James Stubbendieck, (shown at right), professor of range ecology, has been appointed director of the Center for Great Plains Studies.
He replaces John Wunder, professor of history, who had been the center's director since 1988. Wunder remains a member of the UNL history faculty.
Best known for his research on the endangered blowout penstemon, Stubbendieck has published nine books on plants and range ecology of the Great Plains including "Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains" (1995), which he co-wrote with G.Y. Friisoe and Margaret Bolick. In August, the University of Nebraska Press published the fifth edition of a textbook, "North American Range Plants," that Stubbendieck wrote with S.L. Hatch and Charles Butterfield.
"The Center for Great Plains Studies is one of the most successful and productive centers within the University of Nebraska system," said Stubbendieck, who has been a fellow of the center for 13 years and served three years on its board of governors. "The center has prospered because its leaders developed a specific vision of what it could become and how it would encourage Great Plains scholarship. I look forward to the challenge of leading the center into the next century."
Stubbendieck, who was raised on a farm near Bertrand, earned his bachelor's (1966) and master's (1968) degrees at Nebraska. After completing his doctorate at Texas A& M (1974), he worked at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, then returned to Lincoln as associate professor of agronomy at UNL in 1978. He was promoted to professor in 1982 and was assistant dean and director of the Agricultural Research Division/Agricultural Experiment Station in 1987.
He has created courses to include newly developing range ecology research and designed related field trips to plains and western states and Mexico.
Stubbendieck's teaching awards include the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources' Distinguished Teaching Recognition in 1994 and the International Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Society for Range Management in 1987.
-Linda Ratcliffe, Center for Great Plains Studies
Two Teachers College faculty members have been appointed to distinguished professorships by Dean Jim O'Hanlon.
Ali Moeller, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, has been appointed to the Greer Professorship, replacing Jane Close Conoley, who left last year to become dean of the College of Education at Texas A&M.
Moeller, who has been a member of the UNL faculty since 1990, earned her bachelor's degree at Creighton University (1969), her master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1971) and her doctorate in at UNL (1979).
The Greer Professorship was established in 1993 by the son and daughter-in-law of Edith Greer, a pioneer among women in educational administration. Moeller's appointment is for a five-year term with a second term possible. The award carries a $10,000 stipend.
Ian Newman, professor of health education, has been appointed to the Meierhenry Professorship. Newman has been a member of the Nebraska faculty since 1970.
He earned his bachelor's (1963) and master's (1964) degrees at George Williams College in Downers Grove, Ill., then earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1970). He's the third Meierhenry Professor, following Don McCurdy and Barbara Plake.
The Meierhenry Professorship was established in 1987 by family members and former students of Wesley C. Meierhenry for his 50 years of service to education, 43 of which were in Teachers College. The appointment carries a $10,000 stipend.
The Nebraska Public Radio Network's news and public affairs series Nebraska Nightly has won two national awards from Public Radio News Directors, Inc., in a competition judged by public radio journalists across the country. Nebraska Nightly producer Nancy Finken accepted the awards in Denver on Aug. 2.
Nebraska Nightly received honors in the categories of "Best News Program" and "Best Commentary." The commentary, "Mr. Balcer's Opus," was written by Peg Sheldrick of Lincoln. It can be seen and heard on NPRN's Web site, http://sun1.unl.edu/radio/radio.html.
The Nebraska Nightly news team adds these awards to about 40 other state, regional and national honors they have received since the series' debut in 1991. "Being recognized by our peers is a fantastic boost to our news department," says Finken. "It really helps us to stay energized!"
The program airs across the state weeknights at 6:30 p.m. on NPRN. The series is also carried at 6:30 p.m. on KVNO and at 8:30 p.m. on KIOS, both in Omaha.
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