Gift Funds Scholarships for Lyons-Decatur
Graduates
By Rebecca A. Dankleff, Communications Intern, NU Foundation
The estate of Edward and Dorothy McMonies recently distributed a
$100,000
bequest to the University of Nebraska Foundation to form the Edward and
Dorothy McMonies Scholarship Fund. The McMonies were lifelong residents
of Burt County, and this fund will provide scholarships to students at
the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln who are graduates of Lyons-Decatur
Northeast
High School in Lyons.
"Edward and Dorothy were extremely proud of the youth in Lyons
and
Burt County," said the McMonies' niece, Lois Kemble of Lincoln.
"This
was their way to give back to the young people of the area."
These renewable scholarships, which are based on financial need and
scholastic
ability, are awarded through the university's Office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid. The number and amount of scholarships distributed during
any academic year is determined by the General Scholarship Committee and
can include tuition, fees, books, supplies and room and board for an
academic
year.
"As a campus, we are extremely appreciative of this gift,"
said Craig Munier, director of scholarships and financial aid.
"Because
the McMonies were willing to create this living legacy, we are able to
assist
deserving students who might not otherwise be able to attend the
university.
The efforts of the McMonies should be honored."
After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1923 with a
bachelor's
degree in business administration, Edward McMonies moved to New York and
worked in the financial district. When his family's grocery store began
to suffer, he came back to Lyons to manage it. This experience grew into
a successful career that led the McMonies to own stores in Lyons, Oakland
and Hartington.
"Edward always felt that his education at the university helped
him become successful," said Kemble. "The McMonies felt a debt
to the university and a desire to give back to the state and the
institution
that made their lives so wonderful."
Freshmen Experience Task Force Reports Findings
By R.L. Pardy, Task Force Chair
In the fall semester 1998, Senior Vice Chancellor Richard Edwards set
up a task force to examine the freshmen year. The major goals were to
characterize
the freshmen experience and to make recommendations regarding improving
and enhancing the experience of UNL's beginning students.
Motivation for the task force emerged from enrollment and attrition
data
showing that significant numbers of otherwise well-qualified and
promising
freshmen were opting out of UNL during their first year. An additional
consideration
was the real possibility that by enhancing the academic experience of our
freshmen, there would be an overall positive and uplifting effect on the
campuses' academic climate.
The task force, consisting of 23 members chosen from a range of campus
constituencies and units, reviewed retention data and information derived
from exit interviews and student surveys. As part of the fact finding,
John
Gardner, a nationally respected expert on freshmen programs visited the
campus, analyzed campus materials and met with Task Force members. From
these sources the Task Force began to identify issues to target for
program
expansion or new program development. They identified three program areas
for special consideration: learning communities, freshmen seminars and
freshmen
orientation. A guiding principle is, wherever possible, to take advantage
of existing programs (of which there are several good ones) either as
models
for expansion/extension, or to focus on large clusters of students
co-enrolled
in certain introductory courses.
The Task Force is subdivided into committees engaged specifically with
development of programs in the three program areas mentioned above. The
hope is to begin implementing pilot or demonstration programs as early as
the fall 1999 semester.
The Task Force is slated to deliver its final report to the senior
vice
chancellor by the end of this semester. Task force members can be
contacted,
and news is available, at the following web site: http://www.un
l.edu/svcaa/Activities/TF/Freshman.html.
$1 Million Gift Benefits Biotechnology at UNL
A $1 million gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation from Ken
Morrison
of Hastings, Neb., will greatly enhance the research capabilities in the
George W. Beadle Center for Genetics and Biomaterials Research.
The $1 million gift will benefit agriculture and biotechnology
programs
through an expendable fund.
"This gift will provide UNL with opportunities to strengthen our
research capabilities particularly in the area of molecular biology while
utilizing the developments in biotechnology techniques in research and
teaching
programs as they relate to plant, animal and food research studies,"
said Irv Omtvedt, vice chancellor for NU's Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources. "We are extremely appreciative of the generosity
Mr. Morrison has shown to the university. He has played a major role in
making UNL's biotechnology program capabilities truly impressive through
this gift."
Morrison's gift complements several grants and will complete funding
for the Beadle Center's Microscopy Facility. This facility fills a niche
in the plant science arena and builds on existing programs in
biochemistry,
agronomy, plant pathology and biological sciences. The facility will have
some of the most advanced technology and will permit the launching of new
biotechnology initiatives at UNL. It also will provide a core facility to
further research efforts of the entire campus as well as outside
companies
that need such capabilities.
This is the latest of Morrison's contributions to the university's
agriculture
and biotechnology efforts. Almost a decade ago, Morrison funded the
Kenneth
Morrison Professorship in Food Engineering in the Institute of
Agriculture
and Natural Resources. Milford Hanna, a biological systems engineer and
director of NU's Industrial Agricultural Products Center, holds the
Morrison
professorship.
Morrison is a general partner and business manager of Morrison
Enterprises,
a diversified agricultural company.
Twenty-One Sites to Collect Unwanted Pesticides This Spring
By Steve Ress, Communications Specialist, Water Center/Environmental
Programs
Excess or unwanted farm, home, lawn and garden pesticides will be
collected
for safe disposal at 21 sites between March 16 and April 8 through a
Nebraska
Department of Agriculture and University of Nebraska Cooperative
Extension
program.
Collection sites will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on the day they have
agreed to accept pesticides. No preregistration is needed to turn in
pesticides.
"The disposal program will accept all pesticides, except those in
pressurized containers. It will accept all agricultural, home,
structural,
and lawn, garden pesticides and those from commercial applicators,"
said Larry Schulze, NU Cooperative Extension pesticide coordinator.
The three main categories of pesticides being accepted for disposal
are:
- Agricultural pesticides that have been taken off the market, or no
longer are legal to use, such as DDT.
- Agricultural pesticides that no longer are usable because the
product
or its label has deteriorated. Liquid pesticides that have frozen, dry
products that have gotten wet or any pesticide for which the label or
container
has deteriorated so it no longer is readable or no longer protects the
product from contamination are included in this category.
- Lawn and garden pesticides that still may be on the market, but are
out of condition.
Products that will not be accepted at collection sites include waste
oil or oil filters, antifreeze, paints and varnishes, thinners, cleaners
and solvents.
"The public has really responded to this program in a big way. In
two previous attempts at these collections, one of which was last year,
more than 425 tons of pesticide materials were collected, which were
later
properly disposed of via incineration," Schulze said.
Pesticides collected at disposal sites are taken by Ensco Inc. of
Lincolnshire,
Ill., to El Dorado, Ark., for incineration, he said.
No fees are charged for turning in less than 1,000 pounds of
pesticides.
The NDA will charge a disposal fee of $1 per pound for that quantity of
pesticide materials over 1,000 pounds, including containers.
Anyone turning in pesticides at the sites are encouraged to:
- not remove any labels from containers;
- take the pesticide material in for identification and proper
disposal
if containers' labels are missing;
- handle containers with chemical-resistant gloves;
- wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling containers
containing pesticides.
"If any pesticide package is suspected of having the potential to
spill or leak during transport, make arrangements to contain the
material.
If the package is small enough, place the pesticide container in a
slightly
larger container before bringing it to the disposal site," said
Schulze.
Collection dates and locations are:
- March 16: ABK Fencing, Tecumseh
- March 17: Greenwood Farmers Co-op, Greenwood
- March 18: Wal-Mart parking lot, Fremont
- March 19: Husker Co-op, Columbus
- March 22: Farmers Cooperative Association, Tamora
- March 23: Farmers Cooperative Elevator Co., Plymouth
- March 24, Aurora Co-op, Ong
- March 25: Hall County Weed Control Authority, Grand Island
- March 26: Agri Co-op, Holdrege
- March 27: Wal-Mart parking lot, McCook
- March 29: Frenchman Valley Farmers Co-op Fertilizer Plant, Imperial
- March 30: Farmers Cooperative Association, Ogallala
- March 31: Far-Mor Co-op Inc., Sidney
- April 1: Pueblo Chemical Co., Scottsbluff
- April 2: Swann Collection Site, Chadron
- April 5: New NRD building parking lot, Thedford
- April 5: Farmland Service Co-op, Callaway
- April 6: Ainsworth Transfer Station, Ainsworth
- April 6: Ord Airport, Ord
- April 7: Central Valley Co-op Fertilizer Plant, O'Neill
- April 8: Madison County Weed Control Authority, Norfolk
The statewide collections are being organized by the NDA, with
cooperation
from NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Cooperative
Extension.
Funding is by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality with
help
from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant and a Nebraska
Environmental
Trust Fund grant to the Nebraska Fertilizer and Ag Chemical
Institute.
For more information on the program, contact your local NU Cooperative
Extension office, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402)471-2394
or UNL Water Center/Environmental Programs at (402)472-1632.
Lesbian Author, Activist, to Speak at UNL March 24
Suzanne Pharr, a nationally known activist and author on women's
issues,
racism, economics, and homophobia, will be speaking on "The
Racism/Homophobia
Connection" at 7:30 p.m. March 24 in the Nebraska Union. A reception
and booksigning will follow. This event is free and open to the
public.
Pharr is the founder of the Women's Project, a nationally recognized,
community-based, non-profit organization that works to eliminate racism
and sexism through concentrating on issues of economics and violence. Her
book Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism, has recently been reprinted in an
expanded
edition. This book has been called "an excellent first-of-its-kind
discussion of homophobia for everyone who has been affected by it - which
includes, Pharr points out, every human being" (off our backs, July
1990).
As the title suggests, Pharr believes that sexism, the channeling of
females and males into rigid and narrow roles and behavior, with the male
roles as superior, is at the root of homophobia. Her cogent analysis
includes
a chapter on the common elements of oppression which is especially useful
for educators. In 1996, Pharr published In the Time of the Right:
Reflections
on Liberation, which discusses the current political situation in the
U.S.
Besides founding the Women's Project in Fayetteville, Ark., Pharr has
directed a County Head Start Program; has led workshops on racism,
homophobia,
sexism, economic injustice, organizational development and the right wing
for churches, universities, schools, civic organizations, professional
groups
and businesses; was the press officer for Oregon's No on 9 Campaign to
defeat
an anti-gay and lesbian ballot initiative in 1992; was the lead organizer
for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force at the 1996 Republication
Convention; and is a board member of the Highlander Center in
Tennessee.
She has received the Harvey Milk Award, the Honoring Our Voices Award
for outstanding national leadership on behalf of gay/lesbian Americans,
the Jeanette Rankin Award for lifelong activism, the Stonewall Award for
national gay and lesbian leadership, and the Martin Luther King Award for
outstanding community service in Little Rock, Ark., among others.
Pharr's visit is sponsored by the UNL Committee for Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual,
and Transgender Concerns and is supported by funding from the University
Program Council, Allies Against Heterosexsm and Homophobia, the Faculty
Liaison Task Force on Diversity, the Research Council, the Ethnic Studies
Program, the Women's Studies Program, and the Human Rights/Human
Diversity
program.
For more information, contact Barbara DiBernard, 472-1828.
How is Technology Being Used By Faculty at UNL?
Learn how fellow faculty members are using technology as a tool to
enhance
teaching/learning; deliver course material via the web and try new
approaches
to education at 1 p.m. March 15 in 163 Mabel Lee Hall.
Speakers for the discussion are Allen Steckelberg, Special Education
and Communication Disorders, "Using Interactive Web Resources to
Support
Instruction," and Frederick Wendel, Educational Administration,
"Performance
requirements and email courses."
Interactive Web pages allow students to communicate ideas and
assignments
both to the instructor and to other members of the class. Organization
and
management of the instructor's access to student work supports monitoring
student's progress and provide feedback to students will be
discussed.
This is a free workshop. To register call Cheryl at 472-9050 by March
11.
Phi Delta Kappa Dinner March 24
Phi Delta Kappa Lincoln and Omaha chapters will hold a program on
March
24 at Mahoney State Park on the second level of the main lodge. The
social
will begin at 5:30 p.m., the program at 6 p.m. and the buffet dinner at
7 p.m.
The program will feature Omaha humorist Mary Maxwell, who is known for
her dry wit. Maxwell's sense of timing provides a special touch to her
presentations.
Drive together and save on the $2.50 park entrance fee or purchase an
annual park entrance pass.
The cost is $10. Make check payable to Phi Delta Kappa. Reservations
are due to Jenni Absalon by March 19. Mail to: 2700 S. 41st St., Lincoln
NE 68506.
Health Center Spring Break Hours
The University Health Center spring break hours will be from 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. from March 15 to 19. Saturday hours will remain the same, 10:30
a.m.
to 2 p.m.
For more information call 472-7405.
Student Employment Open House March 17
The Student Employment and Internship Center will hold an Open House
from 2 to 4 p.m. March 17 in 345 Nebraska Union. SEIC processes more than
10,000 student PAFs a year and wants to meet the staff completing all
those
forms. Celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn about SEIC, have your PAF
questions
answered and eat some cake.
Emeriti Association Meeting March 18, Subject y2k
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti Association will meet at
12:30
p.m. March 18 in the Great Plains Room of the East Union. Speaking will
be Gary Aerts, UNL Administrative and Information Systems, on the subject
of "Y2K."
Members and their guests may go through the cafeteria line prior to
the
start of the meeting and take their trays to the meeting room. For more
information call 489-4329.
ASP/Business Centers No-Stress Seminar March 18
Nancy Myers, director of the university's Employee Assistance Program,
will lead a seminar called "Understanding Stress associated with
Business
Centers or ASP" from 2 to 4 p.m. March 18 in Room E103 of the Beadle
Center. The seminar is open to anyone with interest in the topic. It is
free of charge and no pre-registration is required.
This seminar will focus on ways that individuals can manage change and
help others in a positive way. Tips and best practices to reduce stress,
increase learning confidence and maintain the human side of the workplace
will be presented.
Whenever an organization undergoes major change, stress occurs. Not
all
stress is negative and many of the changes associated with Business
Centers
or ASP will benefit UNL and ultimately simplify and clarify the work many
of us do. There is a period of time, however during change which is
referred
to as a learning curve. When we are entering a learning curve, we are
exploring
new territory. Many questions and unknowns emerge. Some of us may
experience
uncertainty or frustration during the time it takes to master new
systems.
For more information about ASP visit the web site at http://asp.uneb.edu.
Undergraduate Research Conference March 26
Each year, the Honors Program hosts a research conference for all UNL
undergraduate students. This year, the conference will occur from 2 to 6
p.m March 26 and 9 a.m. to noon March 27 at the College of Business
Administration
(paper presentations) and in Love Library, second floor, where the poster
presentations will be made.
Students from all the undergraduate colleges will participate. A
conference
dinner will also be held for the participants and their faculty sponsors
on the evening of March 26 in the Nebraska Union. The keynote speaker at
the dinner will be UNL alumnus Joel Sartore, noted photojournalist for
publications
such as National Geographic. For more information about the conference
contact
Dianne Hartley at 472-5425.
Visa Documentation Required to Hire Foreign Faculty
If a unit is planning to hire new faculty other than U.S. citizens or
permanent residents of the United States, visa documentation must be in
order before an individual can begin employment at UNL. It can take up to
four months to obtain the appropriate nonimmigrant visa classification
for
eligible employees.
It is certain that the number of H-1B visas permitted by law (115,000
annually) soon will be exhausted. When that cap is reached, no H-1B visas
will be approved with a starting date earlier than Oct. 1, 1999, the
beginning
of the next federal fiscal year. In some instances, the new hire may be
eligible for another visa but, in many instances, the unit will not be
able
to hire the individual until Oct. 1 or thereafter.
Contact Peter Levitov, associate dean of International Affairs and
university
immigration attorney, at 472-5358 or 472-3265
Football Ticket Renewals Require Postage
When using the return address for football ticket renewals, you must
pay the postage to send it to Omaha. Mailing and Distribution has
received
many invoices back with postage due. The envelope sends your invoice and
payment to a lockbox that the Athletics Department has set up for season
ticket payments. This lockbox will allow the department to more quickly
process the money. For more information, contact the Athletic Ticket
office
at 472-3111.
Fidelity Counselor on Campus March 17 and 18
A Fidelity Counselor will be available for individual consultations
March
17 in the Nebraska Union and March 18 in the East Union.
To reserve a space, please contact Central Reservation Systems in
Boston
at (800) 642-7131.
No Scarlet on March 19
Because of Spring Break, there will be no Scarlet on March 19. The
next
edition publishes on March 26. Editorial and advertising space
reservation
deadlines are 5 p.m. March 19.
Work Assessment Partnership Pairs Workers, University
Vocational Rehabilitation, a division of the Nebraska Department of
Education,
and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are entering into a partnership to
help people with disabilities define employment goals. This will be done
through a situational work assessment.
A work assessment will allow different departments in the University
of Nebraska system to have an extra "employee" working for each
department at no cost. By contacting the Human Resources office, you will
be able to have an individual work in your department for up to 200
hours,
completing different tasks routine to your workplace. This person will be
under the department's supervision, just as any other employee, and will
be expected to complete work that is requested. All Vocational
Rehabilitation
asks is that at the end of the training period one-page form evaluating
the individual would be filled out regarding work performance.
At a time of cost containment, this program can be a winning situation
for all involved. The department will get extra assistance in the office,
as well as helping someone explore and define career needs and goals. In
fact, it may give an opportunity to evaluate someone who may later apply
for a job within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
To participate in this program, call Roshan Pajnigar, Human Resources,
472-3104.
Communities Receive NSA Landscaping Funds
Twenty-nine communities will have improved landscaping on public
roadways,
thanks to the Community Enhancement Program.
The program, a cooperative effort of the Nebraska Department of Roads,
the Nebraska Forest Service and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, has
awarded
more than $300,000 for local public roadways, including community
entryways,
parks, schools and fairgrounds.
Nearly $1.5 million has been granted to communities over the last five
years, said Kate Paul, NSA community landscape specialist. Funds can be
used for trees, shrubs, perennials and wildflowers, installation costs
and
other landscaping expenses. Communities must provide at least 20 percent
of the project costs with locally raised matching funds, Paul noted.
This year's projects include highway enhancements for Nebraska City,
North Platte and York; entrances into Ashton, Bruning, Pierce and Wisner;
parks in Hastings, Omaha and Syracuse; fairgrounds at Burwell and
Holdrege;
and a wide variety of other projects ranging from $750 for trees in
Wauneta
to $18,800 for the Beltline Trail in Grand Island.
Other communities receiving funds are Adams, Bellevue, Benkelman,
Cedar
Creek, Chadron, Elkhorn, Firth, Gothenburg, Lincoln, McCook, Potter,
Scottsbluff,
Springfield, Thedford and Trenton.
Some of the 29 communities had multiple projects, Paul said. They were
selected from 55 applications.
For more information about this year's winners or next year's funding,
contact Paul at (402)472-2212. NSA and NFS are units of the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska.
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