-curricular activities on campus. He also works with youth at the 4-H beef shows at State Fair and FFA competitions. He has a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State, master's degree from New Mexico State and his doctorate from UNL. He joined IANR in 1976.

Moser, professor of agronomy at UNL, has played a key role in the development and/or implementation of many educational programs at UNL including the Nebraska Range Short Course, School of Natural Resource Sciences and Advising Plus. Recognizing the need for an interdisciplinary education in grazing livestock systems, Moser provided leadership for the grazing livestock systems major, which includes animal science, forage and range science and agricultural economics in a single major. No other college or university offers this major. Moser received his bachelor's degree from Ohio State, his master's degree from Kansas State and his doctorate from Ohio State. Moser started at IANR in 1970.

Partridge, associate professor of plant pathology at UNL, teaches a Web-based Introductory Plant Pathology course that sets the standard for this type of course nationally. This was the first introductory plant pathology course with live online Internet delivery and is the only plant pathology course offered in the public interest, averaging 400 hits per day. Partridge obtained his bachelor's degree and his doctorate from the University of California at Riverside. He came to IANR in 1975 for a post-doctoral position and became a faculty member in 1978.

Rupnow, professor of food science and technology, uses a highly interactive lecturing style in his introductory food science courses at UNL and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Most classes have between 300 and 400 students, many of whom are non-majors who enroll in the class to fulfill science requirements for graduation. However, Rupnow is able to give the students an appreciation for the scientific principles behind food science, food safety and nutrition, and they learn how science is involved with their lives. Rupnow received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, his master's degree from the University of East Illinois and his doctorate from Purdue University.

Barbuto, professor of agricultural leadership, education and communication at UNL, revived and revamped the Dynamics of Effective Leadership in Organizations, a course discussed extensively in land-grant universities. Barbuto also has played a pivotal role in development of a leadership specialization at the master's and doctorate levels. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Maine, a master's degree from Bentley and his doctorate from the University of Rhode Island. He joined IANR in 1997.

Stack, assistant professor and extension plant pathologist at the South Central Research and Extension Center in Clay Center, offers excellence in his planning and delivery of extension programs, including the Plant Disease Central Web site, which is a teaching tool to increase grower and consultant awareness of emerging plant diseases. Stack has been a valuable asset to a team conducting the Crop Protection Clinics and the Plant Diagnostic Clinics. Stack received his master's degree from the University of Massachusetts and his doctorate from Cornell. He joined SCREC in 1997.

Furdui, instructor of biochemistry at UNL, assists with a biochemistry laboratory course that is one of the most intellectually and physically demanding in the department. A native of Vinerea, Romania, Furdui received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She is working on her doctorate in the Department of Biochemistry.

Olteanu, instructor of biochemistry at UNL, displays leadership and resourcefulness in his teaching methodology with his biochemistry laboratory course. He spends time before lab reviewing the experiments to make certain they can be performed successfully by his students. This dedication extends to creating visual displays to assist his students in capturing ideas presented in the course. He is from Sighisoara, Romania, and attended the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. He was a faculty of medicine in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and is a licensed medical doctor in Romania. He is working on his doctorate in the Department of Biochemistry.

3 students win Hearst honors

Two UNL news-editorial majors from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications placed first and sixth in the sportswriting competition in the 42nd annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation's Journalism Awards Program. Also, one broadcasting major has qualified for the semifinals in the Hearst Awards Program broadcast competition.

Matthew Hansen, (shown at right), a junior from Red Cloud, took first place in the sportswriting competition and won a $2,000 scholarship for his story from the Daily Nebraskan headlined "Faith, luck and a shot at the Show: Life in the Minor Leagues." Hansen will compete in the National Writing Champion-ships in San Francisco in June.

Dane Stickney, a senior from Kearney, was sixth and won a $500 scholarship for a Daily Nebraskan story headlined, "NU fans: We want our money back."

Amanda McGill, a junior broadcasting major from Omaha, finished fourth among 38 entries in the television news competition for two pieces. The placement carried a $750 award.

She is eligible to submit additional tapes for judging to determine five competitors in audio and five in video who will compete in the Hearst program's national broadcast news championships in San Francisco in June.

Nebraska is in sixth place in the Hearst Intercollegiate Writing Competition after four of six events.

College to honor 4 journalists

The UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications Alumni Association will present four Awards of Excellence at the 11th annual Journalism Awards Banquet April 11 at the Wick Alumni Center in Lincoln. The awards honor graduates from news-editorial, advertising and broadcasting backgrounds, as well as one non-graduate.

Tim Anderson of New York is the news design editor for the New York Times, where he supervises 26 news designers and pagination assistants. A native of Oakland, he earned a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism in 1974 and published the Seward County Independent until 1976. He worked in Florida, New York state and the Omaha World-Herald before becoming a copy editor at Newsday in Long Island, N.Y., in 1987. He moved to the paper's NYC edition, where he worked his way up to executive news editor. He moved to the Times in 1995. In his spare time, Anderson is writing a biography of John G. Neihardt.

Susan Brown of London works for Saffron Brand Consultants, a firm that develops brand strategies and identities projects for clients in telecommunications, finance and private sectors. Brown is a founding member and shareholder for the company, which has an international team of consultants and designers based in London and Madrid. After earning a bachelor's degree in advertising at Nebraska in 1992, she worked for Chicago-based J.Walter Thompson on the Kraft General Foods account.

Ann Pederson Gleeson of Hopkins, Minn., is the managing editor for Fox/WFTC-TV in Minneapolis and an adjunct instructor of journalism at the University of Minnesota. The 1974 NU broadcasting graduate has served on the National Board of American Women in Radio and Television and is the governor of the board of governors of the Twin Cities Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Mary Junck, chairwoman, president and chief executive officer of Lee Enterprises in Davenport, Iowa, will be honored for service to the profession. Lee Enterprises owns 23 daily newspapers and joint interest in five others. Before joining Lee Enterprises in 1999, she was executive vice president for Times Mirror Co., where she was responsible for newspaper operations for the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant, the Morning Call and Southern Connecticut Newspapers.