By David Ochsner, Scarlet Editor
Intelligent and effective community planning will be the focus of a new nonprofit institute in Omaha that will draw on the resources of the UNL College of Architecture in dealing with urban issues and other problems facing modern communities.
Cecil Steward, dean of architecture, said the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities will be a partnership among state government, the Joslyn Art Museum, the College of Architecture and other public and private organizations.
He said the institute will seek to accomplish public and professional programs that will encourage communities, both urban and rural, to be more self-determinant, ecologically respectful, visionary and collaborative in their quest for a better quality of life. The work of the institute will include educational programs as well as the distribution of information on the principals of sustainable communities.
Steward said creating a sustainable community requires action in the building of cities and communities in a manner that will not limit the options of future generations to build their own community, balancing economic, social and environmental needs. He said too often development is based on only one of those factors, usually at the expense of the others.
"Development should not be based exclusively on one factor, whether it is an economic, aesthetic or a social need," Steward said. "It must be a collaboration of these and other needs."
Steward said that in addition to faculty and other experts from the College of Architecture, the work of the institute will be supported by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and other educational, civic and governmental institutions in Omaha. Initial members of the JCI Board of Directors include the UNL dean of architecture, who is designated the institute's permanent president; the director of the state building division; and the director of the Joslyn Art Museum.
The institute also will manage the buildings and grounds of the Joslyn Castle, which was constructed in 1902. An adjoining carriage house is occupied by the Nebraska Arts Council and the Omaha Landmarks office. Both will also be involved in the activities of the institute, said Steward.
No tax dollars will be used for direct support of JCI, Steward said. Income will come from private grants, contracts, rental and use fees, and a bookstore that will feature educational materials and other texts related to the mission of the institute.
"This project represents the convergence of a need, an opportunity and
special expertise," he said. "The need is to interact with the continuing
decline of our urban quality of life. The opportunity is to be a caring
caretaker of one of Nebraska's greatest landmarks. The expertise comes
from the College of Architecture's more than 30 years of experience in
planning issues and in improving the quality of life in small towns and
urban neighborhoods."
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln should adopt a strong policy against violence and other negative behaviors, recommends a university task force charged with looking at student behavior.
That recommendation and 15 others were presented by UNL Chancellor James Moeser at a news conference June 6. The task force, named in the fall of 1995 by Moeser's predecessor, was asked to look at student behavior, assess trends and make recommendations on improvements.
"This is not a campus in crisis," Moeser said at the news conference. UNL, like many universities nationwide, is grappling with incidents signaling declining behavior among its students. However, he said, "We are not content to be part of a national norm."
Rather, he said, UNL will lead the way in reforming student conduct.
Moeser said he agreed with the task force assessment that "representing the university is a privilege and not a right." The privilege is, he said, based on maintenance of certain academic and personal standards and if violated, the privilege can and will be revoked or suspended.
The task force found that UNL has extensive policies and procedures to deal with negative behaviors. Most of them work well, Moeser said, and with some fine-tuning, they will work better.
Moeser stressed that the task force looked at all aspects of student conduct ranging from academic dishonesty and cheating to social behaviors and incidents of violence.
UNL, he said, wants to strike a balance between the rights of individuals and the needs of the entire community. Behaviors that "destroy the learning environment" will not be tolerated, he said.
Moeser said some of the 16 recommendations are already in place and some would be implemented as soon as possible. Others will require future study.
Among those to be implemented immediately is one encouraging consistent enforcement of alcohol policies and more education of students regarding alcohol use and abuse. Alcohol, the task force found, was a factor in approximately 90 percent of violent incidents involving students and reported to either UNL or Lincoln Police.
Also to be implemented are a firearms ban on campus to be equally applied to students, faculty and staff; and reforms within the Athletic Department to prevent incidents of harassment.
Some women athletes told the task force of harassment occurring particularly at the athletic training table. Moeser said changes already have been made in the layout of the training table area as well as increased staff to monitor behavior. In addition, an outside consultant will be hired to assess conditions within the Athletic Department and make recommendations for change, if necessary.
"This report does not condemn the UNL Department of Athletics," Moeser said. "But it did find some problems and we will work to solve them."
Bill Byrne, director of athletics, said the task force findings regarding the Athletic Department were in some instances at odds with a study done last fall as part of a Title IX audit. But, he said, the department is committed to being a leader in developing character and values in student-athletes and will implement changes if necessary.
Byrne said several program changes have been initiated that address task force concerns. They include requiring all student- athletes to store guns with UNL Police and immediate dismissal from a program if an athlete is convicted of any crime involving a gun; and the hiring of an anger and drug counselor. Programs to be in place by fall include the hiring of a female strength and conditioning coach and a female counselor specializing in eating disorders and other problems specific to women; changes in the training table to increase privacy; expansion of the computer lab and increased staffing; a request to offer a for-credit required life skills class for all athletes during the first year on campus; additional life-skills and cultural and diversity training for all student-athletes; discussion of the task force findings with the Student-Athlete Advisory Board and work toward implementation of new policies as needed; and increased cultural and diversity training for all full-time athletic staff.
Peg Blake, task force co-chair and assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and director the University Health Center, said the recommendation about "zero tolerance" for violent behavior is not a new philosophy or change in philosophy. "I think anyone would say that that has always been our thinking, but it has never been a written statement to that effect," Blake said. "It's important that it be said."
A synopsis of the recommendations and the chancellor's responses follows.
1. UNL adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward abusive or violent behavior that disrupts the community by threatening anyone's health or safety.
The chancellor agreed in principle, reiterated UNL's commitment to a harassment-free campus, asserted UNL's abilities to handle its affairs, and said while UNL will not tolerate misbehavior, it also will not yield to public pressure to violate well-established internal policies to deal with student/employee conduct.
2. UNL consistently enforce alcohol policies.
The chancellor said UNL has been particularly proactive in this area in the past but efforts to curb alcohol misuse and educate about alcohol will be redoubled.
3. Where offenses of behavioral expectations violate more than behavioral standard, disciplinary sanctions should be considered for all violations.
Fully supported by the chancellor.
4. Staffing patterns at UNL Police Department be analyzed to determine appropriateness for size and composition.
The chancellor said UNL appears to have sufficient number of officers but he asked the police chief to further study this matter.
5. UNL has three "official" student judicial boards. Boards that work within specific organizations, such as Athletics Department, UNL Marching Band, UNL student government, shall be limited to cases involving only those units' policies and rules.
The chancellor said the University Judicial Board is the only board with authority to enforce all Code of Student Conduct violations. Two other boards, Residence Hall Judicial Board and Greek Judicial Board are subordinate to the University Judicial Board and deal generally with violations specific to those living environments. Actions by these two boards may parallel or coincide with UJB activity but do not substitute for it.
The chancellor also supported a recommendation requiring any coach, faculty member or activity adviser who becomes aware of a violation be required to give all information about the violation to the campus judicial affairs officer. He also supported a recommendation that the reporting person have no more part in the adjudication, other than as witness, and that the reporting person have no contact with alleged victims. This recommendation, he said, would end conflict of interest questions.
He also supported a recommendation that "anyone convicted of serious crimes against others should be suspended from representing the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for one year."
6. Judicial Affairs Office begin a computerized data base to track and combine all disciplinary cases.
Supported by the chancellor as long as confidentiality issues are resolved.
7. All academic units report all incidents of academic dishonesty to Judicial Affairs.
Supported by the chancellor.
8. Staffing be added to the Judicial Affairs office if necessary to handle the workload.
The chancellor supports assignment of responsibilities for graduate testing to other units.
9. Staffing needs of the Employee Assistance Center be analyzed and scope of duties increased.
The chancellor said that if other responsibilities are to be added, the EAP staff and advisory board should review the necessity for these duties.
10. More coordination of services and education in areas related to sexual assault, anger control, physical violence, substance abuse and domestic abuse.
The chancellor said this already appears to be happening but will study the issue in the future to be responsive to the concerns that led to this recommendation.
11. The Athletic Department be held responsible for providing a harassment-free environment for women in all of its programs.
The chancellor said he will not tolerate harassment in any unit and expressed that this recommendation unfairly focused attention on one particular unit. He said a new comprehensive anti-harassment policy is a valuable tool to create a hospitable climate in all units.
12. An external consulting team be appointed in the 1996-97 academic year to review the climate for women, particularly female student-athletes, in the Athletic Department.
The chancellor supported this and asked Bill Byrne, athletics director, to expedite. The chancellor said that changes in the physical layout of the athletic training table area and increased monitoring of this area by adult staff address concerns regarding harassment of female student-athletes by male student-athletes at the training table.
13. A campuswide committee be appointed to develop a statement regarding behavioral and academic expectations for all members of the UNL community.
The chancellor said he believes a code can be useful, especially if students are involved in its creation and adoption. He forwarded this to the student government to determine usefulness and if they endorse the concept, to draft such a creed.
14. The results of Student Code of Conduct violations be made public on a regular basis with the legal restrictions imposed.
The chancellor supported these recommendations subject to confidentiality laws. He asked for more study on this issue.
15. Extend the ban on possession of guns on-campus to faculty and staff.
The chancellor said a policy to prohibit all weapons on campus shall be in place by the beginning of fall classes.
16. The university develop a plan to know if and when persons who have shown a tendency toward violence join the community and that a plan of action be in place to deal with these people. This includes reporting and self-reporting mechanisms.
The chancellor, while committed to having a safe campus, is troubled by this recommendation and the climate it may produce. He asks the advice of University General Counsel.
To receive a full copy of the report plus other comments about it by
fax on demand, contact (770) 399-3066 and ask for the Big Eight
Conference Director 232 under code 1812. The report also is on UNL's Web
Site. The URL is
Growing up on a commercial poultry farm outside of Denver, Ted Hartung first set his sights on going to college and working in the family business.
But when he returned in 1951 with a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University, tough economic times made that dream impossible.
Hartung instead decided to return to Colorado State for a master's in poultry nutrition, a path that eventually led to a distinguished career as a poultry scientist, teacher and administrator.
After receiving his Ph.D. in 1962 from Purdue University, Hartung arrived at UNL to chair the Department of Poultry Science. During his career, he became a pioneer in establishing several key administrative positions at a rapidly changing university.
"I don't believe anyone at UNL has served as the first administrator for so many different new positions," said Irv Omtvedt, vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "He has been a truly outstanding administrator and contributor to the overall program. His impact has benefited the entire state as well as the university."
Hartung has many firsts in his academic career. He served as the first head of the newly created Department of Food Science and Technology (1968-1973), the first associate vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1988 to present), and the first director of IANR Communications and Computing Services (1991 to present). Hartung served as associate dean of resident instruction for one year prior to becoming the first dean of the College of Agriculture after the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources was established in 1974.
"I was too young or optimistic to know any better," said Hartung, reflecting on the years spent juggling chairships, teaching, and researching projects ranging from poultry meat quality to food irradiation for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
A willingness to take risks and try new things was the key to his teaching, research, and administrative success, Hartung explained.
"I was fortunate enough to have a group of good supportive staff, administrators, and faculty around me," Hartung added. "This helped to make things happen."
The land-grant mission of service also motivated him.
"I always wanted to see that we could do our very best in promoting the needs of the people, from students to agribusiness," Hartung said. "I measured whether or not I made a difference by how well we were serving all Nebraskans."
A public reception honoring Hartung is scheduled for June 14 in the East Union from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by a dinner at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The T.E. Hartung Faculty Development Fund has also been set up in the
University of Nebraska Foundation in recognition of Hartung's commitment
to faculty professional growth.
Richard W. "Dick" Durst, dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at the University of Minnesota, Duluth since 1989, was recently named dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL.
Durst will become UNL's second dean of Fine and Performing Arts Aug. 1, when he replaces the retiring Larry Lusk. Lusk has headed the college since its inception in 1993 when the School of Music and the departments of theatre arts and dance and art and art history were split from the College of Arts and Sciences.
A native of Scottsbluff who grew up in Kansas City, Mo., Durst has been at UMD since 1977 when he joined the faculty of the Department of Theatre as an assistant professor. He became associate professor in 1980 and professor in 1987. He was department head and scenery designer from 1983-87 and 1988-89 and as acting dean of the School of Fine Arts in 1986-87. He was director of UMD's Study in England Programme at Birmingham, England, in 1987-88.
Since 1994, he has been president of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology in New York City. He is one of three current nominees for the presidency of the Organisation Internationale des Scenographes, Techniciens and Architectes de Theatre, a world organization of architects, designers, consultants and technicians of the theater.
"We are extremely fortunate to be able to name someone of Dick Durst's talent and experience as dean of the UNL College of Fine and Performing Arts," said Joan Leitzel, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.
"Dick has a strong background in theatre, especially scenic design, but he has also had experience working with opera, ballet and symphony orchestra and supervised the Tweed Museum of Art at the University of Minnesota, Duluth," she said. "Another strength he brings to UNL is his administrative experience in long-range planning and implementation, budget development and supervision, student and faculty recruitment and retention, fund raising and supervision of academic departments."
"I'm really excited about this opportunity," Durst said. "A very strong foundation already exists in the college. The academic programs are superb and there is a fine faculty. I want to build on that by recruiting the best students Nebraska has in the arts and expand those recruiting efforts to the surrounding states.
"I'm particularly interested in international cooperation. In our shrinking globe, whether in arts or politics, it's important to expose our students to students and professionals in the arts of other countries. I intend to be very active in fund raising to build a base to support those activities."
After high school, Durst served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-69, including a 21-month in-shore tour of duty in Vietnam. Following an honorable discharge, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in theatre at Missouri Western State College (1972) and a master of fine arts degree in scenery design/technical theatre at the University of Oklahoma (1974). He began his academic career as an assistant professor of theatre and scenic designer at the University of South Dakota from 1974-77.
Durst was an actor and stage manager for the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles from 1968-69, then was scenery and lighting designer for the Missouri Western Summer Theatre in St. Joseph and the Barn Players Theatre in Leawood, Kan. He was scenery designer for a Roy Clark television special in 1974 and resident scenic designer at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer, S.D., in 1975-76. At Duluth, he's been actively involved in the Duluth Ballet, the UMD Summer Repertory Theatre, the Warehouse Speakeasy, the Duluth/Superior Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Repertory Theatre.
He has designed scenery for more than 70 productions in professional
regional theatres and universities around the country. He served as
president of the 3,500-member United States Institute for Theatre
Technology from 1994-96. He was invited by the Czech Republic to the
opening of the 1995 Prague Quadrennial, an international exhibition of
scenery and costume designers from around the world.
By Mary Neal Schutz, NET Information Director
When Jack McBride joined the University of Nebraska in 1953, few would have predicted that the fledgling University Television Department he headed would become Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, a multi-faceted telecommunications organization with an international reputation. A
t the end of June, the "house that Jack built" will see a changing of the guard as McBride passes his leadership role to successor Rod Bates and retires (partially) to private life.
Under his leadership, NET has grown to become one of the most successful public telecommunications services in the country and has given Nebraskans a window to the world -- through educational and cultural programming and distance learning.
It's all part of NET -- and the McBride legacy.
As general manager from the beginning, McBride has been the driving force behind public broadcasting and educational telecommunications in the state. His work will leave a lasting legacy to those of us who call ourselves Nebraskans and, indeed, for all of public broadcasting.
McBride activated the nation's seventh public television station, KUON-TV, at the University of Nebraska in 1954. He has served as general manager of the nine-station Nebraska ETV Network and secretary to the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission since they were created in 1963.
Included among his pioneering efforts are the Nebraska Public Radio Network, EduCable (Nebraska ETV's cable television service), a major public television and multimedia production center and the multi-channel NEB*SAT satellite network, as well as the self-supporting GPN media marketing and distribution service.
As a national and international consultant, McBride helped form a number of state networks, as well as the Central Educational Network, the Agricultural Satellite Network, the American Indian Telecommunications Network and the Hispanic Educational Telecommunications System.
NET has garnered hundreds of regional and national awards through the years recognizing staff for excellence in program production and outstanding accomplishments. Many staff members who were trained at NET have gone on to leadership positions with other networks and in the communications field, including Rod Bates, who will return to take over the reins in July.
But McBride has also been recognized for his individual contributions. Most recently he received the Public Broadcasting Service/America's Public Television Stations (APTS) Outstanding Public Television Manager Award (1992), the Lincoln Foundation/Duncan Aviation Sower Award and the Central Educational Network Carpe Diem Award (both 1993) as well as a 21st Century Award for visionary broadcasters from APTS (1996).
The key to the success of NET, McBride notes, has been the partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission that enabled the state to develop a coordinated, centralized and efficient operation.
As NET changes leadership, the citizens who created and support public
broadcasting in our state can look forward to additional achievements as
NET continues to fulfill the dream that began 43 years ago -- not only to
entertain and enlighten the citizens of our state, but also to bring us
closer together.
Long-time communications and television industry executive Rod Bates will take over the reins at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications when current NET director Jack McBride retires June 30. Bates will also replace McBride as director of University Television and general manager of KUON-TV at UNL.
Bates is the managing general partner of Bates and Associates: Communications Specialists. Before starting the public relations company, Bates was the director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and the Telecommunications and Information Center, where he reported directly to then-Gov. Bob Kerrey.
He came to Nebraska in 1975 as a producer and director at Nebraska
Educational Television. He was promoted to senior producer before leaving
to become assistant director and ultimately director at Nebraskans for
Public Television.
A Nebraska native who earned all of his degrees at the UNL and has 13 years of experience in distance education at UNL will return to his alma mater as the dean of the Division of Continuing Studies.
Donald W. Swoboda, dean of extended university and summer session at the University of Arizona since October 1994, was named dean of UNL's Division of Continuing Studies by Joan Leitzel, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. Swoboda will assume the post Aug. 1. He replaces Robert Simerly, who resigned last summer to take a similar position at Florida State University. Ruth Randall has served as interim dean since July.
At Arizona, Swoboda, 52, is responsible for all continuing education programs, as well as the university's summer session and evening and weekend campus. Arizona's extended university is almost entirely self-supporting. Along with the Arizona Cooperative Extension system, the extended university is a primary outreach tool of the institution.
Swoboda, who grew up in rural Stanton County and graduated from Stanton High School, earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics with a business option (1966) and a master's degree in agricultural education (1968) from the University of Nebraska, and earned his doctorate in adult and continuing education from UNL (1974).
After earning his doctorate, he remained at UNL as assistant director for agricultural programs and extension reports for the UNL Cooperative Extension Service until 1979, when he became associate dean and associate director of the Cooperative Extension Service and professor of agricultural education. From 1987 to 1994, he was vice provost for extension and professor of higher and adult education and foundations at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
"I'm definitely excited about coming back to Nebraska," Swoboda said. "It's an honor to come back to my alma mater, and I'm anxious to begin working with such a nationally recognized program at the Divison of Continuing Studies."
"As a Nebraska native with extensive experience working in distance-education efforts, Donald Swoboda has excellent credentials to be dean of continuing studies," Leitzel said. "What particularly impresses me is what he has been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time at Arizona. His administration reversed a four-year negative fiscal trend in his division while increasing the number of course offerings in most areas and instituting weekend and evening programs. He has an open administrative style that encourages involvement from all faculty and staff."
Swoboda is married to Virginia Barr and they have two daughters,
Teresa Rodgers, a graduate of the UNL College of Business Administration,
and Shari, a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
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