February 7, 1997



Richard Edwards, left, visits with Chancellor James Moeser prior to Monday's news conference announcing Edward's appointment as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. (Photo by Richard Wright)


Kentucky's Edwards Named Senior Vice Chancellor

By David Ochsner
Scarlet Editor

Nebraska's new top academic officer believes the university must become a student-centered campus with greater collaboration between its various parts as it considers its future mission as a land-grant institution.

Richard C. Edwards, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky since 1991, was named Nebraska's new senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at a news conference Monday at the Wick Center. His appointment is subject to approval by the university's board of regents.

"The university can't do all things in all areas. We need to think about the areas that can do the most with their resources," Edwards said. "We need to start with the fundamental strengths of the university community, both on the city campus and east campus, and I will work to create greater collaboration between the campuses, colleges and departments. We will also work on new ways of bringing those strengths to the state as a whole through the electronic technologies that are available to us."

Edwards succeeds Joan Leitzel, who resigned last summer to become president of the University of New Hampshire. As senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, Edwards will be second to Chancellor James Moeser in the university's organization chart. His appointment begins April 15.

In naming Edwards, Moeser said he is the right person at the right time to provide the critical internal leadership to take Nebraska's academic programs to the next level.

"At Kentucky, he developed a reputation as a strong leader with keen intellect. He is strongly committed to undergraduate education, willing to make the tough choices to move selected graduate and professional programs toward national quality, and is committed to diversity," Moeser said.

Moeser also acknowledged the contributions of Irv Omtvedt as interim senior vice chancellor.

"Omtvedt has played a strong role wearing two important hats, and we shall continue to rely on his wisdom and counsel as a key member of the leadership team at NU," Moeser said.

Omtvedt, who has served as interim senior vice chancellor since Leitzel's departure, will return full time to his duties as vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources when Edwards' appointment in academic affairs begins. Moeser said Edwards will be on the Nebraska campus periodically from March 15 to April 15 to participate in decisions regarding the university's reallocation of resources for the 1997-99 biennium.

"Several things attracted me to Nebraska," Edwards said. "The high quality of the faculty, the university's growing research reputation, and the great progress made in becoming a top-notch teaching institution.

"Nebraska is well-positioned to be a leader among land-grant institutions," said Edwards. "Other (institutions) are looking to Nebraska to point the way to the future of land-grant institutions."

Edwards said one of the biggest challenges the university will face is the reallocation of resources.

"It is a good sign that the university is doing this," he said. "It is essential for a dynamic and forward-looking institution. You only go through the process if you have very high aspirations."

He said the university needs to think carefully about its strengths, about which programs are best positioned to gain national prominence. Students are central to this mission, he said, whether they reside on campus or gain access to education in more non-traditional ways.

Edwards also emphasized his special interest in diversity, and said he will work beyond what is legally required to create an atmosphere on campus where diversity among students, faculty and administrators is valued and cherished.

He said Nebraska needs to make sure that women and minorities are included in all ranks of leadership, and that any long-term strategy to increase diversity begins "by ensuring that our faculty is diverse."

At Kentucky, Edwards heads a college with 19 departments and several special programs, 350 full-time faculty members, 1,700 graduate students, 150 clerical, technical and professional staff and approximately 6,200 undergraduate students. The college's budget includes some $33 million in state funds and $8 million in outside funds generated by its faculty.

Edwards will be joined at Nebraska by his wife, Carolyn Pope Edwards. A distinguished scholar and a professor of family studies at Kentucky, she will be a tenured full professor at Nebraska in the departments of psychology and family and consumer sciences. The couple has three children, Samuel, George and Rebecca.

Edwards, 52, earned his bachelor's degree at Grinnell College (1966) in Grinnell, Iowa. He then earned his master's (1970) and doctoral (1972) degrees in economics at Harvard University, where he was also a research associate in the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He joined the economics faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1973 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor and then professor at Massachusetts and chaired its economics department from 1984 until 1991, when he left for Kentucky.

Edwards is the author or co-author of 10 books, most recently "Rights at Work: Employment Relations in the Post-Union Era," published by the Brookings Institution in 1993.

Faculty Review Document Prompts Senate Debate


By Kim Hachiya
News & Information

A vocal group of faculty members opposed the draft document regarding review of fully promoted faculty circulated at the Academic Senate meeting Tuesday.

Written by an ad hoc committee composed of two members of the senate's executive committee and several administrators, the document was presented by past president Doug Jose and seconded by president-elect Jim Ford, who asked the senate to "support the document in principle."

During his monthly meeting with the senate, Chancellor James Moeser said he supported the document because its processes are the best way to "defend" tenure before the public and the legislature. While no threats to tenure have been mounted in Nebraska, bills were introduced in 23 other states last year to limit or end tenure, Moeser said. Universities need to demonstrate that they not only are rigorous and stingy in their awarding of tenure but also are diligent in monitoring faculty productivity afterwards.

Moeser added that the document would require extensive peer review of a faculty member's portfolio every six years. This, he said, is better than the sometimes perfunctory annual review for salary purposes. It would allow faculty to change the course of their careers, he said.

Several senators, including Tom Zorn, Sally Wise, Hugh Genoways, Leo Chouinard, Steve Ragsdale, Gerald Harbison, Don Jensen and Albert Weiss, spoke against the document. Among their objections were: vague wording, a "punitive tone," additional work to prepare the portfolio and to review it, and when it would begin.

Some said there should be more efforts to educate the public and the legislature about current review policies rather than crafting a new one.

Sheila Scheideler said that as a junior faculty member, she had seen resentment among other junior faculty who have noted that some senior faculty announce their intention to "cruise" once they are fully promoted.

"I have heard them say that," she said.

The chancellor said he is interested in getting to a document that has wide consensus among the faculty. As per senate policy, the document was introduced for discussion only; it may be voted on as early as next month.

In other action, senators asked the chancellor about a number of issues, including the reallocation process and the outsourcing of the modem pool.

The chancellor said the university is working to ensure that any jobs lost due to restructuring are constructed around impending retirements or currently vacant lines. If that is not possible, he said, the goal is to reassign people to other jobs within UNL if possible.

Outsourcing the modem pool was a painful decision, he said, but one aimed at giving superior service at the lowest cost to users.

"What we were doing before was giving you free access to a busy signal. It seemed fairest to put this on the shoulders of users," he said. "Other methods seemed less fair."

The chancellor also invited faculty to make use of "a teachable moment" by opening dialogue with their students as to importance of diversity, multiculturalism and concern for the community at large.

Vidaver Appointed to Biotechnology Post

Anne K. Vidaver, head and professor of plant pathology, has been appointed interim director of the Center for Biotechnology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The appointment, which was effective Feb. 1, was announced in a letter to the center's associates and personnel on Jan. 31. She will serve as interim director half-time and continue to head the Department of Plant Pathology in the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Irv Omtvedt, interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and vice chancellor for agriculture and natural resources, said Vidaver replaces Don Weeks, who has directed the center since 1989. Weeks returns to a full-time faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and the School of Biological Sciences.

Vidaver was interim director of the center prior to Weeks' joining the university. Omtvedt said she is familiar with the program and brings leadership experience in center management.

"This is an exciting time for biotechnology at the university," Omtvedt said. "We have established an excellent base in plant and animal molecular biology and have potential for expanded emphasis in food biotechnology. This position provides coordination and leadership across the whole campus."
Among her duties as director, Vidaver will be a member of the Beadle Center's administrative team, coordinated by Jack Morris, director of the School of Biological Sciences. Priority will be given to exploring how various entities in the Beadle Center can enhance collaboration.

Priscilla Grew, vice chancellor for research, said she is looking forward to working with Vidaver on enhancing research opportunities for faculty and students affiliated with the biotechnology center.

The center receives nearly $2.7 million annually from the Nebraska Research Initiative. The funds are appropriated by the Nebraska Legislature and disbursed by the NU president's office. Beginning July 1, 1998, a portion of the $12 million in NRI funds will be allocated on a peer-reviewed competitive basis to targeted areas with units from all four NU campuses eligible to compete.

University officials plan to evaluate the future role of the Center for Biotechnology in light of funding changes and emerging activities in biotechnology priorities at NU, Omtvedt said.

In addition to Vidaver, Myron Brakke, professor emeritus of plant pathology, will serve as a special consultant to the center during the interim period. Brakke, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, will help advance the research agenda for the center.

James Kinder, professor of animal science, will continue as associate center director.

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