A University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor was one of five scientists invited to brief President Clinton and Vice-President Gore at the White House Conference on Climate Change on Oct. 6.
Don Wilhite, professor of agricultural climatology and director of the National Drought Mitigation Center, spoke about the United States' vulnerability to drought and the need for better preparation for drought, especially if global climate change occurs as predicted.
The purpose of the conference was to inform the administration and the American people of climate change, in preparation for a United Nations-sponsored meeting in Kyoto, Japan, in December, where an international treaty on reducing global emissions is expected to be signed.
As the panel concluded, President Clinton personally thanked and hugged Wilhite.
Ellen Russell of Lincoln has been named director of Nebraska Network
21 at UNL.
NN21's goal is to change the way Nebraskans will learn in the 21st century by bringing together people in higher education, communities, and business. Participants seek creative ways to make education more affordable and accessible to Nebraskans.
Russell's responsibilities include providing leadership for NN21 action teams, demonstration projects, and other change-oriented activities.
Her appointment as director was effective Oct. 1. She joined NN21 in April as associate director. During that time, she designed and began to implement a comprehensive NN21 communications plan, worked with external consultants and assisted teams.
Seven teams were created last year as a result of statewide visioning hearings during the first phase of the project: Distance Education/Outreach; Cultural and Gender Diversity; Sustainable Communities; Visionary Food Systems Curricula; Scholarship/Evaluation/Rewards; Food Systems in 2020; and Human-Capital Development.
Team members include University of Nebraska faculty, state and community college faculty, and community leaders around the state.
Russell, a Chicago native, earned her bachelor's degree in education from Chicago Teachers College, master's degree in English from Chicago State University, and doctorate in education from the University of Chicago. Her administrative experience includes posts at two universities, two school districts, and one state agency. She has a faculty appointment in UNL's Department of Educational Administration.
NN21 is one of 13 similar initiatives at land-grant universities throughout the United States funded by grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich.
Russell replaces Glen Vollmar, who became interim associate vice chancellor for NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Cheryl Alberts, IANR newswriter
Donald Steinegger has received the Distinguished Specialist Award for 1997 from the UNL Cooperative Extension. Steinegger is being honored for his many accomplishments in the field of extension.
The Hyde Chair of Excellence for the 1997 Fall semester is Javier Navarro i Alemany from Barcelona, Spain. Navarro will spend the semester in residence at the college, working with and teaching students in studio, seminars, and in an informal mentor role. Navarro is an architect, painter and educator. He was raised in South America and schooled in France and the United States. He is a principal architect at POU Studio in Barcelona in charge of design, production and management of institutional and residential projects. He is also an assistant professor and director of the Summer Abroad Architecture Program at Tulane University in New Orleans.
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Confer |
Highstreet |
Deborah Confer and Vicki Highstreet received Kudos Awards from the Board of Regents at the board's meeting Oct. 17.
Confer is collection manager for anthropology collections at the University of Nebraska State Museum. Responsible for the day-to-day care and maintenance of all the museum's anthropological specimens and artifacts, Confer has to pay particular attention rules spelled out by the Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act and arrangements made with Native American tribes. Confer's nominator states, "Ms. Confer is a very conscientious, knowledgeable and technically skilled employee of the museum and has an outstanding ability to convey to visitors the need to respect the museum's policies regarding its important collections. In her work she has exhibited superlative performance and a special sensitivity to the importance of Nebraska's cultural heritage."
Highstreet, assistant director for instructional programming at Campus Recreation, started the fitness program at Campus Rec while working at the University Health Center. Since then, in addition to initiating tremendous growth in the fitness program, Highstreet has developed an extensive schedule of noncredit instructional classes and the Wellness Services program. "Highstreet's unique contribution to Campus Recreation has been her focus and commitment to staff development and program improvement, striving to be on the leading edge of research in the fields of fitness and instructional programming," states her nominator. "UNL Campus Recreation is nationally recognized for excellence in fitness and instructional programming and this is a direct result of Vicki's outstanding leadership."
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