Even in writing, practice makes
perfect
Poet Becky Breed
of Lincoln, center, laughs as she listens
to her work being read
aloud for the first time during the "Adding
to Memory"
workshop at the Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference
July 13 in
Andrews Hall. This session, led by author and visiting
UNL English
professor Ted Kooser, was one of more than a dozen
workshops
offered as part of the conference, which began July
12 and will end
July 18. The Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference
is directed by UNL
English professor Jonis Agee and drew more
than 150 aspiring
writers to UNL to practice their craft and
get guidance from
published writers. The conference's 12 faculty
members included UNL
professors such as Kooser and Hilda Raz,
and several distinguished
writers such as Mary Pipher, Rita Mae
Brown, Paul Lisicky, Debra
Magpie Earling and Robert Olen Butler,
who won a Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction in 1993, and others. Workshops
and panels were offered in
Novel, Short Story, Poetry, Travel
& Nature Writing, Mystery,
Memoir, Screenwriting and Publishing,
and one-on-one consultations
with a literary agent were also
offered. Photo by
Crystal Corman.
Finalists for IRP director to be on
campus
A search committee has named three finalists for
the position
of director of institutional research and planning at
UNL.
The candidates will visit UNL to meet with the search
committee,
chancellor and other campus groups, and to do a
presentation
that is open to the public. Below are the candidate's
names,
dates of visits and details on public presentations, which
will
all be in the Nebraska Union, with the room to be posted.
- John M. Kalb visits July 21 and 22; public presentation
10:30
a.m. July 21.
- William J. Nunez visits July 17
and 18; public presentation
11 a.m. July 17.
- Maryann
Steele Ruddock visits July 28 and 29; public presentation
10:30
a.m. July 28.
Kalb is director of institutional
research in the budget and
analysis department at Florida State
University in Tallahassee.
Before his current job, he worked in
that office as a research
assistant and as coordinator of
institutional research. He has
taught at Florida State and
Tallahassee Community College and
served in the U.S. Army. He
earned bachelor's and master's degrees
at the University of
Missouri and his doctorate in history from
Florida State.
Nunez is assistant director of planning, institutional research
and institutional effectiveness in the office of planning and
budget at University of Louisville in Kentucky. Before this job,
he
worked in that office as a planning analyst and as coordinator
for
planning, accountability and information systems. He has
taught at
Louisville, Indiana University Southeast in New Albany
and
Jefferson County Professional and Adult Education in Louisville.
He
also held positions as marketing research analyst and product
specialist at Robinson Nugent, Inc. of New Albany, Ind. Nunez
earned a bachelor's degree from Missouri Western State College
in
St. Joseph, master's degrees from Northwest Missouri State
University in Maryville, and the University of Louisville, and
will
in August earn a doctorate in educational administration
from
Louisville.
Ruddock is associate director of the office of
institutional
research at University of Texas at Austin.
She previously worked as assistant director in that same office.
Among other relevant experience, she was director of the office
of
institutional research and planning at Mississippi Institutions
of
Higher Learning in Jackson, a research associate with the
University of Texas System, a research associate at St. Edward's
University in Austin, a research assistant at Southwest Educational
Development Laboratory in Austin, and an instructor and research
assistant at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Ruddock earned
a
bachelor's degree from Slippery Rock State College in Pennsylvania,
a master's from Texas Tech and a doctorate in educational administration
from UT-Austin.
The UNL Office of Institutional Research
and Planning provides
data and analysis to support academic
management, evaluation
and planning. It also is responsible for the
campus physical
master plan and campus space planning. The director
reports to
the chancellor and is part of UNL's senior
administrative team.
John Benson retired from UNL June 30
after 15 years as director
of institutional research and planning.
Lauren Drees is interim
director while the search is under way.
Scarlet
schedule
The next edition of the Scarlet will publish Aug.
21. The
deadline for submissions for that edition is noon Aug.
14.
For information, call 472-8515 or 472-8518, or e-mail
<scarlet@unl.edu>.
Letters to the editor
The Scarlet will accept submitted letters to the editor from
members of the UNL campus community in an effort to foster dialogue
and discussion of campus news, events and issues.
For
policies or information, visit <www.unl.edu/scarlet>.
E-news process for e-mail to all
E-News is a weekly compilation of notices distributed to all
faculty and staff and replaces the "e-mail to all"
system. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Monday; E-News
is
distributed Tuesday evenings. Submitted items must be sponsored
by
a UNL department, program or organization. No commercial or
personal announcements are allowed. Announcements must have news,
not opinion, content. Submit items to: <www.unl.edu/e-news>.
To view a sample e-news, see: <www.unl.edu/e-news/sample.ht
ml>.
Egg Artistry Contest Under Way For White House Egg Display
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Poultry and Egg Division,
is sponsoring its annual egg artistry contest, with the winning
egg
from the state to be featured in the 2004 White House Easter
Egg
Display.
To participate, decorate an egg to depict one or
more special
features of Nebraska. In previous years, artists have
adorned
eggs with landscapes, state symbols, beads, feathers, grain
and
other designs representative of Nebraska.
Entries
for the contest are due Sept. 3. The eggs will be
on display for
viewing and judging at the University of Nebraska
State Museum from
Sept. 4 to Oct. 13.
Nebraska residents, including previous
winning artists, are
eligible to compete. Amateur and professional
artists are encouraged
to participate. Contestants must contact the
Poultry and Egg
Division to enter the contest and receive specific
contest criteria.
Contact Mary Torell, Nebraska Department of
Agriculture, Poultry
and Egg Division, P.O. Box 830908, Lincoln, NE
68583-0908; call
472-0752; or e-mail <mtorell2@unl.edu>.
Get Scientific
Supplies, Chemicals and more from Fisher Scientific
The
University of Nebraska has entered a Preferred Supplier
Agreement
with Fisher Scientific for laboratory equipment, such
as safety
chemicals and consumable scientific supplies and equipment.
As the
university's preferred provider, Fisher should be the
first choice
when selecting laboratory and safety chemicals,
plasticware,
glassware and apparatus items.
In addition to having a
customer friendly website, Fisher
Scientific has a variety of
specialized service providers available
to assist with scientific
requirements in areas such as chemicals,
life sciences, safety,
electrochemistry and glassware. The company
website, www.FisherSci.com,
provides
online ordering and tracking, contract pricing, e-mail
confirmations, real-time availability, integrated cross-referencing
and "Hot List" pricing.
Fisher Scientific also
has an onsite customer service/sales
representative available to
assist with scientific sourcing,
questions and cross-referencing
needs. Please contact Tami Wattnem
at 472-1931, cell phone (402)
658-2847, or e-mail <twattnem@unlnotes.unl.edu>
.
For other questions on this agreement, call Hollis
Anderson,
472-6308, or e-mail <handerson1@unl.edu>.
An impromptu musical moment
The three female members
of the group Baby Needs Shoes were
joined by State Sen. Dave
Landis, left, for an impromptu song
during Fountain Frolics July 10
on the north side of the Nebraska
Union. The event, which runs from
noon to 1 p.m. each Thursday
through Aug. 14, offers live music
from a different musical group
each week and a hot dog, potato
chips and drink for $3 for lunch.
Photo by Tom
Slocum.
Training on
new technology tools in education
Information Services is
offering two classes this summer on
some of the latest
technology:
- Learn everything from the basics
of photography to the latest
on digital cameras at "The
Basics of Digital Cameras"
from 1-3 p.m. July 24 in the New
Media Center classroom, Architecture
Hall room 107. Cost is $20.
Payment and registration can be made
by calling 472-9050 with a
cost object or, by check to room 118
in the 501 Building.
- Learn about PDAs, also known as Palm Pilots or pocket PCs,
at
an open forum from 1-2 p.m. Aug. 7 in the New Media Center
classroom, Architecture Hall room 107. Learn what these devices
can do and how this technology can be used as a tool in the classroom.
This class is free, but register by calling 472-9050.
Questions? E-mail <training@unl.edu>.
Sheldon seeks volunteers to assist
visitors
The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture
Garden seeks
volunteers for its new Visitor Service Program, which
includes
a new welcome desk in the Great Hall and the Sheldon
Museum Store
scheduled to reopen mid-August.
Candidates should be enthusiastic, flexible and enjoy working
with the public. Multilingual candidates are encouraged and welcome,
as are volunteers with retail experience. Experience in museums
or
the arts is not required. Volunteers receive free parking,
training, special invitations and other opportunities.
These volunteers will welcome and help visitors by answering
questions and participating in programs and offerings at the
Sheldon. Volunteers will be trained about other local attractions.
Those interested in volunteering in the Museum Store will also
be
trained to use the cash register and other store-related processes.
Training will be from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 15 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Aug. 23. After that, volunteers will receive ongoing training
during hours that can accommodate students and those with full-time
jobs. Volunteer shifts are available on weekday afternoons, weekends
or evenings and will be arranged according to volunteers' schedules.
Normal Sheldon hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
To apply for this
program, contact Monica Babcock at the Sheldon
Memorial Art Gallery
and Sculpture Garden, 12th and R streets,
Lincoln, 68588-0300, call
472-2461 or e-mail <mbabcock1@unl.edu>.
'Fountain Frolics' Happening Now at the
Union
"Fountain Frolics," a weekly lunchtime
outdoor concert
series, is under way at the UNL City Campus this
summer.
The concerts, sponsored by the University Program
Council,
are free and are from noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday
through Aug.
14. Performances are on the Union Plaza on the north
side of
the Nebraska Union. A lunch consisting of a hot dog, chips
and
Pepsi products are available during the concert for $3.
The remaining artists performing at Fountain Frolics:
- July 17: Women Folk
- July 24: Nebraska Jazz Octet
- July 31: The Resonators
- Aug. 7: The Lightning Bugs
- Aug. 14: Broad Appeal
Landscape Services Develops Irrigation Management Plan
Landscape Services has instituted an irrigation management
plan
to help the campus prepare for the return of drought and
minimize
the damage drought can cause to the campus landscape.
The
plan features four graduated phases in water conservation
that
would result in estimated water-use reductions from 15 percent
in
Phase 1 to 90 percent in Phase 4.
For more details on the
irrigation management plan, visit
the Landscape Services website at
<http://landscape.u
nl.edu/watermgtplan/index.cfm>.
Tax Relief Plan May Affect Your Paycheck
The tax
relief plan passed recently by President Bush means
employees may
see more money in their paychecks beginning with
their first
paycheck in July. The new law retroactively reduces
income tax
rates back to Jan. 1, but employees will need to wait
until next
year when they file their 2003 taxes to get back taxes
overpaid in
the first half of 2003. The variance that you may
see as an
increase in your paycheck depends upon your income
bracket.
Tax professionals caution employees not to tinker with W4
forms
to recoup the money faster through smaller withholdings
because
they could end up owing taxes when they file their 2003
tax return
in 2004.
If you have additional questions regarding the tax
law changes,
consult your tax accountant or visit the IRS website
at <www.irs.gov>.
Seminar Will Help Entrepreneurs Wanting
to Market a Food
Product
The UNL Food Processing
Center will present a one-day "From
Recipe to Reality"
seminar to help entrepreneurs considering
starting a
food-manufacturing business. The seminar is Aug. 18
on the UNL East
Campus with a registration deadline date of Aug.
7. The seminar
will also be offered in Chicago on Aug. 1, in
Scottsbluff on Oct.
14 and again in Lincoln on Oct. 24.
This seminar addresses
marketing, business and technical issues,
including product
development, food safety, market selection,
regulatory issues and
agencies, packaging, promotional strategies
and more.
After the seminar, participants pursuing a food business may
enter the second phase of the Food Entrepreneur Assistance Program,
"From Product to Profit." During this phase, participants
receive confidential, one-on-one assistance from food scientists
and food industry business consultants with every step until
the
product is in the marketplace.
For more information on the
programs and services of the Food
Processing Center or to register
for the seminar, call Arlis
Burney at 472-8930 or e-mail <aburney@unlnotes.unl.edu>.<
/P>
Information Services offers
backup service
Anyone who does not have a backup program
in place on their
computers to back up important data files can
sign up for NSave,
the service offered by Information Services. The
software is
installed on the desktop, and the backups and
recoveries are
done over a network connection. No external devices,
tapes, etc.,
are needed.
For information go to the
web at <http://nsave.unl.edu>
or call the NSave support specialist at 472-6843.
Parking Permit Renewal Reminder
There is still time to renew your parking permit for 2003-2004.
Call 472-0866 or go on the web at <http://parking.unl.edu>
and
click on the "Faculty/Staff Parking Permit Order"
button.
TIAA-CREF counseling
dates for July and August
A TIAA-CREF consultant will be
in the Nebraska Union on July
18, Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 and the
Nebraska East Union on Aug. 28
to provide free, one-on-one
counseling sessions regarding investment-planning
issues. The room
will be posted.
Sign up by calling (800) 842-2009 or going
to <www.tiaa-cref.org>
and choosing Meetings/Counseling.
Lunch at the Dairy Store
To increase lunch options on
East Campus, the UNL Dairy Store
has expanded its lunch menu.
Items offered every day include garden salads, vegetables
and
ranch dip, hot dogs, hot hoagies, nachos, a "Mini Deli"
featuring fresh, made-to-order sandwiches, ice cream, shakes,
malts
and sundaes. Daily specials include grilled chicken salad
on
Mondays; hot baked potato with toppings on Tuesdays; chili
dogs on
Wednesdays; homemade cheese soup on Thursdays; and deluxe
meat
nachos and taco salads on Fridays. Lunch is served from
11 a.m. to
2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Dairy Store is in the
Food Industry Building and is open
from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
through Saturday and 1-8 p.m. Sunday.
Call 472-2828.
Conference issues call for papers
The organizers of the People of Color in Predominantly White
Institutes have issued a call for papers for the two-day conference
sponsored by UNL to be Nov. 17 and 18 at the Holiday Inn. Proposals
for presentations, panel discussions and workshops will be accepted
until Aug. 5.
People of Color in Predominantly White
Institutions is an
annual interdisciplinary conference that
explores a wide range
of issues facing people of color in academic
settings. Participants
from traditional four-year programs and
community, public and
private colleges and universities share
research findings and
discuss model programs, case studies,
strategies of recruitment
and retention, teaching and learning
techniques, and other topics
at predominantly white institutions.
Last year's conference featured
more than 40 presentations, panel
discussions, workshops, and
general sessions.
For
information on proposal requirements, visit <http://conferences.unl.edu/peo
ple03>.
Notification of acceptance will be
made by Aug. 15. Submit
all proposals and direct inquiries to: UNL
Academic Conferences,
161 Hardin Center, Lincoln, NE 68583-9600;
call 472-2845 or 472-0394;
fax 472-9688; or e-mail <cpd@unl.edu>.
Shop for Furniture at online Catalog
UNL employees can now shop for and order furniture at UNL's
Online/Electronic Furniture program, which went live July 16.
This
electronic furniture mall provides point-and-click purchasing
from
several online catalogs, which are preferred contract suppliers.
The website is <http://purchasing.unl.ed
u/shopping/buyer/>.
First-time customers must visit
"Customer Profile"
at the website to verify their account
information. Orders can
then be placed by browsing the catalog or
searching the online
listing. The Personal Shopper is arranged to
assist with items
frequently ordered in one step, and past orders
can also be viewed.
Orders cannot exceed $4,999.99. The
price given includes product,
delivery, set-up, set-in-place and
installation with trash and
shipping containers properly discarded.
All products offered
will carry a minimum 10-year limited
warranty.
To receive an access number for this program,
e-mail Yanyu
Zha at <yzha@unlnotes.unl.edu>.
Questions should be referred to Bill Bode, director of Purchasing,
at 472-3609 or e-mail <wbode1@unl.edu>.
UNOPA Summer Social July 30
The
University of Nebraska Office Personnel Association will
have its
Summer Social beginning at 5:30 p.m. July 30 at the
Christlieb
Gallery and Lentz Center for Asian Culture at Hewit
Place, 1155 Q
St. A salad dinner will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the
Schorr
Presidential Suite on the sixth floor of the same building.
UNOPA members and prospective new members are invited to bring
their favorite salads to share for dinner and copies of the recipes
to the event. They will be viewing the "Lives of Tradition,
Impressions in Silver" photographs by Chuck Guildner and
"At the Crossing, Midwestern Amish Crib Quilts and The Intersection
of Cultures" in the Great Plains Art Collection as well
as
"Selections from the Lentz Center Collections."
Admission is free with a salad, but reservations are requested.
Contact Linda Luedtke, 1223 Oldfather, 0312, <lluedtke1@unl.edu>,
or
472-7303. For more information about UNOPA, visit <www.unl.edu/unopa>.
Academic office to aid student
diversity created
UNL has created a new Office of Academic
Support and Intercultural
Services to best serve the university's
increasingly diverse
student population.
The new
Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services,
or OASIS,
will integrate and coordinate academic support services,
special
programming and individual and student organization support.
Previously, the Minority Assistance Program, a section of
Multicultural Affairs, provided educational support for students,
and the Culture Center focused on student programs and organizations.
"This is an integrated model that works well at other
universities, including the University of Kansas and Iowa State
University, and will enhance the programmatic offerings of UNL's
Culture Center," said James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs. "It is clear that as UNL continues to attract
more students from diverse cultural backgrounds, we need to create
an increasingly supportive campus for all students. This is a
way
to address that need."
Under the integrated
structure, the OASIS office will have
a director for academic
support, a director of intercultural
services, a program
coordinator for academic and scholarship
initiatives, a program
coordinator for co-curricular involvement
and a program coordinator
for intercultural services. The coordinator
team will serve as an
adviser to student minority organizations
and work with individual
students.
"One important initiative at UNL is that of
addressing
student retention and graduation rates, which are
historically
lower for minority students. This reorganization
strengthens
the resources provided to this important segment of our
student
population," said Chancellor Harvey Perlman.
The reorganization will take effect before the start of the
fall
semester.
Prepare for career
changes, suggests seminar leader
By Kathy Steinauer Smith,
University Communications
During times of job uncertainty,
Cindy Kaliff offers one major
piece of advice for handling the
stress: take charge of your
future. And, she says, it helps to have
a sense of humor about
it.
"(A serious
situation) tends to increase our intensity,
and what we really want
to do is distract ourselves," she
said. "When we're
laughing, that elicits a relaxation response
and helps us put
things into perspective. It helps us see a different
perspective of
some of the situations we take real seriously."
Kaliff
presented a workshop, "Developing Resilience in
the Face of
Budget Reductions," June 26 for UNL faculty
and staff. Kaliff
is a licensed mental health professional who
runs a private
practice business called Career and Life Transitions.
She works
with people dealing with any sort of life transition,
including job
change, death, divorce and others.
Kaliff quoted a
statistic from a June article in the Wall
Street Journal that said
that the national job market lost 2.5
million payroll positions in
28 months. These statistics, Kaliff
said, show that in these
economic times, being laid off or having
your job description
changed isn't unusual. Millions of Americans
have had to deal with
this situation, she said.
One advantage of going through
these situations, however,
is that the experience improves a
person's marketability.
"Whenever you undergo job
change, you increase your value
in the job market," she said,
because job changes develop
resilience and flexibility, and those
are marketable skills.
Of course, these changes also cause
stress and anxiety, she
said, "and it's predictable that
you're going to be irritable,
you're going to moody." She
recommended keeping in mind
that good can come from forced change,
whether it's a better
way of doing a previous job or finding a new
job that's even
better.
"Don't let anxiety
about the future immobilize you,"
she said. "We get our
power in being the master of what's
going on next in our
lives." That's why, she said, it's
important to focus on
developing job skills and preparing to
move on without focusing on
the negativity of what's happened.
Kaliff suggested a few
frequently offered ideas for dealing
with career change, including
preparing your resume and networking.
Asking co-workers and friends
about your strengths can help define
what you might have to offer
others, and attending meetings or
lunches with professional
organizations promotes networking and
keeps you in touch with
people in your field.
"I'm not promoting leaving (your
current job), but preparing
says you could," and that offers a
feeling of control, she
said.
Kaliff also suggested
taking on new projects at the current
job that can help develop
marketable skills. Taking classes that
teach technical or computer
skills or finding other ways to learn
skills can help balance
current strengths. Skim the want ads,
she suggested, and keep an
eye in the news about what sorts of
trends are developing in jobs
meeting your skills.
Stressful times, Kaliff said, can make
anyone feel anxious
and fearful. But we all are in charge of our
individual careers.
"We have to take over our skills
and our career paths,"
she said. "(Jobs) can come and go,
and we have to be in
charge of our futures."
Dealing with stress
Times of budget reductions and job changes are bound to cause
stress, Cindy Kaliff says. Here are some of her suggestions for
dealing with anxiety:
- Relieve
that tension by getting more exercise and talking
with
friends and family. Speaking with friends outside of work
can help provide perspective on your job situation.
- Talk with an acquaintance who has been in a similar job situation
to see what tips he/she could provide. Kaliff said this helps
remind us that during these economic times, many have gone through
job changes and understand the stress.
- Focus on a
concrete and controllable hobby. Kaliff suggested
building
or creating something that will allow you to make something
that you can control.
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