WHEN: Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 12-15
WHERE: Various sites, City and East Campuses
Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 3, 2003 -- Five distinguished University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni return to campus Nov. 12-15 for Masters Week, an annual event that connects successful Nebraska graduates with current students.
This year's UNL Masters are: Lee Martin, an author and associate professor of English at Ohio State University; Lyle Middendorf, senior vice president and chief technical officer for LI-COR; David Mount, former chairman and chief executive officer of Warner/Elektra/Atlantic (WEA Inc.); Carrie Tolstedt, group executive vice president in regional banking for Wells Fargo & Co.; and Jamie Williams, founder and chief executive officer of YMotion Media Inc.
Martin received his Ph.D. in English from UNL in 1994, with a concentration in creative writing. He is recognized as a creative nonfiction and fiction author and his memoir, "From Our House," was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Several of his short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He received the prestigious Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction in 1995 for "The Least You Need to Know." He has also received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. His memoir, "Turning Bones," was published in 2003 by the University of Nebraska Press.
Middendorf is senior vice president and chief technical officer for LI-COR, a Lincoln-based manufacturer of instrumentation systems for environmental and biological research. He graduated from the College of Engineering and Technology in 1973 with high distinction in electrical engineering. In 1983, he collaborated with a life sciences professor at UNL to develop instrumentation systems for molecular biology and genetics research. This led to a new business unit for LI-COR. Middendorf focuses on applications involving the labeling and detection of DNA and other biomolecules using fluorescence technology. He has written several papers on fluorescence instrumentation and holds numerous patents.
Mount retired in 2002 from his position as chairman and chief executive officer of the California-based Warner/Elektra/Atlantic (WEA Inc.), a multifaceted organization with more than 1,000 recording artists under contract. During nearly 20 years of leadership at the company, Mount led its transition from a company that managed music groups to an enterprise engaged in all aspects of the entertainment business. He received his bachelor of arts in political science from UNL in 1967 and his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University in 1980. He is chairman of the board at the Graziadio School of Business and Management's Board of Visitors at Pepperdine. Mount is a national trustee for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is a member of the Video Hall of Fame.
Tolstedt is the group executive vice president in regional banking for Wells Fargo & Co., overseeing 23 states, $160 billion in assets, 40,000 team members, 3,000 banking stores, and 10 million banking customers. Tolstedt graduated from the College of Business Administration in 1982 with a bachelor of science in business administration and has completed the Pacific Coast Bank School at the University of Washington. USBanker has listed her as one of the 25 "most powerful women in banking," and she has also been featured by Fortune magazine as one of five "women to watch" and by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the "100 most influential women in business."
Williams is founder and chief executive officer of YMotion Media Inc., a San Francisco-based media company focused on the development and production of original sports-related entertainment content for film and television. Williams graduated from UNL in 1983 with a bachelor of science in broadcast journalism. He received a master of science in mass communications from San Jose State University and a doctorate in organization and leadership management from the University of San Francisco. He teamed with filmmaker Oliver Stone in 1995 as a writer to create the film "Any Given Sunday." A tight end on the Nebraska football team from 1979-1982, Williams retired from football in 1993 after 12 years in the National Football League and a Super Bowl championship with the San Francisco 49ers.
UNL Master's week was founded in 1964 by then-Chancellor Clifford Hardin. The program brings successful alumni into contact with students through class visitations, campus tours, and meetings with clubs and organizations. More than 200 alumni have returned to campus as Masters since the program's inception.
UNL faculty nominate alumni each winter for the next year's program. Masters are selected by a committee appointed by the chancellor. Masters week is sponsored by the Chancellor's Office, the Student Alumni Association, Innocents Society and the Black Masque Chapter of Mortar Board.
Mortar Board, Innocents and the Student Alumni Association are sponsoring a public "Meet the Masters" forum from 5-6 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Wick Alumni Center, 1520 R St. Each of the five masters will be introduced "show-and-tell" style featuring some of their work, and each will answer questions on topics ranging from the secrets of his/her success to favorite college memories. In addition, current students will be featured in the forum to give the alumni a "then and now" look at academics and campus life. The forum is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Shelley Zaborowski of the Nebraska Alumni Association at (402) 472-4222 or shelleyzab@huskeralum.com.
The schedules of each master's activities while he or she is on-campus is listed on the Nebraska alumni Web site.
CONTACT: Annette Wetzel, University Communications, (402) 472-8524
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Posted by Tom Simons, Office of University Communications
Phone: (402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825