August 30, 1996


Sang Lee, left, and Les Digman, right, are among UNL faculty who are pitching in to revitalize city streets and sow the seeds for economic progress in Albania.

UNL's Albanian 'Seeds' Starting To Grow

By Tom Simons
News and Information

It's not economic harvest time yet in Albania, but University of Nebraska-Lincoln management professor Sang Lee said seeds of economic and business knowledge first planted five years ago are starting to show signs of growth.

In 1991, Albania's Communist government fell, ending more than four decades of isolation, and Europe's poorest nation embarked on the road to joining the world's market economy. Also in 1991, a $1 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development created the Center for Albanian Studies under Lee's direction at UNL.

Since 1991, Lee said, Albania has enjoyed Europe's fastest economic growth, going from an annual per capita income of less than $200 to about $950 now.

That's impressive growth, but it's still extreme poverty by European standards. A recent 18-month, $910,000 extension of the USAID grant through the end of 1997 will enable the center to continue to support economic development in the southern Balkan nation.

Under the original grant, the center, a UNL-led consortium of several American universities, trained more than 2,000 government officials, university faculty, public enterprise managers and entrepreneurs in the basics of the free market system. Business assistance centers were set up that include computer centers and business training programs at Albania's four top universities. Students are learning from 200,000 donated copies of books written by Lee and other UNL management faculty.

The efforts of the center have helped bring about a startling transformation, Lee said, particularly in the capital city of Tirana.

"It's almost a different country now," he said. "When we first got the grant in 1991, there wasn't even one store open in the whole city of Tirana. The only place where you could buy anything was the national museum's gift shop. But now in Tirana, there are hundreds of private shops."

Last spring, UNL faculty established the first-ever MBA program at the University of Tirana with "30 brilliant young people" enrolled, Lee said. Courses are taught by American faculty in English and Lee said the program is "almost the same quality of as the University of Nebraska MBA program." A second group of Albanian MBA students will begin its studies in early 1997.

The MBA program, Lee said, is a key development because it will help alleviate a shortage of managerial talent in Albania that has so far made Western governments and businesses hesitant to invest in the country. Further investment will help the country develop its primitive communications and transportation infrastructure, a needed development if Albania is to realize its potential in tourism.

"At the time we started, people didn't know anything about private ownership or private enterprise," Lee said. "We feel like we were pioneers in presenting them with the whole concept of the free market economy and modern management techniques and we completely revamped the curriculum in their business schools. Once they tasted the true nature of private ownership and the free market system, they just took off.

"We sowed the seeds, many other organizations came in and watered them and then the Albanians took over. They've always been very good at being entrepreneurs."

Lee said 10 faculty members from Albanian universities will train at UNL during the fall semester. Three Albanians are enrolled in the UNL management doctoral program and another is a UNL undergraduate student.

Lee will make his 15th trip to Albania in September. Other UNL faculty who have been involved in the project are Fred Luthans, Les Digman, Robin Anderson, Ron Hampton, Ray Marquardt, Steve Sommers and John deGroot.

"We have such a special feeling for Albania and the Albanian people mainly because they've suffered so much," Lee said. "Their population is about 3.3 million and about 750,000 people were in jail (under the Communists) for political reasons. We hope to be able to help them not only recover from the terrible scars from their history, but also help them explore a new way of life."

Poll Reveals Rural Nebraskans Hold Positive Perceptions

By Vicki Miller
IANR Science Writer

About three-fourths of rural Nebraskans say they are as well or better off today than five years ago and think their communities are as good as or better than in the past, the first-ever Rural Nebraska Poll shows.

"Overall, it looks like rural Nebraskans are doing well, but a significant minority feels life is getting worse," said John Allen, the UNL rural sociologist who conducted the poll. About 2,750 randomly selected rural Nebraskans completed the survey questionnaire in March and April.

The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researcher launched the poll for UNL's Center for Rural Community Revitalization and Development to gather information about rural Nebraskans' views, needs and well-being. Allen will conduct the poll annually to track rural trends and changes. First-year results provide a snapshot of rural opinion and baseline information for future comparison.

"This poll gives us a rural perspective," he said. "Over time, we'll have a much better big-picture understanding of the state."

About 36 percent of respondents said they are better off today than five years ago, 38 percent said they're about the same and 26 percent said are worse off.

About 60 percent said they are better off than their parents at the same age, 19 percent said they're about the same and 21 percent said they're worse off.

Looking to the future, 32 percent said they expect to be better off in 10 years, 37 percent expect to be about the same and 31 percent expect to be worse off.

Rural Nebraskans also like where they live and most think their communities are doing well, the poll showed.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed say their community has gotten better, 38 percent said it's stayed the same and 23 percent said it's gotten worse.

Seventy-three percent of respondents said their community is friendly; 62 percent said their community is trusting and supportive.

Allen sees a trend in the poll results. "There's a group out there, a quarter to a third, who pessimistically view their community, their well-being and their future."

The poll asked about rural Nebraskans' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a variety of personal, financial and job-related issues that influence individual well-being.

Family, health of family, education of children, and friends topped the satisfaction list. Respondents were most dissatisfied with financial security during retirement, current income, uncertainty about their future and job opportunities.

"The quality of life seems fairly high at the social level for most people," Allen said. "On the other hand, they're more worried about economic issues and the future, especially people with fewer resources."

Income and occupation, age, community size and community attributes all influenced people's sense of well-being, Allen said.

Young people, especially 19- to 29-year-olds, in this survey were most likely to say they are better off now and are most optimistic about the future, Allen said.

"I think that optimism bodes well for rural Nebraska's future," he said. Not surprisingly, people with higher incomes were more likely to report higher levels of well-being, Allen said.

Town size also plays a role. People in towns over 5,000 had higher average incomes, were more likely to hold professional or administrative jobs and more likely to report higher levels of well-being than smaller town residents, he said.

However, people in smaller towns were more likely to describe their communities as friendly, trusting and supportive. And people who described their community positively tended to have higher levels of well-being than those who didn't.

"It sounds confusing, but I think we have two dynamics at play here," Allen explained. "My interpretation is that the social amenities and sense of community in small towns is important to well-being, but small towns tend to have fewer people with higher income professional and administrative jobs, and income and occupation are tied to well-being."

Allen sees an important message for community development efforts in this mixed picture.
"It looks like we need to make sure we don't lose those social connections as we attempt to increase occupational status and income," he said. "If we increase the number of people in rural Nebraska with low incomes and lower level occupations, those community attributes associated with well-being probably will not be able to make up for that."

The poll also asked rural residents about availability of 25 varied community services and amenities and their satisfaction with them.

Public transportation was the most widely unavailable service. Nearly 32 percent of rural residents said public transportation is not available. Just over 16 percent said mental health services were unavailable and 13 percent said Head Start programs were unavailable. Nearly 9 percent
said nursing home care was not available and 7 percent said day care was unavailable.

The poll also asked how satisfied or dissatisfied rural Nebraskans are with these 25 services and amenities.

Fire protection was tops in satisfaction among rural residents with 93 percent very or somewhat satisfied. Emergency medical services and church and civic activities each garnered 84 percent satisfaction, while parks and recreation ranked third with 80 percent satisfaction.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they are somewhat or very dissatisfied with entertainment while 32 percent were dissatisfied with retail shopping. Streets and highways, and city and county government ranked third in dissatisfaction with 30 percent each.

"Most of the activities they are most satisfied with involve volunteers. It's local people giving of themselves to the community," Allen said. "Rural residents are placing a very high value on volunteerism and with that, we have higher levels of satisfaction."

Researchers continue to analyze poll results. Information on other aspects of the poll will be available later this year.

The poll was sent to randomly selected rural residents living in towns and the country in Nebraska's 87 rural counties. Respondents' average age was 53. Three-quarters were married, 73 percent were male, 70 percent lived in town, 60 percent lived in communities smaller than 5,000 people and 18 percent were farmers or ranchers. Respondents had lived in their current community for an average of 32 years.

The Rural Nebraska Poll was conducted in cooperation with IANR's Cooperation Extension Division and the Agricultural Research Division.

Editor's note: Those interested in seeing the complete report should contact John Allen at 472-8012.

Stricklin Uses Internet to Bridge U.S. and Brazilian States

Michael Stricklin, director of graduate studies in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at UNL, recently returned from a trip to Piauí, Brazil, where he taught a class on the Internet and worked with the Federal University of Piauí faculty to propose a masters program in Social Communications.

Invited by FUFPI's vice director for extension, Noe Fortes, Stricklin's trip focused on teaching a course on the Internet, enhancing a student exchange program between Piauí and Nebraska and serving as an ambassador for the university linkage program between FUFPI, the State University of Piauí and the University of Nebraska campuses.

Stricklin, who learned Portuguese while serving in Brazil in the Peace Corps, explained that he is most interested in "finding ways to concretely demonstrate how Piauí and Nebraska are "neighbors" in many ways. "While both states are considered isolated and rural, the Internet provides a wonderful vehicle for furthering and creating partnerships and serving as a window to our two states," Stricklin said.

While in Piauí, Stricklin offered three courses, including "The Internet, Communication Tools for the 21st Century," which, with virtually no publicity, attracted more than 170 people. Students taking the course ranged from 11 to 70 years old, from professors to doctors, lawyers, engineers and bankers. Stricklin, who is a "titular professor in Social Communications" at FUFPI, has been invited back to Piauí to teach a follow-up course in the capital city, Teresina, and an introductory course in the seaside city of Parnaíba.

Upon his return in July, Stricklin went to work developing a World Wide Web site to be shared by FUFPI, the State University of Piauí and the University of Nebraska and developed by the Nebraska and Piauí Partners of the Americas chapters. Gustavo Saíd, assistant professor of social communications at FUFPI, recently came to Lincoln to help set up the site. UNL's College of Journalism, under Journalism, Engineering and Telecommunications is providing the server for the Web site.

Stricklin traveled under the auspices of the university linkage agreement between the University of Nebraska and the Federal University of Piauí in conjunction with Partners of the Americas. POA is the largest private voluntary organization in the western hemisphere promoting economic and social development, while fostering inter-American friendship and cooperation.

CASNR Continues Work Toward Student Diversity

Three years ago, UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources administrators realized something was missing within the college with regard to meeting the needs of students and the future of Nebraska. That something was diversity.

At the time, the college, which had an enrollment of around 1,500, was home to only eight minority students. Such disappointing figures prompted CASNR administrators to place minority recruitment high on their priority list.

"The future of Nebraska is dependent on having a well-educated, diverse population," said Don Edwards, dean of CASNR. He hopes that CASNR's increased efforts may soon translate into higher recruitment figures of minorities that will produce graduates for employment within Nebraska.

Edwards' hopes are Juan Gonzales' goals. A 1995 UNL graduate from Bayard, Neb., Gonzales was recently hired as diversity/recruitment coordinator for CASNR and 4-H youth development, a position specifically created three years ago to address this problem. Gonzales succeeds Alma Ramirez, who left Lincoln to accept an Omaha-based position with UNL's College of Engineering and Technology.

Gonzales plans to launch an aggressive recruitment campaign by targeting high school students through mailings and student ambassadors along with campus visits with faculty. "We'll have to go out there and show them what we've got to offer," Gonzales said. "We have the best faculty and academic support services in the area."

Edwards said that "Unfortunately, one of the problems with recruiting minority students to the college comes from the lack of faculty role models." Hopefully, he added, CASNR's current efforts will produce the role models of tomorrow.

It's not a localized problem. Agriculture and natural resources colleges all across the country have had problems recruiting minority students. Edwards said that is because of misconceptions about what agriculture, natural resources and related sciences really are.

Most students mistakenly think of agriculture, natural resources and related sciences as leading only to a career in farming, Gonzales said. However, fields such as biological systems engineering, veterinary medicine, genetics, agribusiness, wildlife and food sciences, among others, offer students a variety of nonfarming career paths of which students should become aware, he added.

CASNR's recruitment efforts resulted in an increase in minority enrollment from eight in 1993 to 27 students in 1996-97. Although minority enrollment tripled in the past three years, minorities (excluding foreign students) still represent less than 2 percent of CASNR's students. To increase those figures even more, CASNR is conducting several programs.

Efforts are being made to reach students early through 4-H camps and school-enrichment programs provided by NU Cooperative Extension. Gonzales said he hoped that early involvement with 4-H would help students improve the image of agricultural and natural resources careers.

Other educational initiatives include the Minority Windows Program, which brings in-state minority students to the college for a hands-on experience in what CASNR has to offer. In addition to touring the college, the students also tour area agricultural corporations and natural resources agencies.

But recruitment is only half the battle. Retention, Gonzales said, is just as important. "We have to show our commitment by retaining them with strong academic support and getting them involved on campus," Gonzales added. "They have to feel like they are part of the college and not just a number."

The Nebraska chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, founded by Ramirez last year, is designed to do just that-provide support and a sense of community. Through the program, the college plans to offer specialized services, such as mentoring and tutoring, to minority students.

Another major goal of the college's efforts is to establish a link between CASNR's minority student population and area agricultural and natural resources companies and agencies, something that both sides say would be beneficial.

"Many companies are looking for people with diverse backgrounds and language skills," Gonzales said.

Here in Nebraska, a DuPont Co. representative, among others, is hoping to balance the scales by recruiting minority students for its internship programs. "We're always looking for minority students at DuPont ," said Blake Brown, a product development representative for DuPont Agricultural Products.

In the three years Brown has been recruiting interns, no minority students have been hired, he said. After pledging a $6,000 unrestricted grant, Brown said he hoped current and future increases in minority enrollment at CASNR would result in more minority applicants for DuPont internships.
However, Edwards concluded, "We'd rather have a few successes than many disappointments-we're after success not numbers."

Earthbound Returns to State Fair with 'Landscapes'

Imagine how swirling, stinging sands can change the shape of a plantless land, rendering the land virtually useless. The image comes to life at the fourth annual Earthbound exhibit during the 1996 Nebraska State Fair.

Earthbound celebrates Nebraska's environment, natural resources and food systems, say Janet Fox and Jim King, University of Nebraska Earthbound coordinators.

This year's theme is "Landscapes of Nebraska," the centerpiece of which are native plants, soil types, animals, grasses and vegetation indicative of various regions across Nebraska.

Fox said the centerpiece gets better every year and King said Earthbound should tweak everyone's interest.

An addition to the '96 Earthbound includes school days on Aug. 29-30 when teachers can bring their students. Young, middle, and older "explorers" will take part in a scavenger hunt designed to increase knowledge about Nebraska agriculture and natural resources. In addition to other activities, resource materials are made available to teachers on a variety of topics.

The meteorology exhibit features a physical model of the Sandhills. As wind blows across the dunes, visitors can visualize how patterns of deterioration develop when vegetation dies and nothing is left to hold the soil in place.

A living wild resources display includes a comparison of aquatic insects with prairie insects.
A food processing, value-added exhibit shows where the path of a food item can be followed from harvest to the retail shelf. Sara Posey, a food industry consultant with the NU Food Processing Center, said that popcorn will be used to demonstrate how more value is added in the price of a product as it is processed and marketed. Drawings are being held daily for a gift bag of food products.

The aquaculture and turfgrass display includes many graphic and visual displays. The turfgrass exhibit demonstrates how a golf ball rolls across a putting green and how to measure the smoothness of the roll.

The number of Earthbound visitors continues to grow. "I'm amazed by the numbers of people coming back year after year," Fox noted. Last year, for example, 96,000 people visited Earthbound. During that time 1,073 youth and adults pledged to take part in 8,500 specific activities such as recycling, composting and planting trees. That's up from 1994, when 434 people pledged 7,662 environmental activities.

People surveyed last year said they found Earthbound exhibits to be an attractive and informative opportunity for learning, especially for children. Of those who stopped by, most visited the aquaculture exhibit, followed by the wetlands centerpiece, the living wild resources exhibit and the turf vegetation/energy load relationships exhibit.

Earthbound is located in Ag Hall in the Nebraska State Fair park and is open from 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. through Sept. 2. Exhibits are staffed by NU specialists and representatives of state agencies.

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