By Kim Hachiya, News & Information
Chancellor designee James Moeser said he would be a fool to announce changes at UNL before he "does a lot more listening than talking." Appointed to the post on Dec. 4 by NU President Dennis Smith, Moeser will officially take over Feb. 1, pending signoff by the regents.
"I will be listening in the present tense, as well as the past tense," he said.
Moeser (pronounced MEE-zer) said he plans to take a crash course in Nebraska history over the next few weeks, reading not only Robert Knoll's prairie university but also Fred Luebke's Nebraska: An Illustrated History. And he also will be reading a lot of documents about UNL, trying to learn as much about UNL as he can. He also wants to learn about the "unfinished agenda of Graham Spanier," his predecessor who now heads Penn State.
"Each university has its own distinctive culture," he said, promising he will refrain from saying "well, at South Carolina we did it this way" because it may not work that way here. Moeser has been provost, the chief academic officer, at the University of South Carolina since 1992. Prior to that time, he held deanships at Penn State and at the University of Kansas.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, Moeser praised Joan Leitzel, interim chancellor, and said he has asked her stay on as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.
He said the leadership team at UNL is first rate, and added that the institution's agenda seems to be in line with his preoccupations at South Carolina -- undergraduate education, honors education and research potential.
"There is a seamless web between research and teaching. And research is not just the province of faculty and graduate students. At the very best universities, undergraduates also are doing significant research. It's a form of learning and a natural continuum. There's a balance between research and teaching; I don't want to see one prevail at the expense of the other."
Moeser said he expects the academy to grapple more with issues of research ethics as federal funding shrinks and private or corporate-industrial funding becomes more important.
"University research principles are not for sale," he said.
One area he would like to pursue is continued enhancement of the honors program, perhaps to the level of an honors college. Moeser said Nebraska, like South Carolina, is an export state in terms of brain drain. "When the top 2 percent of your high school class goes elsewhere, the chances they will return to be the next leaders are diminished," he said. "We need to look for ways to enhance opportunities here." He added that he would like to see admissions standards continue to rise.
Moeser told the assembled media that he promises to be closely involved with governance of the athletic department, even down to signing off on the hiring of coaches. (Not for their coaching ability, he added, but to ensure that their personal values are congruent with the institution's.)
In an interview Monday afternoon, Moeser told a little about his family background.
He was born in Colorado City, Texas, where his mother was a teacher and his father a small businessman. The family moved to Lubbock, Texas, when Moeser, now 56, was in second grade. His mother continued to teach music in Lubbock and his father dealt in ag real estate. Both his parents are still living; his father will be 93 in February.
Moeser has two children; one a college student at KU, the other a newspaper reporter in Arizona. He has one brother, who is a professor of political science and urban studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"It's a point of tremendous pride for both of my parents that their sons have Ph.D.s and are in higher education," he said. His family was "very middle class," he said.
"It was a real stretch for my family for me to go to UT (University of Texas at Austin) instead of staying at home and going to Texas Tech. But that's what I really wanted to do and they encouraged and sacrificed so I could. I owe them a tremendous debt."
Moeser earned his B.A. and M.A. from Texas and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. During his last year there, his senior adviser told him of a job at the University of Kansas. He applied and won the position of assistant professor of organ. He built KU's organ program, eventually rising to dean of the College of Fine Arts before leaving KU in 1986 after 20 years.
"I look back now and realize how different it was for me as a graduate student than it is now. I really didn't sweat that I wasn't going to get a job. I was pretty certain I was going to get a position somewhere. It is tremendously different today."
Moeser acknowledged that some will wonder what a professor of music is doing running a large university.
"I ask myself the same question every day," he said, adding that running a university is like "herding cats or pushing string." Actually, he said, it's more like directing a 30,000-voice choir.
"We are all amateurs in academic administration. We have never really gotten into the business of hiring our CEOs from the business world. It's the culture of the faculty that governance comes from within, that we choose one among us to lead. Leadership in academia really is one of articulation and persuasion. My job is to articulate a vision and to put together a consensus and to convince the people of the state of our direction. And the people will tell us if our message does not resonate with them."
Moeser will be paid $158,000 annually plus a $12,000 benefits package.
His wife, Susan, also a professor of music and organ at South Carolina,
would enjoy having a teaching position at UNL, he said. But no offers or
negotiations have been made, he said.
By Kim Hachiya, News & Information
Resolutions passed by the Academic Senate Dec. 5 recommend full Judicial Board hearings for students accused of violent acts and also recommend students' suspension from school-sponsored activities if convicted of violent charges.
The senate debated four resolutions proposed by the Faculty Women's Caucus in November, which according to senate rules were tabled for one month, and a new resolution introduced by its executive committee. That resolution was acted on Tuesday after Senate President Doug Jose declared it an emergency item.
Two of the four Women's Caucus resolutions were approved. The first states: "The commission of a violent felony or violent misdemeanor by a University of Nebraska student which occurs on campus or off campus constitutes misconduct adversely affecting the educational interests of the university for which an offending student will be subject to disciplinary proceedings and sanctions under the University Disciplinary Procedures."
The second states: "If a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student is convicted in the United States of a violent felony or violent misdemeanor, that student will be immediately suspended from participation in any UNL-sponsored intercollegiate events and or any role in which they officially represent the university, for a period of time to be determined by normal processes."
Two other resolutions were defeated. One would have required immediate suspension from university activities once a student was charged with a violent felony or misdemeanor. A related resolution would have required an automatic disciplinary proceeding before the full Judicial Board for any student so suspended.
Mary McGarvey, economics, spoke on behalf of the Women's Caucus. She said the four resolutions were designed to remove the "smack of conflict of interest" that the current discretionary policies now carry. McGarvey said that the university needs to clearly state it does not condone violence, but allowing students accused of violent acts to "represent" the university means the university is in fact condoning violent behavior.
Several faculty senators and ASUN President Shawntell Hurtgen spoke against the resolutions. Hubert Brown, broadcasting, said the senate was trampling on students' equal protection rights because he believed only high-profile students whose names have media recognition would be targeted.
Gerry Parsons, agricultural leadership, said he thought some were more fearful of the university's reputation rather than the rights of students. Brown agreed, saying UNL's reputation should be wrapped in concern for individual rights.
The executive committee resolution brought spirited debate from some who argued that it was in conflict with the just-passed Women's Caucus resolutions. A wording change brought consensus on that issue.
That resolution states, in part:
"The Senate endorses the following as minimal guiding principles and requests the Task Force (on Conduct Standards and Behavioral Expectations) follow these principles in amending the Student Code of Conduct:
"1. Violent behavior by members of the university community targeted at individuals or groups is unacceptable and should be appropriately sanctioned.
"2. University students who commit acts of violence against other persons will be prosecuted expeditiously in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct.
"3. Faculty involvement in the judicial process addressing violent acts is essential. The Judicial Officer shall refer any misconduct case involving violence to the Judicial Board for a hearing."
Jose, in an interview Wednesday, said the senate wanted to ensure that faculty input was available. Currently, he said, the Judicial Board acts as an appeals board and is only convened should a student dispute sanctions leveled by the Judicial Officer. Jose said having the appeals board rule, rather than the judicial officer, would be more inclusive.
Any proposed amendments to the Student Code of Conduct must be approved by student government, the UNL chancellor, the vice chancellor for student affairs and the NU Regents.
In other action, the senate heard from Interim Chancellor Joan Leitzel that preliminary data shows the current freshman class is not only larger, but is more prepared than the previous year's classes. Some 19.2 percent of new students graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, as compared to 16.5 percent last year, she said. And 17 percent scored composite ACT scores of 28 or higher, as compared to 14.4 percent last year. This suggests that efforts to recruit more high-ability students are paying off, Leitzel said.
The senate also accepted a check for $750 from extension educations to
support its Schwartzkopf fund. The money, along with funds from the
chancellor, will be used to purchase a computer for the senate office,
Jose said.
By Amy Cyphers, News & Information
Contrary to popular belief, women have always worked outside the home in the United States. And despite a few exceptions throughout history, women have continued to enter the American workforce in ever greater numbers. One UNL expert said that women's increased participation in the labor market has had far-reaching repercussions that go beyond the gross national product.
Ann Mari May, (shown at right) an associate professor of economics and a member of UNL's new Speakers Bureau, said women account for almost half of all employees in the country today.
Naturally, these 56 million women have shaped the face of business and industry as they expand into various employment sectors. But May said their jobs -- and the sense of independence that often comes with them -- have had a profound influence on their homelife as well.
"The entrance of women into the labor market has altered the nuclear family," she said. "It has altered it in the sense that women have more autonomy because of their income. They may not be forced to stay, some would argue, in relationships, in marriages that are unhealthy."
Because working women have less time to spend on household chores, families have had to rearrange traditional roles and responsibilities, she said. Slowly but surely, more men are helping out on the domestic front, but we're still a long way from a country of Mr. Moms.
"(Women) have gained somewhat more autonomy and you see, responsibilities in the home changing, so that men do, indeed, do some housework, do some cooking," May said. "There have been studies that try to quantify this, but of course we know that it is way far from being equal. Nonetheless, there's been a change associated with this rise of women in the labor market."
American business has also changed in response to women working outside the home, she said. More of the goods and services that would have been provided free of charge by the woman of the house 20 years ago have become part of a market. With less time for doing the laundry, cleaning the bathroom or even making dinner, working women have opted to pay someone else for such amenities.
"What it ends up doing, in essence, is stimulating a service sector because women used to provide many of the services of child care and cleaning in the home," she said. "And now restaurants are more prevalent, eating out is far more prevalent, also the institutionalization of child care and the availability of child care. These things have now become available in the market and provided in terms of consumer goods."
This enhanced service sector is naturally good for the American economy, May said. The growth of jobs in the 20th century has largely been in the service arena. But the rise of women in the workforce is not only good for business -- but for society as a whole.
"Certainly women benefit, I think, from the opportunity of being able to choose," she said. "The women's movement in the 1960s was, of course, always about choice -- that you didn't have to stay in the home, nor did you have to work to be a real woman. And so to the extent that there is more freedom of choice now, I think everyone benefits."
As part of the Speakers Bureau, May is available for speaking
engagements to community organizations across the state. For more
information about her or other bureau members, call 2-2211.
If you happen to see North Bend Junior High students running around outside during school hours, don't worry. They're not playing hooky. They're monitoring the weather.
Students from Bob Feurer's seventh-grade science classes are taking part in the Students and Teachers Exchanging Data, Information and Ideas project, which gives students the opportunity to monitor and record daily weather conditions. They also will manage and transmit this and related data using computers and electronic communications.
"Student response to the project has been good," said Feurer, who teaches science at North Bend Central Junior-Senior High. "They've enjoyed learning how to use weather equipment and taking daily jaunts outdoor to collect the data."
Encouraging the use of electronic media and data exchange in education is the primary goal of STEDII, which is coordinated by UNL's Department of Agricultural Meteorology and the Nebraska Earth Science Education Network, said Dave Gosselin, NESEN project manager.
The NESEN-sponsored project is part of the network's work with K-12 earth science students funded by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to enhance electronic communication among secondary-level science educators in the state and their students. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also provide valuable earth-science information to students and teachers through the Internet.
Students at participating Nebraska schools record daily weather observations such as temperature, relative humidity and cloud cover, then exchange this date with other schools via electronic and conventional mail.
"Our challenge was getting teachers focused on using electronic communications when they are all teaching different subjects and doing different things," Gosselin said. "Weather is something we all have in common."
Students participating in the STEDII project learn to use various weather-monitoring instruments, including a barometer, a thermometer and a sling psychrometer (for measuring relative humidity). Other schools districts involved with the STEDII project include O'Neill, Diller, Scottsbluff and Lexington.
Feurer said when the 50 students in his three seventh-grade science classes began the project, they handed daily data-collection by dividing into teams, with each team handling one measurement for five weeks before rotating to a new one.
The students are now moving into a different phase of the project, Feurer said, to maximize the time he has to teach other concepts while keeping the school active in STEDII.
"I just couldn't continue using 10 minutes of every 50-minute period for data collection for the entire year because we have so many other topics to cover," Feurer said.
The 10 students selected make up the weather club. Members will learn how to report data on the STEDII pages on the World Wide Web.
"The club handles data collection in exchange for the privilege of learning how to manage information on the Web," he said.
Feurer said some aspects of the STEDII project have been rather difficult to deal with in a classroom setting.
"Finding time to integrate several new concepts in a meaningful way has been challenging," Feurer said. "We've also discovered that measurements like relative humidity are challenging date to collect because of the chance for error."
Feurer said he plans to make weather data collection a permanent part of his classroom curricula.
"I've always taught observation in these class sections, but the weather has provided more and better ways to make the teaching touch students' lives," Feurer said. "There have been some very valuable lessons the students and I have learned."
Feurer said the most memorable "teachable moment" came on the day of the first snowstorm this fall. As part of an extra-credit assignment, 25 students constructed barometers using bottles and rubber membranes.
"The day the storm went through, all of the members were really domed up," Feurer said. "This led to a very timely discussion of how (barometric) pressure helps predict the weather."
Additional support for the STEDII project has been provided by four pre-service science teachers from the UNL Teachers College. Heidy DeWitt, Patrick Caffey, Matt McLaughlin and Scott Prickett, students in UNL professor Ron Bonsetter's Science Methods class, will assist STEDII schools with the integration of Internet resources into their classroom activities.
In addition to electronic communications skills, students use their knowledge to organize a group that would make daily weather predictions and submit them to the local newspaper, Gosselin said. "It would be a great way to generate interest in the project among students and the general public."
Individuals interested in participating in the STEDII project or
getting more information should contact Dave Gosselin at 2-8919 or via
e-mail at gosselin@unlinfo.unl.edu
By Tom Simons, News & Information
Population estimates of Nebraska's counties since the 1990 census indicate that some smaller counties may be reversing the trend toward population loss, according to an article in the November-December issue of Business in Nebraska.
Projections using 1990 census data indicate that more than two-thirds of Nebraska's counties were expected to lose population through 2010, continuing the trend of much of the 20th century. However, the article's co-author, John Austin, found evidence that many of those counties' populations might stop shrinking.
Austin, research associate for the Bureau of Business Research at UNL's College of Business Administration, looked at population trends in the 68 counties that had been expected to lose population, examining natural change (births vs. deaths) and migration patterns. He estimated that 28 of the 68 counties studied had birth-to-death ratios and migration rates from 1990 to 1994 that will enable their populations to at least stabilize.
One of the reasons, Austin writes, was that inmigration rates were generally high for those counties in the key 25-to-29-year-old age group, and were highest overall in that age group in the smallest and largest counties studied. The 10 smallest counties, for example, gained population in the 25-to-29 age group. Unfortunately, those gains were not enough to offset generally large losses in the 20-to-24 age group. Nearly half of Nebraska's counties are still expected to continue to lose population in the next 15 years and some have virtually no hope of reversing their population loss.
"Some counties have been so damaged by past migration by the younger generation that they can no longer reproduce themselves," Austin said. "There are 22 counties in that category (see below). Six will have enough inmigration to break out.
"The data indicate that flow into and out of rural counties is certainly more complex than the raw numbers indicate, but the overall trend remains clear. Net outmigration will continue to describe future population movements for most of the counties in this study. A reversal in the overall trend will depend on many factors, including expanded employment opportunities and access to public services and social amenities."
Nebraska counties that have lost young people through migration to the extent that they cannot reproduce themselves are Boyd, Burt, Custer, Deuel, Franklin, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Harlan, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Polk, Richardson, Saline, Thayer, Valley and Webster.
The six of those counties that Austin said may have enough inmigration
to offset that decline are Burt, Custer, Furnas, Gosper, Johnson and
Saline.
Early in 1995, the Business Services Advisory Council conducted a survey seeking input from the university community on how well the Business and Finance service units were meeting campus needs.
The BSAC was established by the chancellor and is composed of selected administrators and faculty to advise the vice chancellor for business and finance. It has been a sounding board for UNL faculty and staff as well as external customers since its inception.
As a result of the 1995 survey, from which the committee received more than 400 responses, the committee is providing the first installment of reports from service units responding to questions and concerns raised by survey respondents.
The following statements are made by the managers and directors of
four different service units in response to the first four questions of
the BSAC survey.
Those with questions concerning business service areas may contact any of the Business Services Advisory Council members listed below:
A grant form the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension personnel to help food stamp recipients become more self-sufficient, said a university department chair.
The grant, totaling nearly $297,000, will provide nutrition education in eight Nebraska counties, said Marilyn Schnepf, nutritional science and dietetics department chair in the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences.
As Congress reforms the welfare system, she said, it appears likely that the states will have less money to distribute to the needy. Programs like this will help stretch the dollars available for better diets.
Schnepf said that nutrition education takes time to achieve results. "Even though the program has just begun, we've made significant progress," she said.
The eight targeted counties -- Buffalo, Dakota, Dawson, Douglas, Hall, Lancaster, Madison and Scotts Bluff -- contain many of Nebraska's largest population centers.
Schnepf said that the Nutrition Education Program began in cooperation with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the Nebraska Food Stamp Program, a part of the Department of Social Services. It will provide both information about diets and dietary needs and food budgeting training. She said that poor nutrition, a factor in many health problems, can improve with education.
According to Schnepf, food stamp recipients often have limited budgeting and meal planning skills. Lessons included in the program will improve food safety practices, meal planning and food preparation skills.
In Nebraska, the number of children living in single-parent households
has doubled since 1970.
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