| |
Cotter named Boss of the Year
By Barb Carley, University
Services
Jim Cotter, director of advising in Teachers
College Student
Services, is the recipient of the 2002 Floyd S.
Oldt Boss of
the Year award. Cotter was awarded this honor Nov. 12
by the
University of Nebraska Office Personnel Association.
Cotter has worked at UNL for four years. According to his
nomination materials, Cotter "has gained the respect of
administrators, faculty, colleagues in the office, student workers
and students through kindness, caring and support. He has managed
to convey a genuine positive regard to each person he supervises
and wins total respect from all.
"There is no one in
the department who would not do everything
possible to assist
(Cotter) in any way. He has developed stronger
cohesion within the
unit and with faculty members who work closely
with our
unit."
The Floyd S. Oldt Boss of the Year award
recognizes University
of Nebraska employees who demonstrate
outstanding supervisory
skills, interpersonal skills and encourage
employee personal
and professional development. Cotter received a
plaque, a $500
stipend and a one-year membership to UNOPA.
Others nominated for the award this year were Thomas W. Crawford,
INTSORMIL; Jesse J. Hock, Printing Services; Gregory L. Maguire,
University Housing; William J. Seiler, Department of Communication
Studies; Daniel M. Shattil, Daily Nebraskan; and Cheryl J. Wiese,
Bureau of Sociological Research.
Urban politics book recognized
Michael W. Combs,
professor of political science, and three
co-authors have been
honored by the American Political Science
Association for the best
book published in 2001 in the area of
urban politics.
Combs and his co-authors were honored for "Race and Place:
Race Relations in an American City," published by Cambridge
University Press. In it, the authors examine the striking but
little-recognized change in race relations during the past two
decades that has accompanied declining levels of racial segregation
in most of America's major metropolitan areas.
The books'
co-authors with Combs are Susan Welch of Pennsylvania
State
University, formerly of UNL, Lee Sigelman of George Washington
University, and Timothy Bledsoe of Wayne State University of
Detroit, who earned his doctorate at UNL.
The award was
presented at the annual meeting of APSA in Boston.
Commission gets grant for
digital conversion
The Nebraska Educational
Telecommunications Commission has
received a $1.6 million grant
that will assist the Nebraska ETV
Network in its conversion to a
digital signal. The U.S. Department
of Commerce National
Telecommunications and Information Administration
awarded the grant
through the Public Telecommunications Facilities
Program, which is
administered by NTIA.
This grant will be used to buy a
variety of digital telecommunications
equipment at three Nebraska
ETV broadcast sites including transmitters,
antennas, transmission
lines, and test and monitoring equipment
for network stations KPNE
in North Platte, KUON in Lincoln and
KYNE in Omaha.
NET applied for the PTFP digital conversion grant with a multiyear
plan nearly three years ago. NET was awarded $1.2 million in
2000
and $1.5 million in 2001. The consecutive awards were based
on the
organization's progress in the conversion to digital television
and
the continued need for funding.
The Federal Communications
Commission has mandated that all
public television stations must
broadcast with a digital signal
by May 2003. NETV anticipates
activation of its digital service
in April 2003. Reductions in
funding because of the state's ongoing
financial crisis resulted in
a delay in the implementation of
the full digital television
service to next spring.
The three-year PTFP grant covers 40
percent of certain equipment
costs associated with NET's conversion
to a digital signal. The
remaining 60 percent is being funded by
the state of Nebraska,
as are the ongoing operating expenses. NET
is still seeking financial
support to convert its production
equipment to digital.
PTFP grants are awarded annually to
public broadcasting and
other noncommercial entities for the
purchase of telecommunications
equipment. The grants are matched
with local funds by each recipient
and are used to activate, extend
or improve public radio or public
television services. PTFP awards
also assist in the construction
of distance learning systems.
PTFP, established in 1962 to support the completion of public
broadcasting infrastructure throughout the United States, has
contributed to bringing public broadcasting services to almost
97
percent of the population.
Services of NET include the
Nebraska ETV Network; NETV2; the
Nebraska Public Radio Network;
GPN, distributor of educational
media; and the Nebraska Interactive
Media Group.
Lied Center,
Friends of Lied Announce Dream Project Winners
The Lied
Center and the Friends of Lied have announced the
2002-03 winners
of the Dream Project awards.
The Lied Center and the
Friends of Lied collaborate to provide
awards for selected
classroom teachers throughout Nebraska. These
awards support an
arts-based "dream" project that might
not be possible
within limited school budgets.
The winners are listed by
school, project title, lead teacher
and the grade(s) involved in
the project:
- Beveridge School, Omaha,
"The Rhythm of our Lives,"
Sheila R.S. McCauley (7-8);
- Harrison Elementary School, Omaha, "Rhythm All Around:
Exploring the Roots of American Jazz Through the History of Tap
Dance," Marian Fey (5-6);
- Franklin Public Schools,
Franklin, "Get on Your Feet
- Learning to Tap Dance,"
Melody Antholz, (K-12);
- Meridian Public Schools, Daykin,
"Cultural Fair,"
Natalie Meyer (K-6);
- Elm
Creek Public School, Elm Creek, "Theatre Appreciation,"
Cindy Schroeder (K-6, 9-12);
- Cathedral of Risen Christ
School, Lincoln, "A Festival
to Celebrate Little Bear,"
Jeanne Pinkman (K);
- Springfield Elementary, Springfield,
"Nebraska History
Live!" Candy Connery (4);
- Mount Michael High School, Elkhorn, "Amadeus - A Year
of
Mozart," Mark A. Robinson (9-12);
- Lyons-Decatur
Northeast, Lyons, "Musical Styles Through
Culture and
Community," Dwight Rose (5-12);
- Falls City Sacred Heart
School, Falls City, "The Discovery
of Music with
Style," John Furrow (K-12).
Chemistry department benefits from NSF
grants
Three substantial grants from the National Science
Foundation
over the past two years have funded new research tools
now in
operation in the chemistry department at UNL. Two additional
grants have enabled significant upgrades to facilities in Hamilton
Hall.
Professor Gerry Harbison spearheaded the drive for a
$900,000
grant for the purchase of a nuclear magnetic resonance
imager,
which is akin to medical MRI imagers. The instrument, now
operational
in the basement of Hamilton Hall, supports research in
chemistry,
structural biology and materials science.
A group led by Professor James Takacs won a $400,000 grant
for
the purchase of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer
capable
of real-time, flow-through sampling of reaction mixtures,
one of
the first such NMRs to be installed at an academic institution.
A group led by Professor Larry Parkhurst, working in conjunction
with the Center for Material Research and Analysis, was awarded
a
$240,000 NSF Materials Instrumentation Grant to support purchase
of
an automated diffractometer. The instrument, which allows
analysis
of molecular structure through X-ray diffraction, supports
research
in chemistry and materials science.
In addition to these
new instrumentation projects, Parkhurst,
working with Prem Paul,
vice chancellor for research, put together
two successful National
Institutes of Health proposals to renovate
the seventh and eighth
floors of Hamilton Hall. The grants, which
each brought in nearly
$2 million from NIH, were made possible
by matching funds from the
Chancellor's Office and from a state-funded
infrastructure upgrade.
Renovation of the two floors will begin
early next year.
Handa wins award for architectural
education excellence
Rumiko Handa, associate professor of
architecture, is this
year's recipient of the American Institute of
Architecture Students'
Educator Honor Award. This is the only award
given by AIAS each
year. It honors exceptional achievement in
architectural education.
Handa was recognized for her
excitement, curiosity, thoughtful
approach to teaching, concern for
students, ability to promote
critical thinking and accomplishments
in scholarship and research.
|
