Fellows constitute the core of the intellectual community that is the Center. They publish research and book reviews in the Center’s journals, give talks as Olson Lecturers, write for the Center’s book series, speak at annual Great Plains symposia, advise the Great Plains Art Museum. They sit on the Board of Governors and choose the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize winner. Their work helps the Center meet its mission of increasing understanding of and appreciation for the people, cultures, and natural environment of the Great Plains. Fellows are experts within the University of Nebraska system and Affiliate Fellows are outside the system.
New Fellows for 2023
Andrea Basche, Assistant Professor, Agronomy & Horticulture, UNL
Specialties: Soil and water sciences, resource efficiency, soil health
Deborah Bathke, Climatologist, National Drought Mitigation Center, UNL
Specialties: Climate, drought, atmospheric sciences, geoscience
Tonya Bernadt, Education and Outreach Specialist, National Drought Mitigation Center, UNL
Specialties: Climate, communication, education, workshops
Nancy Engen-Wedin, Lecturer, TLTE; Program Manager, Lied Center for Performing Arts; Coordinator, Indigenous Roots Teacher Education Program, College of Education and Human Sciences, UNL
Specialties: Education, Indigenous issues and education, arts and curriculum
Erin Haacker, Assistant Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, UNL
Specialties: Hydrology of the High Plains Aquifer, agricultural water use, modeling the movement of groundwater
Ted Hibbeler, Tribal Extension Educator, UNL
Specialties: Education, Indigenous food sovereignty, economic development, career development, conservation, leadership; Member of the Rosebud Sioux Nation (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) in South Dakota
Brandi Hilton-Hagemann, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator, UNL
Specialties: Community development, rural towns, leadership
Louise Lynch-O'Brien, Assistant Professor, Entomology, UNL
Specialties: Insect biology, community/citizen science, One Health Extension, informal science education and literacy
Charlotte Narjes, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator, UNL
Specialties: Agricultural economics, cooperatives, rural communities
Sarah Nelson, Assistant Professor, Geography, Affiliate of Medical Humanities, Native American Studies, UNO
Specialties: Oral ways of knowing, aging in Indigenous communities, cultural safety in health care
Moises Padilla, Director, Nebraska College Preparatory Academy, UNL
Specialties: Education and college access and success for first-generation, low-income, and ethnic-minority students in the Great Plains
Emily Rau, Assistant Professor, Libraries; Editor, Willa Cather Archive, UNL
Specialties: American literature, digital humanities, Willa Cather, and the Great Plains
Marilyn Schlake, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator, UNL
Specialties: Community economic development, entrepreneurship, nonprofits, strategic planning
Judy Wu-Smart, Extension & Research Entomologist, UNL
Specialties: Bee Lab leader, pesticide exposure, landscapes, stressors on bee behavior
Jeffrey A. Johnson, Professor, History, Providence College
Specialties: Radical labor, politics, and reform in the late 19th and early 20th century American West
Fellow nomination procedure
Next nomination period: October 2023
Fellows of the Center shall include scholars presently holding regular appointments at the University of Nebraska who are concerned with the past, the present, and the future of the Great Plains. Candidates for this status must be nominated by a Fellow and must present evidence of a research, teaching, or public service commitment to the Plains region. Fellows are elected upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee and by a majority of the Board of Governors.
Membership (Governance Document, Article IV, Section 1)
Procedure
Upon receipt of the nomination at the Center, it will be sent to the Nominations Committee for their consideration. Following approval, they forward the nomination in the form of a seconded motion to the twelve-person Board of Governors. The Board of Governors votes on acceptance of the nominee. The Director of the Center for Great Plains Studies will notify the nominee and the nominator of the results of the Board action.
Other
No fee is required for designation as a Fellow. Fellows are kept apprized of all Center activities via email, especially the seminars and annual interdisciplinary symposia. Fellows have the opportunity to work with the Center on projects, lectures, and symposia.
AFFILIATE FELLOW NOMINATION PROCEDURE
Affiliate Fellows of the Center shall include persons who have a professional interest in the Great Plains and the purposes and program of the Center and are not presently holding regular appointments at the University of Nebraska. Candidates for election must be nominated by a Fellow. The nominator must present evidence of a research, teaching or public service commitment to the Plains region. Affiliate Fellows shall also include any Fellow who no longer has an appointment at the University of Nebraska and who has not provided the Director with a signed letter resigning his or her Center affiliation. Affiliate Fellows shall be elected in the same manner as Fellows, but they shall not have voting privileges.
Membership (Governance Document, Article IV, Section 2)
Procedure
Upon receipt of the nomination at the Center, it will be sent to the Nominations Committee for their consideration. Following approval, they forward the nomination in the form of a seconded motion to the twelve-person Board of Governors. The Board of Governors votes on acceptance of the nominee. The Director of the Center for Great Plains Studies will notify the nominee and the nominator of the results of the Board action.
Other
No fee is required for designation as an Affiliate Fellow. Affiliate Fellows are kept apprized of all Center activities via email, especially the seminars and annual interdisciplinary symposia. Affiliate Fellows have the opportunity to work with the Center on projects, lectures, and symposia.