April 4, 1997



Inspirational Setting

Under the many eyes of some of the university's greatest supporters, Nagendra Heyde studies immunology magazines in C.Y. Thompson Library on East Campus. Heyde is a graduate student in veterinary and biomedical sciences. (Photo by Richard Wright)


Moeser, Others Call for Change in Higher Education Today

In an unprecedented open letter to the chief executives of the nation's state and land-grant colleges and universities, Chancellor James Moeser and 24 other current and former university chancellors and presidents have laid out a bold framework for reform designed to put students first.

The letter, "Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience," released April 2 in Washington, D.C., calls on public institutions to become "genuine learning communities" that are student-centered, support and inspire learners of all kinds and sustain a healthy learning environment.

"Nebraska, like all public universities, is at a critical juncture in our history," Moeser said. "We are faced with tough challenges and external threats that require us to change. All of us need to make the changes in attitudes, orientation and responsibilities to once again put students at the center of the university experience. As our report says, 'Unless public colleges and universities become the architects of change, they will be its victims.'

"I'm pleased Nebraska has been in the vanguard of change. Our faculty's commitment to undergraduate education is truly extraordinary among research institutions."

Moeser serves on the 25-member Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, which was created by a $1.2 million grant given by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. "The Student Experience" is the first of a series of commission reports in the form of letters to public university presidents. The reports will frame a vision for reforming public higher education and outline action steps for change. E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University, chairs the commission.

The letter contains both a statement of principles defining learning communities and a set of action commitments to help put students first. The action commitments include: The commission also plans to follow up this first letter by launching a "national conversation" through encouraging dialogues around the country to evaluate and discuss the statement of principles and action steps. The commission also is collecting models of "best practices" now taking place on public university campuses and will present them in print and on the Internet and World Wide Web.

"The Kellogg Commission was created because our universities face a crisis," said C. Peter Magrath, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and former dean of the College of Arts and Science and dean of faculties at Nebraska. "Public universities must enjoy the public's confidence to perform their vital and unique missions and to do that, higher education must not simply allow but actively encourage and embrace change."

"The greatest concern before us is that universities could become irrelevant in the public's mind," Gee said. "This report resembles an architect's rendering of what the public university of the future might look like. It describes ways to create a genuine learning community that has an unflinching commitment to better meeting students' needs."

To underscore the need for change, the commission also released a working paper, "The Student Experience, Data Related to Change." The data show: Editor's note: The entire text of "Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience" is available on-line at the new NASULGC website, nasulgc.nche.edu

Convocation To Honor University's Finest

The 69th annual All-University Honors Convocation will be at 3:30 p.m. April 11 in the Coliseum. Twenty-seven University of Nebraska-Lincoln employees will receive awards for outstanding teaching, student advising or service, and more than 2,000 students will be recognized for outstanding scholarship.

Eighteen seniors will be honored as Chancellor's Scholars for earning A's on all of their graded work at the university and at all other post secondary institutions they attended during their academic careers; 335 seniors will be honored as Superior Scholars for being in the upper 3 percent of their colleges or for being on the honors list since their matriculation as freshmen; and 2,612 freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors will be honored as High Scholars for having cumulative grade point averages of 3.6 or higher.

Kean, Ortega Join Elite Group

Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members have been named ACE fellows by the American Council on Education for the 1997-98 academic year.

Rita Kean, professor and chair of textiles, clothing and design, and Suzanne Ortega, professor of sociology and associate dean of graduate studies, are among 32 faculty members who were selected in a national competition.

The program is designed to strengthen leadership in American higher education by preparing promising faculty and staff members for responsible positions in college and university administration.

Kean and Ortega will spend the next academic year working with a college or university president and other senior at a host institution. They will be included in the highest level of decision-making while participating in administrative activities at those institutions and focusing on a project to benefit UNL. Kean and Ortega will develop their projects, then will be matched with an appropriate institution by ACE.

Kean has been a member of the Nebraska faculty since 1980 and has served as department chair since 1991. She received a University of Nebraska Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award in 1985 and the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences Award for Distinguished Scholarly Activity in 1995.

Ortega, also joined the Nebraska faculty in 1980 as an assistant professor. Ortega was special assistant to the dean of graduate studies in 1994-95, then was named assistant dean and then associate dean of graduate studies in 1995. She received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1994.

"(Kean and Ortega) are two of the University of Nebraska's most distinguished faculty," said James Moeser, University of Nebraska chancellor. "I am delighted that ACE shares our very high regard for their potential as academic administrators. The university is committed to providing them with the resources necessary to have a productive experience as ACE fellows."

Marlene Ross, director of the ACE fellows program, said that of the 1,148 participants in the first 31 years of the program, 200 have become chief executive officers in 260 institutions and higher education organizations and nearly 700 have become vice presidents, provosts or deans.

O'Hanlon to Step Down After 14 Years as Athletic Representative

After 14 years as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's institutional representative to the Big Eight and Big 12 athletic conferences and the NCAA, Jim O'Hanlon will step down this summer in order to concentrate on his duties as dean of Teachers College.

O'Hanlon's term encompassed a period of major changes in college athletics, particularly from an academic standpoint with the institution of Proposition 48 and the accompanying "satisfactory progress" rules in 1994. Those measures were the first NCAA-wide guidelines for student-athletes' eligibility for financial aid, practice and competition, O'Hanlon said they were landmarks.

"Proposition 48 and the satisfactory progress rules made an incredible difference," he said. "They were really an important step forward and in some ways I see them almost as an athletes' 'Bill of Rights' because it gave them the opportunity to be students.

"A lot of people understand Prop 48 and don't understand the satisfactory progress rules because they didn't get nearly the attention. But they probably made an even bigger difference. The students not only have to come in better prepared, they also have to make progress toward a degree - and that's made a big, big difference in graduation rates and eligibility."

"Jim O'Hanlon provided the University of Nebraska with tremendous service in times of sweeping changes in intercollegiate athletics," said Chancellor James Moeser, the fifth chancellor or interim chancellor that O'Hanlon served as faculty representative. "The university and the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences have been fortunate to have the services of someone of his intelligence, integrity, wisdom and dedication the last 14 years."

Moeser will select Nebraska's next institutional representative from among applications and nominations of university faculty.

O'Hanlon Recalls Big Changes in Athletics


Tom Simons of the public relations office recently talked to O'Hanlon about his experiences and the changes he has witnessed in intercollegiate athletics. Excerpts from that interview follow:

Simons: What were the biggest changes you saw in intercollegiate athletics in the 14 years you served as faculty representative, particularly as it relates to the academic community?

O'Hanlon: Certainly one of the biggest changes is what I call the commercialization of athletics. We're doing all kinds of things to raise money that we didn't use to do - I don't mean at Nebraska, I mean everywhere.

It reminds me of when I was in high school and playing Legion baseball in a small town. Each of us had a local merchant's name on our shirt. Each merchant paid for one uniform. We're almost to the point of having advertisements on the back of the shirts. You remember the (1996) Fiesta Bowl where it said "Tostitos" almost every inch of the place.

I don't mean it's bad, it's just a change. We have sponsors for games, we have sponsored events during games and we have ads on the television screens in stadiums. During the Orange Bowl in December there was almost constant advertising within the stadium during the game, in addition to what was on TV.

There's an attempt to raise more money through various means, including advertisers and sponsors, but there's also more pressure on boosters to give. I compare the Big 12 and the Big Eight. As far as I can see, the commissioner of the Big 12 (Steve Hatchell) was told "Go out and raise money. Get sponsors for everything you can get sponsors for." While we did some of that in the Big Eight, there wasn't nearly the emphasis.

I think the second big change has been the increase in academic standards for student-athletes. Proposition 48 and the satisfactory progress rules that went into effect at the same time made an incredible difference.

They were a really important step forward and in some ways I see it almost as an athletes' "Bill of Rights" because it gave them the opportunity to be students. I remember the first year I was faculty rep, I talked to a student-athlete who had 130 hours completed, he had completed his playing eligibility and he wanted to know what he needed to graduate. He still needed 80 hours to graduate. That could never happen now. They stay on course for a degree. In fact, they stay on course for a degree better than the student body at large. Nationwide, student-athletes graduate at a better rate than students in general.

Another big change was in women's athletics. The big step of bringing women's athletics into the NCAA had already been taken before I became the faculty rep. What I've seen is the building of the support structure for women's athletics. Not only do they have the teams, but they've got the proper facilities, the proper medical care, the proper promotional background - the infrastructure has been built up to support it.

Simons: Are there any experiences that really stand out in your memory?

O'Hanlon: I had a very interesting experience serving on one of the early TV committees. It was new for me in that the kind of money we talked about absolutely staggered me. The amount of money we were talking about doesn't seem like much now, but a couple of very young men from Anheuser-Busch offered the Big Eight $32 million for the rights to televise all of its sports. I remember thinking to myself, "How do you have a meeting where you decide to offer someone $32 million for something?" Now, $32 million doesn't seem like a whole lot.

Simons: What are your feelings about stepping down?

O'Hanlon: There are two good things about not doing it anymore. One is the time. I've traveled 46 days already this year (as faculty rep) and that doesn't include preparation time. I really have some things I want to work on that I haven't been able to do.

The other thing is, no longer will people think I can get them tickets.

Echo-Hawk to Lecture, Highlight Symposium

Walter Echo-Hawk, senior staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, will deliver the final 1996-97 lecture in the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues as part of "Indigenous Peoples: An International Symposium" next week.

Echo-Hawk's lecture, "Indigenous vs. Nonindigenous Rights, Responsibilities and Relationships," will begin at 3:30 p.m. April 9 in the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The lecture is free and open to the public and is also available live via satellite at sites throughout Nebraska, including state colleges, community colleges, high schools and College Park in Grand Island.

An activist, lobbyist, tribal judge and scholar based in Boulder, Colo., Echo-Hawk helped lead the campaign to obtain passage of the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, considered the most important human rights law for native peoples passed by Congress. He led efforts resulting in the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994 and is working for more federal protection for the free exercise of religion by Native American prisoners.

Echo-Hawk's writings including an award-winning book, Battlefields and Burial Grounds (1994).

Echo-Hawk's lecture will be the final event in "Indigenous Peoples: An International Symposium." Other sessions in the April 8-9 symposium will be conducted in the Nebraska Union. The symposium will explore a wide range of topics surrounding indigenous peoples. A variety of general sessions, panel discussions and concurrent sessions will provide participants representing diverse cultural backgrounds and interests the opportunity to explore issues in-depth from multiple perspectives. Sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8 and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 9.

Videoconference to Explore Dynamics of 'Future University'

A live satellite videoconference that will explore the future of public universities will be from noon to 3 p.m. April 10 at sites on both campuses.

The national videoconference, "The New Public University: How Do We Compete in a Changing Environment," will be in Room 116, Chase Hall (East Campus) and at the Nebraska Union (room to be posted).

The videoconference results from the University of Nebraska's participation in a Kellogg Foundation-sponsored project to redesign higher education. The conference is produced by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and is endorsed by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.

The videoconference will last two hours, followed by an hour-long local discussion of the issues.

The conference will examine a number of important questions facing the University of Nebraska, ranging from the development of the Western Governors Virtual University to increased concerns over taxes and revenue sources for higher education. Participants will consider such questions as "How would you design the ideal public university for Nebraska and the world?"

The conference will look at how several universities have already redesigned themselves for the future.

Reservations are due April 4. Call Judy Kassebaum in Academic Affairs at 472-5270. UNL employees can attend the conference at no charge.

The videoconference is funded by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.


Global View

By Lindsey Smith
International Affairs

Last fall 1,300 international students were registered at UNL. Representing 101 countries, they enrolled in every college at the university.

They are the international student community, and every faculty member at UNL will work with one or more of them during their stay in the United States. While they bring enthusiasm and commitment to their American educational experience, their successful integration into university life poses an entirely different set of challenges for professors and advisers used to working with domestic students.

"It is a parallel circumstance to a rural student coming into an urban environment, but with the added considerations of a second language, a different educational system, no extended family support system," said Judy Wendorff, international student adviser at International Affairs.

Wendorff's office helps to facilitate all the non-academic aspects of adjustment faced by international students. The biggest issue she handles is immigration.

"The students have to stay legal, and our job is helping them get what they want, while staying legal in the process," she said. That includes such requirements as maintaining a full course of study and not working in the United States without authorization.

International Affairs also provides social and professional activities specifically designed for international students. "Everything that happens in university life has another element for international students," Wendorff said.

That element, in the form of language and cultural barriers, can pose challenges for faculty who advise and teach international students.

"I can see the difficulty in the cultural gap on some occasions, a difference in the work styles of some international students," said Svata Louda, professor of biology. To draw international students out in class, she often asks them to re-verbalize something the class has discussed.

To accommodate the different learning styles and language levels of international students, she always tries to present material in two different ways, visually and verbally. However, she has worked with international students who are having a very difficult time, especially in larger classes where individual contact is limited.

Helping international students understand the cultural setting they find themselves in is one of the main parts of their educational experience at the university, Louda said. "It's a two-way street. The university community is enriched by their contributions as well. In this increasingly small world, it's very important that we make the effort to understand each other on any level of interaction."

Fostering interaction is the key to a successful experience for international students at the university, and that's why the International Student Affairs Advisory Committee exists.

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