 |
News in BriefArtsFor the RecordCalendarJobsArchived ScarletsScarlet Info |
DENNIS SMITH straps himself in to the driver's seat of the Grand American Late Model race car sponsored by the UNL Engineering Extension Office Friday at Eagle Raceway. Smith, manager of the microcomputer repair shop on campus, drives the car for the Nebraska Motorsports team at both Eagle and I-80 Speedway in Greenwood. Photo by Richard Wright Goal Is Improving Retention Task Force Suggests Overhaul in Freshman Year Experienceby Mary Jane Bruce, Public Relations A task force has released its recommendations on ways to improve the experience of first-year students. The Freshman Experience Task Force was assembled last year by Richard Edwards, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, as a step toward improving the freshman retention rate. The task force of 23 faculty, staff and students met during the 1998-1999 academic year and came up with 13 recommendations on how to help freshman stay in school and succeed. Ted Pardy, professor of biological sciences and chair of the task force, said the group studied student surveys and read about programs at other universities. "Our goal was not to tell the campus what to do but to look at what's out there, what's happening nationally and get some pilot projects going," Pardy said. "We designed things that could piggyback on programs we already have, things that need some minor tweaking and new programs that don't rely heavily on financial resources. Then it's roll up your sleeves time." The task force recommendations include:
Pardy said an open forum will be conducted this fall where the task force hopes to gather "ideas, suggestions and helpful criticism" that will appear as a supplement to the task force report. Part 1 of the "Report of the Freshman Year Experience Task Force" is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.unl .edu/svcaa/Activities/TF/FReport.html. The full report is on reserve at Love and C.Y. Thompson libraries, or interested parties may contact Nancy Stara, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, via e-mail <nstara@unl.edu>.
How to Make One Dollar into Nine NU-Commissioned Study Notes University's Economic ImpactFor every dollar of state funds invested in the University of Nebraska, an average of more than nine dollars in business transactions is generated throughout the state's economy. That is one of the key findings of an economic impact analysis conducted by the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at the request of University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith. The survey is an attempt to quantify the direct and some of the indirect economic impacts of the University of Nebraska's four campuses on the state. "The value of the educational services and programs provided by the University of Nebraska has long been understood and recognized," Smith said. "Less understood is the extent to which the institution itself contributes to the economic vitality and prosperity of the communities that surround its campuses, the state, and the larger region. Yet, like the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors that are at the heart of Nebraska's economy, the state's public university is a true engine of economic development and job creation." F. Charles Lamphear conducted the analysis. "While Nebraska citizens have a general understanding that the University of Nebraska is important economically to the state, few may be aware of the full extent of its impact," said Lamphear, director of the Bureau of Business Research and professor of economics at UNL. "This report is a conservative estimate of the impact that the university has on all sectors of the state's economy. It provides an impressive snapshot of how the public and private resources invested in the University of Nebraska are returned in the form of economic growth." The University of Nebraska is not merely a consumer of funds, the study suggests, but it is also a generator of revenues. Every NU-related dollar spent to purchase goods and services triggers sales for businesses throughout the state, creating a multiplying effect on output, income, and the demand for labor. The study found that the University of Nebraska has an annual impact of $3.5 billion on Nebraska's economy, a payback of more than 10 times the state's annual investment in it of $342 million. Smith said it is important for institutions that receive state support to demonstrate their value to the citizens of Nebraska. "Each dollar the state invests in the University of Nebraska is leveraged with federal, corporate, and private funds and returned several fold to the citizens of Nebraska," he said. "The University of Nebraska is not merely the recipient of tax dollars. It is the state's most important seed bed for public investment. By providing instruction to the people of Nebraska and generating new knowledge, it keeps the private sector competitive, contributes to Nebraskans' future incomes, and expands our ability to attract high quality resources from beyond the state's borders." Smith said the University of Nebraska's primary mission is to teach, conduct research, and provide service to the people of Nebraska and the nation. "The University of Nebraska serves a fundamental educational purpose: to produce highly educated citizens who can provide enlightened leadership for society and who can deal effectively with the issues and changes confronting Nebraska, now and in the coming century," he said. "Beyond its basic mission, however, it is also clear that the University has a profound direct and indirect impact on the economy of Nebraska. Our university is a powerful engine of economic growth and diversification." The direct benefit that the University of Nebraska provides to the state, its businesses, and citizens results from the dollars spent and circulated into the state economy. These benefits derive from, among other things: institutional purchasing; capital improvements; faculty, student, and staff spending; visitor spending; taxes paid by employees; and out-of-state revenues brought into the state. These activities, which can be quantified, have an immediate and direct impact on the state economy. The most immediate and identifiable economic effects -- the economic dividends of public investments -- can be seen in jobs, spending, taxes, and out-of-state revenues. Among the critical findings of the survey:
"The influence of the University of Nebraska is felt throughout the state and touches the lives of nearly all Nebraskans," Smith said. "The resources of taxpayers, students, parents, and benefactors invested in the university are returned time and again not only in the form of economic growth and increased opportunity for financial security, but also in the betterment of life." Beyond the short-term effects of the University of Nebraska's direct spending are the long-term economic dividends of public investments in the institution's teaching, research and service programs. Although these returns are often more difficult to measure, they are no less important to the future economic health of Nebraska and its communities. The indirect economic impact a great state university provides to citizens, businesses, and governments results from the completion of its mission: the provision of quality and accessible education which makes for an informed citizenry and a skilled work force; the development of research which provides the new knowledge needed to solve the increasingly complex technological and social problems facing the state and nation; and the provision of service and cultural activities by the faculty, staff, and students which enriches the state and makes it a better place in which to live. These benefits are considered economically indirect because the financial gains that derive from them are long term and difficult to quantify. "Higher education is too often viewed more as a benefit to the individual rather than to society as a whole and is therefore somewhat taken for granted," Smith said. "Education is an investment in the future, and as this study proves, universities are sound economic investments." The entire report is available on the University's web site at: http://www.uneb.edu. To Be Located at Ag Research and Development Center Near Mead NN21 Helps Fund Planning for Agricultural Sciences Magnet SchoolBy Molly Klocksin, IANR Imagine high schoolers conducting experiments at the University of Nebraska's 9,500-acre Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. It's not a dream. It'll be a reality by the 2000-2001 school year for students at Mead Public School. Curriculum for Nebraska's first Agricultural Sciences Magnet School will be written during the next year by seven Mead Public School teachers, said Dan Duncan, director of the center. It is funded by a $43,000 grant from NN21, a statewide effort to help meet Nebraskans' learning needs in the 21st century. Project collaborators include NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Nebraska Department of Education. Initially, about 25 of Mead Public School's 85 high school students are expected to enroll in the program, he said. Specialty areas for juniors and seniors might be offered in agricultural production, horticulture, food science and agribusiness. "Not everyone who goes through this will have as their goal a bachelor's in agriculture," Duncan said. However, those who do may be able to take classes from NU faculty while still in high school, he said. Others will be well-prepared to attend community colleges or transition from high school directly to agriculturally-related jobs. "Most of our kids are going into some ag-related industry," said George Robertson, superintendent of Mead Public School. Magnet schools in rural areas need support from area businesses in creating scholarships, internships and jobs. Together, these efforts may encourage young people to stay in Nebraska, Duncan said. Eventually, the Mead school could become a magnet for surrounding school districts and for students statewide via the Internet and visits to NU's ARDC, he said. Other Nebraska schools could develop similar magnet projects in other academic areas, he said. "Small schools struggle with being innovative because they just don't have the money to do it," Duncan said. Other university collaborators are the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department and the Division of Continuing Studies. NN21 is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. |
Back to Top
For questions regarding the Scarlet's Web pages, contact:
(402) 472-8518, Fax: (402) 472-7825